Grads in the News: Week of July 29, 2010
Appointments:
Giuseppe Bertucci, BComm 98 (finance), has been appointed president of Thomson Tremblay Inc., a premier recruitment and placement agency. Giuseppe Bertucci has been with the company for 15 years, most recently serving as Vice-President, Operations. He holds the designation of CRHA from L’Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés.
Akram Bhatti, BA 91 (political science/western society & culture), recently joined Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, as coordinator of the Patient Simulation Center. He will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Center and assisting faculty to develop and integrate simulation technology into their curriculum.
Serge De Gagné, S BComm 74, MBA 78, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Servir Plus, Quebec's largest network of private health care and psychosocial services. He is also a governor and director of the Canassurance Hospital Service Association (Blue Cross).
W. Brian Edwards, L BComm 71, has joined the Board of Pethealth Inc., North America's second largest provider of medical insurance for dogs and cats to pet owners, operating in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. The company is also the leading provider of management software to North American animal welfare organisations and of pet-related database management services to the North American companion animal industry.
Dennis Gibson, L BComm 73, has been appointed Chief Financial Officer at mineral-exploration company Treasury Metals Inc. He is a Certified General Accountant and has held various senior financial positions for the past 30 years.
Richard Pound, S BA 63, Hon LLD, has been nominated one of four new board members of the Foundation of Greater Montreal. He is a partner in the Montreal offices of Stikeman Elliott and is a member of the firm’s tax group. A member of the International Olympic Committee, he was also a member of the Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
Peter Viney, BSc 89 (business studies/chemistry) , has been appointed Manager, Retail and CRM Marketing at Volkswagen Canada, based in Ajax, Ontario. Peter has held a variety of posts during his 19 years with the company, including area management positions in Vancouver and Montreal.
Eric Williams, BComm 75, C.A., has been appointed Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer at apparel retailer Reitmans Canada Limited. He has been Vice President, Finance, since September 2009.
Articles/Media:
Ralph Acs, MBA 95, was interviewed in “Bombardier unveils carbon-fibre jet”, The Gazette, June 22, 2010, for an article about the unveiling of Bombardier’s new business jet. He is Vice President in charge of the Learjet 85 program. The Learjet 85 corporate aircraft incorporates futuristic lightweight carbon-fibre materials expected to provide significant savings on fuel and maintenance.
Christophe Gaussin, EMBA 04, was interviewed for “Gaussin Manugistique met de l'intelligence dans son moteur” in Les Echos.fr, June 25, 2010. The article discusses his family’s engineering company, Gaussin Manugistique, based in Héricourt (Haute-Saône), France. Christophe serves as Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of Gaussin SA and Fonciere Immaloc SA, Chairman of the Board of Event SAS and Oasis Patrimoine Kapital SAS, as well as Manager of SCI Les Ecoles and SCI Faubourg 54. Gaussin Manugistique dates back to 1880.
Catherine Martin, BFA 82, a film director, was mentioned in Une image et mille maux”, Le Soleil, July 6, 2010. Her third full-length feature film Trois temps après la mort d'Anna (Mourning for Anna) premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic. The film will open in Canada in August. Catherine has written, directed and produced various short and medium length films in both the fiction and documentary genres. Her debut feature film Mariages, screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, was voted one of Canada's Top Ten films in 2001 and was nominated for a Genie and three Jutra awards.
Dr. Mohan Munasinghe, MA 75 (economics), was mentioned in DailyMirror.lk, June 28, 2010. He delivered the Inaugural Address at the CMA Global Management Accounting Summit 2010 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Mohan shared the 2007 Nobel Prize for Peace as Vice Chairman of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for work on global warming and sustainable development. He is Chairman of the Colombo’s Munasinghe Institute of Development, Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Manchester (UK) and Honorary Senior Advisor to the Sri Lanka government. He has earned post-graduate degrees in engineering, physics and development economics from Cambridge University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McGill and Concordia. Prof. Munasinghe has also received several honorary doctorates.
Robert Presner, L BA 69 (communication arts), was interviewed in Battle of the brainstorms: Should you be all business or be creative?” The Globe and Mail, June 14, 2010. He is president of Toronto-based Beyond the Box, which provides creativity training to top Canadian companies and government organizations. Bob is former president of Film Finances Canada and former vice-president of Motion Picture Guarantors. He is a frequent public speaker, has guest lectured at Concordia and other universities and colleges and has taught a Masters Course in Production Management at the University of Miami. He has served as Chair of the Sheridan College Advanced Television and Film Program Advisory Committee for the past three years.
Awards/Honours:
Inder Bedi, BComm 96 (marketing), has been named a 2010 Quebec finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in the category of Business-to-Business Products and Services. Inder is co-owner and creative director of MATT & NAT, which produces a collection of design-centric, eco-friendly and organic accessories. In 1991, Inder Bedi was challenged by a Mahatma to go vegetarian for 30 days. It was during this time that he devised the business plan for an eco-vegan fashion house. The Ernst & Young awards recognize high-achieving entrepreneurs in Canada and around the world who drive growth, build communities and transform industries.
David Bowman, S BA 73, has been named a 2010 Quebec finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in the Manufacturing category. David is president of Outdoor Gear Canada (OGC), a leading supplier of high-quality, high-value cycling, outdoor and snow-product brands. Several years ago, after having distributed some of the best-known international brands of bicycles, OGC used its collected experience and expertise to develop its own bicycle program under the Opus brand. The Ernst & Young awards recognize high-achieving entrepreneurs in Canada and around the world who drive growth, build communities and transform industries.
Mark Busgang, BComm 77, has been named a 2010 Quebec finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. Nominated in the category of Health Sciences, Mark is president, CEO and director of Warnex, a life sciences company that provides laboratory services to the pharmaceutical and health-care sectors. He is also director of Laval Technopole, a member of the World Presidents' Organization and actively involved in many community and charitable organizations. The Ernst & Young awards recognize high-achieving entrepreneurs in Canada and around the world who drive growth, build communities and transform industries.
Alain Desrochers, BFA 78 (drama in education), drama director, has been nominated for a 2010 Gémeaux Award for the period suspense series Musée Eden, which aired this spring on Radio-Canada television. Alain made a few short films before directing three episodes of Tony and Ridley Scott’s The Hunger, followed by his first full-length feature film La Bouteille, for which he received a Genie Award nomination. He also directed Nitro in 2007. The Gémeaux Awards, recognizing top French-language Canadian TV productions, will be presented in September.
Zachary Gillman, Attd 85 (arts and science), has been named a 2010 Quebec finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in the Manufacturing category. Zachary is founder and president of Sherbrooke–based Interstar Concrete Industries, which manufactures pigments, admixtures, fibres and dispensing systems for the concrete industry. The Ernst & Young award recognizes high-achieving entrepreneurs in Canada and around the world who drive growth, build communities and transform industries.
Cammi Granato, Attd 97 (JMSB), has been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. A forward from Downers Grove, Illinois, Cammi captained the U.S. women to the first Olympic gold medal awarded in women's hockey in 1998. She and Canada’s Angela James will be the first female faces to hang in Toronto’s Great Hall. Cammi, who lives in Vancouver and is married to former NHL player Ray Ferraro, remains the all-time leader in goals and points for the U.S. in world championships. She played for the Concordia Stingers, helping earn the team three Quebec titles.