John Molson Milestones
Special thanks to Records Management and Archives for all archival photos.
Commerce faculty in the 1960s. Credit: Records Management and Archives
1968-69
Sir George Williams University launches the MBA program.
1974
Loyola College and Sir George Williams University merge to become Concordia University. With this merge, the Faculty of Commerce and Administration begins welcoming its first students.
Sir George Williams University First Graduating Class 1971, Master of Business Administration. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
1976
The Faculty of Commerce and Administration offers its first joint PhD in Business Administration with McGill, Université du Québec à Montréal and HEC Montréal.
The 1970s. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
The 1970s. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
1981
John Molson School of Business professor Dale Doreen establishes the Institute for Entrepreneurship at Concordia. The first of its kind at a Canadian university, the institute offers students the opportunity to complement their education with business experience.
1982
Concordia hosts the world’s first MBA case competition, which is later renamed the John Molson MBA International Case Competition. It remains the world’s largest and most respected competition of its kind.
Concordia Faculty of Commerce and Administration, early 80s. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
1983
Management professor Theodore Hebert is made a Fellow of the esteemed Academy of Management. He is the third Canadian — and first Concordian — to receive the title.
1984
In its first major focus on small-business learning, the Faculty of Commerce and Administration (now John Molson School of Business) establishes the Centre for Small Business and Entrepreneurial Studies to undertake research on small businesses and support Montreal-area entrepreneurs.
1985
In its first major focus on small-business learning, the Faculty of Commerce and Administration (now John Molson School of Business) establishes the Centre for Small Business and Entrepreneurial Studies to undertake research on small businesses and support Montreal-area entrepreneurs.
The Executive MBA program launches.
Executive MBA first graduating class. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
Launch of new MSc Program, Dean Appelbaum and Juan Segovia, October 1989.
Credit: Records Management and Archives.
1987
The Faculty of Commerce and Administration introduces its first Distinguished Teaching Award.
Awards of Distinction, 1991. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
1992
The world’s first international aviation MBA program takes flight at Concordia.
1993
A $7,500 research grant from professor Lawrence Bessner leads to the establishment of the Centre for Small Business and Entrepreneurial Studies’ Minority Institute.
MBA reunion during homecoming, 1993. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
1994
Students of the world’s first Aviation MBA degree — from the Faculty of Commerce and Administration — graduate at Concordia.
The Faculty of Commerce and Administration hosts Concordia’s first Women and Work Symposium.
Danielle Morin at the first Women and Work Symposium, 1994. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
Inaugural Commerce and Conversation Seminar series, 1994. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
1995
Finance professor Lawrence Kryzanowski becomes the first winner of the Prix ACFAS Caisse de dépôt et de placements du Québec for his contribution to research and institutional portfolio management.
AACSB 1997
1997
The Faculty of Commerce and Administration becomes the first Quebec business school to earn full accreditation from AACSB International — the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Graduate Diploma in Accountancy Graduates, 1997. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
Faculty of Commerce and Administration students, 1997. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
2000
Concordia’s Faculty of Commerce became the John Molson School of Business following a generous donation from the Molson family and the Molson Foundation in November 2000. The school proudly bears the name of the entrepreneur, John Molson, (1763-1836). He was an innovator and philanthropist whose contributions to Montreal have left an indelible mark on the city's history.
John Molson: Role model for entrepreneurs. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
It becomes the first Quebec business school and fourth in Canada to earn full accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Following a generous donation by Kenneth Woods, the Kenneth Woods Portfolio Management Program (KWPMP) was launched in 2000 to provide a select group of undergraduate John Molson students with hands-on training in investment management by working with a real-life portfolio of over $2.8 million.
John Molson School of Business launched with $10 million gift. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
2001
The John Molson School of Business establishes the Goodman Institute of Investment Management in Montreal and Toronto, following a gift from Ned Goodman, LLD 97. The program becomes the first to offer an MBA program that fully integrates the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Body of Knowledge curriculum.
The John Molson School of Business becomes the first university program in Canada — and one of the first in the world — to become a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program Partner.
The John Molson School of Business hosts its first international Aviation Management Education and Research Conference, during which Concordia officially launches its International Centre for Aviation Management Education and Research.
Graduate certificate in e-business is founded by Anne-Marie Croteau and Gregory Kersten
2004
John Molson School of Business student competitors win the John Molson MBA International Case Competition, a first in the competition’s 23-year history.
2005
The John Molson School of Business establishes the Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations with HEC Montréal to promote strong corporate governance in Canada.
2006
Concordia is Canada’s first university whose work with the Charted Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute enables students to simultaneously earn MBAs and CFA designations.
Lajeunesse signing the MB building contract, 2007. Credit: Records Management and Archives.
2007
John Molson School of Business students win a record three gold medals, a first in a one-year period, at the TD Meloche Commerce Games, Omnium Financier and Happening Marketing.
2008
MBA students from the John Molson School of Business participate in their first National MBA Games — the largest gathering of its kind — in Hamilton, Ont.
Credit: Records Management and Archives.
2009
The John Molson School of Business Building opens in 2009 with a fully functional solar wall that generates electricity from the sun — a world first for a university building.
Eric Molson at the 10th anniversary
10th anniversary
Alexandre Bilodeau, BComm 16, is the first Canadian athlete ever to win an Olympic Gold Medal on home soil at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
2011
The Sustainable Investment Professional Certification Program is introduced by the John Molson School of Business as the first professional designation of its kind offered through a university.
2012
The Luc Beauregard Centre of Excellence in Communications Research — the first of its kind at a Canadian business school — is established at the John Molson School of Business.
2013
The John Molson School of Business’s MBA program earns second spot in Corporate Knights magazine’s first ever Global Green MBA Survey.
2015
Finance students at the John Molson School of Business become Montreal’s first scholars to access live derivatives figures through Integrated Client — trading technology from CQG, a U.S. data analytics firm whose software is used on trading floors of over 40 stock exchanges worldwide.
2017
Anne-Marie Croteau, BSc 86, becomes the first woman dean of Concordia's John Molson School of Business.
2018
The province of Quebec names Michel Magnan, professor in the Department of Accountancy, (and André Roy, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science) among the first Distinguished Members of the Ordre de l’excellence en education. Administered by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the new honour was established this year to reward individuals for their standout contributions to education.
2019
Concordia's John Molson School of Business becomes the first business school certified by Women in Governance with a commitment to gender parity in the workplace.
2020
The John Molson School of Business celebrates its 20th anniversary with virtual initiatives due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The John Molson Case Publications Initiative is created – a partnership with Ivey Publishing to publish and distribute business cases written by the John Molson community to schools around the world. Part of the University of Western Ontario’s Ivey Business School, Ivey Publishing is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious case publishers.
Mitacs and Concordia partner to create the first-ever Business Strategy Internship for John Molson School of Business students. The program is structured to allow participants to undertake a strategic analysis of an organization disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A first-of-its-kind in Canada, the Jonathan Wener Centre for Real Estate opens at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business. The centre will be a hub for teaching and research on commercial and residential real estate. .
2021
The Barry F. Lorenzetti Centre for Women in Entrepreneurship and Leadership is established thanks to a generous donation from Barry F. Lorenzetti, founder of BFL Canada. The purpose of the Centre is to create a sustainable hub of expertise and research on women in entrepreneurship and leadership at the John Molson School of Business, and to provide research grants and scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students.
2022
AACSB accreditation renewed.
2023
Concordia announces a $1.4-million donation from Scotiabank to help Indigenous and international students succeed through the Kaié:ri Nikawerà:ke Indigenous Bridging Program and the Career Roadmap for International Student Excellence (C-RISE). The community investment helps make post-secondary education accessible to First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals who do not meet the standard admissions requirements.
John Molson Perspectives launches. This platform shares practical, relevant, and impactful knowledge created by the John Molson School of Business community with the broader business community.
2024
The John Molson School of Business is named a Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) Champion for 2024-25.
The PRME Champion program’s mission is to contribute to thought and action leadership on responsible management education that aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
2025
The John Molson School of Business is named the best business school in Canada, according to the Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2025-2026 rankings.
