April 2023

Dear colleague,

Spring is in the air and along with it comes the end of the semester and final exams, marking, etc. As we get ready to welcome the summer, here are some things I am proud to celebrate with you.

JOHN MOLSON NOW ELIGIBLE TO PURSUE EQUIS ACCREDITATION

On the heels of our European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) full membership, the board of the EFMD announced John Molson’s eligibility to pursue EQUIS accreditation. This is a major step towards the attainment of triple-crown status for the School which is in alignment with our vision to be one of the most relevant, responsible and respected business schools in the world.

I’d like to thank Alexandra Panaccio and her team for their relentless work and leadership to bring the faculty so far in the process. Because of their expert guidance, research and diligence, the School was well-placed to gain this foothold.

NEW DIRECTOR OF PHD IN ADMINISTRATION

I’m excited to announce that Tracy Hecht will start her mandate as the Director of the PhD in Administration program starting on July 1, 2023. She will be taking over from Cédric Lesage who will serve as the Associate Dean of Research and Research Programs.

Tracy joined John Molson in 2004 as Assistant Professor. She was granted tenure and a promotion to Associate Professor in 2009. Her research explores work-life balance in the Canadian workforce. Congratulations Tracy and thank you for taking on this important role.

I also take this opportunity to thank Cédric once again for his impressive work during his tenure as GPD. The curriculum was completely revised, the funding for students increased and stabilized with clear milestones that students need to attain to remain in the program and a more balanced spread of students by supervisor. Following these major changes, we can already see a positive increase in the quality of applicants. 

WINNER OF THE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD

Congratulations to our colleague Jordan LeBel for being recognized by the Concordia Council on Student Life for his exceptional contribution to student life at the university. These awards are given annually to Concordia students, staff and faculty who have made a significant impact at the university.

LAUNCHED: JOHN MOLSON PERSPECTIVES

At our Cabane à Sucre event, I mentioned the soft launch of the John Molson Perspectives project. It is now live and I want to thank Ehsan Derayati and Kathleen Boies for their innovative vision and execution. As part of our strategic plan, we want our research findings to be disseminated to the general public by producing short versions of our faculty research findings. Our goal is to make John Molson research more approachable, accessible and impactful in order to maximize our social impact.

With the help of UCS, we now have a research hub that showcases a variety of research-focused news stories, research insights and media exposure for our researchers. The research pieces that were selected for the launch were contributed by faculty and graduate students including Joel Bothello, Matthäus Tekathen and our public scholar Ghalia Shamayleh. The platform also features The Conversation pieces that were written by our faculty as well, including Claudine Mangen’s award-winning contributions.

The editorial board consists of Ehsan Derayati as editor-in-chief, Zeynep Arsel and Denis Schweizer. The editorial board can be reached at perspectives@concordia.ca if you wish to submit abstracts to be considered for John Molson Perspectives.

LAUNCH OF THE RESEARCH HANDBOOK ON ACCOUNTING AND ETHICS

John Molson was proud to host the launch of a next-gen publication that highlights research as it applies to today’s social and market realities. The Research Handbook on Accounting and Ethics was co-edited by Charles H. Cho and Marion Brivot. You may recognize their names as they met while serving as faculty members at John Molson.

It’s no surprise that our John Molson community, led by Emilio Boulianne and the KPMG-JMSB Entrepreneurial Indices, rallied to support and encourage them. The handbook covers topics like taxation, auditing and confidentiality as they apply globally.

I’d like to congratulate our former and current faculty on their efforts and their invaluable contribution to next-gen ethics in accounting.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR GUEST SPEAKERS

Guest speakers are a critical part of the experiential learning opportunities we offer our students. These industry leaders volunteer their time to John Molson students, faculty and staff and share with us lessons they’ve learned in their careers and their vision for the future of business.

It was my pleasure to host them at John Molson on April 19 to express the school’s gratitude and admiration. I’d like to thank Yazmet Madariaga-Sanchez and Kelly Hall for organizing a heartfelt event and for making our guest speakers feel like the VIPs that they are. Photos from the event can be found on the John Molson flikr account.

NEW STAFF AT JOHN MOLSON

With spring, I’d like to formally welcome a few fresh faces who joined us in March and April. I know their talents will be well-applied at John Molson and I look forward to working with you all.

• Carine Nahman joined the recruitment team as Manager, Marketing and Recruitment in March. She comes with a solid experience in this area, having occupied similar positions at HEC Montreal and at Desautels - McGill.
• Magalie Han joined us as Advisor, Student Exchange and Advising, Undergraduate Programs in April. She is one of our MBA graduates and worked in various roles at University Advancement. She’s currently co-president of the John Molson Alumni Chapter.
• Taylor Tower has come on board to serve as Communications Manager in April. She was previously with the Faculty of Arts and Science as Senior Communications Advisor.

À BIENTÔT CAVAN, AYANNA ET BROOKE

This month we bid farewell to Cavan Riordan, who is taking on the role of Manager of Student Recruitment within Concordia's Central Recruitment team. Ayanna Durant and Brooke Welburn will join the Central Admissions team as Admissions Officers in May. 

Cavan joined John Molson in 2018 as the Recruitment and Retention Officer for Undergraduate Programs. In 2020, he took on the role of Graduate Student Recruitment Officer for John Molson.

Ayanna came to John Molson in 2003 as an MBA and GDBA program assistant for ten years. She then became an administrative assistant for the graduate recruitment team for two years and then took on the role of a graduate recruitment associate for another two years before joining the undergraduate office as an advisor. 

Brooke started at John Molson as a graduate assistant for the MSc and MSCM programs in 2017 and joined the undergraduate office in 2019, also as an advisor. Brooke was an active ambassador and champion of our fundraising efforts during our annual Centraide campaign, and I want to thank her for her time and efforts to make those campaigns a success.

All three have been great members of our community. I am so grateful for their invaluable contributions to JMSB. I’m confident that they will be great ambassador for our School. Please join me in wishing them well in their respective new roles.

THANK YOU FOR A FUN CABANE

It was so wonderful to see our staff and faculty come together to celebrate the arrival of maple syrup (and spring) in a truly Québécois fashion. From the delicious food to the insightful conversation and fun interactions, it was an event that I truly missed hosting during the pandemic. I’d like to thank Kelly Hall for putting together another memorable gathering and invite you to peruse the pictures from the event.

CLOSING REMARKS

As we close out another semester and reflect on all the great work that has been done, I’m filled with great pride for our community. Thanks to your hard work, JMSB is thriving and growing. I can’t wait to see what the summer has in store for us! #WeAreJMSB.

Take care,

Anne-Marie Croteau, PhD, CDir
Dean