April/May 2026

Dear colleagues,

Summer is just around the corner! It was another busy term with lots of highlights that I’m excited to share with you here.

Celebrate our success  

Faculty and staff recognition

Congratulations to Kathleen Boies, professor of management, on being named a 2026 Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC) Fellow. She was selected for her impressive research accomplishments, contributions to management education in Canada, PhD student training and her dedication to ASAC and the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences (CJAS).

A big congratulations to Michel Laroche, professor of marketing, on being named among the Top Scientists in the field of Business and Management by Research.com. He ranked ninth in Canada and 187 in the world. In addition, he earned the 2026 Research.com Business and Management in Canada Leader Award. Bravo!

Congratulations to Louise Champoux-Paillé, co-director of the Barry F. Lorenzetti Centre for Women in Entrepreneurship and Leadership, on being named an Officer of the Ordre de Montréal. This prestigious honour recognizes her outstanding contributions and enduring impact on our community. You can read more about the latest appointees here.

Dual Degree Agreement with the University of Limerick

I am delighted to announce the signing of a new dual degree agreement between the John Molson School of Business and the Kemmy School of Business at the University of Limerick. This partnership offers our Finance students the opportunity to earn both a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from Concordia University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Business, with a major in Risk Management and Insurance, from the University of Limerick.

This is an outstanding pathway to enhance their global learning experience. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all those who contributed to this achievement, particularly Associate Dean Jooseop Lim and Frédérica Martin for their leadership, as well as Salvatore Colavita and Jenessa Speed for their time and dedication in making this agreement possible. Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this opportunity to our students.  

Rankings

The Executive MBA program continues to shine, now ranked 60th in North America by QS World University Rankings. Adding to this success, CEO Magazine has placed the John Molson EMBA 30th globally, while also recognizing our MBA program as Tier 1. These impressive distinctions reflect not only the passion, talent, and commitment of all those who teach and support our MBA programs, but also the exceptional quality of the student experience we offer. I am truly proud of this continued success and of our strong, sustained presence on the international stage.

Students in the spotlight  

You may have seen that two of our students, Jasmine Zahr and Manon Vaisse, appeared on entrepreneurship-themed TV show Dans l’œil du dragon (Dragons’ Den). You can read more about their experience here.

Sufiyan Master, BComm International Business, recently won the Next-Gen Sustainability Award at the International Aerospace Innovation Forum (IAIF) for his startup Bagbotics. The company combines AI and robotics to modernize how airports and airlines handle baggage. You can read more here.

Alexandre Migner, a BComm student in Finance, was among 38 scholarship recipients at the Fondation Aléo spring cocktail. The Fondation Aléo’s mission is to support high-achieving student athletes from all backgrounds to reach their full potential. Migner is a short track speed skater from Sainte-Julie.

Bravo to our students!

Graduations and other events

Career Management Services hosted its third Toronto Networking Trip for John Molson international students from May 13-15 through the C-RISE program. The trip was made possible thanks to a generous gift from Scotiabank and gave students the opportunity to expand their networks in Toronto and get a feel for the city. Undergraduate and graduate students were able to visit employers and attend the International Student Alumni Networking Cocktail.

Kenneth Woods portfolio management program graduation

We feted our new Calvin Potter Fellows on May 4. I would like to thank the program director, Sergey Gelman, lecturer in finance, for his strong leadership and dedication in guiding the students throughout the year. Under his direction, the cohort demonstrated solid overall performance and meaningful progress in their technical and professional development. While returns for the graduating class reflected a deliberately cautious investment approach, the portfolio grew to approximately $6.45 million and showed stronger risk-adjusted results, with several holdings performing exceptionally well in early 2026. You can see photos from the celebration here.

34th annual Alumni Recognition Awards

On May 25, Concordia celebrated its annual Alumni Recognition Awards. We had two winners among them. Congratulations to Gaetan Lefebvre, BComm 86, EMBA 06 – MBA Alumnus of the Year and Sharon Nelson, BSc 97, BEng 10 and assistant director of our EMBA program – Outstanding Faculty Award. Congratulations to both of them!

Case competitions 

Every year, the Concours de la Relève give undergraduate students in marketing or communication the chance to apply what they’ve learned to real client mandates.

Three John Molson teams performed exceptionally well, with one team earning first place in the communications category. The ConU Consulting team was tasked with designing an integrated marketing communications plan for the Ville de Laval. As winners, their plan will be used by the client. Congratulations to the student teams and a big thank you to Caroline Roux, professor of marketing, for coaching our students to success.

Promote impactful and collaborative research

Annual Graduate Research Exposition (AGRE)

The 17th edition of the AGRE was a hit! Students, industry judges, faculty members, friends and community members gathered to learn more about research done by our MSc, MSCM and PhD students. You can see the winners here and photos from the event here. A big thank you to Linda Dyer, Cédric Lesage, Joel Bothello, Nathalie Repenning and Ulrike de Brentani for another fantastic exposition. Thanks as well to Mahdi Mirhosseini, who supervised several winning students.

Cultivate strong and sustainable partnerships

NEOMA Business School visit

On April 8, we welcomed our partners from NEOMA Business School, with whom we have the first-ever double degree program at John Molson, for a visit to Montreal. They were accompanied by journalists from a number of outlets in France, including Le Figaro Étudiant, which did a feature on one of our international students. You can read it here.

Staff changes

As part of ongoing adjustments to better support our programs, three team members are continuing their contributions with refreshed areas of focus. Samantha Hamer is now dedicated to supporting the PhD program. Debra Sztulman contributes to both private programs, the MBA in Investment Management and the Executive MBA programs. Batoul Al-Sinan focuses her efforts on supporting the Department of Accountancy and the CPA Program. I would like to thank each of them for embracing these new responsibilities with their usual professionalism and commitment.

Departures

We bid a fond farewell to Bertha Magalhaes, who finished her contract in the PhD Office on April 30th. She has returned to her previous position at the University.

Closing remarks

I would like to extend our warmest wishes to our dear faculty members who begin their retirement on June 1: Ronald Abraira, Bryan Barbieri, Charles Draimin, Rick Molz, Dominic Peltier-Rivest, Barbara Shapiro, Mahesh Sharma, and Mrugank Thakor. We thank them sincerely for their remarkable contributions and wish them much happiness and fulfillment in this new chapter.

Finally, I look forward to seeing you at Convocation on June 15th. As we celebrate convocation, we are reminded that this moment lies at the very heart of our mission. It is a time of pride, joy, and deep accomplishment, for our students, their families, and our entire community. Their success reflects the dedication, talent, and collective effort that define our school, and it is truly an honour to share in this important milestone with them.

Wishing you a wonderful start to the summer.  

Warm regards,

Anne-Marie Croteau, PhD, CDir

Dean