August/September 2026

Dear colleagues,

Welcome back! I hope you had a lovely summer and a great start to the Fall term. I’m looking forward to another exciting academic year ahead. 

Let’s start with some good news! 

Celebrating our success 

Rankings 

The Princeton Review 

The Princeton Review named our MBA to its Best On-Campus MBA Programs which is part of its overall Best Business Schools for 2027 report. We are proud to be among 208 institutions recognized in this ranking—and notably, the only Canadian institution to be included. Please feel free to share the story in your networks. 

Bloomberg Businessweek 2026-27 

Our MBA earned the number one spot for compensation after graduation and number two for entrepreneurship, according to the Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2026-2027 rankings. We were ranked number two overall, placing our MBA as a leading program in Canada. This ranking is a tremendous accomplishment and a testament to the collective efforts of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Bravo!  

Foster a sense of belonging and engagement  

Back-to-School BBQ  

I had the pleasure of hosting our 8th annual Back-to-School BBQ last month. I shared my pride in the fact that despite the challenges we face, JMSB continues to grow, adapt and move forward. I’m grateful to our community and can’t wait to see what this new academic year brings. Thank you to everyone who joined us.

Enhance the John Molson School experience

Shuffle  

I am thrilled to share that we exceeded our goal and raised $8,165.00! We also made it into the top 5 teams at #4! Thank you to the JMSB Rock Stars team and to everyone who donated to support student success and well-being. Thanks to our team co-captains Alexandra Karnezis and Barbara Henchey. In total, the Shuffle raised $205,000 for students. You can read more about it here.

Career Fair

Louise Anne Côté and the Career Management Services (CMS) team hosted their annual Career Fair for John Molson students on September 21, sponsored by Desjardins. The event was a great success with 67 employers and more than 750 students and alumni.

Golf Classic

On August 31, Concordia’s Golf Classic raised $750,439 for student scholarships and bursaries. Thanks to Joe, Jennifer, Carla and Daniel for leading this effort.

Hall of famer

Congratulations to Maureen Donato, manager, research and faculty development, on making it to the Lockport High School 2026 Athletic Hall of Fame. "During her career as a swimmer, Maureen 'Mo' Donato set a school record in the 500-freestyle race which stood for 29 years." Read more here.

Be a catalyst for positive societal impact

Lise Watier graduation

We celebrated our Lise Watier Foundation graduates on September 17. We are always so proud to host the graduation ceremony for participants in the Lise Watier Foundation Let’s Start Up program and we wish these women the best in the future. The goal of this initiative is to offer courses on entrepreneurship so the participants can develop their business acumen and achieve financial freedom.

Events

John Molson Perspectives

On September 25, the John Molson Perspectives Seminar Series hosted AI and Entrepreneurship: What's Changing, What's Working, and What's Next. This panel discussion featured leaders at the forefront of AI sharing their insights on how AI is reshaping entrepreneurship across university ecosystems.

Climate Finance and Sustainability Conference

The Climate Business Institute hosted two practitioner panels as part of its Climate Finance and Sustainability conference on September 28. The conference was developed and convened by CBI Executive Director Anna Walkowiak together with Strategic Advisor Stephen Kibsey. The sessions brought together experts from finance, agriculture, sustainability, impact investing and academia to discuss financing food security systems at the 50th parallel and beyond.

Open House

We’re gearing up for another edition of our Fall Open House on Saturday, October 24. Thank you to our faculty, staff and students who will showcase all that our School has to offer. You are our best ambassadors and we appreciate you!

Retirements

We celebrated Mahesh Sharma’s impressive 50+ years at Concordia! Mahesh has been an invaluable member of our faculty, a true mentor and a community leader these past five plus decades. A big thank you to Eva Ferrara for organizing this celebration of his work and contributions to our university.

New hires

Welcome some new members of our staff community: Sabrina Gendron, department assistant in Finance; Soha Hawili, undergraduate academic advisor; and Fan Zang has moved to the graduate admissions office. Thank you for choosing JMSB and for the contributions you are already making.

Closing remarks

Please keep in touch about successes happening in your unit by contacting our Communications Manager Taylor Tower at taylor.tower@concordia.ca.

As I reflect on all this wonderful news, I’m reminded of what a great start we’ve had to the academic year. I’m grateful to everyone for the energy, enthusiasm and care you bring to John Molson every day. Thank you for everything you do, in ways both big and small, to make our School such a special place. I’m looking forward to another great year together.

Warmest regards,

Anne-Marie Croteau, PhD, CDir

Dean