After a childhood spent in France, Ireland, Nigeria and Singapore, JP Chauvet’s career has spanned yet more countries and continents. He was lured from London to Montreal to work for Lightspeed, where he is Chief Executive Officer. Growing up, Chauvet never felt fully accepted in any one place, but his ability to understand different cultural perspectives has been an asset in his career. “Everybody always asks what’s your superpower, and it’s kind of a weird question, but I can be in Paris and understand how people think.
Brett Miller (BCom’86) moved to Montreal to study at 91ε, but he has made the city his home and become a leader in Quebec’s business community. Now the CEO of the real estate development company Canderel, Miller is concerned about the Quebec government’s plan to double tuition for out-of-province students beginning in Fall 2024. “To suggest that out-of-province students don’t contribute to the dynamism of the city is such a false message to send.
After working in investment banking in Amsterdam, New York and Tokyo, Sarab Hans (MBA’00) returned to Canada to take the reins of the family business. Mississauga-based Hans Dairy specializes in South Asian dairy products, but Hans didn’t have experience in dairy food and beverage production and needed to learn about the manufacturing process. “Sometimes, when we come into a position where we’re expected to be a leader, we feel like we need to show we know everything,” Hans says in interview with Food in Canada.
Scouring for holiday gifts at bargain prices is a savvy way to cut costs, but the allure of Black Friday deals sometimes masks potential pitfalls. In an article for BNN Bloomberg, Associate Professor Vivek Astvansh emphasizes the need for caution among bargain hunters to ensure they're fully informed about any unforeseen conditions.
This year, Canada’s large grocery chains are freezing the price for a greater variety of items than usual before the holidays. While 10-15% more products are included in the freeze this year, the true test of affordability will come later. “How high will grocery prices be when the price freeze ends?” asks Professor Saibal Ray in an interview with CBC Radio’s As It Happens.
Ava Labs, a software provider for the Avalanche blockchain network, has launched a new podcast series under its Owl Explains initiative. “Crafting the Crypto Economy” spotlights top researchers from leading academic institutions and features 91ε Desautels Assistant Professor of Finance Thomas J. Rivera as part of the opening lineup.
91ε Desautels graduate Avneet Bhabra (BCom’23)’s research paper “23% and Counting, but Not ‘One Size Fits All’: Helping Canada’s Immigrants Strengthen Their Financial Knowledge” has been published by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) on Canada.ca. Focusing on financial literacy amongst immigrants in Canada, the paper was selected as a finalist in the undergraduate category of the FCAC’s 2023 Building Better Financial Futures Challenge.
The inaugural 91ε Desautels Management Science Case Writing Competition, organized by Assistant Professor (Teaching) Rob Glew and supported by EY, turns the tables on the traditional case competition format. Since May, 34 BCom students worked to write case studies on their experience with operations management and analytics on their summer work placements.
When a company declares bankruptcy, the spotlight often falls on its creditors, primarily focusing on corporate debt from financial institutions. However, it is crucial to acknowledge the significant role of suppliers in the company's journey through bankruptcy. While financial institutions play a key role, suppliers can also be instrumental in the company's successful emergence from bankruptcy proceedings. Suppliers stand to gain more by supporting their buyer's recovery instead of witnessing the liquidation of assets.
Canadian pension funds are strategically divesting from their private equity holdings to realign their portfolios. Recognizing the inherent lag in private equity valuations compared to publicly traded assets, the move aims to address potential overvaluations, particularly in the context of rising interest rates.
Canada and Australia are both examples of successful pension fund management, said Prof. Sebastien Betermier in a keynote presentation to the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) Thought Leadership Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. While there are differences, both capture similar efficiencies: getting people to save money early, so they benefit from compounding. The assets in these funds are professionally managed, which provides multiple advantages.
Harriett Baldwin (MBA’85) is spearheading an extensive examination of the financial landscape for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the United Kingdom. Highlighting a stark gender disparity, she points out only 2% of venture capital funding in the UK goes to businesses run by women, while men fill 90% of all senior roles at hedge funds.
Among the low-rise industrial buildings that line the northern end of Décarie Boulevard, a major new shopping centre is taking shape. The $7-billion Royalmount luxury retail and lifestyle centre is slated to open in summer 2024, after numerous construction delays.
The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) launched in 1966 and pays retirees a monthly amount based on contributions deducted from their paycheques throughout their working lives. "You contribute with the understanding that when it comes your time to retire, you can expect your own steady stream of income where the risks are being managed directly by the plan," says Prof.
Artificial intelligence can identify patterns in data much faster and more effectively and efficiently than humans can, but it is only applicable to the specific contexts in which data was created. Even then, AI can replicate the data’s biases and encode them, resulting in a major limitation that can lead to discrimination on the basis of sex or ethnicity. This is of particular concern for public sector organizations, which need to be fair to those they serve.