WINTER 2012 • VOLUME 32 • NO 1
A magazine for alumni and friends of the Sauder School of Business at UBC
MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU
Connect Locally.
Connect Globally.
Imagine the power of a community of people
united by a common bond and mutual
commitment to helping one another succeed.
That’s the potential of the Sauder Global
Alumni Network; more than 30,000 alumni in
over 70 countries. With the launch of the new
Sauder Global Alumni Business Directory, you
can put it to work for you.
Power up the network and support your alumni
community by activating your profile in the
new Sauder Global Alumni Business Directory.
You’ll enjoy:
> secure access to the alumni business directory
> free access to the Dow Jones Factiva news
and business information database
> exclusive alumni career services and more
JOIN THE NEW GLOBAL ALUMNI
BUSINESS DIRECTORY TODAY AT:
www.sauderalumni.ca
ALUMNI STORIES
36
Josh Espstein
BCom 2001
38
Roberto Aquilini
BCom 1987
53
Heline Lam
BCom 1997
start an evolution
UBC launches Canada’s largest fundraising and alumni
engagement campaign.
It’s an ambitious goal: raise $1.5 billion and double the number of alumni (that’s you) involved with,
or connected to the university. Then again, starting an evolution and changing the world is an
ambitious goal, though it’s one UBC feels is achievable if we harness the power of those connected
to the university. To see the range of opportunities to get involved in ways that matter to you, get
inspired by this issue of Viewpoints, and then visit startanevolution.ubc.ca.
NEWS
40
41
BMO supports UBC
with generous gifts
UBC establishes new
presence in India
IN EVERY ISSUE
3
4
6
8
42
Sauder Index
52
Points of View
Newsworthy
Actuals
Insider Information
Class Notes
12 Change the world
A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step, says the proverb.
But these five have taken big steps on the path to evolution.
Cover mosaic by Brandon Brind,
and created from over 1,700
photographs of Sauder alumni and
friends. Can you find yourself?
alumni@sauder.ubc.ca
UBC Commerce/Sauder
School of Business Alumni
twitter.com/ubcsauderschool
linkedin.com/company/sauderschool-of-business-at-ubc
10
24
32
McLean family inspires
Business Families Centre applauds
family dynamic.
29
World Bank executive
explores global path
Interview with Joachim von Amsberg
MBA 1990; PhD 1993.
We are all connected
Why you should be, too.
Lifelong learning
50
In Memoriam:
Milton Wong (1939-2011)
Visionary. Friend. Supporter.
How Executive Education helps
organizations and individuals thrive.
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
1
VIEWPOINTS FROM THE DEAN
OUR MISSION FOR VIEWPOINTS
Educate. Engage. Evolve.
Viewpoints Magazine is designed to nurture dialogue
and relationships with our alumni and friends by
ensuring that you continue to enjoy the practical
benefits of the school’s leading-edge business thinking.
Viewpoints presents news, research and commentary
that demonstrate the ability of our faculty and our
graduates to define the future of business and to open
doors for those who are connected to the Sauder
School of Business. Your thoughts about this mission
are always welcome.
We are defined by the people and organizations to whom we are connected.
In business terms, the strength of our personal brand is defined by the strength
of their brand.
MY AFFILIATIONS WITH HARVARD, WHARTON AND
“A man travels the world over
in search of what he needs and
returns home to find it.”
— George Moore
“But higher education in Canada is the
responsibility of government,” you might argue.
“Why should I fill the gap?” The reality is that,
in order to ensure our educational institutions
are competitive and provide access and
appropriate service, we need support beyond
traditional resources such as government. The
notion that the state is wholly responsible for
education just isn’t true anymore. Pressures
including health care, infrastructure and primary
education have all affected governments’ ability
to fully fund post-secondary education.
So if you or your business has an interest
in investing in the next generation of business
“revolutionaries,”—those whose ideas will
2
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
EDITORIAL
Dale Griffin EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Cristina Calboreanu EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jennifer Wah MANAGING EDITOR
DESIGN
Brandon Brind CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Deana De Ciccio, Leanne Romak GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
PRODUCTION
Spencer MacGillivray PRODUCTION MANAGER
MARK MUSHET
INSEAD—along with my proud connection to
UBC’s Sauder School of Business—have shaped
my attitudes and intellect. These institutional
affiliations are a part of my calling card, and
signal what I stand for, even before you’ve
met me.
The ongoing investment in building a stronger
school, being made by Sauder and the University
of British Columbia, is something every one
of you should care about. The strength of our
brand influences the strength of your brand.
UBC’s ambitious new fundraising and
alumni engagement campaign, start an evolution,
aims to raise $1.5 billion in one of the largest
efforts of its kind in Canada. The aim is twopronged: to raise money and to get alumni like
you involved. And the ultimate call to action in
this campaign is soaring and aspirational: start
an evolution, change the world. As the campaign
statement says:
UBC generates ideas that start evolutions. Ideas that
change the way people think and the way the world works.
You can help start an evolution through involvement and
investment.This can be as simple as reconnecting with UBC
or as generous as making a donation.
change the world—please take a moment to
“think different.” You might be surprised at how
much inspiration there is in it, for you.
Great business schools in great universities
are that way because of alumni who feel
connected to their school. In this issue of
Viewpoints, you’ll see some examples of people
who are, in their own right, starting evolutions,
in their communities, their industries, or their
thinking. Dan Eishenhardt (page 16) invented
ski goggles with GPS tracking, and Marianne
Mathias (page 18) is working with Ghanaian
women to use their textiles in her high-fashion
clothing sold here. On page 14, read about Ray
Kanani, whose aim is to capture the moment,
digitally; and there’s Nolan Watson (page 20),
who developed a framework to help finance and
develop small mining operations. Finally, based
on his own real-life experience with his wife’s
cancer, Sauder’s own Prof. Martin Puterman
(page 22) has brought to the world a treatment
scheduler, which most certainly changes the
worlds of families at a time of stress.
“A man travels the world over in search of
what he needs and returns home to find it,” said
the novelist George Moore. Perhaps investing in
your Sauder “home” as the place from which
you travel is an evolution worth considering. ■
Daniel F. Muzyka, Dean
RBC FINANCIAL GROUP PROFESSOR OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Viewpoints Magazine is produced by Forwords
Communication Inc. and published by the Sauder
School of Business, University of British Columbia
2053 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
Tel: 604-822-8555, Fax: 604-822-0592. Viewpoints
is published regularly for alumni and friends of the
Sauder School of Business.
We welcome the submission of ideas and articles
for possible publication in Viewpoints Magazine.
Email: viewpoints@sauder.ubc.ca
For an online version of Viewpoints, visit
www.sauder.ubc.ca
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
Send change of address to Alumni Relations Office,
fax: 604-822-0592 or email to alumni@sauder.ubc.ca
©Copyright 2012, Sauder School of Business.
Editorial material contained in Viewpoints Magazine
may be freely reproduced provided credit is given.
ISSN 089-2388. Canada Post. Printed in Canada.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Dale Griffin (Chair), Sheila Biggers, Bruce Wiesner
CONTRIBUTORS
Cristina Calboreanu, Lorraine Chan, Carol Dougans,
Allan Jenkins, Spencer MacGillivray, Rob McMahon,
Erica Smishek, Jennifer Wah, Leanna Yip,
Kate Zimmerman
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The Sauder Index
BY
JENNIFER WAH
Fundraising goal of UBC’s start an evolution campaign: $1.5 billion
Targeted increase in alumni involvement: 100 per cent increase, to 260,000, by 2015
Number of projects available to support as part of the campaign, through gifts of
involvement or investment: More than 100
Percentage of university operating revenue from government sources, 1979: 88
Percentage of university operating revenue from government sources, 2009: 57
Percentage increase in tuition fees at UBC, since 2001: 87
How to keep UBC accessible and competitive: Raise $1.5 billion in donor gifts
Rank of Canada, among OECD nations, in proportion of population with post-secondary education: 1
Estimated percentage of new jobs in Canada requiring a postsecondary education: 75
Number of alumni connecting with each other on the UBC Facebook page: 6,860
Followers on the @ubcalumni Twitter account: 2,404
Sauder graduates who are members of LinkedIn MBA or BCom groups: 2,894
Top three cities in Canada that are home to UBC alumni, outside Vancouver: Victoria, Toronto, Calgary
Top three countries outside Canada that are home to UBC alumni: Hong Kong, Australia, the United Kingdom
Sauder Business Clubs around the world: Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Greater China, London
Upcoming Sauder reunions in 2012: Class of 1957, Class of 1962, Class of 1983
Number of benefits and discounts available to those who sign up for a free Alumni ACard via alumni.ubc.ca: 16
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
3
NEWSWORTHY SAUDER IN THE NEWS
Dean argues credit-rater
overreacted in Globe and Mail
In a Globe and Mail
op-ed coauthored
by Dean Daniel
Muzyka, the authors
argue that credit
rater Standard and
Poor’s overreacted
when downgrading
the credit rating of
the United States.
Muzyka and Tufts University Professor Lawrence
Weiss believe S&P’s decision was misguided.
Examining the economic history of the
United States, as well as its current financial
situation, the two suggest there is no reasonable
scenario in which the U.S. would default on its
debt. They outline options the country has to
avoid default and point out that the overall
economic standing of the U.S. is better than
that of the U.K. and France, to which S&P was
continuing to give an AAA rating. ■
California approves cap and
trade, will BC follow suit?
In an opinion piece
written for the Tyee,
Associate Professor
James Tansey
applauds California’s
recent decision to
implement a cap
and trade system.
Tansey outlines
how the new policy
will work, and questions why this story was
not picked up by Canadian media, considering
California’s status as the world’s seventh largest
economy.
Tansey suggests that Ontario and Quebec
are now the front-running provinces in the
Western Climate Initiative, wonders whether
British Columbia will move ahead with its
participation in the group, and questions if it
can afford not to. ■
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WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
Good looks can kill the impulse to shop
In a new study, Sauder marketing professor Darren Dahl and his
colleagues find that the good looks of a shopper can influence the
buying habits of other customers. The researchers conducted several
experiments and found that when female consumers with low selfesteem saw a pretty customer wearing the same item of clothing that
they were trying on, it decreased their likelihood of purchasing the
item. Based on their findings, the researchers make recommendations
to retailers such as using dressing rooms which maximize privacy
and avoiding opportunities for comparison.
Appearing in the February 2012 edition of the Journal of Consumer
Research, the study has attracted coverage in TIME, London’s Daily Mail,
the Ottawa Citizen, the Financial Post and the Globe and Mail. ■
Workplace sabotage fueled by envy, unleashed
by disengagement
Research coauthored by Professor Karl Aquino shows that managers
should keep team members connected and engaged to avoid
workplace sabotage. The study shows that envy is only the fuel for
sabotage. The match is not struck unless employees experience “moral
disengagement”—a way of thinking that allows people to rationalize
or justify harming others.
Entitled “A Social Context Model of Envy and Social Undermining,”
the research will appear in the Academy of Management Journal and was
featured in the Mumbai Mirror, United Press International, the Vancouver Sun,
the Province and the Calgary Herald. ■
Professor devises better method for evaluating stocks
Sauder accounting professor Russell Lundholm was recently featured in
Forbes Magazine for a formula he has devised for more accurately calculating
accruals to find cheap and overvalued stocks. Lundholm’s accrual
formula takes net income minus cash from operations and divides the
result by net income.
The formula was the basis for the paper “Percent Accruals”
coauthored by Lundholm, Matt Van Winkle and Nader Hafzalla,
published in the Accounting Review. In the paper, the authors show how
firms in the top 10 per cent in terms of negative accruals turned in
annual returns 5.5 percentage points in excess of the market from 1998
to 2008. Those with high accruals trailed the market by 6.1 percentage points a year. Buying the first
group and shorting the second would have resulted in an 11.6 per cent annual gain. ■
To learn more about Sauder in
the news, visit www.sauder.ubc.ca
Sauder profs make
their case
Grads profiled in the Financial Times
A group of MBA grads from the Robert H. Lee Graduate School at Sauder were the focus of a
profile in the Financial Times for a company they developed in the class Technology Entrepreneurship—a course that teams up business and engineering students to create new high-tech
products.
MBAs from the class of 2007, Dan Eisenhardt, Darcy Hughes and Fraser Hall, and UBC
engineering grad Hamid Abdollahi, continued working together after graduation to form Recon
Instruments, a company that produces technology to equip ski goggles with GPS and motion
sensors (see page 16 for in-depth feature).
The team’s technology took a major innovation award at the 2011 International Consumer
Electronics Show—the world’s biggest consumer electronics trade show held annually in Las
Vegas. They also raised millions in angel funding and partnered with major goggle companies to
produce “Recon Ready” goggles for the 2011–2012 ski season.
What’s their next big hurdle? They’re working with NASA to adapt their technology for
possible use in spacesuit helmets. ■
In a monthly series of case studies written for
the Globe and Mail’s Your Business section, Sauder
professors highlighted challenges and successes
in today’s business environment.
Drawing on the experience of company
Recon Instruments, Assistant Professor Tim Silk
writes that it is important to be as specific as
possible about product options when surveying
people about product development. He shows
how Recon used this method when surveying
skiers to get the most accurate and discriminating
feedback possible to create their GPS-enabled
goggles.
Assistant Professor Chloe Tergiman uses the
innovative company Park Assist to demonstrate
that it takes more than a really good idea to be a
successful entrepreneur. Tergiman describes how
the company first sold their lot-monitoring sensor network as a pilot before spending money to
develop it, thus ensuring their product’s success.
In a second case study, Tergiman illustrates how
taking business classes and creating connections in
the business community helped engineer Bradley
Pierik turn his innovative idea for a handheld
water filter into the social enterprise Twothirds
Water Inc. Tergiman writes that by collaborating
with Vancouver business incubator Institute B, he
was able to receive the expert help and advice he
needed to get his business off the ground. ■
Professor shortens wait time for chemotherapy
Sauder professor
Martin Puterman’s
innovative new
chemotherapy
scheduling system,
Chemo SmartBook,
was the topic of
a variety of news
stories, including a
front-page feature in the Vancouver Sun (see page 22
for in-depth feature). The system was created after
Puterman proposed in 2009 that BC Cancer
Agency work with Masters of Management in
Operations Research students doing industry
projects arranged through Sauder’s Centre for
Operations Excellence.
The students, along with faculty, graduates
and post-doctoral fellows, worked closely with
BC Cancer Agency staff to create the computerbased system, which automatically assigns
patients to nurses, balances workloads, alerts
pharmacists of daily schedules, and meets
patient appointment preferences.
The Chemo SmartBook was also featured in
the Winnipeg Free Press, Edmonton Journal and numerous other newspapers across Canada. ■
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
5
ACTUALS SEEN AND HEARD IN THE SAUDER WORLD: ENTREPRENEURSHIP
HSBC Bank Canada supports the next generation of female business leaders
with $80,000 student award
On November 7, 2011, HSBC Bank Canada announced a gift of $80,000
to support the advancement of women in business leadership through an
award for female students at the Sauder School of Business.
Chief Operating Officer, HSBC Bank Canada Sandra Stuart (left), and Professor and
Advisory Council Chair in Management Science at the Sauder School of Business
Frieda Granot (right), with the 2011-12 HSBC Women in Business Leadership Award
recipient Jenny Chan (middle)
This generous scholarship will provide four students with two
installments of $10,000, one during their third year and one during their
fourth year while they pursue a Bachelor of Commerce. One scholarship
winner will be named each year, for the next four years. The recipient for
2011-12 is Jenny Chan.
Recipients of this award will also have the opportunity to be considered
as candidates for summer internship positions and for the management
trainee program at HSBC Bank Canada.
“This scholarship is a wonderful addition to the activities and services
that Sauder offers for women striving to advance into leadership positions,”
said Frieda Granot, a professor and Advisory Council Chair in Management
Science at the Sauder School and former dean of UBC’s Faculty of Graduate
Studies. “We are grateful to HSBC for recognizing the importance of
supporting future female leaders through academic initiatives.”
Along with this new scholarship at Sauder, HSBC Bank Canada supports
a range of initiatives that promote the leadership of women in business,
including an internal Women’s Network that leads activities targeted at
advancing the development of women within the company.
“HSBC is working hard to attract, develop and retain the very best talent
by supporting women’s professional growth,” said Sandra Stuart, Chief
Operating Officer for HSBC Bank Canada. “This award for young women
at Sauder is another example of how HSBC is proactively supporting the
development of emerging female leaders through skill development,
mentorship and community outreach initiatives.” ■
TELUS gives to Management Information Systems to establish TELUS
Excellence in IT Award
On November 17, 2011, the Sauder School of Business announced that
TELUS has made a donation of $60,000 over three years to support the
creation of the new TELUS Excellence in IT Award. This is the largest award
ever created for Management Information Systems students and will
significantly offset tuition costs for up to five students each year.
“The Sauder School of Business is deeply honoured by TELUS’ support,”
said Dean Daniel Muzyka. “This gift is a tremendous investment in future
generations of business technology professionals and managers, and will
encourage our students to pursue and achieve their full potential.”
TELUS and the Sauder School share a valuable connection, with TELUS
having been an active recruiter of Sauder students from graduate and
undergraduate programs—particularly in the areas of Finance, Accounting,
Marketing, and Management Information Systems. For many years, TELUS
has also been a host to students from the co-op program. This reciprocal
relationship has benefitted students, business professionals and the business
technology industry as a whole.
The Management Information Systems Division at the Sauder
School offers two key undergraduate specializations open to Bachelor of
Commerce students: the Business Technology Management (BTM) option;
and the Business Computer Sciences (BUCS) option. Students graduating
6
FALL 2011 VIEWPOINTS
from these options are in high demand by companies that need to recruit
for business technology management positions, such as TELUS.
Bill Sayles, senior vice-president and chief information officer, Business
Transformation, TELUS, has been Chair of the Sauder School’s MIS Advisory
Board since 2010. During this time, he has influenced the redesign of the
BTM and BUCS programs, helped develop student recruitment initiatives,
been instrumental to the integration of a student mentorship program,
and played a significant role in the implementation of a new scholarship
program for Management Information Systems students.
“It’s been extremely rewarding for me,” said Sayles. “We rely on
the talent of new graduates and I believe that nurturing and mentoring
students throughout their education is very important. The TELUS
Excellence in IT Award reflects our company’s ongoing commitment to
developing future stars and I’m proud to be a part of that.”
Awards totaling $20,000 will be given out annually to students who
have demonstrated academic excellence or leadership relating to the
BTM and BUCS programs. ■
Sauder professors emeriti and former deans gather for the annual Emeritus Lunch
On November 25, 2011, the annual Emeritus Lunch took place in the
new Big 4 Conference Centre in the Sauder School of Business, following
a tour of Sauder’s revitalized facilities.
Recently inaugurated, the Big 4 Conference Centre occupies the 9th
floor of the newly-renovated tower in the Henry Angus Building. It was
named in recognition of a major gift from the four professional services
firms: Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. ■
JAMES MACLENNAN
Bottom row, left to right: Larry Moore, Bob Kelly, Peter Lusztig, Philip White, Larry Jones, Ricco Mattessich. Top row, left to right: Tom Ross, Bernhard Schwab, Skip Walter,
Stan Hamilton, Dean Daniel Muzyka, Trevor Heaver, Gail Robertson, Merle Ace, Rick Pollay, Brian Bemmels, Jim Forbes
Ch’nook and VIU sign regional
partnership MOU
In December, Vancouver Island University (VIU) and Ch’nook Indigenous
Business Education, which is headquartered at Sauder, marked the
beginning of a new partnership. Building on a previous affiliation,
VIU will expand its role as a regional partner to enhance the Ch’nook
Scholars program for Aboriginal students seeking post-secondary
business education. The new partnership will also aim to boost awareness
surrounding business and management career opportunities among First
Nations high school students on Vancouver Island.
“We are excited to welcome VIU’s Faculty of Management as Ch’nook’s
Regional Partner,” said Rick Colbourne, Assistant Dean, Indigenous
Business Education at the Sauder School of Business.
“Ch’nook contributes to the sustainable economic development and
self-determination of First Nation communities in British Columbia.
This will enable us to have a stronger local focus that is closer to the First
Nation communities that we serve,” noted Colbourne, who also serves as
director of Ch’nook Indigenous Business Education.
The Ch’nook initiative—aimed at increasing First Nations participation
in post-secondary business education—originated a decade ago at the
Sauder School of Business. It has evolved with the support of the provincial
government, post-secondary business education programs in BC,
corporations and other sponsors. ■
Competitions see Sauder students soar
MBAs and undergraduates excelled at academic competitions held
January 6–8, making it a weekend of success. The MBA team, from
Sauder’s Robert H. Lee Graduate School, placed third overall at the
MBA Games 2012 at the University of Alberta School of Business in
Edmonton—the best placement ever for the school. More than 600
students, from 20 universities, competed at the games, making it
Canada’s largest gathering of MBA students.
At Queen’s University in Kingston, Sauder came in second
overall in the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition, Canada’s oldest
business case competition. In the individual categories, Sauder took
second place in MIS, third place in accounting and fourth place in
business policy. ■
To learn more about Sauder Actuals,
visit www.sauder.ubc.ca
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
7
SAUDER FACULTY INSIDER INFORMATION
Sauder professor receives health research award
Professor Frieda Granot named one of Canada’s
most powerful women
Dr. Frieda Granot, Advisory
Council Chair in Management
Science and Professor in
Sauder’s Operations and
Logistics Division, was
honoured at the 9th annual
Canada’s Most Powerful
Women: Top 100 Awards Gala
on December 1. Over 1,200
attendees came together at
the Gala organized by the
Women’s Executive Network
at the Allstream Centre in
Toronto to celebrate the 2011 Top 100 Winners in nine categories,
proven achievers in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. The
event featured a keynote by celebrated author Margaret Atwood, on
“The Power of Connected Leadership.”
Granot was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in
the Trailblazers and Trendsetters category, an acknowledgement of
her pioneering work championing post-secondary education and
interdisciplinary research in Canada. During her term as Dean of
the Faculty of Graduate Studies at UBC from 1996 to 2006, she
built a unique incubator of ideas and one of the most successful
graduate schools in North America, housing more than 30 thinktanks covering the humanities, social sciences, natural and applied
sciences, and health.
In recognition of her work, she was appointed a Member of
the Order of Canada in 2007, and received the YWCA Woman of
Distinction Award in the Education, Training, and Development
category in 2006. In 2002, she was awarded the Queen’s Golden
Jubilee Medal.
Granot’s career at UBC began in 1975, when she became
the first female tenure-track faculty member in the Faculty of
Commerce and Business Administration (later renamed the
Sauder School of Business). After her term as Dean, she returned
to the Sauder School to serve as Senior Associate Dean, Strategic
Development and External Relations between 2006 and 2011.
In this role, she has made substantial contributions to a wide
variety of initiatives dedicated to promoting women in business
and mentoring young women—including Co-Chair of the annual
Women in Leadership Forum, Chair of the Sauder Women’s
Leadership Council and a member of the Advisory Board of the
Young Women in Business network. ■
Sauder Operations and Logistics
assistant professor Steven Shechter
received the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research 2011 Career
Investigator Award. Shechter is exploring new methods of optimizing the
timing of medical decisions. Through
his research, he aims to develop and
apply advanced analytical techniques
to aid in decision-making in response
Assistant Professor Steven Shechter
to questions regarding clinical timing.
The Career Investigator Award
was established to foster the development of outstanding health research in
British Columbia by allowing researchers to conduct leading research and
expand their potential to make significant contributions in their field. ■
Sauder professors funding application ranks high
Finance Assistant Professor Jason
Chen’s 2011 SSHRC application was
ranked the number one application
in the area of accounting, finance,
management science and operations
management. Chen was awarded a
total of $56,042 over three years for
his proposed research program, “The
Social Welfare Costs of Stock Market
Inefficiencies.”
Assistant Professor Jason Chen
Chen’s project will assess the
consequences of an inefficient market by developing a series of macroeconomic models. The findings will make a valuable contribution to the
existing body of theoretical literature and aid policy makers in designing
policies that mitigate inefficiencies. ■
ATRS presents results of international airport
ranking in Australia
Professor Tae Oum
8
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
Sauder Professor Tae Oum, president
of the Air Transport Research Society
(ATRS), presented the results of the
2011 Global Airport Benchmarking
Report at the ATRS World Conference
in Sydney, Australia in early July.
The annual report produced by
the Sauder-based aviation think-tank
measures and compares operating
and managerial efficiency and cost
competitiveness of 156 airports
around the world, and is used across the aviation industry to guide
business, policy and research.
The event was attended by international scholars, government officials,
and senior airport industry executives. During the conference, more than
260 papers were presented by industry experts from every continent. ■
Professor’s medical scheduling system wins award
Operations and Logistics Professor
Martin Puterman’s innovative new
chemotherapy scheduling system,
Chemo SmartBook, was the recipient
of an Excellence in BC Health Care
Award from the Health Employers
Association of British Columbia in
the category of Top Innovation –
Health Authority (see page 22 for
in-depth feature).
Professor Martin Puterman
Puterman’s Chemo SmartBook
streamlines the chemotherapy scheduling process using a computer-based
system which automatically assigns patients to nurses, balances workloads, alerts
pharmacists of daily schedules and meets patient appointment preferences.
The new system has been in use by the BC Cancer Agency at its Vancouver
Centre since June 2010 and decreased patient wait-lists by 84 per cent. ■
Sauder professors co-chair international finance
conference
Professor Ron Giammarino
Sauder Finance Professors Ron
Giammarino and Kai Li co-chaired
the 2011 Northern Finance
Association Conference in Vancouver
in September. This year’s conference
was attended by finance scholars,
professionals and PhD students
from throughout North America
and around the world. Participants
gathered to discuss current issues
in the field of finance, including
volatility in asset pricing, lessons
from the financial crisis, international
finance and behavioural corporate
finance.
Dr. Laura T. Starks, the Director
of the AIM Investment Center in the
McCombs School of Business at the
University of Texas at Austin, gave a
keynote address. ■
New faculty at Sauder
The Sauder School of Business
welcomes four members to its
faculty.
Murali Chandrashekaran has
joined the Robert H. Lee Graduate
School at Sauder as the Associate
Dean, Professional Graduate
Programs. Chandrashekaran
received his PhD in marketing
Associate Dean, Professional Graduate
from Arizona State University.
Programs, Murali Chandrashekaran
Associate Professor Katherine
White joins Sauder’s Marketing
division from the Haskayne
School of Business at the University of Calgary. White received
her PhD in psychology from
UBC. Her research interests
include social influence, social
marketing, sustainability, prosocial
consumption and corporate social
responsibility.
Jonathan Berkowitz has been
Full-time lecturerJonathan Berkowitz
teaching as a sessional lecturer
and adjunct professor at Sauder since 1991. This year, he joins Sauder
as a full-time lecturer in the Operations and Logistics division. He
received his PhD from the University of Toronto.
Finance assistant professor James Park will be at Sauder as a
visiting professor for the next two years. Park received his PhD in
finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
His research areas include empirical corporate finance and asset
pricing, financial distress and equity issuance. ■
2012 Celebrate Research Week: exploring the
darkside of work
On March 6, as part of Celebrate Research Week at UBC, the
Sauder School of Business held a forum entitled “A Walk on the
Darkside of Work.” Moderated by Prof. Moura Quayle, the event
focused on some of the dark aspects of working life—examining
the experience and impact of ostracism, mistreatment by customers
and career shattering injuries. It included several presentations:
“Ostracism in the Workplace: When Silence Hurts,” by Prof.
Sandra Robinson; “Misbehaving Customers and their Influence on
Employees,” by Prof. Danielle van Jaarsveld; and “Out of Darkness:
Stories of Trauma and Growth at Work,” by Prof. Sally Maitlis. ■
Professor Kai Li
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
9
cutline
Senator David Smith
Dean Daniel Muzyka
UBC President Stephen Toope
McLean family honoured at
2011 Family Legacy Series Dinner
On September 15, 2011, more than 750 guests from the Vancouver
business community came together at the Westin Bayshore for the
Business Families Centre’s Family Legacy Series Dinner. The annual
gala offers guests the opportunity to gain insight into the inner
workings of one of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurial families.
This year, the BFC honoured the McLean family.
The McLeans on stage, left to right: Sacha, Melanie, AJ, Jason, Brenda, David, moderators Judi Cunningham (Executive
Director of the BFC) and Darren Dahl (Professor and Chair, Marketing Division, Sauder School of Business)
10
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
Left to right: Sacha McLean, Brenda McLean, Jason McLean, David McLean, Judi Cunningham and Darren Dahl
ESTABLISHED IN 1972, THE MCLEAN GROUP HAS
grown over the years from real estate investment
and development into a second-generation
family business active in film and television
production (Vancouver Film Studios),
communications (Signal Systems), construction
(Harbour Landing Construction), real estate
(Blanca Realty), aviation (Blackcomb Aviation)
and philanthropy (the McLean McCuaig
Foundation). The evening program included a
candid interview with David and Brenda McLean,
and their sons Jason and Sacha. Guests were
treated to the film Family In Motion—an
inspiring historical look back at the founding,
growth, and evolution of the McLean Group.
Other honoured guests of the evening
included UBC President Stephen Toope, Sauder
School of Business Dean Daniel Muzyka,
and Senator David Smith, who served as the
evening’s Master of Ceremonies.
Following dinner, the McLeans returned
to the stage—this time with Jason’s wife AJ,
and Sacha’s wife Melanie—for an interactive
question-and-answer period.
The evening was generously sponsored
by BMO Harris Private Banking, CN, West
Coast Reduction Ltd., Bull, Housser & Tupper,
CanadaLife, Canadian Capital, Farris, Vaughan,
Wills & Murphy and HSBC. ■
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
11
STORY BY
KATE ZIMMERMAN
COLLAGES BY
NATALIE CARR
STILL PHOTOS BY
ROGER MAHLER
Changing the world
At the Sauder School of Business, we
That philosophy complements
believe creative, responsible business
UBC’s largest fundraising and alumni
leaders are central to society’s most
engagement campaign, start an
ingenious and positive developments.
evolution. Launched in September,
an evolution campaign is to double the
By educating, training and inspiring
2011, this $1.5 billion campaign—the
number of alumni actively engaged
original thinkers, we play a part in
biggest in Canadian university history
in the life of the university. Alumni
changing the world for the better.
when it was announced—aims
can get involved in a whole range
Sauder Professor of Operations
Martin Puterman observed how
difficult chemotherapy patients
found their wait to confirm
treatments, so he worked with a
team to redesign the BC Cancer
Agency’s chemotherapy booking
system.
Nolan Watson used the expertise
he’d acquired about a new way
to finance mines to co-found two
highly successful publicly traded
companies–Sandstorm Metals &
Energy and Sandstorm Gold.
see page 20
to double the involvement of the
university’s alumni by 2015.
“One of the dual goals of the start
Danish engineer Dan Eisenhardt’s
relentless quest for knowledge took
him all the way to Australia before
he arrived at Sauder’s Robert H. Lee
Graduate School. There, classroom
teamwork eventually resulted in the
world’s first ski goggles equipped
with widescreen LCD performance
information.
see page 22
see page 16
12
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
begins with an idea.
of activities, from guest lecturing
UBC Vice President of Development
for knowledge and their desire to
to student mentoring, to attending
and Alumni Engagement.
share what they’ve learned is readily
social and academic events. Sauder
Learning, after all, does not stop
and UBC as a whole is brimming with
when a graduate leaves the university.
opportunities to pursue your passion
That is certainly the case for the
in life. Getting involved can really make
Sauder graduates and professors we
things happen,” reflects Barbara Miles,
interviewed for this story. Their quest
Fashion designer Maryanne Mathias
teamed up with a partner to help
Ghanaian women find a wider market
for their textiles. This spring OseiDuro’s designs will be available
through the American chain
Anthropologie.
An early adopter of social media
marketing, Ray Kanani started
SMART Pics Images, the company
he established with two other UBC
grads before he graduated from
Sauder. He now calls Microsoft a
client.
see page 18
apparent.
see page 14
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
13
START AN EVOLUTION
Ray Kanani’s clients
want you to say “cheese”
If you’ve had your picture taken
in a digital phone kiosk at Rogers
Arena, a Vancouver bar, a Las
Vegas nightclub, New York’s
Fashion Week or a post-Oscars
party, you have Sauder School grad
But social media has to be constantly
updated, which many clients had no time to do.
So Kanani landed on the idea of a digital photo
kiosk that would take real-time before and after
shots of his parents’ customers and post them to
their social media accounts. That idea didn’t take
off in a salon setting, but Kanani and Ganapathi
realized there might be other applications for it.
Ray Kanani and his partners to
thank.
KANANI, 24, IS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF
SMART Pics Images, a company he founded in
2010 with fellow UBC grads Aman Bhatia, now
its software developer, and Nathan Ganapathi, its
sales director.
Kanani had arrived at the Sauder School
expecting to major in economics. He soon
decided he was less interested in theory than
he was in hands-on marketing. He became
captivated by the potential he saw in social
media and started using it to promote his
parents’ hairdressing salon. Other companies
wanting to attract a tech-savvy demographic also
approached Kanani.
“In some classes, I was listening to the
professor at the same time as I was updating
different clients’ Twitter or Facebook accounts,”
he recalled. “The professor would be saying
‘This is a good way to engage blah blah blah’
and I would be able to apply it, literally, right
away for clients I was working with.”
14
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
“We realized that authentic
endorsements of a brand on
people’s social networks are
much more powerful than a
one-way communication of
a brand saying ‘We rock.’”
Just before Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic
Games, the pair persuaded a major club owner
to move a mobile version of the kiosk from bar
to bar over the course of the event. These high
quality digital photos were free to customers,
who would get their pictures instantly sent to
their Twitter feed.
“The great thing for the bar is that they get
a lot of content online revolving around their
brand,” Kanani explained. “They’re also able to
capture data regarding the people who came to
their event or party.”
Success there allowed the founding partners
to make a more sophisticated version of the
unit with the help of Bhatia, who became the
third partner. The company caught the attention
of the Vancouver Canucks organization, which
sanctioned a booth outside Rogers Arena during
the Stanley Cup playoffs and has now installed
one inside it.
Since then, SMART Pics has found clients
in such major companies as Microsoft, and the
company has opened a sales office in Las Vegas.
“I think initially people didn’t quite grasp
how important social media was going to be as
a marketing tool,” Kanani said. “We realized that
authentic endorsements of a brand on people’s
social networks are much more powerful than a
one-way communication of a brand saying ‘We
rock.’ If Microsoft says ‘We kick ass,’ that’s one
thing, but if your best friend posts on Facebook,
‘Hey, I’m at a Microsoft party and it kicks ass,’
you can just tell which one is going to be more
powerful, more influential to you.” ■
Ray Kanani: President and CEO,
SMART Pics Images, BCom 2011
14
ray@smartpics.ca
http://smartpics.ca
http://friendbangmarry.com
raykanani
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
15
16
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
START AN EVOLUTION
Going downhill lands
Dan Eisenhardt at the peak
World domination wasn’t in Dan
Eisenhardt’s official game plan,
but as president and CEO of Recon
Instruments, he got it anyway.
EISENHARDT, A DANISH ENGINEER WHOSE POST-
graduate education took him to the Melbourne
Business School for an MBA and then to Sauder’s
Robert H. Lee Graduate School for a four-month
term on exchange, came up with the scheme
that inspired Recon while in his entrepreneurship class in 2007.
A competitive swimmer, Eisenhardt felt
swim goggles should give athletes “instant
feedback on performance metrics.” He pitched
the idea to his class of business and engineering
students, found a group of enthusiasts, and they
began a project aimed at intriguing venture
capitalists. They had to change course when
they discovered a potential patent—skiers and
snowboarders, they decided that GPS-equipped
ski goggles were a better way to go.
Several years later, Eisenhardt and Hamid
Abdollahi began to pursue their scheme,
bringing another Sauder pair on once it got
underway. In the early stages, said Eisenhardt,
36, “It was very difficult, because you need a lot
of power to run a display system, and you need
a big screen to see the information, but you
don’t have the space for either. You need state-ofthe-art electronic components for the GPS and
sensors that take up even more space and cost
a lot of money. And you have to produce it at a
low price, because distributors and retailers take
a lot of the margin.”
Rapidly changing smartphone technology
helped, but it was also the height of the recession.
“One thing we did was believe in ourselves,”
said Eisenhardt, who persuaded friends and
family to put up the initial financing. “It was
really tough to get this child up and running
and see it have a decent chance in life. That took
a couple of years, until we really got to the
“It was really tough to get
this child up and running
and see it have a decent
chance in life.”
first proper prototype that we could show to
stakeholders and say ‘Here it is. You can put it
on your head and you can see the screen.’ From
then on, you had buy-in, immediately.”
Recon is now the only company in the
world that offers skiers real-time information
on widescreen micro LCD that includes speed,
jump airtime, GPS location, vertical distance
travelled, total distance travelled, temperature,
altitude and time. Its Android-based Mod Live
version offers Bluetooth access to Smartphones
for music playlists, caller ID and text messages,
as well as resort maps, buddy tracking and
wireless access to Action Sports cameras for
view-finding. The company is even releasing a
software development kit in 2012 so people can
develop their own apps.
The expansion plans of this Vancouver-based,
50-employee company include accessories
geared to snowmobilers, motorcycle riders and
the military.
CEO Eisenhardt has some advice for
aspiring entrepreneurs. “You need to be very
good at persuading, very good at relationship
management, and very good at being stubborn
and annoying, because you just keep calling. In
the beginning, it was Hamid—the CTO—and
myself. We were sitting in this tiny room and
making flashy Powerpoints and pretending we
were bigger than we were. That’s the only way
to get them to listen. You throw out some crazy
numbers. That’s how the game is played, so we
played it.” ■
Dan Eisenhardt: President & CEO,
Recon Instruments, Inc.
17
dan@reconinstruments.com
www.reconinstruments.com
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
17
START AN EVOLUTION
Maryanne Mathias weaves
from West African roots
Travel got fashion designer
Maryanne Mathias thinking about
how she could have an effect on
the world beyond the runway.
THE 31-YEAR-OLD GRADUATED FROM KWANTLEN
Polytechnic University with a Bachelor of
Fashion Design and Technology, and soon began
designing clothes for a living. She quickly
realized that she needed to learn how to run a
business.
That’s what took her to the Sauder
School, where she got her MBA, specializing
in Sustainability and Business and Strategic
Management. As a result, “I just got more
strategic, setting more goals,” said Mathias from
Accra, Ghana, over a challenging telephone line.
“Before that I was kind of floating.”
Between degrees, Mathias had started to see
her chosen field as shallow and had elected to
expand her horizons by travelling the world.
“Ghana was one of the places that sort of stood
out for me. I had a good time living there,”
she recalled. In 2009, impressed by traditional
Ghanaian textiles—weaving, crochet, “tie and
dying,” batik and wax prints—she and her
high school friend Molly Keogh, also a fashion
designer, decided to start a company that would
employ and train Ghanaian women at the same
time as it rocked the fashion scene.
18
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
Osei-Duro, the company the women
founded, remains a going concern. Its designs
are available in Canada, the U.S., and online.
Its collaborative work with a company called
Complexgeometries has also been sold in such
tony establishments as Barney’s New York and
the British chain Selfridges. Mathias expects that
“It’s definitely a
for-profit business, but
it’s also definitely an
ethical business.”
the North American chain Anthropologie will
carry designs by Osei-Duro for spring-summer
2012. “That’s going to be big for us.”
When Osei-Duro started, a women’s co-op
situated 150 km north of Accra produced its
wares, without benefit of electricity, using handturned machines. Quality and capacity issues
forced the partners to transfer their company’s
operations to existing Accra factories. The
women working there are paid a livable
wage and the company supports them in
other ways.
“It’s definitely a for-profit business, but it’s
also definitely an ethical business,” said Mathias.
success
“We have this one girl—she started doing
crochet for us, but with the Anthropologie
order, we’re going to need a thousand units of
crochet. A lot of times in Ghana, people would
try to do it all themselves but not be able to.
So we’re giving her management skills—we’re
trying to help her organize a business, and
organize thinking, and figure out how to take
care of things.”
Mathias now spends about half the year in
Ghana and half in Vancouver, in three-month
increments. However challenging it may be,
establishing a business in Ghana has convinced
her that providing jobs, skills and education are
essential—“the pillars of development.” ■
Maryanne Mathias: Co-founder,
Osei-Duro, MBA 2011
maryanne@oseiduro.com
18
www.oseiduro.com
OseiDuro
www.facebook.com/OseiDuro
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
19
20
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
START AN EVOLUTION
For Nolan Watson, even
copper’s as good as gold
Nolan Watson claims that
accounting didn’t come naturally
to him. In the second term of his
BCom, he was struggling to get
good grades.
go build their mine, or pay down their debt,
or whatever they want to use their money for,”
Watson explained. “And then what we get back
is a stream of that commodity. So our contract
might say something like, ‘You now have to
deliver us 15 per cent of all of the copper you’re
ever going to produce for the life of your mine,
WHEN HE MET AN OLDER STUDENT WHO HAD A
4.0 GPA, Watson asked him his secret. “Finally
he told me,” said the South Surrey, BC native.
“The secret was just to work harder than
everybody else, and you’ll beat them.”
So he did just that. “I started working
harder than I’d ever worked in my life—day
and night.” By the end of his program, Watson
was on a full scholarship and he graduated
with honours, going on to complete his CA
and CFA.
Next stop, the multi-billion dollar market
capitalization company Silver Wheaton, working
100-hour weeks. By the time he was 26, the
company had made Watson CFO. While there, he
witnessed the birth of a new way of financing
mines, called metal streaming, which started
with a small Mexican silver mine and quickly
became a world class method of financing mines
into production.
“What we do is we give these companies
money up front on day one, and they use it to
“I started working
harder than I’d ever
worked in my
life—day and night.”
and every time you deliver it to us, we may pay
you some nominal fee, like 55 cents a pound
or something like that, when the market price
is $3.50 a pound.’ The difference between the
50 cents we buy it at and the market price is
basically our profit. That’s how we make our
money back.”
Companies liked the model because it gave
them the money they needed without involving
potentially meddlesome joint management.
They keep 100 per cent of their deposit and
the financier has no say in mining company
operations.
In 2008, Watson co-founded Sandstorm
Resources (later Sandstorm Gold) with fellow
Silver Wheaton alumnus David Awram, applying
the same model to the much-larger base
metals and energy sector. At 32, he’s now the
Vancouver-based president and CEO of both
Sandstorm Metals & Energy and Sandstorm
Gold, publicly traded companies. The former’s
market evaluation is about $140 million, while
the latter’s nears half a billion dollars.
“I honestly believe that Sandstorm Metals &
Energy can become one of the largest companies
in Canada, full stop,” said Watson, who’s also
known for founding the charitable organization
Nations Cry, with education projects in Sierra
Leone, El Salvador and Guatemala.
“We’ve changed the way the worldwide
mining industry views how to finance a mine,
and we’re going to continue to do that.” ■
Nolan Watson: President and CEO,
Sandstorm Metals & Energy, BCom 2001
21
nwatson@sandstormltd.com
www.sandstormltd.com
www.nationscry.com
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
21
START AN EVOLUTION
Puterman’s chemo treatment
schedule inspired by his wife
Dr. Martin Puterman knows that
some of the most dreaded words
in the English language are “You
have cancer.” So, in an effort to
help alleviate the uncertainty
for patients who’d received that
unwelcome diagnosis and were
awaiting chemotherapy, in 2009
he and his team of researchers
launched a redesign of the BC
process, especially from waiting and lack of
information. I thought that what we study and
apply in many other fields would apply equally
well to cancer care.”
Much of the stress for chemotherapy patients
revolves around their first appointment, after
which they follow a rigorous protocol. Already
scared, cancer patients knew they were supposed
to start chemotherapy, but had no idea when.
This uncertainty meant that they couldn’t plan
ahead for treatment day, coordinate pre-treatment
drugs, arrange child-care or request rides.
Cancer Agency’s chemotherapy
booking system.
APPLYING BUSINESS STRATEGIES TO HEALTH
care management problems was nothing new
for Puterman, who has worked at Sauder since
1974 and in the health care field in various
capacities since 1982. Half a dozen years ago,
funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research (CIHR), he created a research team
at the BC Cancer Agency’s (BCCA) Vancouver
Centre to apply operations research methods to
improve cancer care delivery. It was observing
the undue stress his wife and others underwent
when awaiting confirmation of chemotherapy
treatment appointments that got him thinking
that there had to be a better way to do this.
“Because I saw the system from the inside—
not as a patient, but as the spouse of a patient—I
was able to identify many opportunities for
improvement,” said Puterman. “I know how
taxing the system was on patients in terms of
added stress from uncertainty throughout the
22
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
“I thought that what
we study and apply in
many other fields would
apply equally well to
cancer care.”
Coordinating chemotherapy appointments
is a complex task. The Centre books 15,000
appointments for more than 2,000 patients
every year, and “every patient is different in
terms of the amount of nursing and chair time
they need, what drugs they receive, when they
can start their treatment, and what other tests or
procedures they might have the same day,”
said Puterman.
Puterman and the UBC grads on his
Operations Research for Improved Cancer Care
(ORICC) team—Ruben Aristizabal, Vincent
Chow, Kevin Huang and Pablo Santibanez
—observed the existing system, identified
inefficiencies, redesigned processes and
determined the need for a schedule optimizer. In
collaboration with Centre staff, they developed
a customized schedule-planning software tool
called Chemo SmartBook. Within a year, the
proposed changes and new system went live.
Chemo SmartBook allows schedulers to
simultaneously determine appointment times,
assign patients to nurses, balance workload
and case complexity between nurses, smooth
pharmacy workload and accommodate patients’
requirements and requests for specific times. It’s
been so successful that ORICC recently received
another grant from CIHR to help it perfect
Chemo SmartBook and apply it at another BCCA
centre.
ORICC is involved in 10 different projects at
the BCCA, Puterman noted, using tools based on
innovative analytical thinking that are commonly
taught and researched at business schools.
When it comes to health care, however, Chemo
SmartBook is such an innovative development
that the team is now exploring ways to make it
more widely available. ■
Dr. Martin Puterman: Sauder School,
Professor of Operations
22
Martin.Puterman@sauder.ubc.ca
puterman.chcm.ubc.ca
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
23
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24
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
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Terence Ting
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
25
ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
In what ways do you, your classmates,
your profession, or your industry hope
to start an evolution?
Evolution is change. I think we are at a critical moment.
Will we change our practices of mass pollution and the
growing divide between rich and the poor? I work at the
University of KwaZulu-Natal and see the challenges people
face. If universities and educators could change their
thinking, and start teaching our young leaders about economic growth
and its implications for humanity, we just might start an evolution.
Kathleen Diga, BCom 2003 (International Business)
Manager/researcher, Poverty Reduction Assessment Project,
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Sauder Alumni Representative, Durban
I think education and skills development are going to evolve
in ways that are hard to imagine today. Some institutions
will evolve to meet and lead those changes and it will
primarily be through the quality of the social networks
we are only now beginning to deploy and new tools and
approaches to generating and sharing knowledge. With its internationalist
outlook, UBC is really well positioned to evolve and lead the evolution on
teaching, research and knowledge sharing. Canada now attracts about twice
as many immigrants as the U.S. on a per capita basis. Vancouver counts
every second resident as foreign born. And UBC has always had ties to Asia
that are deepening every year. It’s a great position from which to influence
the future of business thinking and education.
Mike Peplinski, MBA 1992
President and Founder, Assemblex Technologies, Inc, Austin, Texas
Sauder Alumni Representative, Austin, Texas
We live in an interesting time. We’ve never been so
interconnected, but so vulnerable to environmental
changes. We’ve never been so productive, but so dependent
on energy. We’ve never been so sure that we have limited
resources. I invite you to start an evolution by reaching
out to our global network and rethinking how we could use our natural
resources more efficiently. Innovation can make a real difference in
our history!
Rodrigo Caetano, MBA 2007
Executive Director – Business Development,
WhiteLeaf Management Consulting, Brasilia, Brazil
Sauder Alumni Representative, Brazil
26
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
Evolution requires change. With the reputation of the
business world suffering since the financial crisis started,
now is the time to chart a new course. I think there is an
opportunity here in Vancouver for Sauder alumni to be the
next face of the business world in our city, province and
country. People are hungry for this kind of leadership.
Dallas Henault, MBA 2011
Manager, Client Services, Kirk & Co. Consulting Ltd, Vancouver
VP Events, Sauder Business Club of Vancouver
For you, what’s the greatest value of
staying connected to Sauder and UBC?
Extending the connection to create a community away from
home is a great value to me. Many alumni in Shanghai are
far away from home and new in town. What I gained or
learned from the IMBA program in Shanghai is not only the
education or new perspective in life; it helped give me a sense
of belonging. I am proud to be a Sauder and UBC alumna and so would love
to help others to be connected and expand our community.
Annie Shu-Yuan Yu, IMBA 2009
Financial Analyst, IBM, Shanghai
Public Relations Executive, Sauder Business Club, Shanghai
Back in the 1980s, Sauder was one of the first Canadian
universities to establish an academic presence in Shanghai.
Since then, many outstanding alumni have returned or
moved to Shanghai. The IMBA program will add to our
alumni in this region. So it is important to have the Sauder
Business Club to serve as a platform that connects our alumni. I’ve lived in
five different countries and regions in the past 20 years. Before I graduated
from UBC, it was hard to get a sense of belonging to this global village.
Today, in the Sauder Business Club, I know I’ve found a community that
shares the understanding and experience we gained at Sauder. I’d like to
encourage more alumni in Shanghai to share their experience and mentor
our young alumni via the Sauder Business Club platform.
Terence Ting-Chi Wang, IMBA 2009
Managing Partner, Mason Investments LLC, Shanghai
President, Shanghai Branch, Sauder Business Club of Greater China
We’re in the early stages of harnessing the power of our
alumni base, both at Sauder and UBC. I hope this increased
focus on engagement will get more of us involved with
students at the school, to help them reach their full potential.
In turn, I hope that these students will do the same after
they graduate, so that the quality of education and learning experiences for
students continue to improve over time, as more and more alumni give back.
When visiting a new country, the first thing I do is to
connect with someone from our Sauder network. Through
that experience, I met extraordinary people who took
the time to share invaluable insights on their career
development. After moving to Brazil, I decided to take a
more active role. This has been an incredible opportunity to consolidate
my network with the Sauder international community.
David Kwan, BCom 2000 (Finance)
Vice President, Institutional Equity Sales,
Macquarie Capital Markets, Toronto
Founding President, Sauder Business Club of Toronto
The Sauder Business Club helps connect alumni with each
other and the school. I have been enjoying the benefits of
the alumni connections and would love to help others. I
also think working with the Sauder Business Club helps to
promote our school’s brand.
Rodrigo Caetano, MBA 2007
Executive Director – Business Development,
WhiteLeaf Management Consulting, Brasilia, Brazil
Sauder Alumni Representative, Brazil
Annie Shu-Yuan Yu, IMBA 2009
Financial Analyst, IBM, Shanghai
Public Relations Executive, Sauder Business Club, Shanghai
A common bond exists between classmates. Part of the
mandate of the Sauder Business Club is to extend that bond
beyond alumni in the same graduating year. Our club’s
launch brought together more than 400 members. Seeing
and hearing people connect and re-connect reinforced that
all of our time is worth it.
I had a lot of help getting my current role here in Calgary.
Not in terms of signing the offer—but in terms of
getting me up to speed on the industry and answering
my questions. I even had the opportunity to do a practice
interview through the career centre. I want to give the
same opportunity to other grads who aren’t as familiar with the city or
industry—and hopefully I can help them the way I was helped.
Dallas Henault, MBA 2011
Manager, Client Services, Kirk & Co. Consulting Ltd, Vancouver
VP Events, Sauder Business Club of Vancouver
Mike Woodward, BCom 2007 (Accounting)
Equity Research Associate, CIBC World Markets, Calgary
President, Sauder Business Club of Calgary
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
27
ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
Why is it important to you to volunteer
for Sauder?
I live in Durban, South Africa, and so I think it is important
to recognize we have amazing alumni in far corners of
the world who may not be able to make the next social in
Toronto or Shanghai, but who care deeply for the place they
still call home.
Kathleen Diga, BCom 2003 (International Business)
Manager/researcher, Poverty Reduction Assessment Project,
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Sauder Alumni Representative, Durban
Toronto’s vast Sauder alumni base is second in size only to
Vancouver’s. It was important to bring alumni together to
help leverage this network, whether it is for business or
social purposes. We also help educate students and recent
alumni about opportunities in Toronto, and give them
resources to help them in their transition.
David Kwan, BCom 2000 (Finance)
Vice President, Institutional Equity Sales,
Macquarie Capital Markets, Toronto
Founding president, Sauder Business Club of Toronto
With the SBCT, staying connected to UBC provides a sense of familiarity
and community in Toronto—especially if you’re relatively new to
the city. It wasn’t until I moved to Toronto that I realized and truly
appreciated the network I had built in Vancouver. In Vancouver, my
network grew very organically—very naturally—through school,
organizations, volunteering, work, friends... In Toronto, those options
to meet people were suddenly very limited. The SBCT gave me an
opportunity to rebuild that network and to help others do the same.
Pey-Lin Hui, BCom 2006 (Finance)
Associate, TD Securities, Toronto
Head of Mentorship Program, Sauder Business Club, Toronto
While working in Toronto and getting involved with
recruiting for our firms, the advantages for students
from Eastern schools became clear: polish and summer
internships. Easterners were not necessarily more talented,
but they were better prepared for interviews. Second,
local alumni from their schools secured summer internships and co-op
positions for them—getting a full-time offer as a summer student is a
much easier way to get into a firm.
So we started the Capital Markets Mentorship Program to help UBC
students compete better. We pair selected 3rd year students with two
mentors at the start of the year to prepare them intensely for summer
internship interviews in January. We help these talented students get the
extra polish they need to get through the door with summer positions.
Hashem Aboulhosn, BCom 2008 (Finance)
Associate, Vanedge Capital, Vancouver
Co-founded Sauder CMMP in 2009
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WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
A strong education has helped give me opportunities few
other people get. I went to a very good high school and had
an incredible university experience. If I can help someone
get a similar education that gives them an opportunity they
would not otherwise have had—I think that makes their
life, and Canada, a better place.
Mike Woodward, BCom 2007 (Accounting)
Equity Research Associate, CIBC World Markets, Calgary
President, Sauder Business Club of Calgary
The road less travelled
BY
ALLAN JENKINS
PHOTOS BY
JOACHIM VON AMSBERG
Joachim von Amsberg (MBA 1990; PhD 1993) has
seen much of the world in his travels, both personal
and professional. His almost-20-year career with
the World Bank has taken him down paths exploring
investment and infrastructure in the Phillippines
and Brazil. And his international life, and adventures
with three daughters, leaves him always considering
alternate paths Viewpoints interviewed Von Amsberg
and got a glimpse into his experiences.
Ever the explorer, Joachim von Amsberg hiked up Borneo’s
13,435-foot Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in the
Malay Archipelago, in 2010.
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
29
PROFILE
VIEWPOINTS For most of your World Bank career, you have been “out in
the field,” so to speak, and now you are Vice President of Operations Policy
and Country Services back in Washington. How did that go?
Reform is just making sure the whole World Bank is more client-oriented
and results-focused. That involves reforming our financial products, but also
our knowledge products, which is really the advice that we give to clients.
VON AMSBERG It’s been an interesting transition because I have been in
VIEWPOINTS What needs to be in place for a developing country to
country programs, essentially advising governments, for most of my career.
Then I moved to this corporate role, which is more about the leadership,
organization, positioning and reform of the Bank. So it was a big change.
But it’s actually interesting, in a sense that I can try to bring the client
spirit and the field sprit to headquarters.
leverage the resources the World Bank provides? What needs to be in place
for you to feel that the risk is managed?
Joachim spends as much time as he can in Vancouver, where the
view from Kits Point never disappoints.
VIEWPOINTS What does the Operations Policy and Country Services
VON AMSBERG Development is ultimately private-sector driven. But
countries typically need effective public institutions to provide the
framework to facilitate development. Our role as the World Bank is to help
facilitate the emergence of these institutions. By that, I mean structures and
the ministries, and, more important, the rules of the game.
Sixty years ago, when we thought about development, we thought it
was all about capital investment and building infrastructure. In the 70s, we
discovered that human capital and education are critical. Then, in the 80s,
we started emphasizing the right policies, such as pricing policies and trade
policies.
But in the past 20 years, people have looked even deeper and realised
“well, it’s really about the institutions that make the policies.” This is
where the focus of our thinking is today. How can we help strengthen the
emergence of effective institutions that provide supportive environments
for private investment and private sector-led development? How can we
support institutions that allow collective action on options that need to be
taken to the public sector where coordination is necessary, such as large
infrastructure projects or major policy changes?
VIEWPOINTS Your story is somewhat unusual. You started as an electrical
engineer, and then went on to get your MBA and a PhD. Many Sauder
graduates want to go straight into business. Yet you chose public service.
Why?
department do?
VON AMSBERG In a sense, we’re responsible for the corporate policy and
strategy of the World Bank. I typically express it in three R’s: results, risks
and reforms.
Results means making sure that everything we do actually has tangible
results in the countries where we work. We want to make sure all of our
instruments will lead to results, by which I mean such things as schools,
clean water, vaccinations… that kind of real development outcome. So
we make sure that the Bank is managing for those results, that we are
managing ourselves for those results, organizing ourselves around those
results, measuring them and then communicating them to our funders.
As for risk, well, development is risky. We work with developing
countries that have weaknesses. Often these are institutional weaknesses;
sometimes it is corruption or lack of adherence to social or environmental
safeguards. So we have to manage our internal systems in a way that we
can responsibly manage these fiduciary, social and environmental risks.
30
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
Th
d
ht
(S
fiya, Y
i and
dZ
Three daughters
(Safi
Yasmina
Zara)) k
keep hi
him on
his toes, and exploring different horizons.
the like, from the shores of Vancouver Island to Brazil to the Philippines to
Indonesia. I enjoy it tremendously.
VIEWPOINTS And on the family front?
VON AMSBERG Yeah, I have three daughters. They’re actually living now
back in Vancouver. So that’s a good opportunity for me to go back to
Vancouver more frequently. ■
Career highlights
JOACHIM VON AMSBERG TOOK OVER AS THE WORLD BANK’S VICE
President, Operations Policy and Country Services, on July 1, 2010.
Sights set high: At the peak of Mount Kinabalu
in Borneo, two years ago.
Von Amsberg, a German national, has held various positions in
Washington and in the World Bank’s country offices.
Before being named Vice President, OPCS, he was Country Director
for Indonesia for three years, overseeing one of the Bank’s largest
VON AMSBERG From early on, I was very interested in development and
environmental challenges. When I went into electric engineering, it was
really about energy policy and energy supply. Development is absolutely
driven by the private sector, thus the MBA was a natural fit. Then I did
the PhD in public policy, which brought the economic and business
side together. So I came from that angle, and I was also motivated by
the experience of having spent some time in India and other developing
countries.
country programs and country offices. He supported the Government
of Indonesia’s efforts to improve the investment climate and service
delivery to the poor through stronger governance; and led the
Bank’s relationships and engagement with Indonesia, its government,
and other stakeholders, in close collaboration with the International
Finance Centre (IFC) and Multilateral Investment Guarantee
Agency (MIGA).
As Country Director for the Philippines from 2004–2007, Von
Amsberg led a new World Bank strategy for enhanced support to the
Philippines. This strategy supported “Islands of Good Governance,”
VIEWPOINTS And why the World Bank?
demonstrating how improved accountability and service delivery
would lead to better economic and social outcomes. Under this
VON AMSBERG I interned with the World Bank while I was still at UBC.
Since the Bank is the premier institution in the development area, it was
hard to turn down their job offer. I haven’t regretted it a single day.
We work on the toughest issues in the world: countries with poverty,
countries with environmental challenges. To do this, we have to be a
learning organization. We have to learn from our mistakes. So the bank
encourages a lot of innovation and a lot of criticism, and it has faith in
people to come up with solutions to problems.
From my first day, I was given the space to come up with solutions to
tough problems. On my first assignment, I was sent to Chile to meet the
environment minister and help address environmental problems. I’d barely
been with the Bank for two months. I thought, hey, this is an interesting place.
Where else do you get so much responsibility, so quickly, to help shape major
policy discussions on behalf of a large organization and help an entire country?
strategy, World Bank programs were scaled up significantly, aligned
more closely with the country’s own priorities, and implemented, as
far as possible, through the country’s own systems and institutions.
Von Amsberg began his career at the World Bank in 1993 as an
economist and young professional. He worked on environmental
programs and policy studies from 1994–1997 for Argentina, Chile,
and Paraguay, as well as on policy studies in Egypt. Subsequently,
he worked for many years on the Bank’s Brazil program, including a
stint as lead economist, where he led the economic policy dialogue,
analytical and advisory assistance, and adjustment lending programs
for the Government of Brazil.
Von Amsberg was a member of the steering committee that
oversaw the preparation of the World Bank’s Governance and AntiCorruption Strategy. He was also an integral part of several task forces
to strengthen the World Bank’s programs in support of middle income
countries.
VIEWPOINTS What about when you’re not working?
Von Amsberg holds a PhD in Finance and Economic Policy from the
University of British Columbia; an MSc in Electrical Engineering from
VON AMSBERG I enjoy nature tremendously, and I have been lucky to
the Technische Universität Berlin, Germany; and an MBA in Finance
have been in very beautiful places. I like hiking, biking, scuba diving and
from the University of British Columbia. ■
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
31
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
Lifelong learning
BY
ROB MCMAHON AND CRISTINA CALBOREANU
Early-morning yoga, avalanche beacons, computer
simulations, a surprise visit from a mystery CEO: all
lessons from Sauder’s Executive Education.
These elements combine with small-group activities,
stimulating dialogue, experienced professors and
cohorts of motivated, executive-level participants.
From their start 30 years ago, Sauder’s Executive
Education programs have evolved to include
customized programs, short-term workshops, and even
a 10-month, health care-focused Executive MBA. This
suite of choices reflects Sauder’s partnership approach
to program development and delivery. Formed in
collaboration with clients, learning options remain as
unique and dynamic as participants.
We asked 10 individuals from very different
industries—from health care to telecommunications—
to reflect on their executive education experience.
Here are their stories.
Customized Corporate Programs
Sauder partners with client organizations including Cathay Pacific Airways,
the BC Lottery Corporation, and Rocky Mountaineer, to craft customized
programs that blend research and practice.
Randy Powell became President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Armstrong Group, owners and operators of the world-acclaimed Rocky
Mountaineer, in October 2007. Prior to joining the Armstrong Group, he
was President of Maple Leaf Fresh Foods, President and CEO of Second
Cup, and President of S.C. Johnson and Sons.
As CEO, Powell says, he looked for a source of “talent, insight, and
knowledge” that Rocky Mountaineer could draw on. Over the years, he
built an “integrated, multi-faceted” partnership with the Sauder School
of Business, including serving on the school’s Faculty Advisory Board,
developing a relationship with the Business Career Centre, hiring summer
interns from the MBA program, coordinating faculty members, facilitating
board meetings, and having members of the Rocky Mountaineer team
teaching and presenting at the School.
“Having had so much interaction with the school,” Powell says, “I
recognized the incredible value that Executive Education could offer.”
32
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
Randy Powell, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Armstrong Group
Powell helped design a sixmodule customized program
ranging from strategy to
innovation to finance, but using
Rocky Mountaineer case studies.
“It’s one thing to teach a basic
financial management course to
leaders in sales or marketing,”
Powell explains, “but being able
to teach it to them using our own
company’s balance sheet or P&L, as
opposed to example companies, is
much more valuable.”
The program also includes
action learning projects—as Powell
explains, “working on real live
projects underway in our company,
with the benefit of academic,
structured thinking.” Participants
receive Sauder credits that can
be used, for instance, towards an
undergraduate degree.
The first cohort included 20
senior managers, with another
40 managers in a subsequent
cohort, out of a total workforce
of approximately 200, or 400
including seasonal staff.
Asked to comment on the
program’s quality and impact,
Powell doesn’t hesitate:
“I am ecstatic,” he says.
“The caliber of faculty at Sauder
is world class, and although
we’re not a multibillion-dollar
corporation, this program gives
us access to resources that would
otherwise only be available to such
organizations.”
Philippe Lacamp is Head of
Sustainable Development for John
Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd., whose
portfolio includes Cathay Pacific
Airways. He assumed his role in
August 2010, after serving as
Cathay Pacific’s General Manager
Corporate Risk Management,
responsible for the development
and implementation of a corporate
risk management structure for the
airline covering legal, compliance,
risk and insurance.
Philippe Lacamp is Head of Sustainable
Development for John Swire & Sons
(H.K.) Ltd.
Peter Charlton, Vice President of
Human Resources at the BC Lottery
Corporation
Elise Gillespie, a vice-president at
COBS Bread
According to Lacamp, Swire
partnered with Sauder to create
a customized, Cathay Pacific-led
course for Swire Group employees
because “Swire has a long history
with UBC, dating back 30 years,
which gave us both a deeper
understanding of the values and
areas of expertise that could be
developed and hopefully would be
mutually beneficial.”
Lacamp described the focus
of the customized course as
“sustainability.”
“We needed to make sure that
we had a generation of future
leaders who would be able to
think outside the narrow confines
of their daily jobs,” he explains.
“This is a never-ending process,
of course, and thus the need to be
sustainable. Swire has been around
for 200 years. We fully intend the
businesses and their positive broad
social impacts to be around for
another 200 years. The one thing
we know is that they will look
very different from what they are
today. How do we address that?
Thus the specific challenge was
how to create the right conditions
to stimulate our future leaders
to think deeply about future
scenarios: access to resources,
technologies, future generations’
employment expectations, social
impacts, the environmental
footprint and so on.”
Analyzing the impact of the
program, Lacamp noted that
“The feedback continues to be
overwhelmingly positive.” He
added, “It has broadened people’s
awareness of the thinking around
broad business issues and strategies
and also enabled valuable crossindustry sharing within the
Group. Those are networks that are
essential for the sustainability of
the Swire Group.”
Peter Charlton, the Vice President of Human Resources at the BC
Lottery Corporation, has taught at
business schools around the world.
He was drawn to Sauder for its
willingness to customize a program with BCLC. At that time, the
economic downturn was undermining the organization’s traditional
business model, and so the CEO was
open to structural change.
“BCLC was a very traditional
organization that needed outside
input to evolve. Sauder helped us
challenge our assumptions and
offered us different models to work
with. Together, we shaped these
ideas to fit BCLC’s organizational
context,” explained Charlton. “I
think a lot of organizations look
to business schools for what they
can bring to an organization.
But it’s important to frame that
consideration not on what happens
in the classroom, but rather around
how those ideas are transformed
and applied in a specific
workplace.”
The first 12-person cohort of
senior BCLC employees involved
working with Sauder to translate
theory into organizational practice.
The results of the two-year
program are already apparent:
Charlton pointed to substantial cost
savings, new revenue-generating
projects, and increased employee
satisfaction with company
leadership.
Accelerated Leadership
Program
In a word, Sauder’s Accelerated
Leadership is intense. The threeweek program, split into two
sessions, requires full-time
commitment. Participants are
nominated by their organizations
and travel to Whistler for small
group seminars.
When she arrived in the winter
resort, the last thing Elise Gillespie
expected was to hunt around in the
snow for an avalanche beacon. But
that “search and rescue” exercise
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
33
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
Jerry McPherson, General Manager,
Project Portfolio at Syncrude
Canada Ltd.
Dr. David Albiani, viteoretinal surgeon,
UBC/VCH Eye Care Centre
Dr. David Butcher, Vice President of
Medicine and Clinical Programs at
Northern Health
Ted Ritchie, the Director of Information
Technology at Catalyst Health Care
became a course highlight for
Gillespie, a vice-president at COBS
Bread.
“The instructor hid a beacon
and told us to go find it. The first
time, it took 10 minutes—definitely not fast enough. Working
together, we trimmed our time to
a minute. The exercise really demonstrated that working collectively
gets better results,” she said.
A relatively young leader at
COBS Bread, Gillespie signed up at
Sauder on the recommendation of
the company’s board of directors.
At first, she was skeptical: when
hiring, she is critical of applicants
who boast long lists of degrees, but
little on-the-job experience. But the
program convinced her of the value
of self-reflection. She used her time
there to develop a strategy to align
staff functions across the company
to better fit the company’s mission:
real bread, real people, real delight.
Jerry McPherson, General
Manager, Project Portfolio at
Syncrude Canada Ltd., is one of
seven executive-level colleagues
who completed Sauder’s
Accelerated Leadership Program.
Originally an engineer, McPherson
was impressed by the program’s
peer-based learning and the
diversity of his cohort, which
included professionals from fields
like human resources and law.
Compared to his undergraduate
experience, where McPherson sat
in a giant lecture hall absorbing
hours of lectures, he enjoyed the
opportunity for facilitated, open
discussions with peers—and in
particular, one involving Cathay
Pacific Airways.
“The case study was about the
airline’s reorganization. We broke
into groups and reviewed the
new CEO’s decisions,” explained
McPherson. “After presenting our
thoughts, someone at the back of
the room stood up and introduced
himself: it was the CEO. He walked
us through his reasoning step-bystep, which I found a very creative
learning approach.”
Centre, UBC Retina Fellowship
Program, and the British Columbia
Society of Eye Physicians and
Surgeons. While he entered the
program to improve technical skills
like finance and accounting, by the
end he was focused on “softer”
skills, like leadership.
“My ongoing clinical learning
is extremely specialized, so I
wanted to try out something
very different: I find when you’re
thrown into the deep end, you
end up learning so much more,”
he said. “Health care is one of
the biggest expenditures in the
country, and I think it’s absurd to
think the system is not as efficiently
and optimally managed as it could
be. We need programs like Sauder’s
to bridge that gap.”
Dr. David Butcher, Vice
President of Medicine and Clinical
Programs at Northern Health,
agrees. After starting medical
school with expectations to
become a surgeon, he spent 15
years as an anaesthetist and a
general practitioner before moving
to administration. Suddenly
his colleagues spoke a different
language of “strategic planning”
and “resource utilization.” Sauder’s
program helped him understand
this new context.
“As a physician, I was trained
to completely focus on the needs
of individual patients,” he said.
“I find administrators apply more
of a systems approach: it’s still
fundamental to provide the highest
quality care to individuals, but as
stewards of public resources, they
also consider broader impacts.”
Dr. Butcher enjoyed the EMBA’s
participatory and interactive
structure, and found that with
a little modification, he could
apply his course assignments to
on-the-job issues, like contract
negotiations with physicians in the
Northern Health region. He found
the peer groups he formed with
clinical practitioners, pharmacists
and others pushed his group to
negotiate creative solutions to
common challenges.
Ted Ritchie, the Director of
Information Technology at Catalyst
Health Care, also pointed to the
benefits, and tensions, that come
from those negotiations. A lot of
Ritchie’s job involves negotiation
and change management in IT
processes across a variety of
professional fields. He enjoyed the
opportunity to learn alongside
diverse people with very different
perspectives on health care.
“Most of our cohort worked
for the public sector—only
three or four came from private
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WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
Executive MBA in
Health Care
The Executive MBA in Health
Care is Canada’s only business
program specifically focused on the
health care sector. Now in its third
cohort, the part-time program
brings together participants in clinical and administrative positions.
Dr. David Albiani is a
viteoretinal surgeon, a clinical
position as highly specialized as
it sounds. He signed up to build
up administrative knowledge for
work with the UBC/VCH Eye Care
Andrew Llewelyn-Jones, the Agricultural
Superintendent at Lantic Inc.
Shawn Ershad, Senior Regional
Manager at Bell Canada
enterprises, and I found their views
surprisingly different from mine,”
he said. “Some people stressed
the need to contribute to society,
while I was focused on turning
a profit. Being exposed to those
perspectives was beneficial, both
personally and professionally.”
“My group often meets for
open discussion, but it’s usually
focused on scientific or operational
issues. After the course, I asked
everyone to tell me what they
thought of my leadership,” he said.
“Their responses were not only
fascinating, but helped us become
a tighter group. Hearing critique
from my peers at Sauder helped me
start that discussion.”
Shawn Ershad, a Senior Regional Manager at Bell Canada, also said
his Sauder experience helped him
better interact with his 14-person Senior Sales Consulting team.
Ershad described a key lesson: the
distinction between a manager and
a leader. Though he has received
numerous “President’s Club”
Awards throughout his sales career,
Ershad said the course demonstrated that leadership also involves
developing a vision and strategic
goals for oneself, and one’s team.
“I believe a great leader has
no need to lead. A great leader
is content to point the way with
positive reinforcement,” said
Shawn. “Sauder’s ‘Meeting the
Leadership Challenge’ curriculum
helped me to further understand
and create a balance between my
personal and professional life and
shifted my management philosophy
into leadership skills.” ■
Open Enrollment
Programs
Every year, Sauder offers
close to a hundred management
seminars to approximately 1,900
working professionals. One
seminar, called “Meeting the
Leadership Challenge,” presented
both Andrew Llewelyn-Jones and
Shawn Ershad with an opportunity
to confront their thinking about
what makes a strong leader.
Andrew Llewelyn-Jones, the
Agricultural Superintendent at
Lantic Inc., attended the weeklong workshop last summer.
Small groups and role-playing
scenarios helped him build
relationships, discuss ideas, and
exchange productive criticism
with peers. While critiques always
feel somewhat uncomfortable,
they also help establish an
environment of honest, two-way
communication—a context he’s
working to develop with his own
team.
AFTER GRADUATING FROM THE SAUDER SCHOOL IN
1987 with a BCom with a marketing option,
Bruce Wiesner started his career as a sales
representative with Minolta Business
Equipment. He held positions with Pitney
Bowes, Quebecor, and finally Canada Wide
Media, where he served as Senior Vice
President before returning to Sauder in
spring 2010 as Associate Dean of Executive
Education.
Wiesner says he found sales an
excellent entry into the business world, and
his work for three Fortune 500 companies
taught him another crucial lesson: the
importance of lifelong education. Using
Bruce Wiesner, Associate Dean of
significant in-house corporate training
Executive Education
enterprises, outside consultants, or a mix of
both, Pitney Bowes, Quebecor, and Canada Wide all made substantial investments
in training and professional development for their employees.
“I saw that the best organizations invest heavily in their people, no matter
what their background, talent, or education,” Wiesner says. “You can’t possibly
enter the workforce and be prepared for the rest of your life. The workplace
changes, competition changes, technology changes, and people evolve over time
in terms of their skills and abilities. You need to be prepared for that.”
The opportunity to lead Executive Education at Sauder was attractive,
Wiesner explains, because he believes in lifelong learning, and he believes that
Sauder can leverage its strengths to become a leading player in the competitive
executive education market.
“We have done very well with our open enrolment courses, helping individuals
with their own personal and professional development. Now we have a huge
opportunity to capitalize on our relationships with the business sector to create
custom programs, helping organizations build their teams and address business
problems through corporate education.”
Sauder has partnered with organizations like the BC Lottery Corporation, Rocky
Mountaineer, and Cathay Pacific Airways to create customized programs that blend
research and practice—programs that Wiesner describes as “applied learning,
action learning, project-oriented learning—solutions for real business problems.”
He adds, “Custom programs are a tremendous opportunity for knowledge
transfer—an opportunity to apply research and create a feedback loop.”
“We have a reputation as Canada’s leading research-based business school,
and we are able to leverage the thought leadership of our faculty to deliver
immediate impact back to businesses,” Wiesner says.
“One client described it as being able to see farther ahead, over the top of the hill.”
Wiesner notes that, all too often, when organizations go through tough
economic times, they cut back on discretionary expenditures like training and
professional development. “The temptation to cut the short-term cost and put the
money back into their bottom line is overwhelming,” he says. “But that represents
a serious challenge to their long-term success. The best organizations invest in
professional development in tough times as a way to emerge successfully ahead
of their competition.“
And that, for him, is the true meaning of lifelong learning. “It’s about being
proactive, in your own development as well as the organization’s development,”
he says. “It’s about being prepared for what’s coming around the corner.”
Or over the top of that hill. ■
MBA alumni course privileges
UBC MBA modules are now available for auditing to MBA alumni post–convocation (subject to space availability). This is an excellent way to support a new
career direction, pursue a professional interest, and build your network.
A complete list of modules and module descriptions can be found at
http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Programs/MBA/MBA_Full_Time/Current_Students.
To find out more about specific course availability, administrative fees, and
how to register, email askmba@sauder.ubc.ca or call 604-822-8422.
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
35
Josh Epstein happy
to “wait for rain.”
Vancouver’s Motion 58 premieres award-winning
short film at VIFF
A WARMING PLANET HAS MADE WATER SCARCE, FOOD A RARITY, AND
wearing plants like jewelry fashionable.
James, a hapless office worker, becomes obsessed with nurturing his
plant in order to obtain the respect of his peers and risks everything not to
wait for rain.
Wait for Rain, which was screened this past October at the Vancouver
International Film Festival, is a futuristic comedy about James, the pitiful
office worker who must sacrifice himself to get the attention of the girl he
desires. The film was produced by Motion 58, a Vancouver-based, up-andcoming film production company lead by Josh Epstein, BCom 2001, and
Kyle Rideout, two Vancouver filmmakers and actors.
“Kyle and I were interested in exploring the modern obsession with
fads and how sometimes important causes become a fad,” says Epstein.
“So we had this idea of a green movement that starts out wearing green
ribbons and buttons and evolves as people try to outdo one another—so
the ribbon turns into a branch, a leaf, and eventually everyone is wearing
plants around their necks like necklaces and have forgotten why.”
A winner of the National Film Board of Canada Filmmaker Assistance
Program, the National Screen Institute Drama Prize and the Bravo!FACT
Award, the film is narrated by acclaimed Canadian actor, writer and
director Paul Gross. Mr. Gross won international attention for the drama
series Due South, which he starred in, co-wrote, and executive produced.
His directorial debut came with the film Men With Brooms, a movie which
broke Canadian box office records. Shortly after, he played Geoffrey Tenant,
the troubled Artistic Director of the New Burbage Festival, on the beloved
television series Slings and Arrows, and is the recipient of four Gemini awards
for his feature film Passchendaele.
The Wait for Rain cast also includes Peter DeLuise, Lara Gilchrist, Pippa
Mackie, Blu Mankuma and Haig Sutherland.
“Paul Gross is such a strong supporter of Canadian film, when we
approached him to be a part of this project he was happy to come
on board,” says Rideout, who directed the film. “And Paul is such a
phenomenal actor with such a strong artistic vision; it was inspiring for all
36
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
of us to have him a part of this movie.”
“We were very excited that Wait for Rain
had its first public screening at the Vancouver
International Film Festival,” says Epstein, the
film’s producer and co-writer. “Kyle and I are
both from Vancouver so it means a lot to us that
the people here got the first opportunity to see
this film that showcases so many talented artists
within the community.” Following the festival,
the film went on to be named one of the top five
Canadian short films of 2011, and is screened
by the TIFF Film Circuit before some of their
features.
Epstein and Rideout founded Motion 58
Entertainment in 2011, and Wait for Rain follows
the multiple Leo Award-winning short film,
Hop the Twig. They currently have a screenplay
in development with Movie Central, a Corus
Entertainment Company.
An established and award-winning theatre
actor, Josh Epstein recently began to gravitate
towards film, combining his commerce
background with his passion for storytelling
to produce award-winning work. Motion 58
currently has two screenplays in development,
including one with The Movie Channel, and is
creating a new television series with Canadian
rocker Josh Ramsay of the band Marianas Trench.
He has also produced a trio of award-winning
theatrical productions including a show which
The Guardian trumpeted as the “Best Solo Show
of the Year.” As an actor, Epstein has starred in
productions across Canada, including Dirty Rotten
Scoundrels (Jessie Nomination) at the Playhouse,
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which
won him a Jessie Award, The Producers at the
Arts Club (Ovation Award), Bard on the Beach and
The Lord of the Rings. He is headed back to for
his second season at the Stratford Shakespeare
Festival. Director and writer Kyle Rideout has
worked extensively as an actor across Canada for
the last nine years, in theatre, anime, voice-over,
film and TV. He is the recipient of two Jessie
Richardson Awards and was honoured with
the Sam Payne Award for Outstanding
Performance. His film Hop the Twig recently
won three Leo Awards and has played around
the world. ■
“ Kyle and I were
interested in
exploring the
modern obsession
with fads…”
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
37
Connecting alumni in the Lower Mainland:
Sauder Business Club of
ARTICLE BY
CAROL DOUGANS
PHOTOS BY
ROGER MAHLER
If the size of the crowd and energy
in the room were any indication, it’s
an idea whose time has come. More
than 500 people, representing a
cross-section of degrees and grad
years as far back as 1973, attended
the launch of Sauder’s newest
Business Club at the Fairmont Hotel
in downtown Vancouver.
THE SOLD-OUT SEPTEMBER 28 EVENT WAS THE
culmination of a year of hard work and planning
by the Sauder Business Club of Vancouver
Executive team—Jeff Potter, BCom 2006; Alex
Monegro, BCom 2010; James Mollard, MBA
2010; Felicia Lee, MBA 2006; Chris Lee, BCom
2005; Nik Laufer-Edel, BCom 2008; and Dallas
Henault, MBA 2011, along with members of
the Sauder Alumni Engagement team and
Club volunteers.
“An active alumni community
is one of the hallmarks of
a world-class business school.”
- Dean Daniel F. Muzyka
Sauder Dean Daniel Muzyka welcomed the
enthusiastic crowd, noting proudly that an active
alumni community is one of the hallmarks of
a world-class business school. Distinguished
38
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
Keynote speaker Roberto Aquilini, BCom 1989
alumnus and keynote speaker Roberto Aquilini,
BCom 1989, conveyed his wholehearted
support for the club initiative, describing his
Sauder experience as the foundation for both
friendships and business relationships. Aquilini
is a managing partner of the Aquilini Investment
Group, which, among other interests, owns and
operates the Vancouver Canucks hockey team.
Promising to foster lifelong connections
among alumni and between alumni and the
school, Business Club President Jeff Potter
made a compelling case for club membership,
including enhanced business and social
networking, mentorship, professional
development, the opportunity to make a
difference and, last but not least, have some fun.
The club is off to a great start. For more
information on the Sauder Business Club of
Vancouver and how you can get involved, visit
www.saudervancouver.ca. ■
Vancouver launches
Sauder Business Club of Vancouver Executive Team—left to right: Nik Laufer-Edel, Jeff Potter,
Alex Monegro, Chris Lee, Felicia Lee, James Mollard, Dallas Henault
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
39
Business Families Centre receives
$1.95 million from BMO
Last November, the University of
British Columbia welcomed a $2.2
million donation from BMO Financial
Group to support education and
outreach to help families successfully
transition their businesses over
multiple generations, as well as assist
innovative research and education to
benefit dairy farms—most of them
family-run.
THE BUSINESS FAMILIES CENTRE (BFC) AT UBC’S
Sauder School of Business received $1.95
million to establish a new Family Enterprise
Program. The program will further academic
research and innovation in areas that include
succession planning, family dynamics and
governance. The BFC will also set up a new
national database—the first in Canada—to
advance research in this field while giving
entrepreneurial families the necessary tools and
information to flourish.
Family enterprise forms the backbone of
the Canadian economy, with families owning or
controlling an estimated 80 per cent of
all businesses and representing the largest form
of enterprise worldwide.
The Canadian Federation of Independent
Business and Statistics Canada surveys from
2009 show that businesses with fewer than
50 employees represent almost 98 per cent
of total businesses in Canada, generate 45 per
cent of Canada’s GDP, and employ 55 per cent
of workers. However, in today’s economic
landscape, only 30 per cent of family businesses
survive into the second generation.
The BFC was initiated in 2001 with more
than 30 founding families, including those of
Brandt Louie, Gordon and Leslie Diamond, Peter
Bentley, and Charles Young. A leader in the field,
the BFC is known for its comprehensive research
and academic programs, addressing issues such
as succession planning, wealth management,
family dynamics and governance. The BFC
also serves families by educating professional
40
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
Left to right: Dean Daniel Muzyka, Janine Guenther, Joanne Gassman, UBC President Stephen Toope
advisors working with families.
In addition to its gift to the BFC, BMO
Financial Group is providing $250,000 to
develop new classroom space at UBC’s Dairy
Education and Research Centre located in
the Fraser Valley at Agassiz. The largest dairy
cattle research facility in Canada and one of
the largest in the world, and part of the UBC
Faculty of Land and Food Systems, the Centre is
renowned for pioneering research that considers
sustainable food production along with animal
health and welfare.
“We are delighted that BMO Financial Group
sees strong value in the vital work that the
Sauder School of Business is doing to ensure
the continued health of family businesses,” says
UBC President Prof. Stephen Toope. “We are also
very grateful for BMO’s investment at our Dairy
Education and Research Centre, which is known
globally for research that produces evidencebased recommendations for the dairy industry
in Canada and around the world.”
“Many Canadian industries, including the
dairy industry, succeed because of the shared
talents, energy and knowledge among family
members,” says Senior Vice President Joanne
Gassman, BC and Yukon Division, BMO Bank
of Montreal.
“BMO has a long and proud tradition
of support for UBC, through scholarships,
fellowships, research grants and capital building
campaigns,” says Gassman. “Given such
outstanding research and education initiatives,
we were very pleased to come alongside UBC
as a major supporter of UBC’s campaign. This is
also historical for the Bank, since it is the largest
single donation ever made in BC.”
“As a national leader in family enterprise
education we are always looking to innovate
and deliver improved programs for our
business families and their advisors,” said
Business Families Centre Executive Director Judi
Cunningham. “The generous gift from BMO
Financial Group will allow us to do just that—to
expand and build on the reputation of our Road
Map Program and to develop a much-needed
database to house latest thinking, empirical data
and provocative research.” ■
UBC establishes significant new
on-the-ground presence in India
The University of British
Columbia is deepening its
commitment to India by
opening offices in Bangalore
and New Delhi and
establishing partnerships
with leading universities
and research institutions
across India. The new
Bangalore office will be
spearheaded by the Sauder
School of Business and was
announced in the city at a
recent event hosted by the
BC Premier Christy Clark.
“OUR NEW OFFICE IN BANGALORE
puts UBC and Sauder on the
ground in a country that will
influence global economic growth
for the next century,” says Sauder
Dean Daniel Muzyka. “Through
enhanced research, programs
and engagement, the school will
endeavor to serve the needs of
India as it grows, while learning
from rapid changes taking place in
its economy.”
Sprawling suburb in Bangalore.
Sauder is also signing
Memoranda of Understanding with
two of India’s most prominent
educational institutions, the
Indian Institute of Management
Bangalore and the Indian
Institute of Technology Madras.
These partnerships will provide
a framework to increase student
exchange, research partnerships
and collaborative program
development.
The announcement of the new
UBC India Office in Bangalore was
part of a BC government trade
mission to India led by Premier
Clark.
“International education is an
important part of BC’s Jobs Plan,”
says Premier Clark. “The opening
of the UBC India Office will
showcase educational opportunities
available in BC as well as support
future partnerships and academic
exchanges.”
The UBC India Office in
Bangalore will be a gateway
allowing UBC and Sauder
to engage directly with key
academic, government and
business stakeholders. With the
goal of enhancing educational
programs, exchanges, and research
collaboration, the office will work
to deepen connections with the
Indian business community to
enhance career support and job
opportunities for students and
alumni. It will also serve as a strong
base to the ever-growing network
of UBC and Sauder graduates who
call the country home.
Sauder’s new India initiatives
will offer important opportunities
to exchange country-specific data
and collaborate in the creation
of new knowledge in areas such
as entrepreneurship, health care
management, family business,
and operations and logistics.
Faculty and students will have the
opportunity to gather valuable
insight from the world of Indian
business, which can only be gained
through hands-on in-country
experience.
Sauder’s connection to
India has grown substantially
since 2004, when it established
a student exchange program
with the Indian Institute of
Management Ahmedabad. Since
2006, the school’s full-time MBA
program, offered by the Robert
H. Lee Graduate School, has seen
applications from Indian-educated
candidates more than triple. Many
of Sauder’s Indian students return
to live and work in India, and there
is an exciting network of Sauder
grads building on the ground in
the country. ■
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
41
CLASS NOTES
Dear alumni,
From Vancouver to Hong Kong and from London to Karachi, the Sauder community includes 30,000 alumni in 67 countries.
Each of our alumni holds a piece of the School’s history as well as its future. The connections that hold our community
together are our School’s most meaningful strength.
So tell us your story, and share your news. We want to hear from you! Whether you just got the job of your dreams or
are still finding your way, took a trip around the world or have been enjoying the comforts of home, got married or became a
parent—fill us in on your family and career, accomplishments and interests. Let us hear from you, and send us your photos.
We’ll print your news in the Class Notes section of Viewpoints magazine, which is consistently ranked as one of the most
popular segments of our publication. Through the Class Notes, you will share your story with your fellow alumni and current
students, reconnect with old classmates, and stay connected as a vital part of the Sauder community.
We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
1960S
Peter Hebb BCom 1963
Peter Hebb is now living on campus in
Chancellor Place, less than 100 metres from
the original Commerce “shacks.” As a Member
of the Order of St. John and its Palliative Care
Foundation, he issued a press release mid-year
congratulating UBC for its decision to allow the
new St. John Hospice to proceed.
The release said “The University campus site
on Stadium Road is the best place for the Faculty
of Medicine’s research and educational activities
while providing a badly needed hospice for the
community at large.”
The primary focus will be to provide for the
end-of-life physical comfort of the patient by
eliminating pain and controlling symptoms.
YOUR FEEDBACK MATTERS
Tell us what you think of
this issue of Viewpoints.
Go to www.sauder.ubc.ca
to complete our reader survey.
42
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
J. Gilles Nolet MBA 1968
Gilles started his career with the Bank of
Montreal before moving to Roynat Capital, a
Canadian financial institution involved in term
lending, where he worked for about 10 years
and eventually became Vice-President for the
province of Quebec operations.
Afterwards, he became a major shareholder
and President of Matco-Ravary Inc., a publiclytraded building materials company, involved
in the retail as well as the wholesale business,
in the industrial, commercial and residential
construction sectors, and where he spent 25 years.
Following the sale of Matco-Ravary to Groupe
BMR in 2003, he continued to manage the
corporation for an additional period of two years.
From 2005 to 2007, he was the President of
Le Commensal Inc., a manufacturer of vegetarian
food sold to distribution outlets such as grocery
stores, convenience stores, institutions, and
franchised restaurants. Gilles was also a director
of the Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon, the
largest foundation in Canada, and a member of
its Audit and Investment Committees, for ten
years. He is currently a director of the Chagnon
Family Trust and of the Foundation of Greater
Montreal.
He also sits on the Board of Directors of
Convivia inc., a holding company owning Pacini
Restaurants and Commensal, and of non-profit
organizations such as Formetal Inc., a social
reinsertion organization helping disadvantaged
young people. Throughout his career, he also
held directorships in several other public and
private corporations.
J. Gilles Nolet is a graduate in Civil Engineering from the Université Laval and received an
MBA in Finance from the University of British
Columbia. Gilles taught finance at the École des
Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC Montreal).
Over the course of his business life, Gilles
has observed that successful organizations had a
common denominator, which is a better-thanaverage management of their human resources.
He has been practicing executive coaching
since 2008, where he can use his rich and
varied business and management experience
with managers and professionals to help them
develop their full managerial potential.
1970S
John Coombs BCom 1973
After 35 years with TD Securities, I recently
retired from my position as head of the
European & Asia-Pacific region in London.
During the summer months, we will be
residing in our cottage on Skootamatta Lake,
enjoying time with our son’s family (two
granddaughters). In the winter, we will be living
in Victoria West, and visiting with our daughter’s
family (two grandsons) in Tofino.
had several subsequent closings and continue
to uncover, list and sell attractively priced
commercial properties well below replacement
cost with excellent actual and/or potential
cash flow. Check out our web site at www.
suncommercialre.com to see what we are up to.
Remember, while it is raining what seems to be
nonstop in Vancouver, it is sunny almost every
day in Scottsdale and Las Vegas, so come on
down and check things out down south.
Robin Bristow BCom 1986
I joined MacKay LLP’s Kelowna office in
September as a senior manager in its accounting
and assurance department.
Meena Sheth BCom 1978
In Chicago since 2008—before that was in
Rochester, NY for 28 years! I have two grown
sons, a doctor and an actuary. I have worked in
public accounting, banking, Xerox and now at
Navistar. Enjoying the Windy City for now, will
see where we end up in the future!
1980S
Jennifer Martin MBA 1982
Jennifer Renshaw (Martin) launches SIP natural
craft sodas for non-drinkers and healthy soda
seekers. Try the three curious flavors—Rosemary
Lime, Lavender LemonPeel, and Coriander
Orange at UBC’s Point Grill.
Paul Miachika BCom 1980
As a founding partner of Sun Commercial
Real Estate five years ago, a brokerage firm
specializing in commercial investment sales
in Phoenix and Las Vegas, 2011 has turned
out to be a very busy year, albeit mainly with
bank-owned or -controlled properties. In May,
our investment team participated in the largest
commercial real estate note and property
auction in US history and successfully sold four
properties/notes totaling $15 million. We have
of partners). At present we are responsible for
the development and ownership of assets in
excess of 200,000 square feet, with a capitalized
value in excess of $85,000,000. I am married
with four children and two grandchildren and
enjoy traveling, playing hockey, golf and making
wine. Looking forward to a variety of business
and fun activities over the coming years. I have
and remain committed to a variety of volunteer
activities as well.
Margaret Buttner BCom 1983
I have been Manager of Annual Giving at The
Arthritis Society. In my spare time, I sit on the
board of the Vancouver International Marathon
Society. This year I had the pleasure of being
Co-Chair of the 40 year celebration of the
marathon. As well, on October 9, I completed
my first half-marathon in Victoria.
Richard Coulter BCom 1985
After graduation, I commenced work in the
real estate development industry immediately
with a company called Westwater Industries.
I continued in real estate with a number of
companies, namely McDonalds Restaurants,
Trilogy Development Corp., Colliers, and Bentall.
After Bentall, I began developing commercial
real estate for my own account (with a variety
Grace Sun BCom 1986
After graduating from Commerce in 1986, I
went to law school in Windsor, Ontario and I
have been practicing family law with Sorbara
Law, the largest locally owned law firm in the
Guelph-Kitchener-Waterloo area in Southern
Ontario. I also act as agent for the Office of
the Children’s Lawyer representing children in
custody battles and children apprehended by
Children’s Aid Society. I also act as agent for
the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee in
domestic matters.
Michael Beg DULE 1987
This past year I accepted an executive
appointment to run BMO’s Corporate Finance
Division, Real Estate Finance group and oversee
BMO’s Canadian real estate lending business. The
group provides construction and term financing
to builder/developers and other mid-market
private real estate investors with offices in
Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal
and Halifax.
SHARE YOUR NEWS
Class Notes are easier than ever
to submit. Simply fill out the
online form at www.sauder.ubc.
ca/alumni/classnotes
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
43
CLASS NOTES
Edinburgh while I did a Master’s in Commercial
Law), and in our spare time we have recently
launched the Canadian branch of The Scotch
Malt Whisky Society. The Society is the world’s
largest whisky club (26,000 members).
Only members can purchase The Society’s
extraordinary and unique bottlings of single
cask, single malt Scotch whisky, selected from
over 125 different distilleries. See www.smws.ca.
1990S
VeronicaWargo
Veronica
Wargo BCom 1987
Teaching ice skating at the Ice Den in Scottsdale.
I have transitioned from running my food
brokerage business to teaching. My husband
Ray now maintains the business so that I may
teach full time. It is my passion so I am really
enjoying this segment of my life. I am turning
50 in January and my twins Luke & Sedona will
be graduating high school with an Associate’s
Degree in May. They have both been accepted to
ASU Polytechnic campus where my son will be
taking software engineering and my daughter
Mechanical Engineering. We took a Caribbean
cruise with my parents in celebration of their
50th and our 20th anniversaries. We have been
very blessed. Always enjoy reading this section
to see if I recognize people from my era.
Rob Carpenter BCom 1989
I also garnered a law degree during my time
at UBC and am now working as Vice President,
Corporate Law at Enbridge Inc. in Calgary. My
wife Kelly and I are both single malt Scotch
geeks (a hobby picked up during a year spent in
44
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
June Wing MBA 1990
I am still very much enjoying being a realtor in
Victoria. Never a dull moment —there is always
a new challenge! I am finally making money
being a permanent student! I switched real
estate firms to Sutton Group—West Coast Realty
in August. Most of my business involves assisting
buyers from out of town so it makes so much
more sense to be with a national firm. I am very
passionate about introducing newcomers to our
wonderful city. Please call or email if you are
interested in relocating to Victoria.
Cynthia Wong BCom 1991
I have passed the basic windsurf coach exam
and am now a licensed windsurf coach in
Hong Kong. I continue my passion in Hobie
sailing and will join the upcoming Hobie Asian
Classic and the Around the Island Sailing Race
held in Hong Kong in October and November
respectively. On my Wellness Center, I found
Bell Lifestyle Products in Canada and bring the
products to Hong Kong through my website:
www.belllifestylehongkong.com. This will
hopefully benefit many people suffering from
chronic illness and do not like the side effects of
prescription drugs.
YOUR FEEDBACK MATTERS
Tell us what you think of
this issue of Viewpoints.
Go to www.sauder.ubc.ca
to complete our reader survey.
property management and general insurance
company operating since 1933. Mike is living in
Oak Bay and is married to Maria Payne Boorman
and has two children, Spencer and Evelyn.
Mike is the fourth generation of family to be
involved in the business. Mike’s focus aside from
management is real estate sales.
2000S
Nancy Chiao BCom 1991
It is such a strange sensation to be typing this
after almost twenty years since my graduation.
Can it really be that long ago?
I now live in California and have been
fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom for the past
12 years. While watching my son grow into a
teen, I do hear the call of commerce again. I’m
hoping to re-enter the work force some time
soon. The global economy has not been this bad
in a long time and certainly in Silicon Valley we
see the disastrous effects. But where there is a
will, there is a way.
I feel honored and proud to have studied at
UBC and would like to add that many Americans
here think highly of our university. Cheers to
everybody.
ik Boorman DULE 1999
Mike
Since completing my Diploma in Urban Land
Economics at UBC, Mike has been managing
the family business in Victoria, BC. Boorman’s is
an independent, family-owned real-estate sales,
Tania Bangayan BCom 2001
I finally took some risks and tackled a few
bucket list items along the way. Get diving
certified: check. Live & work abroad: check.
Venice, Turkey, Greece, Jerusalem, West Bank:
check. Pursue a new career direction: check.
Soon will start teaching at Capilano.
Graham Day BCom 2006
I have recently returned from a powerful
personal and professional experience in Haiti
working with the Clinton Foundation’s “Clinton
Health Access Initiative.” During my year-long
stay, I quickly learned that the post-earthquake
problems of Haiti are as numerous as they
are complex. To combat these, there is a need
to actively coordinate the many agencies,
country donors, NGOs and companies, without
crowding out the responsibilities of the
government or the potential of the private
sector—a tricky balance indeed.
After graduating from Sauder in 2006, I
spent three years working as a management
consultant for Oliver Wyman on projects in
the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East.
Since then, I have begun my master’s degree
in International Affairs and Economics at the
School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS),
Johns Hopkins University, in Washington, DC. As
I go forward, I hope to keep inching ahead my
knowledge on using for-profit business models
to improve living standards in the developing
world. In Haiti, I saw many examples of how
this can work, but there are certainly many
more opportunities to be uncovered. Oh, the
applications of a business degree!
Rosanna Zhong BCom 2004
Kelly Tai, an amazing girl born on Sept. 11,
2010. She is truly our bundle of joy.
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
45
CLASS NOTES
Jeremy Cook BCom 2006
This year I have been working full-time at a CA
firm in Victoria, making my way through CASB
(writing the UFE in 2012), and spending any
free time with my wife and two kids (now four
and one years old).
Jeff Desjardins BCom 2007
Launched Revolve Marketing Inc., a successful
investor communications company in February
2011. Pioneering the industry with its infographic press release concept, Revolve works
with micro and small cap resource companies to
build awareness with investors.
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WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
St
L
MBA 2007
Steve Lowry
I rebranded and re-launched a company I run
with two UBC grads nationally: www.playtaximedia.com. Here are the details:
Following three years of success in
Vancouver, Canadian company Play Taxi Media
is extending its Interactive Advertising Network
across Canada—The future of interactive
advertising is speeding through Canada to a cab
near you. Play Taxi Media (Play), founded by 31year old Canadian entrepreneur Zachary Killam
[UBC undergraduate & law school grad— my
business partner], is expanding its network
of taxi headrest touch-screens to 1500 across
Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, and will be
officially national in November 2011.
Why should you take notice? Play is defining
a new type of consumer engagement. From an
advertising perspective, Play takes the power
of TV’s full motion video, combines it with
the interactivity and measurability of online,
and places it in front of consumers in a captive
out-of-home environment. The network also
enables consumers to enter email or phone
numbers to get access to promotions and
additional information. The combination of
fun content, interactive ads and the captive taxi
environment has been a winning formula for
Play’s advertisers and for those in other markets
around the world. From a public perspective,
the interactive capabilities of the screen and
a permanent survey app give consumers a
chance to have their voices heard with respect
to product preferences and current event topics.
Interaction and survey results are made available
to advertisers and news partners, with survey
results also available on the screens themselves.
Play is bringing the most widely used
passenger taxi screen technology to Canada,
which has been developed by Touchmedia and
is already deployed in 30,000+ taxi screens
worldwide. In contrast to similar screens that
exist in some cities in the US, which are built
primarily to handle credit card processing,
Play’s screens are purpose-built entirely for the
enjoyment of passengers. The quality of the
visual and interactive experience is similar to
that of today’s smartphones. Play has partnered
with the CBC for daily news headlines, The
Weather Network for weather reports, and
provides local restaurant and attraction content
to interested passengers. In addition, Play
supports Mothers Against Drunk Driving, given
the natural fit between the two organizations,
and will feature anti-impaired driving messages
on the network.
By offering video and mobile app
experiences to passengers without the
distractions of the home or the online
environment, Play has cornered the large-scale
interactive out-of-home advertising space. This
emerging media strategy allows brands to reach
consumers in a highly engaging manner for an
extended period of time. Notes Killam, “Our
advertisers, which have included brands such
as TELUS, Flight Centre and MasterCard, have
engaged with consumers in this very unique
way and our passenger engagement levels have
proven to be quite significant. Interaction and
a lengthy dwell time simply result in higher
recall.”
SHARE YOUR NEWS
Class Notes are easier than ever
to submit. Simply fill out the
online form at www.sauder.ubc.
ca/alumni/classnotes
say about how the race went. At 25, I was the
second youngest professional in the race and
only guy in the top 15 who, coming in to the
race, had to work part time to make ends meet.
It is a huge honor to be able to represent the
Sauder School of Business and the University
of British Columbia at International events. Big
thanks to Professor Dan Gardiner for daring me
to dream big and just GO FOR IT! I am looking
forward to using my marketing degree to build
a long career in the sport of triathlon.
Eugene Lu BCom 2007
I went back to my hometown of Shanghai twice
to see my girlfriend and we decided to get
married in January 2012! Even though we are
15 hours apart, our relationship grows stronger
each and every day.
Thank you, Nina. You bring sunshine into
my night.
Jeff Symonds BCom 2007
I haven’t had much to report until now. I have
been working a part-time job at The Bike Barn
in Penticton and putting everything on the line
to pursuing a dream in triathlon. In September,
I had a huge breakthrough and got on the
podium with a third place finish at the Ironman
70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas. I think
the photo attached say everything there is to
Roshena Huang BCom 2008
In 2010, I founded Impactuate Consulting
Inc. with Tom Minnes, CA, CPA (Illinois), and
fellow BCom 2008. I provide management
consulting services in the areas of marketing,
communications, and new venture development
to a diverse portfolio of clients. Tom shares his
expertise in accounting and finance with clients
in the mining and oil and gas industries.
(www.impactuate.com)
Christian Dy MBA 2008
The past summer, I led a team of 17 volunteers
to Guatemala to work with projects including:
aid for battered women, excavating projects,
reforestation, and working with local schools. I
have empowered the volunteers to continue the
projects back here in Canada. We are continuing to create funding for the women, and I am
attempting to bring the head Guatemalan coordinator here to Vancouver in November to speak.
As well, I am training another team to return in
the summer of 2012.
YOUR FEEDBACK MATTERS
Tell us what you think of
this issue of Viewpoints.
Go to www.sauder.ubc.ca
to complete our reader survey.
Amoura Rose MBA 2008
Opened a skincare business, became the face of
two chains of tea shops and working in Best Buy.
2009: MBA class of 2008, but I graduated
later in 2009 to complete a double major in
Marketing and HR, the first year a double degree
was introduced in the Sauder MBA.
2009: Opened natural skin care company
called “Amoura Rose” and sampled it out to
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
47
CLASS NOTES
people for feedback and advice, did surveys on
product.
2010: launched the Amoura Rose skin care
line, Geisha photo became the brand and face
of US corporate tea chain Teavana and Canadian
corporate tea chain Teaopia.
2011: landed a Human Resources role with
Best Buy, opened an online dog boutique called
“Chihuahua Couture,” and the Amoura Rose
skin care line is now selling in three stores (and
given a trial run at the Sutton Place Hotel during
the summer of 2011 only).
2012: launching a new line of natural lip
balms to add to the Amoura Rose skin care
collection and getting married.
Warren Tardif BCom 2008
I spent most of the year traveling between LA,
Seattle, and Vancouver. My younger sister is now
studying at UBC majoring in economics, while
my older brother works for Microsoft in Bellevue. I keep my base in LA, but being close to
my siblings has kept me going back to the Great
Pacific Northwest. I earned the top award in my
current profession last September and I’m looking forward to achieving even more next year.
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WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
Spenser Rocky BCom 2009
After two years at the Boston Consulting Group,
I’ve left to run pricing and promotions at
Mobilicity—one of three new wireless phone
companies. It’s fun to be one of the underdogs
fighting to upset Canada’s cushy telco cartel! Still
living in Toronto and loving it.
2010S
Martina Valkovicova MBA 2010
I spent my summer in Kenya with the Sauder
Africa Initiative for a second time, teaching
youth in Nairobi slums how to develop their
own businesses. It is the best project I have ever
been involved in and I hope to stay involved for
a very long time.
Adrian Law DAP 2010
After completing the DAP program in December
2010, I went traveling in Morocco with my wife
for almost three weeks. It was an exhilarating
and terrifying experience to be in North Africa
for the first time! When I returned, I worked
temporarily as an IT technician at the Faculty of
Arts, UBC. During the summer of 2011, I went
camping in the USA and visited Zion Canyon (in
picture), Bryce Canyon, and the Grand Canyon.
All three canyons were spectacular and different
in their own way. Finally, in September 2011, I
started a new career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers
as a New Associate and am currently auditing
my first client company. I hope to complete my
CA training in three short years.
Navida Nuraney MBA 2010
In January I became the Executive Director of
ArtStarts in Schools, a not-for-profit organization
that promotes art and creativity among British
Columbia’s young people. My MBA combined
with my experience in the arts sector made me
well aligned to land my dream job—one that
combines the arts and business. Months have
passed and I still love the challenge of my role
where I manage a staff of seven, a budget of
$1.4 million, and where I work to achieve the
overall aims of the society through the implementation of our strategic plan. Come visit
ArtStarts’ public gallery in downtown Vancouver
at 808 Richards Street—Canada’s first for young
people’s art.
Ashar Kazi BCom 2011
I got plenty of stories from a short travel to the
UK and Karachi this summer; too many to mention. I was back in Vancouver within three weeks
and I started getting bored after sitting at home
for 10 days so I jumped on the first opportunity
I found.
I’ve been working for Phoenix Media Direct
in Burnaby for about three months and I’ve been
trying to bring some changes in their processes.
I never knew how to make websites, but I just
completed their content website, which is live
on phoenixmedia.ca (It’s SOOOO much better
than what it was a week ago). Now I’m building
an online store for a very extensive range of
products. I’m actually an Account Manager here
so I was primarily hired to deal with clients in
Surrey, Langley and Delta—which is a massive
region for one person to handle all printing
businesses.
I’m looking to relocate somewhere within
Canada to get a hang of the several other places
on this massive chunk of land.
continuing to write newspaper columns and
books.
Bill will be greatly missed by his many
friends and colleagues at the School and the
University, and by the Canadian public policy
community.
in memoriam
reunions
William T. (Bill) Stanbury BCom 1966
It is with great sadness that we announce that
William T. (Bill) Stanbury passed away at his
home near Guadalajara, Mexico on October
27 after a short illness. Bill earned his BCom at
UBC in 1966 and went on to complete his MA
in 1969, and his PhD in Economics in 1972 at
the University of California at Berkeley. From
1970 to 2000, when he took early retirement,
he served as a faculty member in the Faculty of
Commerce and Business Administration (later
renamed the Sauder School of Business), retiring
as the UPS Foundation Professor of Regulation
and Competition Policy.
He was a prolific scholar and larger-thanlife character who became one of the country’s
best-known policy economists. Over his career,
with more than 200 publications including
many monographs, edited volumes and policy
studies, he made important contributions
to the debates surrounding public policy in
relation to competition policy, regulation,
privatization, the financing of political parties,
and many other areas. In 1989, Bill won
both the Jacob Biely and Killam Research
Prizes at UBC. In 1996–97, he held the T.D.
MacDonald Chair in Industrial Economics at
the Competition Bureau.
He was a regular advisor to government
agencies including the Canadian Competition
Bureau, the Canadian Radio-Television and
Telecommunications Commission, the Law
Reform Commission of Canada, the federal
Office of Privatization and Regulatory Affairs,
and the federal Treasury Board, and testified
before several parliamentary committees
on competition policy, airline regulation/
deregulation, and the regulatory process.
Bill remained active after retirement from UBC,
BCom 1961 50th Anniversary Reunion
The BCom Class of 1961 celebrated their 50th
anniversary in style with a three-course dinner
at the Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club on
September 16, 2011. The Development and
Alumni Engagement Office decorated the venue
with photos of UBC and Sauder in the sixties,
which was very well received by the alumni.
Before dinner, the alumni enjoyed a tour of
the new Henry Angus Building, which features
expanded and upgraded spaces for studying,
collaboration, connection, and service. Special
thanks to the Reunion Committee—David
Howard, Michael Leckie, Bill Garriock and Doug
Butterworth—for their hard work and interest in
creating a great experience for their classmates!
Thank you to everyone who attended!
BCom 1975, 1976 and 1977 Reunion
The BCom Classes of 1975, 1976 and 1977 held
a reunion at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club
on September 16, 2011. To kick off the event,
a large group of alumni enjoyed a tour of the
newly renovated Henry Angus building. Daniel
Muzyka, Dean of the Sauder School of Business,
was pleased to host this great alumni gathering
where alumni had the opportunity to reconnect
and share memories and stories from their time
at UBC. Thank you to the Reunion Committee—
Mike Andruff (1975), Don Nilson (1976),
Barry Fenton (1977), Greg McPhie (1976) and
Gary Moore (1976)—for their enthusiasm in
organizing this event! Thanks also to everyone
from the BCom Classes of 1975, 1976 and 1977
who attended and helped make this such a
wonderful event!
upcoming reunions
The BCom 1957 Reunion will take place on
April 3, 2012. It will include a building tour
with Dean Daniel Muzyka at 9:30 a.m. and
brunch at the home of alumnus John Savage in
West Vancouver.
The BCom 1982 Reunion will take place in
October 2012. Details to come.
Planning for the BCom 1962 Reunion is
underway. Details to come.
For more information about these reunions,
please contact Sharlene Cheu, at 604-827-4616,
or Sharlene.Cheu@sauder.ubc.ca. We look
forward to seeing you next year!
Contact us
Is your information
missing or incorrect?
Just let us know by emailing
alumni@sauder.ubc.ca
Become a Sauder School of
Business alumni contact
Be a contact for Sauder School
of Business and fellow alumni in your
city, country or region.
Help counsel prospective students, advise
new graduates, welcome summer interns
and arrange alumni events.
To volunteer, contact us today!
We can be reached at:
Tel: 604-822-6801
Fax: 604-822-0592
e-mail: alumni@sauder.ubc.ca
We always appreciate your feedback on
events and programs in support of
alumni activities.
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
49
In memoriam:
Sauder School mourns loss of friend
and supporter Milton K. Wong
1939-2011
One of the Sauder School of Business’s strongest supporters,
prominent Vancouver businessman and philanthropist Milton Wong
passed away on New Year’s Eve at the age of 72.
THE UBC ALUMNUS WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF SAUDER’S
Portfolio Management Foundation (PMF), a program that gives students
real-world experience investing in the capital markets. Dedicating his time,
expertise and financial support, Wong established and helped launch the
program in 1986 with fellow founders Murray Leith and Michael Ryan.
“Milton was a visionary. He understood the need for well-trained
investment professionals to manage changes affecting the financial industries
and worked tirelessly to ensure that our students were ready to take them
on,” says Daniel Muzyka, Dean of the Sauder School of Business. “He will
be remembered for his generosity and dedication to the community, and
as an inspirational figure for a generation of BC entrepreneurs and
business people.”
Launched with an initial investment of $300,000, the two-year extracurricular PMF program allows a number of BCom students to work with a
real portfolio of stocks and bonds, now valued at $4.5 million. Until recently,
Wong met regularly with PMF classes to provide insight from his years of
experience into what is necessary to succeed in the capital markets. The
program now has more than 130 alumni working in the financial industry
around the world.
Milton K. Wong grew up in Vancouver’s Chinatown as the eighth of
nine children of an immigrant tailor. He graduated from UBC in 1963
after studying political science and economics, and established the financial
management firm M.K. Wong and Associates in 1980. After HSBC bought the
firm in 1996, he went on to serve as non-executive chairman of HSBC Asset
Management (Canada) Ltd., managing billions of dollars in global assets.
During his successful career, Wong purchased the Chinese Freemasons’
building at Pender and Carrall, where his father had started Modernize
Tailors in 1913. He restored it and converted the upper floors into housing
for seniors.
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WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
“Milton Wong was a builder,
constantly looking for ways
to make Canada better.
He was, quite simply, one of
the most generous and
genuinely thoughtful people
that I have ever met.”
— Stephen Toope, UBC President
Wong remained engaged with UBC
throughout his life and was a generous donor
and supporter of the late Michael Smith’s human
genome sequencing project at the university.
“Milton Wong was a builder, constantly
looking for ways to make Canada better,” says
UBC President Stephen Toope. “He was, quite
simply, one of the most generous and genuinely
thoughtful people that I have ever met.”
Wong leaves a remarkable legacy. He was one
of the instigators of The Laurier Institution as
well as the Canadian International Dragon Boat
Festival, and played a major role in supporting
many First Nations initiatives, land claims, and
business partnerships.
Among his many honours, Wong was named
to the Order of Canada and the Order of British
Columbia for his contributions to education and
public service. He was inducted into the 2012
Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame, and was
awarded the City of Vancouver’s highest honour,
the Freedom of the City Award.
A tireless supporter of higher education,
Wong served two terms as Chancellor of Simon
Fraser University, from 1999 to 2005. He was
instrumental in raising funds for and supporting
organizations such as the BC Cancer Foundation,
the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Science World,
and the YWCA.
Milton Wong is survived by his wife Fei,
daughters Andrea, Sarah and Elizabeth, sons-inlaw Kevin and Joe, and three grandchildren. ■
VIEWPOINTS WINTER 2012
51
POINTS OF VIEW
My journey. Your journey.
Throughout this issue of Viewpoints, you have read about UBC’s start an
evolution campaign. Evolution may be defined as a process of “formation or
growth,” or “gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development.” This
campaign invites you to engage with your alma mater and our alumni network
as you grow and change.
HOW DOES STARTING AN EVOLUTION APPLY TO YOU AND
“The ‘start an evolution’
campaign is about changing
the world for the better.”
52
WINTER 2012 VIEWPOINTS
your relationship with the Sauder School of Business?
Throughout your life and career, each and every one
of you—our Sauder alumni—will undergo your own
unique evolution, transforming from a student to a
professional, a leader, a mentor and a global citizen.
The school has been part my own evolution, too.
Since 1999, with the exception of three years I spent
running a consulting practice, Sauder and UBC have
been a part of my own evolution as I developed my
professional skills, volunteered and gave back.
When I needed leadership training I turned to
Sauder, and was inspired to become a more creative
leader from the late Peter Frost; learned finance for
non-financial types from the beloved Steve Alisheran,
and studied managerial economics with the renowned
Professor Brander. My studies continue today,
and—once a year—I also volunteer to run a teamdevelopment workshop for our PMF students. Of
course, believing in the importance of environment
on education, I am also a donor to the Opening Worlds
Campaign. The school has been with me throughout
my journey and will be my partner as I continue
to evolve.
How can you connect and further your own
evolution? Reach out to the Alumni Career Manager
in the Business Career Centre, remain current by taking
courses through Executive Education, volunteer to
mentor or speak to students, or support an area you
would like to see developed at your school.
The start an evolution campaign is about changing
the world for the better. As someone who works
every day with alumni like you to find out how to
better engage you, I am proud of the impact that
Sauder’s alumni and friends have on businesses, public
organizations and communities around the world.
This campaign is UBC’s hand extended to you,
to leverage the global network, resources, and
engagement opportunities the Sauder School of
Business makes available to you as you evolve. We all
look forward to joining you along your journey. ■
Sheila Biggers
ASSOCIATE DEAN, DEVELOPMENT AND
ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
ALUMNI IN FOCUS
Gain insight into fellow members of the alumni community.
HELINE LAM
Degree and grad year: BCom 1997
Traits you admire most in others:
Patience and empathy
Current home city: Singapore
Talent you would most like to have:
Professional ID: Head of Talent
Acquisition, Private Bank, North & South
The ability to cook (my husband
seconds this)
East Asia at Standard Chartered Bank
Last book you couldn’t put down:
Business motto or philosophy: Passion is
key to success and fulfillment
In business today, it’s important to... have
the highest level of integrity
Most valuable thing learned since
There are so many! Chasing Daylight:
How My Forthcoming Death Transformed
My Life by Eugene O’Kelly
Most listened to: Amy Winehouse
Gadget of choice: iPhone
graduation: Family comes first
Your best-kept secret (what most people
Biggest risk taken ever taken: I changed
careers in 2005 and moved to a place
that I had not been to at that time—
don’t know about you): It wouldn’t be
a best-kept secret if I tell you, now
would it? :)
Shanghai, from Hong Kong
Favourite journey: My honeymoon with
Greatest achievement to date: I
successfully changed careers from a
my husband, more than three years ago
in Germany, Spain and Plzen
Private Banker to HR professional, and
met my husband during the process!
Where will you be in 10 years?
Wherever life may lead...
Person you admire most and why (living
or historical figure): My father; he has an
incredible heart and is very loving, hard
working and persistent
Want to be profiled in our Alumni in Focus feature? Activate/update your
information and volunteer interests in the Sauder Global Alumni Network Business
Directory at www.sauderalumni.ca and we’ll be in touch.
PMA 40063721