JMSB confers Awards of Distinction

The John Molson School of Business held its 19th Awards of Distinction on Nov. 21 at Ex-Centris on St. Laurent Blvd.

Jonathan Wener reminded the audience that all three of this year’s recipients are alumni of Concordia or its predecessors, and they were chosen for their extraordinary contributions to the community as well as their business acumen.

He and Vice-President (Advancement & Alumni Relations) Kathy Assayag paid tribute to the founder of the annual event, the late Col. Pierre Sévigny, whose widow, Corinne, was in the audience.

Dean Jerry Tomberlin reminded the guests that the JMSB was lauded for its integration of social responsibility into its business curriculum by Corporate Knights. He paid tribute to CASA Cares, the student outreach group, which raised $10,000 last year for the Montreal Children’s Hospital through its fashion show.

President Claude Lajeunesse said, “The criterion of our success is how well our students do after they leave us. Here are three role models, examples of how well they can do.”

Wener echoed the sentiment. He said he vividly recalls one of his professors at Sir George Williams University telling him, “Machines depreciate. People appreciate. Invest in people.”

Teitelbaum leads La Senza in merger

Irving Teitelbaum is Chairman of the Board and CEO of La Senza Corporation, a public company on the TSX. He graduated from Concordia University with a BComm in 1960.

In 1966, with Stephen Gross, his brother-in-law, he founded the retail women’s apparel chain Suzy Shier. In 1996, he presided simultaneously over the Board of three publicly listed companies in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

In the early 1990s, he and his business partners created the specialty retail lingerie chain, La Senza. It grew to over 300 locations within Canada and as many in more than 30 countries worldwide. La Senza has become one of the great brands in the annals of Canadian business.

La Senza reported revenues of $411 million with earnings of $18 million in their last fiscal year. This year La Senza tripled its revenues in its first two quarters, and just last week it was sold to Limited Brands, which owns the U.S. giant Victoria’s Secret.

Firth oversees Manulife growth

J. Roy Firth is Executive Vice-President, Individual Wealth Management, Canadian Division, Manulife Financial. His responsibilities include mutual funds and segregated funds, fixed rate annuity products, as well as joint responsibility for distribution of Manulife’s individual products.

Firth has led this business unit for the past five years, which has seen unprecedented growth and a four-fold increase in earnings.

He joined Manulife in 1998 having been President of Elliott & Page Ltd. Before that, he spent 10 years at Laurentian Bank of Canada, latterly in the position of Executive Vice-President, Treasury, Risk Management and Strategic Development.

He holds a BComm in Finance from Concordia University and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Columbia University, New York.

He is an indefatigable Concordia booster, actively fundraising for the university from his base in Toronto.

Keung manages tech planning

Alice Keung is Senior Vice President - Information Technology, and Chief Information Officer at the National Bank. She has led all systems and telecommunications activities there since 2003, and is also responsible for planning the Bank’s technological innovation.

Before joining National Bank, she was Vice-President, Information Technology, and CIO at Air Canada, where she oversaw the integration of Canadian International Airline’s IT systems with those of Air Canada. She also spearheaded the introduction of the self-service express check-in kiosks, an innovation in customer service.

She was Vice-President, Operations, at Interface Asia-Pacific Inc., a subsidiary of Interface Inc., a global leader in interior furnishings. In this capacity, she contributed to the strategic expansion of the Asia-Pacific region.

Keung is a member of the National Judging Committee of the Canadian Information Productivity Awards (CIPA). She has twice been a finalist for the Montreal YWCA’s Women of Distinction Award. In 2005, she was named one of Canada’s 100 most powerful women by the Toronto-based Women’s Executive Network (WXN). She is an MBA graduate of the John Molson School of Business.