Reunite at Rotman is going virtual!
Join us online October 2-3!
Our community is more important than ever, and we wanted to create a way for you to still connect from where you are by offering Reunite at Rotman virtually during these unprecedented times.
Come together with your classmates to celebrate your accomplishments, expand your network and learn about the latest insights on issues affecting business and society through Reunite at Rotman's virtual Fireside Chats and Faculty Session.
Additionally, to ensure alumni celebrating Class Reunions can do so in person, we have postponed reunion celebrations to May 2021 during University of Toronto’s Alumni Weekend and Rotman’s Life Long Learning Conference.
Reunite 2020 Schedule
Friday, October 2, 2020
2:30pm to 3:00pm
Opening Remarks by Interim Dean Kenneth Corts and senior alumni
3:00 to 4:45pm–Fireside Chats
Hear from alumni who have built extraordinary careers in a wide variety of fields! Choose from an exciting lineup of senior leaders who will share their personal and career journeys and insights they’ve gained along the way. This year we have two rounds of Fireside Chats, with five speakers each to choose from.
Click on each of our speakers to read more about them. More speakers to be announced shortly.
Fireside Chat Speakers
3:00 to 3:45pm
4:00 to 4:45pm
4:55 to 5:45pm
Rotman Trivia Tournament
Ever wished you had a professor on your team during pub trivia? Well now’s your chance. Join the team of one of our distinguished faculty members and compete against your classmates in a fun and fast-paced battle of wits. The winning team will have bragging right for the year and the top players will be eligible for additional prizes.
Saturday, October 3, 2020
10:00 to 10:05 am
Welcome Remarks
10:05 to 10:40 am
Opening Alumni Keynote:
Leading through Disruption
SYNOPSIS: Leaders in business, government and the not-for-profit sector are all facing difficult choices trying to balance a range of goals and time horizons that are constantly changing. Stakeholders are pulling in multiple directions. Short term financial performance can be inconsistent with stakeholder interests. Leaders are being called on to take a longer-term view that better aligns with stakeholders interests and sustainable financial performance. Join fellow alumni Cornell Wright as he discusses how leaders can manage and grapple with the issues they face in these challenging times.
10:40 to 11:25 am
Build Back Better: Why Inclusion is Essential for Economic Recovery
SYNOPSIS: As the pandemic continues to unfold, we are increasingly turning our attention to economic recovery. It is easy to wish we could “get back to normal,” but one thing COVID-19 has done is reveal in great detail the fractures in our society. The most marginalized in our economy—women, people of colour, Indigenous people, immigrants and others—are also those that were hurt the worst the by the crisis. Evidence is increasingly suggesting that we cannot rebuild the economy unless we repair these fractures. In this talk, Sarah Kaplan will use ideas from her book The 360º Corporation and her work leading the Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE) to offer insights about what an inclusive recovery could look like.
11:30 am to 12:15 pm
The Sustainable Campus: GHG Emissions in the Pandemic and Beyond
SYNOPSIS: Before COVID-19, U of T launched an ambitious Low-Carbon Action Plan that will reduce campus GHG emissions to 37% below 1990 levels by 2030 and to net zero by 2050. Then the pandemic turned campus operations on their head. U of T’s Facilities and Services Chief Operating Officer Ron Saporta and Rotman’s Interim Dean Kenneth Corts will discuss how U of T is meeting these goals and what challenges and opportunities the pandemic presents in terms of building and managing a sustainable campus.
12:20 to 12:55 pm
Final Alumni Keynote:
Helping Businesses to Keep Moving and Selling
- eBay’s COVID Story
SYNOPSIS: A pioneer in e-commerce for over 25 year’s eBay has helped small and medium enterprises embody what it means to stay local and sell global. Earlier this year when the global pandemic shut down everything from stores to schools, eBay’s team shifted to give their customers some relief as well as help business who were forced to shut their doors move online through the launch of its Up & Running Accelerator. Join fellow Rotman alumnae Andrea Stairs as she shares how eBay is helping business to stay open, weather the current economic storm and survive through COVID
12:55 to 1:00 pm
Closing Remarks by Linda Dudek, Executive Director – Advancement, Rotman
Check back often for Reunite at Rotman updates, including a complete schedule of events.
Julie Denton, FT MBA '00
Chief People Officer, Recipe Unlimited Corporation
Julie Denton is the Chief People Officer for Recipe Unlimited Corporation, with responsibility for Human Resources, Communications, Total Rewards, Talent Management & Leadership Development, Recipe University, Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity & Inclusion.
Julie has more than 25 years’ experience in consulting and industry. She has led numerous complex and large scale transformation programs with a focus on strategy, integration planning and execution, operating model design, talent strategy and cultural development. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Dalhousie University and received her MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, Class of 2000 Valedictorian.
Recipe Unlimited Corporation is the largest full-service restaurant company in Canada with over 60,000 associates, 1300 locations and 800 small business franchisees. There are 24 brands including The Keg, Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s, The Landing, St.Hubert and Pickle Barrell to name a few.
Kevin Lobo, MBA-M/E '95
Chairman & CEO, Stryker
Stryker appointed Kevin A. Lobo as Chairman of the Board on July 22, 2014, in addition to his responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer of Stryker, which he assumed on October 1, 2012. Mr. Lobo joined Stryker in 2011 and had previously been Group President of Orthopaedics. Mr. Lobo is the chairman of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) Board of Directors and serves on the Board of Directors for Parker Hannifin Corporation, the global leader in motion and control technologies. He is also a member of the Business Roundtable and Business Council. Mr. Lobo has a broad business career that includes executive positions in general management and finance. After holding finance positions with KPMG, Unilever and Kraft Canada he spent eight years with Rhone-Poulenc, including roles based in Europe as Worldwide Corporate Controller of the chemical spin-out, Rhodia, and General Manager of Specialty Phosphates EMEA. He then spent eight years at Johnson & Johnson, including CFO of McNeil Consumer Healthcare and Ortho Women’s Health & Urology, President of J&J Medical Products Canada and President of Ethicon Endo Surgery. Mr. Lobo's extensive global business and leadership experience across multiple industries, including healthcare, enables him to provide valuable insight to Stryker’s board regarding the company's operations and the strategic planning initiatives necessary to meet the demands of the changing environment. As the sole member of management on our board, he provides management's business perspectives and the necessary link to our day-to-day operations.
Craig Lowery, MBA-M/E '85
Managing Director, TD Bank N.V.
Vice President, Treasury & Balance Sheet Management, TD Bank Group
In his current role, Craig is responsible for management of TD Bank's operations in The Netherlands including management of an $18 billion investment portfolio and retail deposit business operations, finance, risk management and technology functions. He is currently leading an enterprise project to close the Netherlands based office.
Craig has been with TD Bank since 1988 and has held management positions in diverse roles spanning Corporate Real Estate Lending, Finance, Risk Management and Treasury. Most recently, he was responsible for treasury strategy development, governance and data management, located in the Toronto head office. Prior to assuming this position, Craig was responsible for leading a team of 125 professionals that successfully implemented a comprehensive capital planning and capital stress test infrastructure resulting in TD Bank's U.S. bank holding company passing its first two Comprehensive Capital Analysis & Review (CCAR) submissions.
After obtaining a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Toronto in 1979, Craig practiced in his field of study for several years before obtaining a Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto in 1985 and then pursuing his career in banking.
Brian Murray, EMBA '15
Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy Canada
While many businesses have been on pause during the COVID-19 lockdown, Brian Murray’s team at Ogilvy Canada has never been busier. Brian will cover some of the lessons he’s learned about marketing your brand during a crisis as he tells you about the creation of the Dove “Courage is Beautiful” campaign, Dove’s tribute to front-line healthcare workers that has been adapted for over a dozen international markets, received tens of millions of organic views in its first two weeks, and in a recent Ipsos survey was Canada’s favourite COVID-related brand communication.
Brian Murray is the Chief Creative Officer for Ogilvy Canada in Toronto. Ogilvy Toronto was named the 4th most effective agency in North America by the 2020 Effie awards, and the only Canadian agency in the Top 10. Ogilvy Canada delivers impactful and effective work for its roster of international and domestic clients, big and small. If you'd like to talk one-on-one, reach out at Brian.Murray@Ogilvy.com
Elizabeth Caley, GEMBA '15
Co-CEO, Poppy
Formerly Sr. Director, Technology, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Elizabeth Caley is co-founder & co-CEO of Poppy, the world’s first genomic health protection network.
Based in San Francisco, Ms. Caley has been building and leading fast-growing global technology companies over the last 20 years. Prior to starting Poppy, Ms. Caley was the Chief Operating Officer of Meta, an artificial intelligence company focused on accelerating scientific progress. In 2017, Meta was acquired by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s tech philanthropy. Prior to Meta, she held executive roles at global software companies such as Microsoft, Hummingbird (OpenText), and Firmex.
Honored as one of the most inspiring women in STEM and as one of the most inspiring women in Toronto, Ms. Caley is an active contributor to the Bay Area, Oxford, & Toronto technology communities as a mentor, advisor, angel investor, and speaker. Ms. Caley holds MBAs from the University of Toronto & University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, with multiple awards for leadership and academic achievement.
Kunal Phalpher, FT MBA '10
Chief Commercial Officer, Li-Cycle
Kunal Phalpher is the Chief Commercial Officer of Li-Cycle Corp. Kunal has been involved with Li-Cycle since 2017, first as an Advisor, then as a Board member and since 2018 as an executive team member. Kunal brings extensive international experience in the lithium-ion battery and renewable energy sectors to Li-Cycle, with experience primarily in business development and corporate strategy. His recent experience, prior to joining Li-Cycle, includes working as a Director of Product Development at a residential solar company and Director of Business Development with a lithium-ion battery manufacturer. Prior to those roles, Kunal spent several years in Germany working in the renewable energy and energy storage sectors.
Kunal earned his Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management.
Matt Chapman, FT MBA '00
Partner, TorQuest
Matthew Chapman graduated from the Rotman M.B.A. program in 2000. Upon graduation he joined an enterprise software start-up called Workbrain as Director of Finance. He served as Vice President, Finance (2002), Chief Financial Officer (2003-2006) and Senior Vice President of Operations (2006-2007), helping to drive the rapid growth of the company until its sale in 2007 to Infor Global Solutions. He then joined TorQuest Partners, one of Canada’s leading private equity firms, where he has worked for the past 13 years leading investment activities in a variety of industries. Earlier in his career, Matt worked at RBC Capital Markets in the Investment Banking Group. In addition to his M.B.A. from the University of Toronto, Matt has a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from McGill University.
Shelly-Ann Rampersad, FT MBA '15
Vice President, Clinical Operations, Maple Corporation
Shelly-Ann leads Maple’s Clinical Operations department, including overseeing care delivery processes, management of Maple’s provider network, and leading implementations of new models of care, primarily within the public sector. Shelly-Ann joined the Maple team in 2018 to support Maple’s entrance into Canadian hospitals with the implementation of a first in Canada inpatient tele-rounding model in Prince Edward Island. Prior to Maple, Shelly-Ann was strategy consultant at KPMG with experience implementing system-wide health programs for governments around the world. Notably, she worked to support the launch of The Bahamas’ National Health Insurance programme. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Waterloo and Master of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management.
Alex Fitzgerald, FT MBA '15
Principal, Consumer Practice, Kearney
Alex Fitzgerald, MBA '15, is a Principal within Kearney’s Consumer Practice based out of New York City, where she lives with her husband (and fellow Rotman grad!) and two young boys. She has deep expertise in young female consumer shopping behaviors and helps her beauty and apparel retail clients understand their unique needs in order to capture their spend and service them better. She works on topics from digitally-enabled growth through operating model and supply chain enablement. Prior to Rotman, Alex worked for BMO Nesbitt Burns as a Practice Management Consultant as well as Manager of Client Operations at PriceMetrix by McKinsey. Alex has her Bachelor in Management and Operations from the University of Western in London Ont.
Kim Mason, EMBA '05
Senior Vice President & Head, Private Banking Canada, RBC Wealth Management
Kim Mason is Senior Vice President and Head of RBC Private Banking Canada which provides high-net-worth individuals, families and family offices with comprehensive strategies and solutions for their wealth management needs. She is responsible for leading the business, driving growth, and enabling the team to deliver trusted advice, tailored solutions and personalized service.
Since joining RBC, Mason has held a variety of increasingly responsible positions, including Senior Vice President, Personal & Commercial Banking – Operations, and Regional President for Atlantic Canada and Greater Toronto.
Mason completed her MBA at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto and received her Honours BA from the University of Western Ontario. In 2014, she obtained her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Mason has been recognized as a Top 50 Atlantic CEO (2012, 2013 and 2014), and was named one of Canada’s Top 25 Women of Influence (2013) by Women of Influence Magazine. She has also been recognized as one of WXN Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women (2014). Mason was awarded the Rotman Top 10 WIMA (Women in Management Association) Award (2015).
Mason currently serves as a director on the boards of Toronto Financial International and Toronto Western and General Hospital Foundation.
Sabrina Wu, BCOM '10/MFIN '17
Senior Trader, Bank of Canada
Sabrina Wu is a Senior Trader on the domestic trading desk at the Bank of Canada. She is part of the Market Analysis & Operations team that is responsible for implementing monetary policy through market operations. During the COVID crisis, her team is tasked with designing and implementing all of the emergency lending facilities that provide immediate liquidity support to the core funding markets in Canada. Sabrina has 10 years of combined experience in fixed income trading, asset liability management, and risk management. Prior to joining the Bank of Canada, she was a rates trader at a large international bank on Bay Street. Outside of work, Sabrina cares deeply about social issues and is actively involved with her community. She served three years on the board of YWCA Toronto, the largest women's organization in Canada. In 2017, Sabrina represented the YWCA at the United Nations' Status of Women Commission, adding Canada's voice to advancing gender equality. Sabrina is a frequent speaker at industry events and was awarded Emerging Leaders' Award by Women in Capital Markets in 2018. Sabrina received her Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Finance degree from Rotman and she is a certified Financial Risk Manager.
Linda Dudek
Executive Director, Advancement, Rotman School of Management
Linda joined Rotman from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, where she was the Director of Development, and helped raise $60 million in three years, including over $4 million in 2017 to launch CDL-Rockies. Prior to this, Linda was at the United Way of Calgary and Area, in campaign management and business development. Linda is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
Sarah Kaplan
Distinguished Professor of Gender and the Economy
Professor of Strategic Management
Director, Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE)
Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
Sarah Kaplan is Distinguish Professor, Director, Institute for Gender and the Economy, and Professor of Strategic Management at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. She is a co-author of the bestselling business book, Creative Destruction as well as Survive and Thrive: Winning Against Strategic Threats to Your Business. Her latest book, The 360° Corporation: From Stakeholder Trade-offs to Transformation appeared in 2019. Her research has covered how organizations participate in and respond to the emergence of new fields and technologies in biotechnology, fiber optics, financial services, nanotechnology and most recently, the field emerging at the nexus of gender and finance. She recently authored “Gender Equality as an Innovation Challenge” (2017) in the Rotman Management Magazine, “The Risky Rhetoric of Female Risk Aversion” (2016) in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, “Meritocracy: From Myth to Reality” in the Rotman Management Magazine (2015), and “The Rise of Gender Capitalism,” in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (2014). Her current work focuses on applying an innovation lens to understanding the challenges for achieving gender equality. Formerly a professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (where she remains a Senior Fellow), and a consultant and innovation specialist for nearly a decade at McKinsey & Company in New York, she completed her doctoral research at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She has a BA with honors in Political Science from UCLA and an MA in International Relations and International Economics from the School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. See her twitter at: @sarah_kaplan and @GenderEconomy.
Kenneth S. Corts
Interim Dean
Vice-Dean, Faculty & Research
Marcel Desautels Chair in Entrepreneurship
Academic Director of the Lee-Chin Institute for Corporate Citizenship
Professor of Economic Analysis and Policy, Rotman School of Management
Professor Corts has previously served in a number of other academic leadership positions at the University of Toronto. He has served as Vice-Dean, Faculty & Research at the Rotman School since 2015, prior to which he was Director of the Rotman Commerce Program and Associate Dean, Undergraduate Education. As Vice-Dean, Professor Corts has successfully led initiatives to increase recognition of faculty accomplishments, improve faculty hiring and pay equity, increase research support for faculty, and launch new research institutes. Most recently, he was a key part of the leadership team that developed the Rotman School’s academic plan, A Catalyst for Change, which charts the next leap forward for the School. He also served as Acting Dean in August 2019 and in January to February 2020.
As Director of the Rotman Commerce program he worked closely with the both the Rotman School and U of T’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences to lead initiatives to broaden the curriculum across all management disciplines; to provide significant leadership and communications skills development opportunities; to increase international learning experiences; and to engage alumni more fully in the life of the Rotman Commerce program. As Academic Director of the Lee-Chin Institute for Corporate Citizenship, he has driven increased faculty research collaboration and student participation in activities related to sustainable finance and sustainability strategy. In 2019 Professor Corts served as Acting Vice-President, University Operations for the fall term, developing relationships with leaders across the three U of T campuses.
He has been a visiting professor at UCLA and INSEAD and a visiting scholar at UC-Berkeley and IESE. Before joining the Rotman School in 2003, he was an Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor in the Competition and Strategy area at Harvard Business School. He received his PhD in Economics from Princeton University in 1994.
Professor Corts is a microeconomist with research and teaching interests in industrial organization, competition policy, organizational economics, and energy policy; he has published his research in leading academic journals such as the Rand Journal of Economics, the Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, the Journal of Industrial Economics, and the Journal of Law and Economics. Professor Corts has also published a number of Harvard Business School case studies that are used at top business schools throughout the world, served as Editor at the Journal of Industrial Economics from 2005-2010, and has won grants and fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. In addition to his academic contributions, Professor Corts has provided expert testimony in competition policy cases before the Competition Tribunal and the Ontario Superior Court, co-authored a policy analysis paper for the UK Office of Fair Trading, and consulted on antitrust matters in the U.S.
Ron Saporta, EMBA '13
Chief Operating Officer, Property and Sustainability, University of Toronto
Ron Saporta, EMBA 2011, is the Chief Operating Officer at the University of Toronto. His primary expertise is in large-scale capital redevelopment, campus operations, and sustainability. He is a Professional Engineer with both an undergraduate and masters degree in Civil Engineering, as well as a Master’s in Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Ron has spearheaded development of successful sustainability programs, receiving recognition and the provincial, national and international stages through awards such as the Recycling Council of Ontario, the Natural Resources of Canada for Energy Efficiency and the British Medical Journal.
Cornell Wright, JD/MBA '00
Chair, Corporate, Torys LLP
Cornell is a leading corporate lawyer. He is the Chair of Torys’ Corporate Department and former co-head of the firm’s
M&A Practice. His practice focuses on M&A transactions, both public and private, and other critical situations. He has
played a lead role acting for some of Canada’s largest public and private companies on their most significant strategic
matters, including advising Thomson Reuters, The Woodbridge Company, Weston group and Brookfield group.
Cornell has a broad range of experience in complex transactional, securities, family-controlled business, private equity,
regulatory, governance, activism and compliance matters.
Cornell regularly counsels boards of directors and board committees on corporate governance matters, crisis
management and shareholder engagement issues. Cornell is a Fellow of The American College of Governance
Counsel.
Cornell is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.
Andrea Stairs, JD/MBA '00
Chief Marketing Officer, eBay North America & President, eBay Canada Ltd.
As the Chief Marketing Officer for eBay’s North American business, Andrea leads all facets of buyer marketing for one of the largest e-commerce players in the region. Andrea also oversees eBay’s Canadian operations as President of eBay Canada Ltd. Prior to her current role, Andrea was GM of eBay Canada & Latin America and was responsible for strategy and operations across more than 40 countries.
Andrea has received a BA from McGill University, as well as LLB and MBA degrees from the University of Toronto.
Andrea sits on a number of boards including Export Development Canada, FinDev Canada, Canada’s National Ballet School, and the Toronto Region Board of Trade. She is also the recipient of the Women’s Executive Network’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award, in the Corporate Executive category.
A native of Montreal, Andrea lives in Toronto with her husband and young son and daughter.