Speed Networking Toronto

Speed networking, anyone?

MBA and Masters of Accounting students at Speed Networking Toronto

Faculty of Business Graduate students met this month to enjoy a round of speed networking, hosted by CMA, in Toronto. Not only did graduate students get the opportunity to expand their networks, but they were able to practice their "elevator pitches" and learn the nuances of networking. Brushing up on their networking skills is valuable for these graduate students, many of whom are about to embark on career paths both in Canada and abroad.

Networking in Action

Speed Networking Toronto

Food offerings from the event, hosted by CMA

The Event Organizing Committee

"I really liked the opportunity to speak with a CMA recruiter, who specifically looks for CMA/MBA students," mentioned a second-year MBA.

The evening was an enormous success, thanks to the dedicated organizing committee, led by Davina Boerefyn, Director of Events for the Graduate Business Council.

Network Niagara

A few weeks ago, two members of the Brock University Graduate Business Council, Heather Pals and Courtney Blake, hosted the inaugural Network Niagara event for MBA students and local business professionals. Here Heather, a 2nd year MBA student, shares her thoughts on the event:

Heather Pals and Courtney Blake, event coordinators of Network Niagara

 How did the concept of Network Niagara come to be?

Traditionally, the GBC hosts "speednetworking" events as a way to connect students with potential employers. While this concept has worked well in recent years, we thought that the fact that Speednetworking Niagara and Speednetworking Toronto were being hosted one week apart this year, that we would need to do something different. We opted out of the Speednetworking Niagara event, and decided to create an event that would mimic the true-to-life scenarios that many MBA students will face in their careers: a wine and cheese night. Mingling over cocktails, in a relaxed atmosphere, is much more reflective of the types of scenarios students will encounter throughout their careers. We decided to host the event at one of Niagara's best resources: its wineries!

Employers and students engaged in lively discussion at Network Niagara

A selection of Ravine Vineyard's wines

The food offerings at Ravine Vineyard

Tell us about the venue.

Network Niagara was graciously hosted at Ravine Vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Ravine was absolutely the most welcoming hosts, and supplied us with an evening of their premium wines and delicious appetizers. We enjoyed the evening in the Woodruff House, which dates back to the early 1800s. It was a cozy and intimate setting, perfect for our small group.

What employers did you have in attendance?

We were fortunate to have representatives join us from various industries, including the automotive industry, the financial services industry, a large Toronto accounting firm, a venture capitalist, the manufacturing industry, and the mining industry. Our MBA students, coming from various disciplines, enjoyed the opportunity to speak with such a diverse group of employers.

Employers at Network Niagara

 What was the best part of the evening?
 
Mid-way through the evening, looking around at the local business professionals and the MBA students, engaged in conversation, at such a beautiful venue. Hearing the feedback from both students and employers has been great as well, and of course, the delicious wine from Ravine!

MBA students at Network Niagara

1st year MBA students with the event coordinators

A financial services employer speaks with an International MBA student

MBA Games 2011

The MBA Games is an annual competition for MBA programs across Canada. Challenging the participants in academics, athletics, and spirit events, the Organizing Committee of the Games strives to create a memorable 3-day experience for Canada's future leaders. This year's tournament was held by the Schulich School of Business in downtown Toronto. With over 600 delegates from 20 participating schools, the MBA Games were an incredible experience for all in attendance. Here one participant details the events of the Games:

Friday January 7th

We arrived at the Westin Harborfront Conference Center in downtown Toronto on the afternoon before the beginning of the Games. For the next three days, the Westin would play the role of gracious host to us and 600 other students. Once the rest of our 24-person team arrived, we all got decked out in our Brock "spirit wear", and met to practice our Opening Ceremonies dance routine. Choreographed to the theme of "Back to Basics", our dance took us from current Justin Bieber hits all the way back to the Jackson Five's "ABC".

Once we had our routine down, we all headed out for a team-building dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory, where we met up with some of Brock's Business Faculty Coordinators. Then it was back to the Westin for the Opening Ceremonies, where the Schulich Organizing Committee would welcome the delegates and open the ceremonial "briefcase", signifying the opening of the Games. For the next three hours we witnessed routines by each of the participating schools. Everything from videos on the state of the economy to dances choreographed in perfect unison were showcased. The amount of spirit, cheers, and excitement was overwhelming as the MBA Games weekend was kicked off. After the ceremonies concluded, we all piled into buses and headed off to This is London, a club downtown, to continue the celebrations.

Saturday January 8th

With very little sleep and a full day ahead of us, we all met downstairs for a quick breakfast provided by the Westin. Then it was off to our respective competitions, including the Case Competition, Telus Marketing Plan Competition, Mystery Photo Scavenger Hunt Event, Basketball and Soccer games. After a long day of competing academically and athletically, the team reconvened for an evening at Maro with the rest of the delegates. 

Sunday January 9th 

The last day of competition, Brock was determined to make this day a success! As our Business Simulation Team left to compete, the Dodgeball and Ultimate Frisbee teams hopped on the bus to Crescent School. Throughout the afternoon, we competed against a variety of schools. While our Ultimate Frisbee and Dodgeball teams may not have been the most skilled teams, their show of spirit and sportsmanship made the day a success. Congratulations goes out to our MBA Q&A Spirit Team who passed through the first round of competition!

 When we arrived back at the hotel to prepare for the Closing Ceremonies Gala, we heard great news from our Business Simulation Team. Their competition had gone extremely well, and they were feeling confident about their performance. At 6:30pm, the delegates all met again in the conference ballroom for an evening of excellent cuisine, cocktails, and awards. Arlene Dickinson, CEO of Venture Communications and one of the "dragons" on CBC's Dragon's Den, was a keynote speaker who shared with us her business values and ideals. When the awards were handed out, Brock took home first place in the Business Simulation Competition! It was a wonderful moment, and the entire Brock Faculty of Business could not be more proud of the team. A special congratulations goes out to the University of Alberta who won the Queen's Cup for overall excellence in academic, athletic, and spirit events, and will be hosting the Games next year in Edmonton.

The MBA Games was one of the highlights of the MBA program at Brock. Not only did it give us a chance to interact with other MBA schools from across the country, but it allowed us to strengthen the bonds within our small tight-knit program, and provided us with fond memories of our time in the MBA.

All photos courtesy of Natalia Valentova

Faculty of Business Distinguished Leader Lecture Series

On October 13, 2010, Galen Weston Jr., Executive Chairman of Loblaw Companies Ltd., visited Brock University as part of the Faculty of Business Distinguished Leader Lecture Series. Throughout the day, both graduate and undergraduate business students had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Weston regarding issues currently facing the food industry.

Mr. Weston, who had recently been given an award for his corporate social responsibility efforts with Loblaw Companies Ltd., entertained a select group of students in a morning discussion period. He was described by students as being extremely personable, down-to-earth, and full of energy and enthusiasm regarding the business practices of Loblaw Companies Ltd.

Business students interacting with Galen Weston at a discussion session

In an afternoon lecture, entitled The Global Politics of Food, Mr. Weston spoke about the pillars of corporate social responsibility: respecting the environment, sourcing products with integrity, making a difference in the community, reflecting our nation's diversity, and being a great place to work. As the largest public employer in Canada, his commitment to increasing employee job satisfaction is beneficial to many Canadians. In the midst of current and future global issues regarding the food industry, including availability, affordability, climate change, health risks, and safety concerns, Mr. Weston stated that Canada's challenge is to remain a vibrant country with a plethora of food industries, while becoming competitive on a global scale through specialization.

The President's Choice (PC) brand developed by Loblaw Companies Ltd., has been a major advocate of leading change and partnering for change, in the food industry. The organic baby food that PC recently released was priced equal to a national brand, and has since become the number one selling brand of baby food in Canada. The enormous consumer response to this particular product has encouraged PC to create new innovative products that consumers will find beneficial to their health and their wallets.

Perhaps one of the most interesting initiatives Mr. Weston explained was the Sustainable Seafood Policy that has recently been developed. The goal of PC is to have 100% of their seafood products sustainable by 2013. This initiative will be rolled out in phases, and will ultimately change the North American aquaculture industry from a deeply unsustainable one, to one that is completely sustainable. It is in these ways that Loblaw Companies Ltd. is driving change in their industry.

After the lecture, Mr. Weston joined some business students at Alphie's Trough, a graduate student campus eatery. As attendees munched on chocolate-covered strawberries and sipped local Niagara wines, Mr. Weston was able to mingle with the students and answer some of their questions. His approachable nature and vast experience in business made this event a huge success.

Written by Heather Pals, GBC Communications Manager

{photo courtesy of Fab Formisano}

Welcome!

The Brock Graduate Business Council (GBC) is the representative student body for full- and part-time students enrolled in a graduate business program at Brock University!


Since its inception, the GBC has worked to enhance the experience and value of all Brock University Graduate Business degrees.


This blog will serve as a method to share events related to the GBC, and give current and prospective students a way to connect with one another.


Please feel free to comment, e-mail us at communications{at}brockgbc.com, or become a fan of our Facebook page in order to remain up-to-date with upcoming events.

{photo taken by Fab Formisano}