MBA students discuss “the Future of Alberta” at the 2019 Jarislowsky Dinner and Discussion series

Dinner and Discussion

On October 25, more than 150 MBA students and industry professionals gathered at the downtown Petroleum Club for the Jarislowsky Dinner and Discussion event. The evening started with informal conversation and networking between small groups and later to discuss an issue that has been on many of Calgarians’ minds: the future of Alberta.

The Jarislowsky co-fellows, Arthur Korpach and Catherine Bell, moderated a panel discussion that featured Dawn Farrell, President and CEO of TransAlta, along with Patrick Lor, the managing partner at Panache Ventures. Both panelists emphasized the strength of Canada in the technology and energy industries and envisioned Alberta as a global leader in these businesses, as well as many others. Coming from the start-up ecosystem in Calgary, Patrick shared his experiences and urged students to have confidence in the fact that they can compete on international scales. Dawn shared her views on energy as well as environmental sustainability and emphasized that Canada has been a forerunner in the clean energy space and will continue its role as a central innovator.

Excited about the insights that came with the panel discussion, students engaged in table discussions with the guidance of their table hosts (all leaders from the Calgary business community) which was followed by a Q&A period for students to ask the panelists their questions.

MBA student, Akio Tajiri, asked, “We talk a lot about innovation and the associated risk - especially in middle management. How and what can we do about institutional gravity?” Impressed by the first question, the panelists talked about the importance of leadership when dealing with any type of change within organizations. Dawn talked about how they approach this issue at TransAlta by allowing everyone to express their opinions. They have built a culture that entertains these opinions and they believe there is no such thing as a bad idea. Patrick talked about transparency and that creating a safe environment will allow things to grow. Unlike production farming where weeds are killed to create consistency, organizations will benefit from diversity of opinions and perspectives.

Another question that was asked was “what is Alberta’s advantage and why?” and both panelists answers were the people. Patrick brought attention to one of the table hosts, Irfhan Rawji. Patrick remarked that Irfhan, the founder and CEO of MobSquad, is a good example of Alberta’s advantage. MobSquad matches Silicon Valley start-ups with software engineers and data scientists in Canada and has substantially contributed to building Calgary’s technology talent pool.

Katie Archie, MBA candidate, who first met the Jarislowsky co-fellows at the opening reception in September and was at the Dinner and Discussion remarked “insight into industry trends, access to experienced people and learning about the diverse perspectives of business leaders are what I enjoyed most about this evening.” Many students were excited to see and talk to Dick Haskayne and last year’s fellow, John Brussa.

At the end of the event, attendees were gifted a book of their co-fellows’ choosing: ‘Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl’. Many stayed in the Woodbend Lounge long after the event had ended talking to their colleagues, not wanting these memorable conversations to end!

The Jarislowsky Dinner & Discussion series hosted by Haskayne’s CCAL is founded in Stephen Jarislowsky’s belief that by providing students with access to business professionals and their real world successes and failures, the University will enrich their leadership development.

Opening Reception

On September 20, Haskayne MBA students and industry professionals gathered at the home of the National Music Centre, at Studio Bell, in downtown Calgary, to kick start their 2019/2020 Jarislowsky events. This event was an opening reception where guests had the opportunity to have discussions with the Jarislowsky fellows, other industry experts and hear from W. Brett Wilson, best known as a “Dragon Emeritus” from Dragons’ Den. Students welcomed back Catherine Bell in the second year of her Jarislowsky fellowship and celebrated Arthur Korpach’s first year.

Guests were excited to hear about Wilson’s experiences and successes. Wilson mentioned that the most important thing that students will gain from doing their MBA is the relationships they build with their classmates. He talked about how his MBA cohort became the opportunity to shape and develop his business in Calgary and Canada. The reception ended with a tour of the Studio Bell where students learned about rare instruments, artifacts, music technology and enjoyed the stunning architecture of the building.