Beedie School of Business News

Brian Hill, CEO of Aritzia, being interviewed in front of a live audience at the Beedie School of Business by CKNW host Bill Good.

The spring series of CKNW 980’s “The Chief Executives” concluded with Brian Hill, CEO and co-founder of fashion retailer Aritzia, discussing his hands-on approach to the fashion retail industry with CKNW host Bill Good in front of a live audience at the Segal Graduate School.

The event was part of an ongoing partnership between the Beedie School of Business and prominent Vancouver radio station CKNW News Talk 980 to bring leadership and business insights from some of Canada’s top executives to SFU’s downtown Vancouver campus.

As a third generation fashion retailer, Hill grew up working in the family business, which Good assumed negated the need for him to ask what his first job was. Hill revealed however, that one summer he worked in a role that to this day remains his favourite job – a garbage man. Keep reading…

Tags: Aritzia, Beedie School of Business, Bill Good, Brian Hill, CKNW, CKNW News Talk 980, fashion industry, Leadership, management, MBA, retail, Segal Graduate School, strategy, The Chief Executives

Gregg Saretsky, CEO of WestJet, being interviewed in front of a live audience at the Beedie School of Business by CKNW host Bill Good.

The spring series of CKNW 980’s “The Chief Executives” continued with Gregg Saretsky, President and CEO of Canadian airline WestJet, sharing his vision for employee engagement with CKNW host Bill Good in front of a live audience at the Segal Graduate School.

The event was part of an ongoing partnership between the Beedie School of Business and prominent Vancouver radio station CKNW News Talk 980 to bring leadership and business insights from some of Canada’s top executives to SFU’s downtown Vancouver campus.

With a packed and enthusiastic crowd watching, Saretsky opened by sharing his career path with Good, explaining how his father worked in the airline industry and that he had grown up taking advantage of his father’s airline privileges by travelling to a variety of places from a young age. Keep reading…

Tags: airline industry, Beedie School of Business, Bill Good, Canadian economy, CKNW, CKNW News Talk 980, employee engagement, employee ownership, Gregg Saretsky, Harvard, Leadership, management, MBA, return on investment, Segal Graduate School, strategy, The Chief Executives, WestJet, WestJet Encore

Tracy Redies, CEO of Coast Capital Savings, being interviewed at the Beedie School of Business by CKNW host Bill Good.

The spring series of CKNW 980’s “The Chief Executives” continued with Tracy Redies, President and CEO of credit union Coast Capital Savings, discussing her journey from selling shoes to leading of one of the country’s largest credit unions with CKNW host Bill Good in front of a live audience at the Segal Graduate School.

The event was part of an ongoing partnership between the Beedie School of Business and prominent Vancouver radio station CKNW News Talk 980 to bring leadership and business insights from some of Canada’s top executives to SFU’s downtown Vancouver campus.

Redies reminisced in the opening stages of the interview about the beginning of her career. She explained how she graduated at the peak of a recession, and with few jobs available, started working in a shoe store, a position she obtained due to her being able to speak Japanese. Keep reading…

Tags: banking, Barack Obama, BC economy, Beedie School of Business, Bill Good, Canadian economy, CKNW, CKNW News Talk 980, Coast Capital Savings, Coast Capital Savings Venture Prize Competition, credit union, debt management, financial crisis, hospitality, HSBC Canada, Leadership, management, Segal Graduate School, The Chief Executives, Tracy Redies

John Walker, CEO of FortisBC, being interviewed at the Beedie School of Business by CKNW host Bill Good.

The spring series of CKNW 980’s “The Chief Executives” continued with John Walker, CEO of energy provider FortisBC, sharing his vision for the future of Canada’s energy industry with CKNW host Bill Good in front of a live audience at the Segal Graduate School.

The event was part of an ongoing partnership between the Beedie School of Business and prominent Vancouver radio station CKNW News Talk 980 to bring leadership and business insights from some of Canada’s top executives to SFU’s downtown Vancouver campus.

Walker opened by reminiscing about his early life, which saw him grow up in a small mining community in Newfoundland.

He revealed that he had several jobs in the local community from a young age, including newspaper routes, collecting scrap metal, and working with prospectors in the bush. The latter gave him his first experience in leading a team, as he found himself responsible for leading a crew of 50 workers at the age of only 18. Keep reading…

Tags: BC economy, Beedie School of Business, Bill Good, CKNW, CKNW News Talk 980, energy, FortisBC, John Walker, Leadership, Liquified Natural gas, LNG, management, natural resources, Segal Graduate School, The Chief Executives

Jonathan Whitworth, CEO of Seaspan being interviewed at the Beedie School of Business by CKNW host Bill Good.

The spring series of CKNW 980’s “The Chief Executives” continued with Jonathan Whitworth, CEO of marine services organization Seaspan, describing his remarkable career path to CKNW host Bill Good, as well as offering his opinion on BC’s promising economy in front of a live audience at the Segal Graduate School.

The event was part of an ongoing partnership between the Beedie School of Business and prominent Vancouver radio station CKNW News Talk 980 to bring leadership and business insights from some of Canada’s top executives to SFU’s downtown Vancouver campus.

The interview opened with an intriguing revelation, as Whitworth explained that he knew from a young age that he was destined to go into the nautical industry.

He described how his father, who also worked in the industry, put him on a ship to South America at the age of 11, in order to find out whether he was suited to a life on the seas. When it became apparent that he had discovered a passion for it, Whitworth followed up the initial voyage with two further trips south over the next three years. Keep reading…

Tags: BC economy, Beedie School of Business, Bill Good, CKNW, CKNW News Talk 980, Jonathan Whitworth, Leadership, management, marine, nautical industry, Seaspan, Segal Graduate School, shipbuilding, strategic planning, The Chief Executives

Mike Waites, CEO of Finning being interviewed at the Beedie School of Business by CKNW host Bill Good.

The head of the world’s largest Caterpillar dealer and a global provider of industrial equipment took centre-stage at the CKNW CEO Series held on March 27 at Simon Fraser University’s Segal Graduate School in downtown Vancouver.

Mike Waites, who was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Finning International in May of 2008, engaged in a wide-ranging discussion about international business and Canada’s economic prospects with CKNW host Bill Good in front a large audience of Beedie students, alumni and faculty as well as business leaders.

For over 80 years, Finning has provided parts and service for equipment and engines to customers in mining, construction, power systems, forestry and other industrial markets. 

The Vancouver-based company employs over 15,000 people world-wide with operations in Europe, South America and North America. Keep reading…

Tags: Beedie Schoo of Business, Bill Good, CKNW, CKNW News Talk 980, Finning International, innovation, investment, Leadership, management, Mike Waites, Segal Graduate School, Simon Fraser University, The Chief Executive, Vanity Fair

Margot Micallef, founder and president of investment firm Oliver Capital Partners being interviewed at the Beedie School of Business by CKNW host Bill Good.

The spring series of CKNW 980’s “The Chief Executives” continued as Margot Micallef, founder and president of investment firm Oliver Capital Partners, answered CKNW host Bill Good’s questions on business and leadership in front of a live audience at the Segal Graduate School.

The event was part of an ongoing partnership between the Beedie School of Business and prominent Vancouver radio station CKNW News Talk 980 to bring leadership and business insights from some of Canada’s top executives to SFU’s downtown Vancouver campus.

After an introduction which listed just a few of the highlights from Micallef’s impressive résumé, including overseeing the recent opening of Subway restaurant’s 400^th location in BC, Good remarked that when he first read her bio he thought to himself that there was no way this was just one person, as her accomplishments were too numerous. Keep reading…

Tags: Beedie School of Business, Bill Good, CKNW, CKNW News Talk 980, entrepreneurship, Finning International, innovation, investment, Leadership, management, Margot Micallef, Mike Waites, negotiation, Oliver Capital Partners, psychology, Segal Graduate School, Simon Fraser University, Subway Devco, Subway restaurants, The Chief Executives, Vanity Fair, Vista Radio

Warren Roy (left), founder and CEO of Vancouver tech firm Global Relay being interviewed at the Beedie School of Business by CKNW host Bill Good.

Warren Roy, founder and CEO of Vancouver tech firm Global Relay, started off the 2013 series of CKNW 980’s “The Chief Executives”, answering radio host Bill Good’s questions in front of a live audience at the Segal Graduate School.

The event was the result of an ongoing partnership between the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University and prominent Vancouver radio station CKNW News Talk 980 to bring leadership and business insights from some of Canada’s top executives to SFU.

Good opened the interview by asking Roy how he got started, drawing the CEO back to his childhood, and his first job. Describing himself as a lifelong entrepreneur, Roy recounted that his earliest dreams revolved around construction; as a child he liked building things, moving from childhood Lego sets to spending time on construction sites. He started his first company, designing and building homes, in 1983. Keep reading…

Tags: Beedie School of Business, Bill Good, Chicago Stock Exchange, CKNW, CKNW News Talk 980, community, construction, employee retention, entrepreneurship, financial industry, financial services, Gastown Grand Prix, Global Relay, innovation, management, Segal Graduate School, The Chief Executives, Warren Roy

The latest ScienceDirect ranking of business, management and accounting research sees Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business leading the field in social media research.

The ranking lists the 25 Hottest Articles in business, management and accounting, and includes two research articles from Beedie School of Business faculty, both of which focus on the topic of social media.

Ranked in the top three three in the list is the article, “Social Media? Get Serious! Understanding the Functional Building Blocks of Social Media”. The research states that understanding social media is becoming an increasing priority for managers, and was authored by the Beedie team of Jan Kietzmann, Ian McCarthy, Kristopher Hermkens and Bruno Silvestre.

Meanwhile, at number 16 in the rankings is the article, “Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy”. The article was authored by Leyland Pitt, Kirk Plangger and Daniel Shapiro from the Beedie School of Business, and Pierre Berthon from Bentley University’s McCallum Graduate School of Management, and reveals how international marketers can harness social media in today’s evolving marketing landscape. Keep reading…

Tags: 25 Hottest Articles, accounting, Beedie School of Business, Bruno Silvestre, business, Business Insider, Daniel Shapiro, engagement, Ian McCarthy, Jan Kietzmann, Kirk Plangger, Klout, Kristopher Hermkens, Leyland Pitt, management, McCallum Graduate School of Management, Pierre Berthon, Research, ScienceDirect, sfu, social media

The following article was published in November 2012 by ACCN Canadian Chemical News.

By Tyler Irving

Ian McCarthy explains why faster isn’t always better when it comes to managing a biotech business.

Managing the ups and downs of starting and growing a biotechnology business is Ian McCarthy’s speciality. He is the director of the Centre for Biotechnology Management at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business.

As challenging as it is, scientific discovery is really only the first step in a biotechnology breakthrough. Building a strong, well-managed business that can nurture the innovation through to market is crucial. Yet, for those most comfortable in the lab, the idea of running a business is often a foreign concept. Ian McCarthy is the director of the Centre for Biotechnology Management at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business. His research focuses on the strategies and management practices by which biotechnology and other high-tech industries can grow, adapt and keep up with the competition.ACCN spoke with McCarthy to learn more about how to manage the business of biotech.

Keep reading…

Tags: ACCN, biotechnology, Centre for Biotechnology Management, Ian McCarthy, innovation, management