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 Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University and prominent Vancouver radio station CKNW News Talk 980 are teaming up once more this spring to bring leadership and entrepreneurship insights from some of Canada’s foremost business minds to SFU. “The Chief Executives” program will bring a selection of the country’s top executives – ranging [...]

Keep reading…

Tags: Aritzia, Beedie School of Business, Bill Good, Boston Pizza, business innovation, business management, CEO Series, Christine Day, CKNW News Talk 980, Coast Capital Savings, Dallas Stars, entrepreneurship, Finning International, Fortis, Global Relay, hootsuite, Leadership, Lululemon, Ryan Holmes, Seaspan, Segal Graduate School, SFU Harbour Centre, Simon Fraser University, Subway, The Chief Executives, Tom Gaglardi, Warren Roy, WestJet

Students and alumni from the Beedie School of Business will put their business development skills to the test as they compete for $5000 of cash prizes in the annual Coast Capital Savings Venture Prize Competition.

The Beedie School of Business will once again be strongly represented in the competition, which is open to the public and will be held from 2 – 5pm on February 13 in room 4600 of the Segal Graduate School, with Beedie students and alumni comprising three of the five finalist places.

Hosted by SFU’s Venture Connection, the Coast Capital Savings Venture Prize Competition rewards excellence in business development among early-stage clients participating in the Venture Connection incubator program.

The finalists will be assessed by a guest panel of judges based on their business progress and participation within Venture Connection’s mentoring and other activities. The top three competitors will be awarded a share of the $5000 prize fund. Keep reading…

Tags: Beedie School of Business, Bella Hwang, Coast Capital Savings, Coast Capital Savings Venture Prize Competition, Executive MBA, Five Hole for Food, Howie Wu, Kody Baker, Management of Technology MBA, MBA, Michael Tran, MLT Media, MOT MBA, Perkuna Engineering, Richard Loat, Segal Graduate School, Texts 4 Health, Venture Connection