Moderator Professor James M. Mackay In 2010, Jim became Director, Strategy Field Studies in the MBA Program at the Schulich School of Business (York University) and Academic Director of the York Consulting Group. Jim had a full time teaching role at the now Schulich School of Business in 1985 for two years, and continued as a part timer teaching MBA courses in strategy and chairing strategy field studies. Over the past quarter century, Jim has chaired over 300 strategy studies across every industry. Early in his career, Jim spent a year as a Lecturer at the Ivey School of Business. Jim entered management consulting with Hickling-Johnston Ltd., a national strategy and organization firm and rose from Consultant to Senior Partner. After the firm was acquired, Jim served as a Principal with Mercer Consulting until 1985. In 1986, Jim founded a strategy boutique, Berkeley Consulting Group with former colleagues. Over time, as Managing Partner, Jim built a strong set of associates and formed in Canada and with Square Peg International in the U.K. Berkeley Consulting Group focuses on supporting boards and executives lead their organizations through strategic transitions. With its network of associates, Berkeley provides consulting in strategic planning, change management, organization effectiveness, and governance to private, public and not-for-profit sector clients. Jim received his B.A. from the University of Toronto (Hons. Economics), his MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario), and became a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) in 1979.
Speakers Abe Patricio, MBA 1999, CMC Senior Project Manager Stantec Abe is a Senior Project Manager for Stantec s Project Delivery Office (PDO). Stantec is an international professional services company in the design and consulting industry. It has revenues close to $2 billion with 14,000 employees operating in over 230 locations. Stantec s PDO Practice specializes in Strategy, Planning, Controls and Implementation of major projects typically with capital budgets in the range of $100M to $2B. Abe s current assignment is to manage the design completion and contract preparation of a two GTA Hospitals for expansion and renovation of their existing facilities. Prior to this, Abe held roles in Sears Canada and Canadian Tire working on Strategic Initiatives developing new business opportunities and improving operational performance from design and development to program implementation. Abe s professional background and experience has been focused in the areas of change management, project management, process reengineering and strategic business development and implementation. Abe has been consistently successful in improving business performance and achieving business growth with years of experience in the retail industry and management consulting. Abe is a CMC (Certified Management Consultant) and the Chair of the GTA Chapter Board and sits on the Ontario Institute for CMC-Canada. Abe has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and an MBA (Schulich School of Business, York University).
Jon Bowes, MBA 2007 Director, M&A Integration and Separation Advisory PwC Jon is a Director in PwC s Integration and Separation Advisory practice, focusing on the strategy and execution of divestitures and integrations. He has over ten years of M&A, corporate strategy, and operations consulting experience in Canada, the US, and the UK. He has advised clients of all sizes across varied industries including oil and gas, manufacturing, financial services, retailing, and technology. His primary areas of expertise are in integration and separation planning, transition management, and transaction-driven supply chain / operational improvement. His transaction experience spans the M&A lifecycle, having advised clients on corporate carve-outs, Day 1 planning, TSA development / exit planning, post-merger integration, commercial due diligence, acquisition strategy, joint ventures, and internal restructuring. Jon s projects have included integration and separation management, org design, operations, offshoring, technology, procurement, outsourcing, and underwriting.
Sonali Chakraborti, MBA 2009 Senior Corporate Management & Policy Consultant City of Toronto Sonali is a Senior Corporate Management and Policy Consultant in the Strategic & Corporate Policy division of the City Manager s Office at the City of Toronto. Since joining the City of Toronto in 2010, she has led and coordinated a number of City-wide strategic initiatives including the Toronto Newcomer Strategy, Toronto s Strategic Actions for 2013 to 2018 and the Toronto Public Service By-law. Sonali is also currently Vice-President of the YWCA Toronto Board of Directors and chairs the Governance Committee. She often consults with nonprofit boards to support governance development and strategic planning. Prior to attending the Schulich School of Business, Sonali was a teacher and program developer at the Bishop Strachan School. In addition to her MBA, Sonali holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Waterloo.
Tony Yu, MBA 2011 Management Consultant Lough Barnes Consulting Group Tony is a skilled public sector consultant with a wide range of experience from business model design to strategic planning. He had a career in IT consulting before transitioning to public sector management consulting. He has provided consulting services to Ministries, public sector and the broader not-for-profit sector in Ontario. He has successfully completed assignments from Service Planning to Service Model Design working with system planners and service providers. He brings his passion about serving the vulnerable population to his consulting projects. He also volunteers him time to serve on the Board of St. Michael s Homes and provides pro bono consulting services to not-for-profit organizations.