Faheem Noor Ali, BCom, successfully sold CookNook, a food-sharing start-up he co-founded in Washington, D.C., to a NYC competitor after building the business for more than a year. He remains an Access to Finance consultant at the World Bank Group.
Alumni Notes
Submit your alumni note to Smith Magazine2001
Kathleen Wheelihan and Paul Fitchett, both BCom, welcomed their son, Ryan John Fitchett, in September 2016; big sister Alice is very proud. While Kathleen and Paul were sorry to miss their 15-year class reunion at Homecoming due to Ryan’s arrival, they look forward to their next family trip to Kingston.
Published in: Winter 2017
Alex Zhavoronkov, BCom, has been appointed Chief Science Officer (CSO) at Youth Laboratories, a company applying artificial intelligence in the diagnosis and treatment of age-related diseases. He also remains the CEO of Insilico Medicine in Baltimore, MD.
Published in: Winter 2017
Jeff Bradley, EMBA, is retiring from InfoVista in August. Jeff lives in Australia but says he will celebrate retirement with a return visit to Canada for a two-week tour of Newfoundland and to catch up with his MBA team.
Published in: Summer 2018
Phil Connell, BCom, tells us he completed his first feature film as writer and director. It’s called Jump, Darling. Starring Academy Award winner Cloris Leachman, in her final starring role before she died in January, and newcomer Thomas Duplessie, the film is set to release this spring. Phil has worked in both corporate and creative capacities throughout his career in the media and entertainment industry. Here, Phil is pictured with Leachman during a break from production in Prince Edward County, Ont., in June 2019.
Published in: Spring 2021
Dave McDonnell, EMBA, Artsci'92, Sc'93 and his Mississauga EMBA’01 team met recently to celebrate 20 years since they all started in the Executive MBA program. Dave noted that the group members are proud to say that they still remember Professor Shawna O'Grady's teambuilding lessons and that they still get together at least once a year. (They come from as far away as Johannesburg and Houston.) Pictured left to right: Peter McCann, Don Alarie, Jake Crough, Sheila Jones, Harry Schlange, JD Fentie and Dave McDonnell.
Published in: Winter 2020
Deborah De Lange, MBA’01, was recently recognized with a WiRE (Women in Renewable Energy) sponsored award. Deborah, who is an associate professor of global management studies at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Ted Rogers School of Management, was one of 100 women selected for the Women in Energy Transformation Series, a collaborative effort between Pembina, Globe Series and WiRE to celebrate women who are helping to lead Canada towards a clean economy. Deborah has written three books: Power and Influence: The Embeddedness of Nations; Research Companion to Green International Management; and Cliques and Capitalism: A Modern Networked Theory of the Firm.
Published in: Spring 2023
Michael DiLollo (EMBA) was named President of Transat Tours Canada business unit in November 2009. Since 1991, he has held progressively more senior positions with Transat A.T. Inc., including Executive VP, Transat Tours Canada, and Senior VP, Technical Operations and Customer Service, for Air Transat. A Montreal resident, he is also an Airbus A330 captain.
Published in: Spring 2010
Janet L. Jakobsen, EMBA, made history at the Professional Convention Management Association’s 2016 Visionary Awards, held in Washington D.C., in April 2016. She was the first Canadian woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from this organization. The Niagara College Hospitality and Tourism professor received her award in the Educator Honouree category. Janet, who resides in Toronto, was inducted into Canada’s Meetings + Incentive Travel Hall of Fame in 2014 as its Industry Mentor that year.
Published in: Winter 2017
Ottawa EMBA’01 grads are helping to raise funds for classmate René Faucher, who suffered a spinal cord injury in a pickup hockey game in January 2010. Classmates and friends are encouraged to make a donation in support of René, his wife Dianne and their three children, all under the age of five. For information on how to contribute, contact René’s brother, Marc Faucher, in Toronto at 416.433.8719. Follow Rene’s progress on Facebook (‘Friends of René Faucher’).
Published in: Spring 2010