Executive homecoming: Concordia's EMBA turns 30
“This 30th anniversary celebration is our way of telling everyone: ‘We’ve been at this for three decades. We’re not slowing down,’” says Jordan LeBel, director of the John Molson Executive MBA program at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business (JMSB).
To date, almost 900 Concordia graduates sport the letters “EMBA” at the end of their names. Those alumni are among invitees to the milestone anniversary event on April 16.
The cocktail soirée will take place at the Grévin Montréal wax museum in the Eaton Centre (705 Ste. Catherine St. W.) beginning at 5:30 p.m. Part of the fun includes a self-guided tour of waxworks that depict the likes of John Lennon and Albert Einstein.
“We’re often too busy to celebrate — even though we do so many great things. This time we’ve made a point of patting ourselves on the back,” says LeBel on what prompted the festive get-together.
The event will provide guests an opportunity to rub elbows with JMSB leadership — including interim JMSB dean Stéphane Brutus — and EMBA program directors. At the podium, remarks will be given by Concordia President Alan Shepard, Brutus and LeBel.
“Concordia’s EMBA program is among JMSB’s crown jewels,” says Brutus. “In my 15 years at Concordia, there’s been a rise in its prominence — and many third-party ratings confirm that.”
External recognition of Concordia’s EMBA includes earning 13th place in the 2016 Eduniversal Best Masters Ranking — which evaluates the top 200 business schools worldwide.
Brutus says the anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate the evolution of Concordia’s EMBA — a longsighted approach that LeBel echoes.
“We want to represent a sense of continuity,” says LeBel. “We’re expecting attendees — staff, faculty and alumni — who cover the spectrum of the program’s history.”
Not resting on its laurels
LeBel says the EMBA reinvented itself two years ago — setting a course for more successes to come.
“We keep adding value. For example, we started incorporating curriculum on effective business communication,” says LeBel.
The 15-month EMBA program, which offers classes once per week to accommodate people working full-time, also offers leadership training and a component geared toward health and wellness.
“We’ve been rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty for a while,” says LeBel in reference to one of Concordia’s nine strategic directions. The EMBA program includes a case study, pitches to venture capitalists and a week-long study trip to California — coming up in May.
Each EMBA cohort benefits from an external “class champion” who meets with students periodically. For the class of 2016, Andrew Molson, chairman of RES PUBLICA Consulting Group — a seventh-generation descendant of John Molson — filled the role. Next year, France Chrétien Desmarais, LLD 15, will champion the Class of 2017.
“Our unique selling point — to use a business term — has always been that we deliver both cutting-edge and time-tested knowledge,” says LeBel. “The program’s graduates receive more than just a few letters at the end of their names."
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