I was born in Amsterdam and raised in Montreal. In my last year of high school, I chose to study engineering at McGill because of its international reputation. After a couple of years, I focused on mechanical engineering, graduating in 1972. McGill was a great place to study. We had fun and we had some professors who really challenged us. One had us design special products for competitions.
Because of my degree, I landed my first job very quickly as an operations engineer of cargo ships travelling between Canada and Europe. I was responsible for the mechanical and technical side of the ships and working with the ship’s officers on how we could improve cargo loading and discharge operations. During that time, I proposed to my boss a news magazine for the company. I wrote and published it for the seven years I was there. The magazine continued after I left and next year, they will celebrate its 50th anniversary!
I began work on my MBA part-time, and after graduating in 1980, relocated to Toronto. It was there that my career path took a turn, and I started working in foreign investment, promoting Ontario as a place to invest. This job gave me the opportunity to travel the world and live in different places. The German I learned at McGill helped me to secure a job in Germany on behalf of Ontario, working in Frankfurt and Munich. After this, I became the President of the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance and now I have my own consulting firm. I work with European investors to help them locate subsidiaries in Canada.
Looking back, I would recommend three tips to today’s students that have helped me so much in my life:
- Learn a foreign language – I speak five languages: French, English, Czech, German, and some rusty Spanish. Just the fact that you know another language can create a connection with people; they see that you care enough to speak their language.
- I encourage students to travel as much as possible – within their financial means, of course. But when you're young, you're capable of living in inexpensive places. Try to see as many countries as possible on holidays or through business. Down the road, when you meet people from that country, you can demonstrate that you’ve been there, you’ve seen their culture, you can relate. I've personally travelled to 71 countries, some of them many times over. And it's always interesting when my wife and I meet people at social events and realize we’ve been where they are from – it changes the atmosphere.
- My last piece of advice is to keep on learning and taking other courses. Once you have finished your degree or even your second degree, make it a point to maintain your curiosity in whatever topics interest you, but keep on studying, taking part-time courses, seminars, or whatever to learn new things.
During my time at McGill, I was involved with an organization that was interested in preserving some of the old architectural masterpieces of Montreal. Trying to save buildings in Montreal made me aware of the importance of the history of a city, and that interest has carried on here in Toronto, where I'm involved with two residents’ associations in our neighbourhood. We try to ensure that the neighbourhood doesn't get overdeveloped or badly developed.
McGill has had a great impact on my life and has made me who I am today. Anywhere I’ve lived, I’ve always reached out to my former classmates and participated in McGill alumni events. To give back to McGill, I have added to my will that I will provide McGill scholarships to students. Working out the details is something I’ll have to think about – it’s a project for the future, and I hope a long way off!