McGill played a seminal role in shaping my life and career. I was born and raised in Montreal, and enrolled at McGill at the young age of 16. After receiving excellent grades in high school chemistry, I thought I was a natural-born chemist. But reality soon set in and I switched to math, to which I was better suited.
What I loved most about my time at McGill was the unique opportunity it offered to meet people from all over the world and to gain exposure to new and different ways of thinking. A newfound freedom to enjoy one of the greatest cities was a welcome bonus.
McGill provided an unfettered environment with few guidelines or regulations. This helped to nurture my critical and independent thinking – in between what proved to be lucrative card games with friends at the Medical Building, which often ended up with late-night visits to Bens Delicatessen to debate and resolve the globe’s biggest challenges.
After McGill, I went on to earn a Master’s in Applied Science at the University of Waterloo: a wonderful experience for which McGill had prepared me well. At that point, I had no interest in pursuing a PhD and it was time to find a job. Through a combination of luck, serendipity and applying for jobs I was not yet qualified for, I embarked on what was to become an incredible 25-year career with the government of Canada.
I have found that the most interesting opportunities often come out of left field and exceed one’s best laid plans.”
My exposure to and interactions with McGill’s international student population proved invaluable in my work as Executive Director at Industry Canada, and later as a senior diplomat in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (now known as Global Affairs Canada). This included postings in Lagos, Nigeria (where I met my wife Shelley), Mexico, Malaysia (where our daughter Alana was born), Japan and the United States. What an honour it was to represent Canada on the international stage!
I have since been given the opportunity to head up the Ontario Centres of Excellence – Canada’s leading innovation, technology commercialization and entrepreneurship development organization. And I now lead the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, collaborating with governments, Indigenous communities and industry to enable smart, innovative and sustainable approaches to building public infrastructure.
My advice to current and future students is to not over-think things. I have found that the most interesting opportunities often come out of left field and exceed one’s best laid plans. Respect and be open to a global perspective and spend time doing things that make you happy. Most important, remember how lucky you are and pay it forward by being generous to others in need. And remember that mentorships are a two-way street and that the mentor often learns as much as the mentee.