Organized by BCom students, the DMAA ceremony was established in 1979 to honour leaders who have made a significant and valuable contribution the Canadian economy and way of life through their success in business and their involvement in the community.
海角社区鈥檚 Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier kicked off the ceremony with welcoming remarks followed by a presentation of this year鈥檚 Young Inspiration Award to Arianna Rehak (BA鈥�15), Co-Founder and CEO of Matchbox Virtual Media. This award applauds young leaders who have proven success in their industry despite their age.
鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful for this award for so many reasons, but mainly it caused me to reflect on the last few years,鈥� said Rehak. 鈥淓very single day for me is a passionate day. It鈥檚 not always a good day for me, my mentors or my family who are there to answer the phone, but it鈥檚 always, always a passionate day.鈥�
There were two recipients of the Management Achievement Award this year: genevi猫ve bich (BA鈥�87) and Conrad Sauv茅 (滨惭贬尝鈥�14).
As Vice President, Human Resources at Metro Inc., bich was named to The Globe and Mail鈥檚 list of Canada鈥檚 50 Best Executives of 2020. She is also a member of the Board of Hydro-Qu茅bec.
鈥淥ne of the things I tell my team often, beyond taking care of each other and the people we鈥檙e responsible for, is the past is experience, the present is experiment and the future is expectation,鈥� said bich. 鈥�Use your experience to experiment and exceed your expectations.鈥�
Sauv茅 is the President and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross. Under his leadership, the organization has made significant contributions in the wake of multiple large-scale domestic and international emergencies.
鈥淚鈥檓 very honoured and touched by this recognition,鈥� said Sauv茅. 鈥淚 went back to school in my 50s and that鈥檚 been an important part of my learning journey. I made connections there that are still very important to me, and I want to salute all my colleagues who are with me here today.鈥�
Rounding out the ceremony was the distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Larry Tanenbaum, O.C., Hon LLD. An accomplished operating executive and private equity investor with a distinguished record of public service to a variety of organizations, Tanenbaum was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2007. Tanenbaum sits on the advisory board of the Montreal Neurological Institute and is one of the co-founders of the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute at The Neuro.
鈥�If you have a passion for whatever you鈥檙e doing, the chances of success are so much more advanced,鈥� said Tanenbaum.
The event concluded with a student-moderated panel discussion, with the four honourees sharing their experiences working at the top of their respective fields.
鈥淲hile planning this unique and unprecedented edition of the DMAAs, the organizing committee truly relied on the values of the awards 鈥� resilience, pushing ahead and innovation,鈥� said Lea Charron-Duhamel, one of the event鈥檚 co-chairs. 鈥淗onouring such inspiring and influential role models was an incredible experience, and we thank everyone involved for making it a great success.鈥�
While no hands were shaken nor business cards swapped this time, students and alumni alike were no less excited to celebrate, connect and engage with each other through their screens during a very memorable edition. 鈥淒MAA is a perfect example of what can be achieved when we come together, work together, and build together,鈥� said Morty Yalovsky, Interim Dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management.
