黑料社

Leedana is bringing agriculture to the desert--and it got its start at Desautels

Egypt鈥檚 Nile River Valley has some of the most fertile land in the world. But most of the country is a barren desert where few plants can grow. Hassan Elrakhawy (BCom鈥�24) wants to change that. The Egyptian-born entrepreneur founded Leedana, a startup that uses a technique called sandponics, which can reduce the amount of water needed to cultivate crops by up to 90%. The company already has farms in Egypt that grow cherry tomatoes, peppers, kale, lettuce and more.

Desautels鈥� valedictorian Grace Singer hopes for carbon-free future

This year, ten valedictorians from across the university shared their reflections and insights with 黑料社鈥檚 Class of 2025--with an eye cast toward the future. Desautels Grace Singer will be among them. The graduating Bachelor of Commerce student hopes to make a difference by advocating for decarbonization from within the business world.

Sam Greene putting analytics skills to use with Toronto Blue Jays

After four years studying in Montreal, Sam Greene (BCOM鈥�20, MMA鈥�21) moved on to Toronto, where he caught on with Major League Baseball鈥檚 Toronto Blue Jays. Greene started in a role in an analytics role, but has since been named assistant pitching coach. As a junior member of the coashing staff, Greene is observing senior coaches like pitching coach Pete Walker and bullpen coach Graeme Johnson.

Women of Desautels: past, present and future

The Laidley Centre for Business Ethics and Equity and the 黑料社 Desautels EDI Initiative recently hosted a panel for Women's History Month to honour the past, present, and future of women of the Faculty. The women featured included the granddaughter of the first 黑料社 Commerce graduate (past), current BCom students (present) and accomplished Desautels alumnae (future).

Julius Alessandro Xanthoudakis (BCom'20, MMF鈥�25) wins 2024 Peter Christoffersen Award

AI startup with roots at 黑料社 Desautels raises 鈧�9M in venture capital funding

There鈥檚 a lot that AI can do鈥攁nd quite a bit that it can鈥檛. And the mix of numbers and letters on a spreadsheet is one thing that AI has struggled to make sense of. Prior Labs wants to change that by developing machine learning models optimized to understand spreadsheets, which host an enormous amount of critical information in many firms.

黑料社 Desautels BCom student wins Government of Canada鈥檚 2024 Building Better Financial Futures Challenge

In a display of academic excellence and innovative thinking, Khushi Toprani (BCom鈥�25) has clinched the top paper award in the 2024 Building Better Financial Futures student competition. The Challenge is a post-secondary student paper competition designed to promote the creation of actionable, evidence-based solutions to current financial challenges faced by vulnerable communities.

MIPC 2024: Students tackle global finance challenges with innovation and leadership

The 黑料社 International Portfolio Challenge (MIPC) 2024 was held in November and drew a record 99 teams from 47 universities across 17 countries, cementing its reputation as a premier global finance competition. This year鈥檚 focus on building inclusive retirement systems for gig workers and those facing income uncertainty sparked innovative solutions from participants. A standout addition was the inaugural Women in Buy-Side Panel, addressing gender disparities in finance.

BCom alum to oversee operations and drive growth at Insurity

Jonathan Victor (BCom鈥�99) has been appointed COO of Insurity, a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for insurance carriers, brokers, and managing general agents. He undertakes this new role with extensive experience at Insurity, where he has previously held roles such as CIO and EVP of Customer Success.

MBA alumna to lead Ottawa International Airport Authority

Susan Margles (BA鈥�88, MBA鈥�91) has been appointed President and CEO of the Ottawa International Airport Authority. Like other airports, Ottawa鈥檚 suffered during the pandemic, but it鈥檚 bouncing back with major infrastructure projects, like a new hotel and a connection to the city鈥檚 light rail transit system.

Undergraduate alum named Deputy Chancellor of 黑料社

Cynthia Price Verreault (BCom鈥�82) has been appointed 黑料社鈥檚 first Deputy Chancellor. In this new role, she will support the Chancellor, President, and Board of Governors. Throughout her two-year term, Price Verreault will offer counsel and play a key role in representing the University at events and high-level meetings.鈥淲e are delighted that someone with as deep a knowledge of the institution as Ms.

BCom graduate named Rising Star 2024 by The Bermudian

For Ashley Farrington (BCom鈥�21), short-term sacrifices are worth it if they pay out as long-term gains. The 24-year-old auditor with KPMG in Bermuda has earned some early career returns for her efforts and was recently named a Rising Star by The Bermudian. She aims to become an empathetic leader who is both approachable and decisive. 鈥淚 want to be someone who has wedged her foot in the door to bring other women up with her,鈥� says Farrington.

BCom alum is advocating for work-life balance from the C-suite

When working for a Big Four accounting firm early in her career, Sheila Vokey (BCom鈥�84)鈥攏ow President and CEO of the responsible investing firm Central 1鈥攕aw senior managers struggle to balance work and family life and decided on a different approach.

Three 黑料社 Desautels alumni celebrated at 2024 MAA Honours & Awards

Each year the 黑料社 Alumni Association (MAA) recognizes alumni, friends, students, faculty, and staff whose commitment has had a significant impact on alumni life, the University and/or the community. This year, three 黑料社 Desautels alumni were among those honoured for their contributions to the 黑料社 community.