An invitation to connect
Asper BComm alum and MBA student Kristi Perrin on what it means to reconnect at the IBEP 30th anniversary celebration
Kristi Perrin [BComm(Hons)/20] didn’t have to think too hard about RSVPing to the Indigenous Business Education Partners (IBEP) 30th Anniversary celebration this September.
A reunion of sorts—though many of Perrin’s former IBEP classmates are still her closest friends—the IBEP 30th is an opportunity for Perrin to make new connections, celebrate an incredible legacy and return to a space of community, warmth and welcome.
IBEP provides services to all First Nations, Métis and Inuit students who want to pursue a business degree at Asper, offering tutoring, access to bursaries and scholarships, and networking opportunities. IBEP also provides a welcoming community for students as they explore their leadership potential in the world of business.
Perrin, a BComm alum and current MBA student at the Asper School of Business, reflects on her first IBEP connections and an earlier invitation.
Perrin connected with IBEP when she was admitted to the BComm and was put in touch with then-program-director Peter Pomart [MBA/18].
“He was so enthusiastic and supportive. He said, ‘we just want you to come out to one of our events and get a feel for the community yourself.’ I’m glad I had that push because I don’t think I would have sought it out on my own,” says Perrin.
Perrin, who is a Métis Citizen, explains that she needed that push because she was still navigating what it meant to be part of a community like IBEP.
“I was only beginning to understand what indigeneity meant to me and what it meant to be Métis. I found that IBEP and UMICS [University of Manitoba Indigenous Commerce Students] were safe spaces to explore that while interacting with other Indigenous students at Asper and UM,” she says.
“I went to an event, and I was surprised by how welcoming and inclusive the space was. From there, I kept getting out there and getting involved.”
Perrin served on the executive council for the student group UMICS and led the planning of the 2020 Future of Indigenous Business Banquet, an annual student-run event—all while completing co-op work terms at Coca-Cola, Conviron and RBC and an international exchange study term at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management in Croatia.
Today, Perrin is a general manager of Métis economic and community development at the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), in a role where she leads a team of eight Métis economic community development officers advancing economic interests across the Red River Métis Homeland.
“We also work to support and promote Red River Métis business owners and entrepreneurs, which is amazing and incredibly fulfilling work,” she says.
Perrin cares deeply about the impact of this role, noting how economic development efforts must work in harmony with community development, the protection of Indigenous rights holders in Canada, and environmental stewardship. In pursuing her MBA at the Stu Clark Graduate School, she applies leadership education to this work every day.
“The skills that I’m learning through the MBA program are directly benefiting my career, making me a more competent people manager and a more confident leader,” she says.
She notes that the MBA wasn’t always part of her plan, recalling Asper and IBEP community members hinting that she would be a good fit—that she’d find herself back at Asper somehow.
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Perrin RSVPs to the IBEP 30th excited to see old friends of course, but as she thinks about the invitations and encouragement she had on her own journey, she discovers another reason to attend.
“During my BComm, it was clear how so many professionals saw the value that IBEP brings to the Manitoba business community, and they would donate their time, stay connected and offer mentorship. I hope when I finish my MBA and as I become more established in my career that I can be that person for somebody,” she says.
“Because I know that’s been done for me so many times, and those moments were pivotal in me taking the next step—joining the MBA program, believing in myself enough to leave my first post-graduation role for something new—it’s been so important for me.”
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The 30th anniversary celebration is not IBEP’s only major event this year. IBEP also hosts the Visionary Indigenous Business Excellence (VIBE) Awards each year, its largest fundraising event, generating support to serve Indigenous business students at the Asper School of Business. Sponsorship opportunities are now open for the 2024 VIBE Awards. Learn more about the annual event and how your organization can support this initiative here.