Mr. Jeff Carney
The James W. Burns Leadership Speaker Series welcomes global financial leader Jeff Carney
Students from the Asper School of Business had an exclusive opportunity to gain valuable insights from leaders in the financial industry at the first James W. Burns Leadership Institute Speaker Series event held last Wednesday evening Feb. 26, 2020.
The Leadership Institute welcomed Mr. Jeff Carney, President and CEO of IG Wealth Management and of IGM Financial Inc. for a unique fireside chat with Asper School of Business students.
At this invite-only event, Mr. Carney answered questions and engaged with students and faculty representing the Asper MBA, Asper Master of Finance, and Asper undergraduate programs.
In the Q & A format event facilitated by Dr. Suzanne Gagnon, Associate Professor and Director of the James W. Burns Leadership Institute, Mr. Carney shared valuable insights about the importance of diversification, related to the financial sector and also to the development of effective leaders.
“A key advantage in finance is diversification and the same thing goes for building a team,” said Mr. Carney. “Putting together a group of people with diverse skills and a diverse knowledge-base really allows you to do something special.”
Carney, who flew in from Boston to attend the event, responded to questions from audience members at the event and those posted on social media channels prior to the event. Responding to a question from a student about leadership growth, Carney spoke about the importance of authenticity.
“You’ve got to be natural and intuitive. If you fake it, you’re going to lose it. So trust your instincts and don’t oversell yourself, ever. You won’t have all the answers, because no one has all the answers. Be humble and be a great partner.”
The visit to the Asper School of Business marks the first time Mr. Carney and the IG Wealth Management team have connected in this format with a business school.
IG Wealth Management has a strong UM connection, and has supported the development of leadership at the university through a visionary investment in the Institute. Many of the company’s employees are Asper alumni, including the five top executives who accompanied Mr. Carney for the event. At the post-event reception, students had the opportunity to gain important insights from:
- Todd Asman, Executive Vice President, Products and Financial Planning [BComm (Hons)/92]
- Luke Gould, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer [BComm (Hons)/97]
- Kristen Hansen, Senior Vice President, Business Services and Reporting [BComm (Hons)/95]
- Nancy McCuaig, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology and Data Office [BComm (Hons)/88]
- Blaine Shewchuk, Senior Vice-President [BComm (Hons)/92]
Back row (left to right): Dr. Gady Jacoby, Blain Shewchuk, Todd Asman, Luke Gould, Shakti Vyjayanthi (Asper MBA student Association), Xinran Wang (Asper MFin Student association), Dr. Suzanne Gagnon.
Front row (left to right): Nancy McCuaig, Tony Quach (CSA President), Jeff Carney, Cora Hildebrandt (CSA, VP of Finance), Kristen Hansen.
A proud Asper alumnus, Todd Asman serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the James W. Burns Leadership Institute. Asman commented on the importance of leadership development and the IG Wealth Management – Asper connection.
“The Asper School of Business is important to IG, to Canada Life and to the Power Group of Companies so it’s really important that we get our leadership connected at various levels,” said Asman.
“Part of the success of those organizations has been a result of the development system of students coming out of the Asper School of Business who are taking on greater leadership roles, not only in our company, but at companies all around the world.”
Visit the James W. Burns Leadership Institute web page for more information about upcoming leadership initiatives for students from all faculties and disciplines.