Toronto – Richard Nesbitt, MBA’85, who forged a stellar career in the financial services industry, was honoured last evening with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. He received the award in recognition of his leadership in the financial services industry as well as his innumerable contributions to the community.
Amy Bi, MBA’15, who is the Global Brand Director for Nike Running, received the Leader to Watch Award. This award recognizes early to mid-career alumni who have had tremendous success in their professional work and demonstrated a commitment to giving back to their community. Based in Portland, OR, she leads the global running brand strategy for all key initiatives at Nike.
“I cannot think of two more deserving honorees than Amy and Richard,” said Tiff Macklem, Dean of the Rotman School. “Amy was a leader as a student and continues to advance rapidly with Nike. Richard has created a tremendous legacy as a business leader, a teacher, mentor, and a trusted advisor who cares deeply about every aspect of the School.”
Speakers during the evening included Donald Guloien, BCom’80, the immediate past president of CEO of Manulife Financial and last year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award; Jim Beqaj, Founder Beqaj International; Laura Dottori-Attanasio, Senior Executive Vice-President and Chief Risk Officer, CIBC; and, Gerald T. McCaughey, Past President and Chief Executive Officer, CIBC. The evening was emceed by Joanna Rotenberg, JD/MBA’01, Group Head, BMO Wealth Management.
Nesbitt is currently an Adjunct Professor of the Rotman School where he teaches popular courses in finance and banking, and chair of the Advisory Board of the School’s Mind Brain Behavior Hive, as well as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board. He is the former CEO of Global Risk Institute in Financial Services (GRI). Before joining GRI, he was Chief Operating Officer of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of TSX Group, where he was responsible for the consolidation of various local exchanges across Canada into what is today known as the TMX Group.
He also recently served as a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and has just co-written a new book about technological innovation in financial services. Nesbitt is also a passionate champion of gender diversity and co-authored a book “Results at the Top” (Wiley 2017) about how men can help advance female leadership in their organizations. In 2014, he was recognized with the Women in Capital Markets Visionary Award for his work sponsoring gender diverse boards and management teams to build better companies. He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for community service and the University of Toronto’s Arbor Award. Nesbitt is a member of the board and audit chair for SickKids Foundation and also the chair of the Campaign Cabinet for the YMCA of Greater Toronto’s “Strong Start, Great Future” Campaign to build 10 new Y’s in Toronto. Previously, he was chair of the Finance Committee of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
The Rotman Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2016 by the Rotman School and is presented at the Alumni Awards Dinner, an annual celebration established to pay tribute to exceptional alumni who have contributed significantly to their organizations and communities. The black-tie gala kicks off the Reunite at Rotman homecoming weekend, bringing together the School’s global alumni community.
Reunite at Rotman is the School’s premiere alumni event and runs October 4 to 5. For more information on the Rotman Alumni Awards Dinner or to register for the homecoming weekend, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca/reunite.
The Rotman School of Management is part of the University of Toronto, a global centre of research and teaching excellence at the heart of Canada’s commercial capital. Rotman is a catalyst for transformative learning, insights and public engagement, bringing together diverse views and initiatives around a defining purpose: to create value for business and society. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca
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For more information:
Ken McGuffin
Manager, Media Relations
Rotman School of Management
University of Toronto
Voice: 416.946.3818
E-mail: mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca