14:00 – 18:00

Registration and welcome coffee

15:00 – 15:30

Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Nadine Burquel, Director, Business School Services, EFMD
• Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, Dean, Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, CA
• Co-Chairs: Rita McAdam, Director, Marketing and Communications, Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, CA
  & Alison Brown, Head, Brand and Communications, AGSM @ UNSW Business School, AU

15:30 – 16:30

Plenary I – Telling Our Story in the Turbulent Digital Era
Aim: in the ever changing world, big corporations need to constantly adapt themselves to follow the trends and transform the way they reach out to their clients and partners. In this session, participants will learn how the communication and external relations of a large corporate organisation is impacted by major transformations in the digital world and how it is dealing with turbulences in the global economy. How are they foreseeing the future?

• Olivier Marcil, Vice-President, External Relations, Bombardier Inc., CA

16:30 – 17:30

Thematic Seminars – What Does It Mean for Us in Business Schools
Aim: after listening to the previous corporate speaker, participants will re-group by function and discuss what it means for them in terms of engagement towards their client, and how should they best communicate with them. Each group will be moderated by a steering committee member:

1. Alumni function group: moderated by Heleen van Hall, Head of Alumni ＆ External Relations, Nyenrode Business Universiteit, NL
2. External & International Relations: moderated by Sharmishta Chatterjee-Banerjee, Head of External Relations, Newcastle University Business School, UK
3. Communication group 1: moderated by Tim Ruthven, Director of Corporate Marketing and Communications, Imperial College London, Imperial College Business School, UK
4. Marketing group: moderated by Tracey Horn, Head of Marketing and Events, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Judge Business School, UK
5. PR group: moderated by Marianne Schouten, Media & PR Manager, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, NL

17:30 – 18:00

Quick ‘Tour de Table’ to capture some of the learning and action points

18:00 – 18:15

Walk to dinner venue on campus

18:30 – 21:00

Drinks and dinner in McGill’s Faculty Club

21:00 – 21:15

Walk from McGill Faculty Club to hotel

08:00

Walk from hotel to school

08:15

Registration opens

08:30

Breakfast offered on campus

09:00 – 10:00

Case Study – The Integration Challenge: Professionals Working Together
Aim: grouping participants with different role/function in schools to work on a case resolution. This will allow them to share as many different approaches as possible in order to identify which strategies/actions (digital or not) they would use to work on the task given to them, focusing on reaching new markets and taking actions on the global level in order to reach the goal.

• Kiki Keating, Founder KikiNetwork, US

10:00 – 10:15

Grab your coffee

10:15 – 11:15

Plenary II – Branding Around Your Thought Leadership
Aim: More than ever, business schools seek to broaden the impact of their faculty research beyond the walls of their institutions to non-academic audiences. Raising external awareness about thought leadership and its relevance through traditional and social media supports every school’s mission of knowledge dissemination. It’s now also an increasingly important way to competitively position a school for reputation-building, fundraising, and executive education. Join this discussion with strategy consultancy McKinsey & Company on thought leadership branding and communications, including the similarities and differences between the private and academic sectors.

• Sean Brown, Director, Global Communications and Exernal Relations – Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice, McKinsey & Company, US
• Moderated by Rita McAdam, Director, Marketing and Communications, Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, CA

11:15 – 12:15

Discussion Groups – Personal Branding in Your Function
Aim: grouping participants with similar role/function in schools, so they are able to share with peers how they can apply what they have just heard in their day-to-day jobs. In other words, identify how your role can add value to the brand of your school.

1. Alumni function group: moderated by Heleen van Hall, Head of Alumni ＆ External Relations, Nyenrode Business Universiteit, NL
2. External & International Relations: moderated by Sharmishta Chatterjee-Banerjee, Head of External Relations, Newcastle University Business School, UK
3. Communication group 1: moderated by Tim Ruthven, Director of Corporate Marketing and Communications, Imperial College London, Imperial College Business School, UK
4. Marketing group: moderated by Tracey Horn, Head of Marketing and Events, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Judge Business School, UK
5. PR group: moderated by Marianne Schouten, Media & PR Manager, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, NL

12:15 – 13:30

Lunch on Campus

13:30 – 14:15

Plenary III – The Challenges of Digital Transformation
Aim: an interview shedding the light on some of the challenges caused by digital transformation.

• Marie Josée Lamothe, Founder of Tandem International and Former Managing Director, Branding, Google Canada, CA
• Moderated by Nathan Yang, Assistant Professor, Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, CA

14:15 – 15:15

Plenary Panel IV – Integrating Global Outreach with Local Relevance
Aim: best practices of how organisations integrate the local and global aspects through their campaigns, branding and engagement.

• Sarah Patel, Vice President, Head of Regulatory Initiatives Group, Scotiabank, CA
• Lori Rayner, Assistant Vice President of Marketing, HSBC Bank Canada, CA
• Sharmishta Chatterjee-Banerjee, Head of External Relations, Newcastle University Business School, UK

15:15 – 15:45

Coffee break

15:45 – 16:45

Plenary Panel V – Advancing Your Alumni Relations & Fundraising Efforts
Aim: learn from the vast experiences of three professionals working in development and alumni relations in the higher education sector.

Marketing Communications Strategies that Drive Alumni and Donor Engagement
Aim: learn how effective marketing and communications campaigns, anchored around a strong narrative about your college or university, can galvanize alumni and excite donors in support of your institution.

• Derek Cassoff, Managing Director of Communications and Donor Relations, University Advancement, McGill University, CA

Strengthening Lifelong Alumni Engagement
Aim: Learn how high-value engagement opportunities can meet the needs of today’s alumni, while aligning closely with University Advancement cultivation and stewardship strategies, and institutional priorities.

• Gabrielle Korn, Managing Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, University Advancement, McGill University, CA

Big Gift Fundraising in a Digital Age
Aim: Learn how to stay focused on the personal relationships that drive fundraising revenue

• Alexander King, Senior Director, Development, The Montreal General Hospital Foundation, CA

16:45 – 17:30

Haunted McGill Tour!
Tour of McGill campus with professional guides from Haunted Montreal who will tell stories about the university’s ghoulish history.

17:30

Walk from school to hotel

18:30

Bus transfer to dinner venue

19:00 – 21:30

Drinks and dinner in Auberge Saint-Gabriel (old Montreal)

21:30

Bus transfer from Auberge Saint Gabriel to hotel

08:00 – 09:00

Optional Breakfast Session for Canadian school representatives (open to all)
Aim: Canadian delegates will meet over breakfast and have a facilitated discussion to exchange best practices and common concerns concerning the “Canadian brand”.

• Tim Daus, CFBSD – Canadian Federation of Business School Deans, CA
• Magdalena Wanot, Director, Communication, EFMD

08:15

Walk hotel to school

08:30

Breakfast offered on campus

09:00 – 10:00

Plenary VI – The Trust Tipping Point
In a world of fake news and social upheaval, people’s belief in institutions and leaders are waning. Who and what do we trust? In this session, Lisa Kimmel, president and CEO, Edelman Canada will explore the challenges and opportunities for institutions, leaders and countries — with Canada as a case study — to regain our trust with a presentation of the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer global findings.

• Lisa Kimmel, CEO, Edelman Canada, CA

10:00 – 10:45

Discussion Groups – The Conclusions and the Actions
Aim: Grouping participants with similar role/function in schools, so they are able to share with peers what is each one’s take-away(s) conference? Each participant should commit to 3 actions to be done within the next 3 months

10:45 – 11:00

Quick ‘Tour de Table’ to capture some of the learning and action points

11:00 – 11:30

Coffee break

11:30 – 12:30

Closing Plenary VII – Disrupting Disruption
Aim: “Being digital” is now a part of everyone’s lives. Learn more about how digitally connected we have all become, and what this means for organizations, through an insightful discussion with innovation and marketing thought leader, Mitch Joel.

• Mitch Joel, Founder, Six Pixels Group and Author – Six Pixels of Separation & CTRL ALT Delete, CA
• Moderated by Karl Moore, Associate Professor Strategy & Organisation, Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, CA

12:30 – 13:00

Wrap-up and presentation of next year’s venue

• Co-Chairs: Rita McAdam, Director, Marketing and Communications, Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, CA
  & Alison Brown, Head, Brand and Communications, AGSM @ UNSW Business School, AU

13:00

Lunch on campus