Advisory Board
Chairman
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Born in Moncton, New Brunswick
Married Dr. Gina Cosco, CA - 3 childrenEducation:
Bachelor of Commerce Degree, Concordia University, Montreal
(1969)
LLB, Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto (1972)
Societies & Memberships:
Member of the Law Society of Alberta
Member of the Law Society of British Columbia
Member of the Law Society of Northwest Territories
Member of the Law Society of Yukon
Visiting Committee, University of Alberta Faculty of
Medicine and Dentistry
Director, Partners in the Horn of Africa (Registered
Canadian Charity)
Member of Edmonton Executive Association
History:
1974-85 - practiced law in Whitehorse, Yukon
1985 – 2005 - President and CEO of Tirecraft Auto Centers
Ltd.
TIRECRAFT is a Canadian company founded in 1984 with more
than 200 stores across Canada and is the seventh largest
retail tire chain in North America.
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Adam Finn is the RK Banister Professor of Marketing and
Acting Chair, Department of Marketing, Business Economics
and Law at the University of Alberta School of Business. He
has a BAppSc from University of Melbourne, an MBA from the
Australian Graduate School of Management, and a Ph.D. in
Marketing from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. He is a co-author of four books, including
Global Television and Film: An Introduction to the Economics
of the Business. (Oxford University Press 1997), and was
co-executive-producer of TV Canada: The Industry, a CBC
documentary inspired by the book. His research, addressing
such issues as multi-item scales, optimal measurement of
service quality, store and mall patronage and choice,
product development in the cultural industries, and the use
of tradeoff methods for public policy research, has appeared
in Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Journal
of Retailing, International Journal of Research in
Marketing, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, and Journal
of Service Research. As supervisor, he is the co-recipient,
with Ujwal Kayande, of the American Marketing Association’s
1998 Don Lehmann award for the best dissertation based
article published in the Journal of Marketing Research,
received for Reliability Assessment and the Optimization of
Marketing Measurement. |
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Diane J. Brisebois, CAE, was appointed President and Chief
Executive Officer of Retail Council of Canada (RCC) in
January 1995. RCC is the largest retail association in the
country serving over 45,000 retail establishments.
Prior to joining RCC, Ms. Brisebois was Executive
Vice-President of the Canadian Office Products Association.
Diane is also Chairman of the Forum for International
Retail Association Executives. Additionally, she serves on
the Advisory Board of Ryerson University's School of Retail
Management, the University of Alberta’s School of Retailing,
the Advisory Board of Canada Post, the Board of Stewardship
Ontario (Ontario Blue Box Program) and Waste Diversion
Ontario.
She continues to be involved with Covenant House Toronto
after serving 6 years on its Board as well as with Traffic
Injury Research Foundation.
In 2002, Ms. Brisebois received the Pinnacle Award from
the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE), which
is the most prestigious designation for an Association
Executive. In addition, she received the Outstanding
Achievement Award from her previous organization, the
Canadian Office Products Association.
Ms. Brisebois is a native of Montreal and studied at
Concordia University, and St-Laurent College. She has a
degree in Social Sciences and Modern Languages as well as
her certification in Association Management. |
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Edward Kennedy
joined The North West Company in 1989. He has served in a
number of senior management positions including Chief
Operating Officer of North West and Chief Executive Officer
of the Alaska Commercial Company, the Company’s U.S.
subsidiary located in Anchorage. Edward returned to Winnipeg
from Alaska in 1997 and assumed his present position. He is
also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The North West
Company (International) Inc.
Edward was born and raised in the northern Manitoba
community of The Pas and attended high school as a boarder
at St. John’s-Ravenscourt in Winnipeg. He holds an Honours
Degree in Business from the Ivey School at the University of
Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Laws Degree from Osgoode
Hall Law School. Prior to joining North West, Edward
practiced law briefly in Toronto and then worked in
investment banking.
Edward is a board member of The North West Company,
Transport Nanuk Inc., Red River College, St.
John’s-Ravenscourt School, the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction
Council, the Advisory Board of the Richard Ivey School of
Business (University of Western Ontario) and the Advisory
Board of the University of Alberta School of Retailing. He
is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, the
Associates of the Asper School of Business (Faculty of
Management, University of Manitoba), as well as a member and
past officer of the Business Council of Manitoba. Edward is
co-chairing the Major Donor Cabinet during this year’s
Winnipeg United Way campaign. Edward is a past director of
Destination Winnipeg Inc., The Conference Board of Canada,
Balmoral Hall School, Buhler Industries, and the Alaska
Growth Fund. In 1999, Edward was named a recipient of
Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40” award, an annual program that
recognizes young leaders across the country. In 2000, he was
awarded an Honorary CMA designation by CMA Canada and, in
2003, he was recognized as a finalist for the Lieutenant
Governor’s Community Citizenship Award. In June 2006, Edward
was presented with the Retail Council of Canada’s
“Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year” award. In
October 2007, he was presented with the University of
Alberta School of Retailing’s “Henry Singer Award” for
exceptional leadership in the retail sector.
Edward is a competitive athlete and his other interests
include public policy and economic and social development.
Edward and his wife Stella make their home in Winnipeg with
their four children: Grace, 20; Teresa, 18; Simone, 16; and
Daniel, 13. |
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Graeme Young has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Estate
Management from the Faculty of Economics, University of
London, England. It is a degree specifically for those who
wish to follow a professional career in real estate. Graeme is also a Fellow of the Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors, a major recognition for real estate
professionals throughout the world.
Upon graduation, Graeme came to Canada and worked from 1967
to 1978 with Knowlton Realty Ltd. in their Calgary,
Vancouver, and Edmonton offices. From 1971 to 1978, Graeme
was in charge of the Edmonton branch and latterly was a Vice
President of the company.
From 1979 to 1996 Graeme was President and General Manager
of Graeme Young and Associates and from 1996 to 2004 was
President of Avison Young Commercial Real Estate [Alberta].
He is currently the National Chairman of Avison Young
Commercial Real Estate, a commercial and industrial real
estate agency specializing in sale, acquisition, leasing,
and real estate consulting with offices in Halifax,
Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Mississauga, Winnipeg,
Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
Graeme has been involved in the sale of many of Edmonton’s
largest investment real estate transactions and has acted as
consultant to various major companies.
He serves on the Board of:
• NewWest Property Management Alberta Ltd.
• Jayfund Inc.
• City of Edmonton Non-Profit Housing Corporation
• Ellerslie Rugby Park •
University of Alberta, School of Retailing |
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Thousands of people have improved their health and fitness
levels, lost weight and effectively changed their lives as a
result of John Stanton - Founder of the Running Room with 98
locations in Canada and the USA. John was named to MacLean’s
Magazine’s Canada Day Honor Roll as one of ten Canadians
making a difference in our nation for his contribution to
health through fitness. In 2006 he was inducted into the
Alberta Business Hall of Fame and received an honorary
degree in Marketing from NAIT. He is active member of many
community organizations including being a member of the
Board of Directors and Vice President of the Commonwealth
Games Association of Canada and is the Ambassador for
Fitness and Wellness for Capital Health as well as Hon. Lt
Col. of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess
Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry)
He has completed over 60 marathons, the Canadian and
Hawaiian World Championship Ironman Competition and a
multitude of races.
A best-selling author of four books on running, he is
active in community-wide fitness initiatives from
Abbotsford, B.C. to Moncton, N.B. and Quebec City. |
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Kevin Higa currently serves as the Chief Financial
Officer for Running Room Canada Inc. He has a Bachelor of
Commerce Degree from the University of Alberta, with an
Accounting major and is a Chartered Accountant.
He worked for seven years with Deloitte & Touche in the
Audit & Assurance Group and the Tax Group and three years as
a partner with an Alberta based Mergers & Acquisitions firm.
He has worked for Running Room for eleven years.
Kevin first joined the Running Room after participating in a
Learn to Run clinic and then a Marathon clinic back in 1995.
He lost 30lbs within six months of joining the Running Room
clinic. He is now an avid runner and triathlete competing in
numerous marathons and triathlons each year.
Running Room/Walking Room has expand to over 90 locations
across Canada and the United States. |
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Kyle B. Murray is an Associate Professor of
Marketing and the Director of the
School of Retailing in the
School of Business at the
University of Alberta. Prior to joining the
Alberta School of Business, he was an Assistant
Professor at the
Richard Ivey School of Business and a
Visiting Professor at
INSEAD (France). He holds a B.Sc. in
Psychology and a Ph.D. in Marketing and
Psychology from the University of Alberta.
Professor Murray's research focuses on
consumer judgment and decision making, with an
emphasis on how consumers make choices in
electronic environments. His work in this area
has been published in Acta Psychologica,
Communications of the Association for Computing
Machinery, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal
of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Interactive
Marketing, MIT Sloan Management Review, and
Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision
Processes. The results of his research have
also been featured in a number of book chapters
and
newspaper articles. As an educator Dr.
Murray has developed and taught undergraduate,
MBA, PhD and executive level courses in
marketing, consumer behaviour, retailing and
e-commerce. He has also consulted for a number
of organizations including the Canadian
Automobile Dealers Association, Canadian
Petroleum Institute, General Motors, Greater
Edmonton Foundation, Microsoft and Wolseley. Dr.
Murray sits on advisory boards for
Colloquy,
Leger Marketing and the
Edmonton Opera. He is also a Senior Research
Fellow at the
Institute for Online Consumer Studies. |
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Larry Jenkinson is Executive Vice President of Henry Singer
Fashion Group (HSFG) a position he has held since 2004. From
1990–2003 he held other executive positions at HSFG and
Blu’s Womenswear. HSFG has been a pre-eminent regional
retailer for 69 years. In 2004 the Retail Council of Canada
recognized HSFG as the Most Innovative Independent Retailer
in Canada. Today HSFG operates three lifestyle retail brands
– Henry Singer, HS, and Henry. Prior to joining HSFG, Mr. Jenkinson owned a menswear
boutique in Calgary; was Senior Manager, Corporate Finance,
at KPMG; and started his business career at Thorne Riddell
Chartered Accountants.
Mr. Jenkinson is a Chartered Business Valuator, a Chartered
Accountant, and a graduate of the University of Alberta,
School of Business.
Mr. Jenkinson serves on the Board of Directors of Mission
Snowsports Ltd. and a number of real estate related
companies. In addition to his work with CIRAS, he is also a
Director and executive committee member of Goodwill
Industries of Alberta. Mr. Jenkinson is a past President of
the University of Alberta, Business Alumni Association and a
past Director of the Threads of Hope Foundation. |
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Mark Ryski has worked in and around the
retail industry for over 20 years. He founded HeadCount
Corporation in 1994, a company that developed and sold
electronic retail traffic counters. He left the retail
industry to work for Intuit Canada – makers of industry
leading finance software Quicken®, QuickTax™ and
QuickBooks®. During his 8-year career he rose to become the
third most senior executive in Canada. In 2003 he left
Intuit to re-form HeadCount Corporation. Instead of selling
traffic counters, Ryski re-invented the business model to
offer retail traffic and conversion analysis and reporting
as a continuous service. After only four years, HeadCount is
recognized as leader in the area of retail traffic and
customer conversion analysis and works with some of the
leading retailers in North America.
In 2005, he authored When Retail Customers Count, the
first book ever written on retail traffic and customer
conversion analysis, and he is currently working on his
second book. He speaks extensively and in July 2007, he was
named a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the
Year.
Ryski has a passion for retailing and retail education.
He has a strong conviction that the retail industry
desperately needs leaders and that retail education is the
key. |
Dean Mike Percy
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Dr. Michael Percy received his Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
from the University of Victoria and his Master of Arts
(Economics) and Doctoral degree (Economics) from Queen's
University.
Dr. Percy was appointed Dean of the University of Alberta
School of Business in July 1997. He is the author and co
author of four books and numerous articles on public policy,
international trade and economic development. Dr. Percy has
served on the editorial boards of the Canadian Journal of
Economics and also Forest Science and has been an active
commentator on current public policy issues. He is also
active as a guest speaker and has taught in a number of
professional development programs.
Dr. Percy serves on numerous boards including EPCOR,
Matrikon Inc., K-Bro Income Trust and Timber Investments
Ltd. In addition, Dr. Percy served as Chair of the Advisory
Council for the Provincial Minister of Energy and was also a
member of the Federal Expert Panel to Review Equalization
and Territorial Funding Formula. He is also on the Board of
ATB, Alberta Economic Development Authority and a Board
Member of the Alberta China Petroleum Centre.
Dr. Percy took academic leave in 1993 and served one term
as a member of the Legislative Assembly, Province of
Alberta, and as Liberal Party Finance Critic until March
1997. He served as co chair of the Premier's 1997 Economic
Growth Summit. He is also a past President of the Edmonton
Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Percy has participated in several
health care funding review panels for the province and acted
as a consultant to various provincial governments on issues
related to economic development, and to United Nations
agencies. |
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Paul McElhone has
spent more than twenty years helping companies define their
corporate image and understand the relationship between
branding, core values, and company culture. With a passion
for detail and extensive retail management, Paul has worked
with regional, national, and international companies. As
well, he has delivered keynote addresses and workshops to
businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, educational
institutions including the European School of Management in
Paris and Paul has delivered workshops for a group of
retailers in Trinidad Tobago.
Paul’s concentration has been in the areas of strategic
retail management, branding, image and image development,
management consulting, merchandising and display, and
selling and sales management.
For almost eighteen years, Paul worked for the Henry Singer
Fashion Group holding a variety of positions from buyer, to
store manager, to head of merchandising and display, to
director of corporate sales. Since 1998 Paul has held the
position as Executive Director of the Canadian Institute of
Retailing and Services (CIRAS) at the University of Alberta
School of Business. Currently Paul is the Executive Director
of the University of Alberta School of Retailing. He was
awarded the sessional teaching award in 1999. Paul has
successfully defended his PhD, on July 11, 2008, with the
ESCP-EAP (European School of Management) in Paris.
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Steve Matyas
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Steve Matyas,
President of STAPLES®™ Canada Inc./Bureau en GrosMC, joined
The Business Depot Ltd. as their first employee in March
1991. During his 18 years with the company, Steve served as
Vice President, Operations, Human Resources and Store
Planning, and Vice President, Sales and Operations before
being appointed President of STAPLES Canada Inc./Bureau en
Gros in July 2000. Steve’s expertise in store operations has
been instrumental in growing the company from the first
store to more than 320 stores currently operating in Canada.
Before joining STAPLES Canada Inc., Steve worked for
several subsidiaries of Koffler Associates, including
Superpharm Ltd., and Shoppers Drug Mart Ltd., where he held
a variety of senior executive positions including Field
Management, Director of Merchandising, Director of
Marketing, Executive Vice President, and Chief Operating
Officer. Prior to joining Shoppers Drug Mart, Steve held
several senior sales management positions with Abbott
Laboratories.
Mr. Matyas is a graduate of the University of Toronto and
studied business at Queen’s University, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, and Harvard University. Mr. Matyas
is a Director and past Chairman of the Retail Council of
Canada; Director and HR&C Committee Member, EPCOR Utilities;
Director and HR&C Committee Chairman, Audit Committee
member, and Nominating and Governance Committee member,
K-Bro Linens Income Trust; past Director of SC REIT;
Director of the University of Alberta Business School
Advisory Council on Retail Studies; and Co-chair of the
University of Alberta Business School-CIRAS Fundraising
Committee. Steve also holds a seat on the Advisory Committee
for the School of Retail Management with the Faculty of
Business at Ryerson University. |
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University of Alberta 
School of Retailing
