On April 3, BMO announced a $3.5 million gift to the Ihnatowycz Leadership Institute which will support advancing leadership programming beyond Ivey Business School, including a new cross-campus leadership certificate program.

In September 2022 we welcomed a new Executive Director following Gerard Seijts' 12-year leadership of the Institute since its inception in 2010. Dusya Vera, PhD '02, is a Professor of Strategy who teaches ‘Cross-Enterprise Leadership’ and ‘Transformational Leadership’ in the HBA program. She has long been involved in leader character research, teaching, and outreach. Her expertise is also in the areas of strategic leadership, organizational improvisation, and organizational learning. She is an Incoming Associate Editor of the Academy of Management Discoveries. During her first year as Executive Director, Dusya has continued the strong flagship programs and initiatives of Ihnatowycz Leadership, while opening new paths to connect leader character (WHO the leader IS) to Ivey’s Critical Issues of Evolution of Work, Sustainability, and Canada’s Place in the World.

Save the date! Our annual Leadership Character Conference will be held on 18 October 2023 at BMO's Institute for Learning in Toronto. This year’s theme is Bridging the Gap Between Knowing, Doing, and Being. The event will feature panel discussions, workshop options, and Juno-nominated musician Peter Katz. Registration opening soon!

This fall, the thought leadership journal, Amplify, will publish a special issue featuring practitioner articles that explore "Character Leadership as a Competitive Advantage: Perspectives Around the Globe."  Ihnatowycz Leadership's Executive Director Dusya Vera and Postdoctoral Associate Ana Ruiz Pardo are the guest editors. Submit your abstract (300 words) by 15 August.

Institute Research and Publications

Make Leader Character Your Competitive Edge

Does Leader Character Have a Gender?

Character-Enabled Improvisation and the New Normal: A Paradox Perspective

Organizational Learning through Character-Based Judgment

Leader Character in Engineering Projects:

A Case Study of Character Activation, Contagion, and Embeddedness

The Role of Physiology, Affect, Behavior and Cognition in Leader Character Activation: A Music Intervention

The work of the Institute was featured in the Virtues & Vocations online magazine, a national forum for scholars and practitioners across disciplines to consider how best to cultivate character in pre-professional and professional education.

Teaching

The first HBA and MBA Seijts Leadership Character Awards, created by the Ihnatowycz Institute Leadership Council in honour of Gerard Seijts’ body of work on leader character and his 12-year leadership of the Institute, were presented on June 15 at the respective graduation ceremonies. Recipients Jennifer Ye Won Kim (MBA '23) and Sarah Hunter (HBA '23) were nominated by faculty and peers and recognized for their character development while acquiring business competencies at Ivey.

Jody Wilson-Raybould, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, encouraged students to consider what role they will play as future leaders in creating equitable and inclusive societies.

Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa said defining her values early in life kept her steadfast in her crusade to report on human rights abuses and fight for freedom of expression.

Outreach

Business Council of Canada President Goldy Hyder issued a call to action to Canada’s current and future leaders, urging them to build the relationships, movements, coalitions, and infrastructure that can pave the way in creating a better future for Canada and the world.

Business leader and Ihnatowycz Institute donor Don McDougall, MBA ’61, LLD ’16, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Canada "for his visionary leadership as the founding director of the Toronto Blue Jays club, and for his entrepreneurship and philanthropy."

Mona Malone, our Leadership Council Chair and BMO Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Head of People and Culture, has been named a Catalyst Honours Champion for 2023. The award celebrates corporate leaders who accelerate progress for women by championing workplace inclusion.