The School of Business and Economics Students' Society has organized a series of Lunch and Learn sessions throughout the school year called BUNCH (Business + Lunch). These sessions provide a comfortable and professional environment where one can enjoy FREE lunch with their fellow students and listen to a special guest lecture on business and academic related topics.
Are you interested in hosting a BUNCH event with SBESS? Click here for details.
Upcoming BUNCH Event
Stay tuned.
Previous BUNCHes
January 2012
The SBESS would like to thank representatives from The Insurance Institute, Cowan Insurance Group, The Economical Insurance Group, and Crawford and Company for speaking at the January BUNCH. Students learned plenty about the industry, including the various ways to get involved, positions they may be interested in, and how the insurance industry is a great one to get into. The stability and promising future of the industry was also very interesting to know about- for example, during the recession, this industry was doing very well! Talk about a place you want to work in when the economy turns sour! Lastly, the speakers shared their experiences in the industry, explaining their career paths, how they got involved in the industry, what they like most, and more. Once again, we thank the representatives for a wonderful presentation, and hope to have them come back for a future BUNCH!
November 2011
Students enjoyed an amazing presentation from PepsiCo. The speakers were excellent- very informative and insightful. A lot was learned about the company, including the sustainability of the 7 Up bottle and their distribution channels- how they get their products to us, the consumers. It was also very exciting to hear about their 'green' approach in their various practices, as they are trying their best to reduce their carbon footprint by ways such as using virgin plastic. All in all, the BUNCH was truly a success and we certainly hope to have PepsiCo. Visit us at a future BUNCH!
October 2011
This BUNCH was certainly one not to miss. Those who attended learned so much about saving money, retirement, effectively repaying student loans, and more. Bradley Roulston, CFP, did an excellent job on educating students about the importance of managing finances well, and what we are currently capable of doing can certainly benefit us in the future. He took us on a 'financial hike' which truly opened our eyes on how preparing now will help us financially in the long run. Thank you to Bradley for an amazing presentation and the Waterloo Banking Project for all the help in making this BUNCH a success.
September 2011
Our first BUNCH of the year was a success! Recruiters and representatives from KPMG had a very engaging presentation that was beneficial to not only students interested in accounting and KPMG, but also all students looking for that perfect summer internship!
Resume and cover letter tips, interview and networking advice and more were spoken about during the BUNCH. Students learned how to write that perfect resume, how to make a great impression on a recruiter, and of course, how that perfect handshake should be.
We can’t forget the enormous attendance at the event either! It was the largest attendance SBESS has ever had at any BUNCH, with students standing all around the KPMG atrium and on the stairs. It was a great start to the BUNCHes of the year for SBESS.
We would like to thank Laird MacDonald and Julia Beniusis for the excellent presentation, as well as the KPMG team who attended. It was a great success and we hope to connect with KPMG for future BUNCHes and more SBE events!
February 2011
Our final bunch of the year saw Robert Antoniades who oversees and manages the RBC Venture Partners' portfolio on behalf of Clairmont Capital. Robert joined RBC Venture Partners as a Managing Director in 2004 and led direct investments in a broad range of software and technology companies. Robert also used his expertise in venture capital to assist in the development and commercialization of emerging technologies developed within RBC. Prior to RBC, Robert was a Vice President at BMO Nesbitt Burns Equity Partners and Executive Director of CIBC Capital Partners' Silicon Valley office in Menlo Park where he collectively made investments in financial services software, internet service providers, enterprise and internet software, e-healthcare, wireless application development, security products, optical networking and semiconductor companies, among others. Robert has over 14 years of venture capital investing experience.
Robert currently serves on the Boards of Placemark Investments, Infobright Software, Varicent, Verafin, Adaptive Planning and VM6 Software. Robert has a broad base of transaction and industry experience as a capital markets professional including Equity Research, Institutional Sales & Trading, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Private Equity. Robert has a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute and a Certified Investment Manager.
January 2011
Our first BUNCH of the year featured Trevor-Ross Georgie, a professional networker. At seventeen years of age Trevor-Ross Georgie was hired as a Financial Manager at Bank of Montreal, the youngest they ever had. He would remain with the Bank of Montreal for over four years while completing his education. He specialized in Digital Enterprise Management at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College. Following his undergrad, Trevor began his MBA at the University of Windsor's Odette School of Business where he would act as class President of the MBA Society. With a passion for sports and branding, Trevor worked in a marketing consulting capacity with Ontario Hockey League Champion and Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires. Finally, this past winter Trevor completed his MBA at the University of Florida where he worked in a marketing and new media role with the Florida Gators. Trevor has spoken at multiple universities and business conferences including the 2010 Odette Roundtable and Simon Fraser's Business Leadership Conference. His experience networking and expertise in social media have proven invaluable in creating great personal and career opportunities. This BUNCH covered networking and how it is invaluable in your future career endevours.
November 2010
Our final BUNCH of the Fall semester was with the Insurance Insitute on the Insurance Industry. Through an interactive panel discussion with local professionals from leading industry employers, potential career pathawys, rewards and benefits, as well as tips for connecting with employers were discussed. We were able to find out that Insurance is a career path which offers variety, stability, above average earning potential and a real sense of community and that there are more than 110,000 Canadian professionals working in a sector which offers you the opportunity to build on your education and reflects the face and values of Canadian society. There is a constant need within the insurance industry for talented, creative and motivated people.
October 2010
Our second BUNCH this year featured Dan Troy - Director, Jason Ricci - Account Manager, and Trevor Mayoh - Technical Recruiter, at TEKsystems, who discussed the sales and IT industry, their experiences, and potential career opportunities.
TEKsystems is a privately held operating company of Allegis Group® Inc., an organization that has been ranked the largest staffing company in North America and the 6th largest staffing company worldwide. Allegis Group’s 2009 revenues totaled $5.7 billion while TEKsystems totaled $2.58 billion in 2009 revenue. TEKsystems services over 5,000 clients with 22,000 internal employees. Through their commanding presence in the industry, TEKsystems has become a recognized leader in IT staffing and solutions.
September 2010
Our first speaker of this year was Ginny Dybenko, Dean of Wilfrid Laurier's School of Business and Economics. Ginny spoke of the the countless opportunities available to us in terms of seeing and experiencing the world, and the importance of seizing them. She shared her experiences and bits of advice.
February 2010
Our seventh BUNCH this year featured Rob McPherson, Vice President of Marketing at Bacardi Canada Inc., who discussed his experiences in marketing with the consumer packaged goods industry and the alcoholic beverage industry. Rob featured stories and lessons learned during his years of experience as a marketing executive.
Our sixth BUNCH of the year, hosted by the Wilfrid Laurier University Human Resources Network, featured Chris Jones, Manager of Student Recruitment Services at Sun Life Financial. Chris discussed strategies in networking and provided job search tips.
January 2010
Our Fifth BUNCH of the year featured several representatives from GE, General Electric, Antoine Lejeune, Senior Manager, Cam Wolfe, Strategic Manager, Michael Noble, Account Manager, Matthew Lagace, Assistant Account Manager, Lyndsey Jones, University Programs Coordinator, and Jessica Pavan, Laurier co-op Student. These leaders of industry discussed Innovation and spoke about the various lines of business in GE.
Our fourth BUNCH and first of 2010 was a special Panel Discussion hosted by the NeXt Centre. "What I learned In and Out of Class" featured 4 former Laurier students and thriving entrepreneurs; Greg Overholt, Founder and Executive Director of SOS, Matt Inglot, CEO of Tilted Pixel, Yvan Couture, CEO & Co-President of Primal Fusion Inc., and Mona Prasad, Founder and COO of Gourmantra Food Inc. The discussion focused on entrepreneurship and each speaker shared their experiences about what is needed to make an entrepreneur successful.
November 20009
Our Third BUNCH of the year featured Madeline Waterfield, Regional Manager for Stalla CFA Preparation by Becker Education Services. Madeline spoke in detail about the Certified Financial Analyst Designation, the CFA Exams, and Prep Courses available.
October 2009
Our Second BUNCH of the year featured 3 representatives from Winners Merchants International. Laura Cullen, Planning Manager, Sarah Massa, Stylesense Store Associate Planner, and Timea Godor, Sr. Recruitment Specialist spoke about the Retail Industry and touched on what opportunities are available for business graduates.
September 2009
On September 17, 2009 the SBE Student Society was excited to launch the inaugural 2009-2010 BUNCH Speaker series. Our first speaker of the year was Ginny Dybenko, Dean of Wilfrid Laurier's School of Business and Economics. Ginny captivated the audience with a discussion on Leadership and shared her experiences in business and life.
For more information on the SBESS BUNCH Program, contact Adil Mawani at adil.mawani@sbess.ca.