Dr. Suzanne Gagnon has been announced as the Great-West Life Chair in Leadership Education of the University of Manitoba’s new Institute for Leadership Development located in the Asper School of Business.
In this role, Dr. Gagnon will oversee the Institute and its student programming, develop new leadership courses and programs, integrate leadership education into existing academic programs across the university, and collaborate with leaders from a variety of sectors to conduct trailblazing research in the area of leadership development.
“Under Dr. Gagnon’s leadership, the Institute for Leadership Development will expand our existing capacity in developing future leaders,” says Dr. David Barnard, president and vice-chancellor at the University of Manitoba.
“Students will benefit from the innovative approach to knowledge sharing, teaching and research that Dr. Gagnon brings and will graduate with a strong foundation in leadership, prepared and equipped to meet the opportunities around them in creative and inspirational ways.”
Dr. Gagnon is associate professor of leadership and organization in the department of business administration at the Asper School joining the school from McGill University. She specializes in the areas of organizational leadership, leadership development, social diversity and inclusion, and organizational change. Dr. Gagnon’s innovative approach to management and leadership education underlines the power of active, experiential and interdisciplinary learning and her work in developing ‘affiliative leadership’ has been applied at business schools around the world.
“I’m honoured to be the inaugural chair of the Institute. The students of today are the business, community and government leaders of tomorrow and it’s exciting to be a part of this new Institute,” says Dr. Gagnon. “I look forward to seeing our participants unlock their leadership potential in new ways to contribute to the cultural, social and economic prosperity of our province and country.”
Established in 2017 through a generous $10 million gift from Great-West Life, IG Wealth Management and Power Corporation of Canada, the Institute for Leadership Development is a teaching and research institute focused on developing leaders in Manitoba. Students from across all disciplines will have opportunities to develop leadership skills in new and emerging areas that will prepare them to lead in any career they pursue.
“I’d like to welcome Dr. Suzanne Gagnon to Winnipeg and congratulate her on her appointment as the Great-West Life Chair in Leadership Education. We look forward to working with her as she advances the Leadership Institute’s mandate to shape the future leaders of tomorrow,” said Paul Mahon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Great-West Lifeco. “We’re proud to invest in the institute because it means we’re helping to build the next generation of strong, confident and capable leaders who will have a positive impact for our community.”
The Institute for Leadership Development will also host the IG Wealth Management Chair in Leadership Research, for which a search is underway. The IG Wealth Management Chair in Leadership Research will bring together thought leaders from across sectors to facilitate research that will help shape the design of more effective leadership development programs.
This article first appeared on UM Today.
