Catherine Bell concludes her two-year term as Jarislowsky Fellow in Business Management

Catherine Bell started her role as a Jarislowsky Fellow in Business Management in September 2018. The Jarislowsky Fellowship was designed to enhance students’ experiences by connecting them with accomplished leaders. During this two-year term, Catherine hosted multiple events where she brought her diverse network and inspiration to help MBA students develop their careers. One of Catherine’s unique contributions to her Fellowship was leading the way on taking students into the community more and introducing them to several Calgary landmarks. During her term, she co-hosted three Jarislowsky Dinner and Discussions at the downtown Petroleum Club, the Jarislowsky Arts and Leadership event at the Glenbow Museum, a Jarislowsky Lunch with Leaders, the Jarislowsky Sports and Leadership event at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Jarislowsky Opening Reception at Studio Bell and a Q&A session on Women in Leadership at the Calgary Central Library. The two main themes during her term were ‘Your Presence is Your Power’ and ‘The Future of Alberta’, both of which received great interest from Haskayne students.

Below is our interview with Catherine to learn more about her experience as a Jarislowsky Fellow at the Haskayne School of Business.

What motivated you to participate in the Jarislowsky Fellowship? I was motivated to participate in the fellowship as it involved MBA students and broadening the perspective of everyone involved. I was utterly impressed by how open minded the Haskayne community is to learning in different locations with a wide variety of topics.

What were some of your key takeaways from your time as a Jarislowsky co-fellow? What was the highlight of this journey? We did many things – visited the Library, the Glenbow Museum,  Studio Bell, the Sports Hall of Fame, The Petroleum club, the University itself, exploring rich and vast topics.  A key take away for me is context matters, and it definitely enriches the experience and exploring vast topics from art and leadership to female leadership to entrepreneurial thinking in such setting affects the quality of the learning for all involved.

What is one piece of advice you have for students as they take on leadership roles? It is the bold hearted, minded, and acted leaders and entrepreneurs that change the world. Don’t die with your music locked up inside of you. We need all of us singing our best. Live in accordance with your personal vision and commit to it.

Do you have any overall comments from your two-year term that you would like to share? It has been an honour and a pleasure to be a Jarislowsky Fellow. I have loved working with the students, the student leadership, CCAL Leadership, the Dean, and learnt a lot from my Co-Fellows. Thank you very much for providing this opportunity.  We explored a rich array of topics in a variety of settings, which were definitely mind and heart opening for me.  Thank you very much.

The Jarislowsky Fellowship is one of the programs delivered through the Canadian Centre for Advanced Leadership in Business within Haskayne. It was created thanks to a gift from the Jarislowsky Foundation. Since the fellowship was founded in 2006, there have been 13 executives who have shared their expertise and connections with students at the Haskayne School of Business.