GBC President Frank Paul Welcomes Change & Transparency

If you’ve spent any time on campus this summer, chances are you’ve seen Frank Paul in the hallways of Schulich. The 2016-2017 GBC President believes in the impact of relationship-building and hasn’t wasted any time since his appointment.

“Everyone knows who you are in this job,” says Frank.

This means that follow-through and delivery are key for the grad student body. With a refreshed Strategic Plan underway, Frank hopes to take a sweeping approach to improving the student experience by boosting transparency, accountability and measurement. This will involve leveraging key performance indicators to evaluate impact and improve succession planning for future Councils.

Some of the projects on his plate include preparations for the GBC’s mainstay events, exploring better communications and event management processes and tools for students to foster greater student engagement, and supporting new mental health initiatives. For projects great and small, measuring impact will be a top priority by working from baseline metrics.

From Theatre to Leader

Frank’s focus on outcomes and data are a testament to his natural business leadership – but Frank isn’t just about the corporate context. He also brings experience in the political and public sectors, a fine arts degree, and a background working in film and television. In fact, your GBC president will not only be leading an executive team and completing his MBA in the upcoming year; he’ll also be writing a screenplay as part of his dual degree program to earn a Master of Fine Arts.

“You’ll meet a lot of people at Schulich. For every relationship, there’s always a story to take away with you. That’s the magic of this place.”

How does one make the jump from penning a screenplay to sitting in Management Accounting?

“I really enjoy telling stories,” Frank recalls from his undergraduate days in Vancouver, working toward a BFA in Film. “I realized that if I wanted to produce Canadian stories in film and television, I needed a firm grasp of business acumen. It’s an industry where skilled leaders combine creativity and business expertise to be successful. When I learned about the Arts and Media specialization at Schulich, I knew it was something I had to do to invest in my future.”

Here at Schulich, Frank has found rewarding ways to use his campaigning and management skills, while also building meaningful connections.

“You’ll meet many different people here,” he says. “Sometimes you’ll connect with someone for a project or event and that will be it. But for every relationship, there’s always a story to take away with you. That’s the magic of this place.”

A Look Back and a Look Ahead

This year will mark the tenth anniversary of the GBC’s annual MBA Insights conference. Frank plans to use this as an opportunity to look back at the last decade and distill the most disruptive innovations that have shaped and reshaped different sectors. Insights will examine the whole story: where trends have arisen and how they have evolved within an area of specialization. Understanding these transformations will not only serve to inform the event, but also to shape Frank’s approach to leadership in the year ahead.

Frank, we look forward to continuing to watch your story unfold.

To learn more about the 2016-2017 Executive Team, check out the updated GBC website and be sure to join the 2016-2017 GBC Facebook Group.

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