Meet with Alumni Thought Leaders in a NEW Fireside Chat Series

In collaboration with the Office of Alumni Relations, we are pleased to invite you to attend Schulich Engage, a new virtual weekly event series which combines a webinar-style fireside chat & virtual networking.

Throughout the Winter term, you have a unique opportunity to engage with Schulich Alumni from a diverse range of industries and roles.

FIRESIDE CHAT

Each week spotlights a new Alumni thought leader who share their stories & insights.  You will have an opportunity to engage and ask questions via a moderated Q&A.

VIRTUAL NETWORKING EVENT

Following the fireside chat, you’ll have an opportunity to mingle, chat & network with your peers & learn from alumni, and staff via small group Zoom breakout discussions. 

Networking is a critical component of your academic & professional success.  We encourage you to attend to broaden your knowledge & make meaningful connections which will serve you well beyond your student tenure.

Please find further details on the next upcoming session below:

Schulich Engage: Upcoming Sessions

offered in collaboration with the Office of Alumni Relations

Thursday, March 25, 2021 | 9:00am EST

We are pleased to welcome

John Cappella (BBA ’99, MBA ’04)
Vice President, Area East, Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

The discussion will be moderated by Ashley Konson, Managing Partner, Global Brand Leaders; Instructor of Marketing, Schulich School of Business.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to connect with the Schulich community.

Register Now

Upcoming Featured Guest Bios

Guest Alumni:

John Cappella (BBA ’99, MBA ’04)

Vice President, Area East, Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

John Cappella is Vice President, Area East, for Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), headquartered in Atlanta. PCNA is the exclusive U.S. importer of the Porsche 911, 718 Boxster and Cayman; Panamera; and Cayenne and Macan.

Cappella oversees operations for privately owned Porsche dealers in states including Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine.

Cappella came to his current role in April 2019 from Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd., where he was Director of Network Development and then Managing Director of the corporate-owned Porsche Centre North Toronto.

His automotive career started in 1999 with BMW Group Canada where he advanced through analyst, marketing and communications positions to become Regional Manager of the Central Region, and then Director for MINI before joining Porsche.

Cappella holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration degree from York University. He also studied Automotive Dealership Management at the Automotive Business School of Canada.

Moderator:

Ashley Konson

Managing Partner, Global Brand Leaders; Instructor of Marketing, Schulich School of Business

Ashley Konson is the President and Managing partner of Global Brand Leaders Inc. His passion is helping his clients and students discover and apply cutting-edge thinking and the best practices of brand leaders from around the globe for growing brands and businesses.

Today, Ashley’s management advisory practice and teaching leverage insights from leading research by Daniel Kahneman and others in behavioural economics and neuroscience, the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science on how brands grow, from Les Binet and Peter Field on behalf of The Institute for Practitioners of Advertising on how to achieve effective marketing communications, by Mark Ritson, and many other leading contemporary resources.

Four values define him, his actions, and what to expect from him. The life-long pursuit of wisdom and knowledge so he can become a more able business professional, educator, and human being. The imperative to help others improve in areas that are his strengths because knowledge is valuable when shared. A deep respect for humanity and the power of diversity, and the belief that if you love what you do, you are more likely to excel at what you do!

While Ashley’s primary focus is on all aspects of brand strategy for growing brands in the marketplace, he also advises clients on leadership philosophy, organizational design and culture, and nurturing organizational creativity, as these are integral to building distinctive brand experiences. And, he consults on change management programs to speed the R.O.I of these initiatives. Increasingly, his expertise in personal branding is sought by those seeking to make more impact in their professional lives.

During his career, Ashley has worked in senior and executive-level marketing positions in the United States, Canada, and South Africa, with Nestle, The Walt Disney Company, Imax Ltd, and Holt Renfrew, and since 2002 he has been an advisor to clients in a broad cross-section of industries in North America. He is the author and instructor for the Kellogg-Schulich EMBA Designing Brand Experiences program, and Course Director for the MBA & MMKG Brand Management programs at the Schulich School of Business, York University, in Toronto, Canada, and visiting faculty at the S. P. Jain School of Global Management based in Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney, Australia. Ashley has been recognized frequently for “teaching excellence,” is a two-time winner of the prestigious Seymour Schulich MBA Teaching Excellence Award and, has been nominated for this award nine times.