Dr. William R. (Bill) Waters, CM
On Dec 30, 2013 Dr. Waters was appointed to the Order of Canada, one of Canada’s highest civilian honors.
Dr. Waters is a Professor Emeritus of Economics and Finance at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management of the University of Toronto. He was educated at the University of Toronto and the University of Chicago and joined the faculty of the University of Toronto in 1964. In addition to his teaching, he served as Associate Dean, Director of the Executive MBA program and as a member of the Presidential Investment Advisory Committee.
He received his PhD degree in economics and finance from the University of Chicago and an honourary Doctorate of Laws degree from the University of Toronto for his efforts in enabling disadvantaged students to succeed in higher education.
Outside the University, he has appeared on many occasions as an expert witness before regulatory boards and courts across Canada and abroad, mostly on financial matters relating to public utilities. He was also the co-founder of two companies involved in the creation of software for the financial services industry.
Dr. Wael Agaan
Co-founded TradeMerit in 2006. Under his guidance as President and CEO, TradeMerit has evolved into a world leader in the Cloud Business Process Management Solutions and Services with customers in banking and finance, automotive, international trade and public sectors.
In 2001, Dr. Aggan co-founded ViaSafe, a leading security and trade compliance company, serving as the President and CEO. Within 5 years the company had 40% of the market share of trade compliance market in North America. The company was acquired in 2006.
Dr. Agan worked as the president of Sociéte Général 2, the information technology company owned by Sociéte Général Bank, one of the largest banks in Europe. He also served as a senior Information expert with the United Nations, WTO and UNESCO.
Dr. Aggan holds a PhD in Computer Science and Master of Science degrees in Operations Research and Pure Mathematics from Cairo University in Egypt. He is an IBM Certified Solution Advisor - Cloud Computing Architecture, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Project Management Professional (CPMP).
Mr. Jim Coutts
After graduating from University of Toronto, Jim held various senior marketing and business re-positioning roles within the Ontario Government, and corporations such as Vickers & Benson, TD Bank, Merrill Lynch Canada, Lawson Mardon Group and Bank of Montreal. Building on his experiences and contacts, Jim consulted with other banks, telecoms, and businesses in Europe and Canada. Jim established and led a payments start up in Toronto and has consulted with other startups in the e-commerce and mobile spaces. In another direction, Jim edits and analyses student achievement data with Lyn Sharratt for use with leaders in education systems in Europe, Australia, the United States of America, Canada and other countries around the world.
Jim has held roles in volunteer positions too – as Deputy Chair of the 1986 United Way Campaign of Toronto, member of Princess Margaret Hospital Campaign, Chair of the Rotman School of Management Alumni Board.
Dr. Beatrix Dart
Joined the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto in 2000 following a successful career with McKinsey & Company. She currently serves as Associate Dean (and Academic Director) of Rotman’s Executive MBA Programs.
Beatrix is also a Professor of Strategic Management, and teaches courses in Management Consulting, focusing on the development of growth strategies for international companies. In addition, she is Executive Director of Rotman's highly successful Initiative for Women in Business, which works to advance women in management and remove barriers for women to business education.
She received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Konstanz, Germany, and holds two master degrees, one in economics and one in information science. Beatrix is a board member of the construction company EllisDon, and has also volunteered with not-for-profit boards.