Every chance she gets to go out of her comfort zone, she takes. It’s this attitude that led her to the CANDO Economic Development Youth Summit in Edmonton this summer, where she and her team placed second in a case competition.

Morin and her team at the CANDO Economic Development Youth Summit in Edmonton

The five-day event in August 2025 had about 300 applicants but only accepted around 50 young up-and-coming leaders. As a marketing major starting her final year at Asper, she was just happy to get in.

“I’m so glad I went,” she says. “It was really great to put theories that I learned in school into actual practice.”

By day, the summit hosted various panels and speakers. By night, the young leaders would break into teams and work on a case competition.

The real-life case asked the teams how they would develop 64 acres of land located in Lloydminster, Alberta, acquired by Frog Lake First Nation.

“I really had to dive deep into my first-year accounting and marketing classes,” she says, emphasizing the importance of learning to think quick on your feet.

On the final day, teams presented their economic development plans to a panel of judges. After travelling by herself and learning so much over the five days, she was thrilled her team got second place.

She says their success is owed to the diverse perspectives of her team, who each brought something new the others wouldn’t have thought of.

“Being surrounded by my people and being surrounded by culture was really inspiring,” says Morin. “I left that whole week feeling inspired and ready to work hard, and do good for my community.”

Something From Nothing

Morin may be majoring in marketing, but what she really wants to do is create something from nothing. In other words, she’s passionate about entrepreneurship.

Maybe this has something to do with how she felt coming into Asper School. In her first year, she would’ve described herself as “a very shy, timid, small-town girl.”

When you’re timid and shy, the world can seem small. But the resources and opportunities offered at the Asper School transformed her outlook: “Now I see things so much bigger than I used to. There’s so much more potential,” she says.

She specifically cites Indigenous Business Education Partners (IBEP) as a program that made going out of her comfort zone easier.

“Finding my community and learning about my background, that was huge. I think knowing more about yourself helps you grow and that was very life-changing for sure,” says Morin.

She developed a superpower for networking. Her goal is to see a friendly face wherever she goes.

“You never know who or where you’re going end up working with in the future. You never know who could potentially be a good connection,” she says, stressing the importance of networking and taking on any opportunity that presents itself.

Morin embraces curiosity when approaching strangers: “you’re always trying to figure out the puzzle pieces.” She starts with a simple question like “What brings you here?”

To fellow students, she recommends volunteering time with a student group, or even better, making a student group.

Her entrepreneurial mindset led her to revitalize an Asper School student group called, well, The Entrepreneurial Mindset, with her friend Anthony Theriault. Morin also previously volunteered as Director of Communications on the UMQAS student group (University of Manitoba Queer/2SLGBTQIA+Asper Students).

“I think everyone should join a student group. It just gives you purpose, even on campus, because you have friends, you have a community, and you need that in order to get through hard times,” says Morin.

Morin has grown so much that it’s impossible to see how she was ever shy or timid. The Asper School may have caused the change, but what’s her secret?

“I live on Red Bulls,” she says.
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IBEP offers tutoring, mentoring, financial aid, and more to Indigenous students pursuing a business degree at the Asper School of Business.

A Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the Asper School of Business is your ticket to a successful, meaningful future. Turn ideas into thrilling business ventures, make a difference in the world around you, and gain the business knowledge, leadership skills, and networking opportunities you need to achieve your dreams. Learn more.

Asper is bursting with student groups and opportunities to make genuine connections with your fellow classmates and the greater Manitoba business community. Learn more on our student experience page.

As a student with the Asper School of Business’ Indigenous Business Education Partners (IBEP) and the president of the University of Manitoba Indigenous Commerce Students Association, he was admittedly a bit lost before discovering the program.

Perrie knew he wanted to be in business. After finishing high school, though, he avoided business school, joking that he thought it was “a scam.”

But as he started to come around to the idea, he discovered the IBEP program at the Asper School of Business, and let his guard down knowing he would have a supportive community of peers with him every step of the way.

“Without the IBEP program, I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” he said. “It isn’t just a program that provides students with a lounge and tuition assistance, it’s the reason a lot of us Indigenous students show up everyday because we know we’ll be supported and that we have a community cheering us on.”

The community really came together at VIBE. The 19th annual celebration was the biggest VIBE yet, with a fundraising record and 305 in attendance to celebrate Indigenous business owners and the next generation of students currently at the Asper School of Business.

Award Recipients

E. Oliver Owen and Cody Gonsalves [BComm(Hons.)/15] were presented with beautiful, elaborate and custom awards handmade by the Winnipeg-based Indigenous carver Fredrick Spence. Owen’s featured a plane with a spinning propellor, representing his business Amik Aviation; Gonsalves’ was a kettlebell with a handle of antlers for his personal training business, Purposeful Movements.

Owen’s speech tracked his journey from young dreamer to an accomplished pilot and business owner.

Originally from Paunigassi, he arrived at the St. Andrews airport in March 1978 to obtain a pilot’s license with $1300 to his name.

“I asked how much for a license, and the guy, the owner, said $1300. I went, ‘how do you know I have $1300?’” he said to a big laugh at the reception.

Despite money trouble when he was training for his license, and dealing with systemic racism as he attempted to start Amik Aviation, Oliver still has his humor and some impressive statistics to his name. He has logged 25,000 flying hours over 43 years, and Amik Aviation, which started with Owen and a single plane, now has nine planes and 42 employees.

Gonsalves, himself a former IBEP student at the Asper School, shared how he transformed himself through exercise, and found a calling in how he could guide people to do the same.

“There’s so much noise about the way you’re supposed to live your life and our whole focus is to help people understand how you can [live healthy] long term and sustainably.” He said.

Purposeful Movements has grown impressively since 2020, transforming from one-on-one personal training to a multifaceted business offering group classes, nutrition coaching and more.

Beyond physical exercise, Gonsalves also encourages his participants to be mindful and mentally strong. To cap off his speech, Gonsalves led the room in a breathing exercise, encouraging attendees to find peace between four second inhales and exhales.

Cody Gonsalves and E. Oliver Owen

Giving Back to the Community

100% of proceeds from the VIBE awards go to IBEP students through scholarships, bursaries, academic supports, and more.

Under the leadership of IBEP Director Riley Proulx [BComm(Hons)/19], there are currently 76 students enrolled with IBEP, the most there’s ever been at any one time.

“It’s clear that the Manitoba business community wants to see me succeed,” Gabe Perrie said about VIBE’s record-breaking attendance. “The VIBE awards give Indigenous students more opportunities and avenues to succeed as they complete their BComm degree.”

Perrie came away from VIBE feeling inspired and ready for what comes next: “I’m excited to make my impact and leave a legacy like they have.”
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For 31 years, Indigenous Business Education Partners at the Asper School of Business has offered a welcoming community to First Nations, Metis and Inuit students exploring leadership potential in the world of business. IBEP members can receive tutoring, mentoring, financial aid and more. Learn more.

An expert in human resource management and organizational behaviour, Rubin’s work focused on employment equity. The more she learned about Manitoba’s Indigenous communities, the more she saw gaps in the educational landscape. “There’s an access problem here, I realized,” she recalls in conversation.

Rubin, in collaboration with Jonas Sammons, began to design a program that would support Indigenous students pursuing business across three key areas: academic, financial, and social. In 1993, funding for the program was approved, and the next year the Aboriginal Business Education Program (ABEP) launched, marking the beginning of a thirty-year history that would lead to the Indigenous Business Education Partners (IBEP) of today.

On May 8, 2025, eight IBEP students celebrated their graduation from the Asper Bachelor of Commerce program. John Lodge graduates this year with a double major in finance and marketing and will begin studying Indigenous law at the University of Alberta this fall.

In the weeks before the IBEP graduation ceremony, Lodge connected with Rubin to learn more about the beginnings of the program from which he graduates this year.

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JOHN LODGE:

In your own words, could you share the story of that initial funding proposal for ABEP?

BETH RUBIN:

When I arrived at UM, I was told that there had been five Indigenous students in the history of the Faculty of Management, five in a city that was at the time over 10% Indigenous.

There was a push from the business community to hire Indigenous graduates. I brought this to the Dean, William Mackness along with an idea for an access program. He supported this idea and connected me with a member of The Associates, Jonas Sammons.

Jonas and I worked together for two years designing the program.

Once we secured funding, Wanda Wuttunee was brought on as the first program director, and Roxane Shuttleworth came on the first program coordinator. At that point, I stepped back, advised where I could, interfaced with faculty, but Wanda and Roxane were the experts—they took it from there.

If you think of it as a giant bonfire, I wasn’t the kindling, but I was the first light to get it going, and then I watched it grow.

JOHN LODGE:

When you were designing the program, what did you envision for ABEP?

BETH RUBIN:

Our long-term vision at that point was really addressing the issue of access and support. To my knowledge, there were no Indigenous students in the Faculty of Management.

We focused on access—cranking open a door that was shut, and we used this program as a lever to push it open and help pull people though the gap.

I never imagined that it would change so much in thirty years, that the program would move from helping people get in the door to helping them succeed once they are inside. That door is open much wider now, but people still need help getting through and succeeding once they’re on the other side.

JOHN LODGE:

That’s right. And that doorway can always be widened further, right? As I saw through my experience as an IBEP student, a lot of the value comes once you get into the program.

BETH RUBIN:

Exactly.

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Rubin left academia briefly, moving into for-profit education and the emerging boom of internet-based learning. She moved back into academic as Director of Online Learning at DePaul University, designing courses for students who needed more flexibility than traditional universities could offer.

Before her retirement, Rubin served as the Dean of Adult and Online Education at Campbell University in North Carolina, where she led the development of bachelor’s programs for incarcerated men and women.

“I have been so lucky that in my first job and in my last real job, the people above me supported me to build programs that make the world better,” she says.

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JOHN LODGE:

How did your involvement in IBEP’s beginning influence your career path?

BETH RUBIN:

Well, it let me know that it’s possible to build programs—to give access and make the world a better place. To open the door.

I’m going to jump ahead a bit, but coming to the IBEP 30^th anniversary celebration, I felt a closure of the circle—with IBEP, I played a role by co-designing the program and handing it off for implementation, and at Campbell, I was handed a program to implement.

These programs are the best things I have produced in my academic career.

I’ve produced 30 or so academic papers or publications. I’ve done a gazillion workshops. I’ve taught thousands of students, but designing that program is the work of which I am most proud.

JOHN LODGE:

Speaking of the IBEP 30^th celebration, tell me a bit more about your experience reconnecting at that event.

BETH RUBIN:

It was pure joy. It gave me so much joy, I cannot tell you… It was the high point of my year, without a doubt.

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JOHN LODGE:

What advice would you offer to student leaders who are inspired to get something off the ground or spearhead a new initiative like what you did with IBEP?

BETH RUBIN:

First, do your research. You have a great idea, that’s good—find out if anybody else has dealt with these issues. Be respectful, do the work, but don’t reinvent the wheel.

If you can find a caring and supportive collaborator you can work with, that’s a wonderful thing.

Finally, reach out to people informally—build a community of support, talk about what needs to be done, and have one-on-ones to build the relationships.

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Lodge reflects on how his tenure a President of the student group University of Manitoba Indigenous Commerce Students (UMICS) followed these steps. This year alone, the group hosted its first case competition and study trip this year alone. Rubin points out that he already had the answer to his last question. “That’s why you’re a leader,” she says.

He pauses.

“It’s a moment of realization, though. Because while it’s all happening, while you’re balancing four classes and all the new initiatives, you don’t recognize that you’re becoming a leader. But looking back on it now, and having that validation from your experience, it really proves to be true,” he says.

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As Lodge attends graduation dinners and convocation this June and Rubin looks back on her career from the vantage point of retirement, they connect over the moments where it all came together, the program that influenced their journeys—IBEP, where change was possible, and where inspiration comes full circle.

Now in its 10th year, AACSB’s Influential Leaders member spotlight program highlights the value that business schools bring to business and society. All honorees from this year’s class have a degree from one of AACSB’s more than 1,000 accredited business schools worldwide.

Leaders in the 2025 class have used their entrepreneurial skills to not only realize their business dreams but foster economic growth in their communities, generate new value for existing organizations, and leverage innovative thinking to solve societal challenges.

“Kathleen is an incredible entrepreneur and visionary leader transforming the social and economic landscape here in Manitoba. As an alum, she has displayed generosity in her contributions to our students, speaking about MBA info sessions and supporting experiential learning here at Asper. This is a well-deserved honour, and we are proud to congratulate Kathleen,” said Bruno Silvestre, Dean of the Asper School of Business.

BlueSky is currently CEO at Treaty One Development Corporation, the organization leading the development of Naawi-Oodena, the largest urban reserve in Canada. She has worked with First Nations her entire career, serving in high-level positions at the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and Nisichawayashik Cree Nation. Today, in addition to her role at Treaty One Development Corporation, she is CEO of her own practice, Seven Feathers Consulting, and co-founder of Wiijii’idiwag Ikwewag, a First Nations birthing support service.

“Kathleen BlueSky’s work demonstrates how business schools can fuel solution-minded leaders to create new business ventures and solve complex challenges,” said Lily Bi, AACSB president and CEO. “Through entrepreneurial approaches and visionary thinking, Kathleen BlueSky is creating meaningful change in the world.”

Learn about the unique stories of each honoree at AACSB’s Influential Leaders page, and read more about Kathleen BlueSky’s MBA experience and entrepreneurial journey.

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The Asper School of Business has proudly been accredited by AACSB since 1999, the second-ever Canadian business school to earn this significant recognition.

AACSB International (AACSB) is the world’s largest business education association, connecting business schools, business, and lifelong learners to create the next generation of great leaders. With members in over 100 countries and territories, AACSB elevates the quality and impact of business schools globally.

“To me what speaks volumes about these two recipients is how they stepped up to the plate when they saw a need in their communities,” said Riley Proulx, director of Indigenous Business Education Partners, the department at the University of Manitoba that presents the awards.

Vincent, who grew up in the Métis community of St. Laurent, started his company in 2007, after recognizing the need for representational design.

Today, his branding and marketing firm employs close to 40 people. The company focuses on promoting Indigenous communities, organizations and companies.

To read the entire story, please visit the link here with the Winnipeg Free Press.

The faculty of management had secured a year of funding for a project to support Indigenous students coming into the business school. Mackness and Gray wanted Wuttunee to lead it.

Wuttunee, who had been working in the emerging field of Indigenous economic development, was a faculty member in the department of Native studies at UM (today, called the department of Indigenous studies), and immediately saw the value and the boldness of the idea.

Doing what hadn’t been done

“A business education is lovely to have no matter what your career is. It was really cool that I could have this opportunity to support students in considering business, which can bring so many career opportunities and directions,” says Wuttunee.

“But the fact that Dr. Mackness and Dr. Grey had that vision back then was amazing to me, because it just wasn’t something that was being done.”

Wuttunee refers here not just to the concept of holistic support for Indigenous students pursuing business, but also to Indigenous economic development broadly. While she cites a small, passionate community of scholars and leaders pursuing this work, the idea that would become Indigenous Business Education Partners (IBEP) was ahead of the curve in the 1990s.

The program, first named Aboriginal Business Education Program (ABEP), launched with Wuttunee at the helm and program coordinator Roxane Shuttleworth managing day-to-day student services.

Moving between various corners of the Drake Centre—open study areas and small offices to the dedicated IBEP student lounge today—a program that predates the naming of the School itself had started in earnest: feting four graduates at its first dedicated graduation ceremony, building connections with faculty members and garnering the support of Manitoba’s business community.

Opening the door wider

While Wuttunee emphasizes that the very fact that the faculty had a program like this was remarkable, she also shares her pride in how they ran and structured the program.

“A personal milestone for me, when I think back on my time as program director, is that there wasn’t a double standard. We opened the door wider, but once students were in, they put in the work and completed their bachelor of commerce with honours,” she says.

“They earned it,” she says, referencing IBEP alumni over the years. “Blood, sweat, and tears like everybody else.”

Wuttunee believed in the value of IBEP and the BComm degree itself, insistent that a support program shouldn’t change the value of the degree but should instead make that value more accessible to those who face barriers.

This approach opened the door wider for students and the School, as the program then took on the name Aboriginal Business Education Partners, emphasizing the connections it was creating between students, academics, and faculties at UM.

The program partnered with the Engineering Access Program (ENGAP) to support students with the pre-management math requirements, a connection that is going strong today.

“When we went from Aboriginal Business Education Program to Partners, it really captured a wonderful dynamic for students and for me as director. More faculty members stepped up and asked how they could get involved,” she says.

Pounding the pavement

In 2004, ten years into the program’s run, funding started to dry up, barely covering staff salaries at the time. Wuttunee knew that to keep the program going, they would need to tap into the support of the business community.

Thus came the Excellence in Aboriginal Business Leadership Awards (EABLA), an event that would honour incredible business entrepreneurs while raising funds to support programming, which had by that point expanded to include dedicated scholarships.

Two decades later, the Visionary Indigenous Business Excellence (VIBE) Awards ceremony is still IBEP’s most important annual fundraising event. Funds from the event come from corporate sponsors, who first got on board thanks to Wuttunee’s conviction that organizations would benefit from supporting the program.

“The corporate sponsorships came from me going out and pounding the pavement, selling our program—people got it. These organizations could see the market and its potential, and I could explain how investing in the success of Indigenous students—graduates who might come work for them one day—made a lot of sense.

“They were investing not in future employees—accountants, marketers, auditors—but in the possibility of Indigenous students seeing business as a career,” she says.

Investing in possibility

For Wuttunee–whose career is marked with more firsts and milestones than many, including being named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in 2011 by Women’s Executive Network–being part of a program that has encouraged nearly 200 Indigenous students to see business as a potential career path stands out among her many achievements.

“When I look at lists of our graduates and where they have ended up, it is so awesome. There are alumni in careers that have impacted the corporate world and their own communities. There are role models, incredible journeys and great stories,” she says.

“That is amazing to me because many of these alumni started as students who didn’t see business as an opportunity, but here they are today, contributing something wonderful.”

Today IBEP alumni and students lead in sectors across the province.

MBA alum Kathleen BlueSky currently serves as CEO of Treaty One Development Corporation; BComm alum Fabian Sanderson is CEO of First Peoples Economic Growth Fund; BComm alum Ashley Richard was recently appointed as director of Indigenous Entrepreneurship at United College (University of Waterloo); and BComm student Matthew Carriere balances studies with his role on the board of directors of the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce.

Doing what hasn’t been done yet

Wuttunee served as director of IBEP for 20 years, stepping back from the role in 2014 before beginning a well-earned retirement from UM in 2021.  

“It was not an easy walk, but with my faith to see me through, it was a most gratifying part of my career,” she says.

“After 20 years, it was not a hard decision to lay down those responsibilities because the program was solid, my staff had a strong vision, and I knew that I was not irreplaceable.”

Peter Pomart [MBA/18] took over as the next director, starting a curious, but not entirely surprising, tradition of Asper School of Business and IBEP alumni returning to the program that served them, with Zach Unrau [BComm(Hons)17] and Riley Proulx [BComm(Hons)/19] each serving as director since.

Reflecting on IBEP’s 30^th anniversary, Wuttunee returns to what made that first meeting, that original funding proposal, so remarkable.

“The anniversary is a chance to celebrate that original vision and approach of simply trying something and seeing what might happen. It’s a celebration of the trailblazing that the Asper School of Business did with this. It’s an opportunity to understand the incredible role that the School played—because IBEP could have faded away; it could have died, and we wouldn’t be celebrating.

“It needed everyone to come together, key players along the way who saw that value and were bold in their support. I hope that part of IBEP’s legacy going forward can continue to be thinking beyond the status quo.”

IBEP began with people who dared to think beyond the status quo. It was sustained by the dedication of passionate individuals who saw the value, and knew how to show the value, of investing in the success of Indigenous students. It has created connections, community and impact that extend far beyond classrooms and degrees.

Wanda Wuttunee may not have been irreplaceable as director, but the story of IBEP would not be what it is without her.

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For 30 years, Indigenous Business Education Partners at the Asper School of Business has offered a welcoming community to First Nations, Metis and Inuit students exploring leadership potential in the world of business. IBEP members can receive tutoring, mentoring, financial aid and more. Learn more.

Instructor and newly appointed director of Indigenous business relations, Katherine Davis [MBA/20] has spent the last 10 years working in cross-cultural settings building relationships with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities. She is the first Métis faculty member at the Asper School of Business as well as an alum of the Asper MBA and President’s Student Leadership Program.

Davis was appointed director of Indigenous business relations at the Asper School of Business effective July 1, 2024.

Her journey into teaching and leadership began with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action.

What drew you to this instructor role at the Asper School of Business?

“When the TRC Calls to Action were published in 2015, I really felt that drive to act and pursue a career where I could advance Reconciliation—work that would go far beyond my lifetime.

“I began to think about the skills I would need to work with organizations and make change, which is what led to me pursuing the Asper MBA. I came out of that seeing that there were faculty members and students who cared deeply about the same things I did and finding community through IBEP and other leaders in the MBA program.

“I have worked with IBEP at the Asper School of Business, in change management and in consulting to advance Truth & Reconciliation. During one of my consulting contracts, I completed a scan of educational programming across Canada and saw that there was a lack of depth in education about Indigenous matters, especially in business.

“I realized that I needed to teach in order to create the next level of awareness. I felt I could really make an impact through teaching.”

In 2023, as part of the new BComm curriculum, Davis designed and launched a core course on Indigenous peoples and Canadian business that will continue into the next academic year. She hopes that by providing more engaged education on Indigenous business relations, Asper students can graduate ready to ask more in-depth questions about pressing issues no matter where they work.

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How did you approach this course? How do you see your role as an educator?

“It has been amazing to create something so interdisciplinary in nature. Designing the course allowed me to be creative while also listening to many people in community.

“As an educator, I really believe that my role is to get people to start understanding who they are in relationship to the thing that they’re learning about. I love seeing that moment when the light bulb turns on and they start to ask more complex questions. There are many questions that still aren’t being asked, and until they are, we won’t get better answers.”

Davis is excited to see how the course will evolve as more faculty members and students get involved, planning new and challenging ways to situate students’ learning in their experience—from guest discussions and living libraries, to consensus building exercises and a celebratory feast.

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What do you hope to achieve as Asper’s first director of Indigenous business relations?

“Like IDM 2010, there are guidelines as well as space to make the role my own. I am excited to work collaboratively to create a vision for Indigenous business relations here at Asper and start to initiate a Reconciliation action plan for the School.

“Immediately, when this role was offered, I wanted to say yes. I see so much openness and receptiveness within the School to move forward with these initiatives; there’s a will to do our part to move this forward.”

Davis’ journey to this role began with a similar will, a willingness, to listen and take meaningful action toward Truth & Reconciliation. Her response involved seeking opportunities to learn, embracing change and always staying true to herself to align her actions with her values.

In the classroom, she is not interested in teaching students exactly how they should do their part. Instead, she invests time and effort into creating a space where they can voice, develop and find their own responses, uncovering their own journey to action.

As she puts it,

“My goal is to get students to see themselves as a subject in their journey towards Truth & Reconciliation in business.”

A reunion of sorts—though many of Perrin’s former IBEP classmates are still her closest friends—the IBEP 30^th is an opportunity for Perrin to make new connections, celebrate an incredible legacy and return to a space of community, warmth and welcome.

IBEP provides services to all First Nations, Métis and Inuit students who want to pursue a business degree at Asper, offering tutoring, access to bursaries and scholarships, and networking opportunities. IBEP also provides a welcoming community for students as they explore their leadership potential in the world of business.

Perrin, a BComm alum and current MBA student at the Asper School of Business, reflects on her first IBEP connections and an earlier invitation.

Perrin connected with IBEP when she was admitted to the BComm and was put in touch with then-program-director Peter Pomart [MBA/18].

“He was so enthusiastic and supportive. He said, ‘we just want you to come out to one of our events and get a feel for the community yourself.’ I’m glad I had that push because I don’t think I would have sought it out on my own,” says Perrin.

Perrin, who is a Métis Citizen, explains that she needed that push because she was still navigating what it meant to be part of a community like IBEP.

“I was only beginning to understand what indigeneity meant to me and what it meant to be Métis. I found that IBEP and UMICS [University of Manitoba Indigenous Commerce Students] were safe spaces to explore that while interacting with other Indigenous students at Asper and UM,” she says.

“I went to an event, and I was surprised by how welcoming and inclusive the space was. From there, I kept getting out there and getting involved.”

Perrin served on the executive council for the student group UMICS and led the planning of the 2020 Future of Indigenous Business Banquet, an annual student-run event—all while completing co-op work terms at Coca-Cola, Conviron and RBC and an international exchange study term at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management in Croatia.

Today, Perrin is a general manager of Métis economic and community development at the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), in a role where she leads a team of eight Métis economic community development officers advancing economic interests across the Red River Métis Homeland.

“We also work to support and promote Red River Métis business owners and entrepreneurs, which is amazing and incredibly fulfilling work,” she says.

Perrin cares deeply about the impact of this role, noting how economic development efforts must work in harmony with community development, the protection of Indigenous rights holders in Canada, and environmental stewardship. In pursuing her MBA at the Stu Clark Graduate School, she applies leadership education to this work every day.

“The skills that I’m learning through the MBA program are directly benefiting my career, making me a more competent people manager and a more confident leader,” she says.

She notes that the MBA wasn’t always part of her plan, recalling Asper and IBEP community members hinting that she would be a good fit—that she’d find herself back at Asper somehow.

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Perrin RSVPs to the IBEP 30^th excited to see old friends of course, but as she thinks about the invitations and encouragement she had on her own journey, she discovers another reason to attend.

“During my BComm, it was clear how so many professionals saw the value that IBEP brings to the Manitoba business community, and they would donate their time, stay connected and offer mentorship. I hope when I finish my MBA and as I become more established in my career that I can be that person for somebody,” she says.

“Because I know that’s been done for me so many times, and those moments were pivotal in me taking the next step—joining the MBA program, believing in myself enough to leave my first post-graduation role for something new—it’s been so important for me.”

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The 30th anniversary celebration is not IBEP’s only major event this year. IBEP also hosts the Visionary Indigenous Business Excellence (VIBE) Awards each year, its largest fundraising event, generating support to serve Indigenous business students at the Asper School of Business. Sponsorship opportunities are now open for the 2024 VIBE Awards. Learn more about the annual event and how your organization can support this initiative here.

Investing in student success

Asper alum Nicole MacIntosh [BComm(Hons)/23] recounts the people, centres and services that gave her the tools she needed to succeed. Her story reveals how investing in student success involves resources, workshops, tutoring, funding opportunities and the like. But often the first step is creating communities where students know that there are other people who see their potential and their struggles and truly care about their success.

Read more here about MacIntosh’s journey to graduation, how she navigated an ADHD diagnosis and the supports at Asper and beyond that empowered her to succeed.

MBA alum leads with bravery, vulnerability and truth

Named CEO of Treaty One Development Corporation this May, Kathleen BlueSky [MBA/15] has always been driven by a desire to uplift Indigenous people and create more sustainable, just systems in her community.

She shares how business and entrepreneurship have been impactful in both her career and identity journey. “As a First Nations woman, working with my community has always been my drive. It has been my goal, focus and vision to empower self-determination at every level. Business is the best place to do that, to reinforce a solid foundation of independence, self-worth, and spirit.

“Entrepreneurship is about believing in yourself, believing in your value, 100%,” she said.

Read more here about how BlueSky creates the groundwork for change, facilitates the creation of more just systems and effective leaders, challenges beliefs carried across generations and makes space for a new narrative of worthiness, reclamation and collective energy.

Building Métis community through inclusion and identity

For Asper student Matthew Carriere, inclusivity recognizes that every individual—every generation—has wisdom to offer.

Whether he is heeding advice from his grandparents (encouraging him to go with his gut and pursue business) or engaging with the next generation of Indigenous business and Métis leaders, Carriere works to create spaces that value experience at every level—what he refers to as a “ladder of wisdom.”

“Everyone has their own story,” he explains. “Everyone is a visionary. Share your life experience and what you’ve seen of the world and seek that out in others. That exchange, that’s your leverage.”

Read more here about how Carriere is working to support Métis youth communities and what’s next in his Asper journey.

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This National Indigenous Peoples Day, IBEP and the Asper School of Business are proud to share these stories. With nearly 200 alumni and approaching 30 years of serving First Nations, Inuit and Métis students at the Asper School of Business, IBEP has far more stories than can be captured in this short compilation. 

Learn more about how you can support student success—through mentoring, lunch-and-learns and career exploration—at the Asper School of Business by connecting with IBEP here.

“But that was where we wanted to be. We wanted to be together.”

The Indigenous Business Education Partners (IBEP) lounge, which has since moved to a larger, more suitable space, was a meeting place for Richard, and the ecosystem that IBEP created for Indigenous business students has grown beyond a cramped, if not cozy, office.

“IBEP created a space for friendships that last even today,” she says.

Richard, who is now Lead of Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH), Indigenous, can recall many connections that began at Asper through IBEP, made with people that she still actively works or keeps in touch with.

As an Asper student, she developed a keen understanding of the value of sustaining community and of creating space for more Indigenous leaders and innovators.

“That was the vision I had from day one: I wanted that closeness to continue. For instance, I knew it was important to keep [UM Indigenous Commerce Students] alive when I graduated, and I wanted to find people earlier in their BComm who had that same passion.”

Richard’s vision for WEKH is not unlike this approach—her focus is never solely on her own success, but on creating that space and those opportunities for other Indigenous women entrepreneurs.

“WEKH is centered around building relationships and an inclusive innovation ecosystem for women entrepreneurs across the country. I work to share information, build connections and establish understanding between the various organizations that support Indigenous women entrepreneurs,” she says.

“These ecosystems need to offer support while ensuring Indigenous women have full control over what they are creating. It’s not just about providing pockets of funding specifically for Indigenous communities; it’s about creating that space for passion, innovation, connection and allyship.”

Asper is home to the Manitoba Hub and the National Indigenous Hub of WEKH, a Canadian network and platform for sharing research, resources and leading strategies for women entrepreneurs. Richard leads the National Indigenous Hub, while Director of the Burns Leadership Institute Suzanne Gagnon and Director of the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship Debra Jonasson-Young lead the provincial chapter.

For Richard, the aim of WEKH is not just to support individual entrepreneurs, but to create spaces for more Indigenous women to succeed in entrepreneurship by providing community and opportunities for connection.

“We have put a lot into building these relationships within the network, where now amazing things can happen without me or WEKH itself planning events. We’ve been able to focus more on supporting the events and resources that members of our network plan rather than running everything directly from WEKH.”

WEKH has built this ecosystem across a vast national network, with opportunities to connect in-person, but with an intentional focus on sustaining relationships across the country.

Where connection lives

Richard understands that her role is not just to create connections, but to create a space where connections can grow and flourish in unexpected ways, to create a reliable touchpoint for establishing and revitalizing professional relationships, to be attuned to the echoes of past or intergenerational connections.

She values reconnecting just as much, reaching out to her old teachers who saw her as more than a problem student, telling them how much their connection—however brief—impacted her story. She recalls a young woman and public speaker doing the same to her. While she values knowing about this impact and informing her own mentors about their influence, she is careful not to make that acknowledgement the reason for her work.

“Be a positive part of other people’s lives as best you can, but don’t do it for the promise of credit down the line. Do it because you want to and accept that you may never find out whose life you affected. There will be signs along the way that you’re on the right path.”

At WEKH, the signs are a robust network of women entrepreneurs empowered to create and connect, guided by Asper leaders and innovators.

At IBEP, the signs include a community of 182 alumni (whose time in the program created lifelong friendships), a lasting potential for new connections and a 30-year legacy of supporting Indigenous business students in their pursuit of leadership, innovation and impact.

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In the upcoming year, WEKH Indigenous is looking forward to partnering with both Indigenomics and the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association on two events that will create opportunities for Indigenous women entrepreneurs to thrive. Learn more here.