Matthew Thornhill, a 2021 McGill-HEC Montréal EMBA alumnus has recently been appointed to Director, Financial Planning & Analysis at Merck.

«Le programme EMBA regroupe des candidats chevronnés venant de milieux différents. Nous recherchons des individus aux profils différents, mais complémentaires, comme celui de Matthew. Tous et toutes sont des gestionnaires expérimentés ayant des parcours distinctifs, contribuant ainsi à la richesse du programme,» explique M. Michel Filion, directeur du recrutement de l’EMBA McGill-HEC Montréal.

Interview – Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, the EMBA McGill-HEC Montreal spotlights just some of our brightest black alumni. They share their thoughts, inspiring journeys and what Black History Month means to them.

  • WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT?

For quite some time now, my personal mission statement has been to: Maximize my time doing what I love to do, while building relationships with great people, constantly learning, and evolving into a person who positively contributes to society.

  • WHAT MAKES THIS STATEMENT SO IMPORTANT TO YOU?

I believe that for us to progress as a society, we all have a part to play. To challenge the status quo, we need to evolve outside our comfort zone. Above all, I want to do my part to ensure my kids have more opportunities than me and are better off than I am.

 

  • WHAT SORT OF OBSTACLES HAVE YOU FACED?

Like many minorities I have faced my fair share of micro aggressions and bias over the years. The greater challenge I have faced is often being the only person of colour in the room – in school and at work. To that point I have felt a certain level pressure to do well and not reinforce any negative biases.

 

  • WHAT DOES BLACK HISTORY MONTH MEAN TO YOU?

Black history month is an important time to reflect on the past and how we got here. It is also a time to learn and continue to break down barriers when it comes to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Finally, I think Black history month serves as a platform (especially with social media), to show the younger Black generation the fantastic success stories and great contributions we have made to society.