The program is proud to announce that James Bérubé is one of the two 2022 recipients of the 50 000$ EMBA Scholarship for Managers of Indigenous Origin.
James Bérubé, from the Naskapi nation, is the Acting General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc., a role he took on in January 2022. Tshiuetin is the first railroad in North America to be owned and operated by a group of First Nations. To ensure the long-term economic and social development of their communities, the First Nations of Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam, Matimekush-Lac John and Kawawachikamach created Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc, to operate a railway service between Emeril Junction in Labrador and the Town of Schefferville in Quebec.
While still learning the ins and outs of his new role, James, who has worked for Tshiuetin Rail Transportation since 2008 in a variety of roles both in the field and in operations, decided to embark on the EMBA adventure:
“I am in need of strengthening my strategic skills, to gain further confidence in business practices, which in turn will help me lead the company I am now responsible for into the future. I continue to strive for constant improvement in collaboration with my management team.”
James is a family man, proud father of two children and he will travel from Maliotenam in Northern Quebec to Montreal to attend his EMBA classes each month.
“I reside in the Innu community of Maliotenam situated 15 kms from Sept-Îles. I have been living there with my family for the past 20 years. I travel regularly to Schefferville for work reasons because a large part of Tshiuetin’s operations are located there. This also gives me the chance to visit my family and community on a regular basis, and, most importantly, it helps me in connecting and integrating with our employees in Schefferville who are key to our operations.
Through the program, James will be able to develop the tools essential for his professional development as a leader; he also looks forward to sharing his professional and personal experience with others in the program. His classmates will be able to count on a passionate and determined teammate:
“I have always been eager to learn and understand others and their ways of thinking and coming to solutions. I have always been a team player and believe that important decisions and strategies moving forward must be made together as a team in order to come to the right decision.”