BUSINESS AWARDS Former Cognos boss Michael Potter to be honoured at BOBs Trailblazing tech CEO named Ottawa’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient BY PETER KOVESSY pkovessy@obj.ca
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ichael Potter has held many titles in his career: Chief executive, Philanthropist of the Year and even Honorary Colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Next month, he’ll be adding one more. Mr. Potter, who led Cognos for two decades and turned it into one of the largest software companies in this city’s history, is the OBJ-Ottawa Chamber of Commerce 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. The award will be officially presented during the Best Ottawa Business Awards (BOBs) gala at the Westin Ottawa on Thursday, Nov. 10.
Mr. Potter told OBJ that he was “completely surprised” at receiving the news and quickly highlighted how there was a large team behind Cognos’ accomplishments. “The most striking and enduring memory of my Cognos years is how broadly the credit for the great success of the company is shared,” Mr. Potter said. “So many of the innovative product ideas and the effective marketing strategies that made Cognos into Canada’s premier software firm bubbled up from rank-and-file employees and not down from the executive suite.” Born in London in 1944, Mr. Potter moved to Canada at the age of seven with his family. He attended the Royal Military College of Canada and later earned a master’s degree from the University of British Columbia.
“The development of Cognos into a billion-dollar enterprise was a 30-year story. During that time, the technology environment for the software sector transitioned through multiple generations ... Very few companies of that era were able to manage such transitions.” – MICHAEL POTTER, OTTAWA’S 2016 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT
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Will robots take your job? Telfer MBA Conference explores how future tech will impact how people work
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2016
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OBJ.CA
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ig data isn’t just something we have to manage, it heralds a profound shift in how we live, work and play. And that’s just the beginning. We can’t talk about big data without putting it in the context of the Internet of Things – adding intelligence to everyday objects with sensors that collect and transmit data over wireless networks. “Big Data and Analytics has been the talk of the town since 2007,” said Dr. Greg Richards, MBA Director, Telfer School of Management. “Much of the focus has been on what we do with that data, how we manage and mine it for business intelligence. But it’s time to look deeper at how it will impact the way humans work and collaborate in the near future.” The University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management will explore this and other future tech topics during the November edition of its MBA Conferences series on Nov. 19. Consider the following: • Customer Analytics that allow a supplier
to ship replacements for a consumable product before you realize you need to order it. Anything from cleaning supplies to k-cups for the staff coffee machine. • Sensors embedded into durable goods like lawnmowers, refrigerators or stoves that allow for the product to be leased with rates determined by usage, instead of purchased outright. This would dramatically change business models for many suppliers. • Personal communication devices that bring an end to employment contracts and introduce markets driven by end-to-end contracts. Dr. Richards will moderate a panel that will discuss how managers must adapt to this brave new world. Panelists include: • Christopher Dziekan, Retired - former VicePresident and Chief Strategy Officer, Hitachi Insight Group. • Eme Onuoha, Vice President, Global Government Affairs (Canada), Xerox Corporation • Warren Tomlin, Chief Innovation Officer, IBM
GREG RICHARDS, DIRECTOR, MBA PROGRAM Register for this free event The Future of Work: Will Robots Take Your Job takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Telfer School, 55 Laurier Ave East, Room DMS 1160. All MBA Conferences are open to students, alumni and the community at large. But space for this free event is limited. To confirm your spot, please RSVP before Nov. 17. To learn more or to register, call 613-562-5800 ext. 4684 or visit www.telfer.uOttawa.ca/mbaconferences