The job shadowing initiative has been a great success so far. I managed to match 3 athletes with 3 different businesses which interested them in order to gain a better understanding of how their studies tied to real world situations.

Groupe Touchette-Real Estate department I connected aspiring 2020 Olympic Judoka Louis Krieber Gagnon with Groupe Touchette, a massive tire manufacturing company which has a real estate department analyzing and planning the leasing and buying of multimillion dollar buildings and warehouses for their inventory. Louis was very happy after his shadowing day and told me the advice and insights he gained from the team there helped solidify his interest in pursuing business focused on investments and real estate. He was motivated to complete a bachelor’s degree.

Louis Krieber is on the left. Kevin Lutfy from Groupe touchette is on the right.

Bell Canada- Marketing Communications department The second job shadow day was at Bell Canada in the marketing communications department. The athlete in question, sprinter Kim Hyacinthe, was interested in that field and had a fantastic day participating in a monthly sales results call and had a full half hour chat with the Vice President of the department. She then got to meet managers and specialists in the entire department for their tips and insights into what their job consists of on a day to day basis. Speaking to the employees and managers directly is a huge advantage for athletes who usually do not have much experience outside their sport world. Kim appreciated the day and confirmed that the conversations and interaction gave her new motivation and direction going forward in her studies.

I am on the left. Andria Campolieto, senior manager in marketing communications from Bell is in the middle. Sprinter Kim Hyacinthe is on the right.

Deloitte- Professional Auditing and Tax Department The third job shadow experience was with fellow Game Plan partner Deloitte. Deloitte was a great help and found a professional CPA Philippe Larocque willing to dedicate a full day guiding Olympian Georcy-Stéphanie Thiffeault Picard through the different aspects of a CPA`s job. She got an incredibly detailed and realistic first hand view of accounting at the highest level, which helped motivate her to pursue her accounting studies further. Another great day in the books! I am very grateful for Deloitte`s willingness to help and I would like to give  a special shout out to Rudy Grow, Game plan representative from Deloitte, for helping coordinate our efforts.