Event Details
Interview format discussion with Christine Magee and Q&A: 8-9:30 a.m.
Location: Ivey's ING DIRECT Leadership Centre (King & York St.), Toronto
Tickets: $30, $25 alumni rate, $20 student rate
*Sponsored by National Bank Financial Markets
Registration is closed because the event has passed.
Christine Magee is more than just the head of Sleep Country Canada, she is also the face of the brand she launched in 1994 with her business partners, Stephen Gunn and Gordon Lownds. One of Canada’s most successful female entrepreneurs, she helped grow the company from four stores in British Columbia to the market’s dominant retailer with more than 246 stores in 17 regions today. Discover the secret of her success and how she set Sleep Country Canada apart from the competition by taking an unconventional approach to merchandising, advertising and customer service and experience. This interactive interview-format discussion, moderated by Eric Morse, will cover how to take a bright new entrepreneurial idea to a whole new level of success.
REGISTRATION CLOSED
Topics You Will Explore
- What are the challenges for today’s entrepreneurs? Are they different for female entrepreneurs?;
- How to build a brand that sets your company apart;
- Coping with economic changes and creating a sustainable business model.
About the Speaker
Christine Magee, HBA '82, is the president and co-founder of Sleep Country Canada, the largest retailer of mattresses in Canada, providing service from more than 246 corporate-owned stores in 17 regional markets. Among her entrepreneurial awards, Magee was named the Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year, Retail/Wholesale, by the Financial Post in 1998 and Consumers Choice Toronto Business Woman of the Year in 1999. She was also recognized as one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 and by WXN as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards in 2007 in the Professional Category and in 2010 and 2011 in the Corporate Executives Category. She is heavily involved in community work and served as a Cabinet Member for the United Way of Greater Toronto in 2001 and 2002. She is also a member of the Advisory Council for Ivey Business School at Western University. Prior to co-founding Sleep Country Canada, she spent 12 years in the banking industry with National Bank of Canada.
About the Moderator
A former engineer and business professional, Eric Morse began his career at Ivey in 2002 with the task of raising the Ivey brand through entrepreneurship. While previously serving as executive director of the Pierre L. Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship, Morse founded Ivey and KPMG Enterprise’s QuantumShift™ for Entrepreneurs, a highly successful program that is devoted to helping entrepreneurs maximize their performance and take their companies to the next level. Morse has also served on the board, been an advisor to, founded, or been an investor in a variety of entrepreneurial start-ups and actively consults with both private and government enterprises. His research focuses on entrepreneurial cognition, entrepreneurial strategy, and family business.