Ivey Lives Remembered
Bill Moffatt, MBA ’79
1954-2025
By Lisa Coxon
What most people would meet with fear or despair, Bill Moffatt met with bravery, realism, and an unfailing sense of humour.
When Moffatt was diagnosed with ALS in 2022, “he approached it like a work problem he was going to solve,” says his wife, Gail. For weeks, he studied the neurodegenerative disease to better understand the path he was on and research potential solutions. “When he accepted it wasn’t something he could overcome with hard work, he spent as much time connecting with as many people as he could.”
A small-town Nova Scotian, Moffatt earned his Bachelor of Science from Mount Allison University in 1976 and his MBA from Ivey in 1979. He built a distinguished career in investment management, forging meaningful relationships with clients. Moffatt was driven, detailed, and analytical, and deeply passionate about helping others be better, whether on the golf course, in business, or in life. He regularly shared his favourite books and articles about self-discipline and personal development with friends and family; his daughter, Rachel, has an entire digital file dedicated to his many recommendations.
“He was an educator,” says Gail. “He always felt this need to help people succeed in what they were doing” — even when what they were doing was establishing an award in his honour.
In 2024, Moffatt’s dear friends Peter Coughlin, MBA ’79, and Elizabeth Paulette-Coughlin spearheaded the creation of the Bill Moffatt Award to honour his courageous battle with ALS. The admissions award, made possible by generous gifts from many of Moffatt’s friends, supports a full-time MBA student based on academic achievement and financial need, with priority given to candidates from the Maritimes.
When Moffatt learned about the award, he was gob smacked. And in true fashion, he wanted to help. For months, he mined his network for support. “I would hear him on the phone all the time,” says Gail. “He didn’t leave a stone unturned. He really wanted to pass this legacy on to future generations.” Efforts were a massive success, raising nearly $1 million, which generates an annual award of $26,000. For Moffatt, the award was both a tribute and a lifeline. “Once he knew about it,” says Gail, “it gave him a renewed sense of purpose.”
Christina Dean, MBA ’26 candidate and inaugural recipient of the Bill Moffatt Award, first met Moffatt in April 2025. He quickly became a mentor and friend, joining Dean for bi-weekly Zoom calls and connecting her with his friends. “Bill rarely spoke about himself,” says Dean. “And he never asked about my resumé or grades. He wanted to know who I was, where I came from, and what mattered to me. He taught me a lot about how to make someone feel seen.”
Moffatt passed away in October 2025, at the age of 71. His values of resiliency and generosity live on through his wife and three children, and the community of friends, neighbours, and clients that supported him and his family. “We did not fight this alone,” says Gail. “Those connections carried us. And Bill was immensely grateful to everyone who lifted him up.”
And for Moffatt, connections were paramount. “Bill taught me that success isn't only about what you achieve,” says Dean, “but how you treat people along the way.”