As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms how organizations operate, leaders make decisions, and work gets done, Ivey is leading with an innovative step to deepen its engagement with the field in operations, learning, and thought leadership with an AI Fellows Program.
This new AI Fellows Program brings prominent leaders in AI from organizations including Google, Cohere, Radical Ventures, and Boston Consulting Group together to help shape how the School prepares leaders for an AI-enabled world.
The program connects experienced practitioners, most of them Ivey graduates, with the Ivey community to help ensure the School’s teaching, research, and operations reflect the growing use of AI across industries.
Connecting AI leaders with the Ivey community
Serving in an advisory role, AI Fellows will share their real-world experience and insights to ensure that Ivey’s learning and thinking remain grounded in how AI is being applied across industries and organizations. AI Fellows will engage with faculty, students, staff, and School leadership through guest lectures, panel discussions, classroom engagement, research collaborations, and the development of new cases and teaching materials.
“Artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape of business and leadership at an extraordinary pace,” said Ivey Dean Julian Birkinshaw. “By bringing leaders working at the forefront of AI into our classrooms and research community, we can ensure that Ivey continues to link research to practice, demonstrate excellence in operations, and prepare our students to lead in a world where AI will be deeply embedded in how organizations operate.”
Through the AI Fellows Program, Ivey will continue to expand conversations about how AI is transforming strategy, decision-making, and organizational leadership. These relationships will help shape new teaching materials, research collaborations, and learning opportunities that ensure the School remains at the forefront of preparing leaders for an AI-enabled world.
The program reflects Ivey’s commitment to experiential learning and connecting academic insight with real-world practice. By working with practitioners shaping how AI is deployed in organizations, the School aims to strengthen its ability to prepare future leaders with the judgment and perspective needed to navigate an increasingly complex technological landscape.
Bringing real-world AI expertise into the classroom
“AI is reshaping every sector of the economy, and the leaders who thrive will be those who understand both its possibilities and its implications. Programs like this create an important bridge between the people building these technologies and the leaders who will use them to shape the future of business,” said Salim Teja, HBA ’96, Partner, Radical Venture and Ivey AI Fellow.
Meet Ivey’s Inaugural AI Fellows
The Ivey AI Fellows cohort includes leaders from technology companies, venture capital firms, financial institutions, and consulting organizations:
- Paul Atkinson, HBA ’86 – Managing Director, ClimateIC;
- Janet Bannister, HBA ’92 – Founder and Managing Partner, Staircase Ventures;
- Niraj Bhargava, MBA ’91 – CEO, NuEnergy.ai;
- Neil Bunn – Director, Client Engineering, Google Cloud;
- Anuj Chandarana, HBA ’03, MBA ’08 – Head of HR, Google Canada;
- Fab Dolan, HBA ’08 – Founder and CEO, 99 Ravens AI;
- Candice Faktor, HBA ’00 – Co-CEO, Disco;
- Melissa Hartwick, HBA ’14 – Principal, Boston Consulting Group;
- Alyza Keshavjee, HBA ’06 – Head of Consumer Goods, Food & Beverage, Google;
- Neha Khera, MBA ’11 – Managing Partner, IRV Fund, Innovobot;
- Michael Pelosi – Country Manager, Canada, Cohere;
- Sam Ramadori, MBA ’09 – Co-President and Executive Director, LawZero
- Karthik Ramakrishnan, MBA ’09 – Founder and CEO, Armilla AI;
- Dev Saxena, HBA ’10 – Policy & Partnerships, Global Affairs, OpenAI;
- Salim Teja, HBA ’96 – Partner, Radical Ventures; and,
- Jaime Tatis, EMBA ’20 – EVP and Chief Data & AI Officer, CIBC.
The AI Fellows Program is part of Ivey’s overall AI strategy, which also includes the recent launch of Cloudforce’s nebulaONE®, providing faculty, staff, and students with secure, community-wide access to a leading enterprise generative AI platform.
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