This year鈥檚 Black History Month (BHM) programming, organized by 麻豆传媒网站鈥檚 Equity Team in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic), in partnership with the Desautels Faculty of Management, featured a keynote address by Sabaa Quao.
Quao is the founding president of PlusCo Venture Studio, an innovation spinoff launched from Cossette and the Plus Company marketing agency network. He previously served as chief creative and innovation officer at Cossette, Canada鈥檚 largest integrated marketing and advertising agency. He now advises and supports the growth of seven AI and fintech companies in the venture studio鈥檚 first cohort.
As a creative leader, career entrepreneur and business strategist, Quao has worked on projects and with teams in over a dozen countries. He believes the "innovation" mandate is urgent, not only for companies and business leaders but also for individuals and communities as we all face disruption.
The 30th anniversary of Canada鈥檚 official recognition of Black History Month is a remarkable milestone. It naturally prompts us to reflect on the time that has passed and what has (or has not) been achieved.
鈥淎cross many communities, we鈥檙e seeing clear signals of growing discontent. These signals point to the end of an era, which is ultimately a good thing. The status quo is long overdue for disruption. As a career entrepreneur, strategist and creative lead, disruption is my daily assumption. Disruption is essential to meaningful progress.鈥�
Traditionally, management has been seen as a tool for maintaining order and efficiency. However, in a landscape where the "status quo is long overdue for disruption," the focus has shifted. Quao opined that management education is no longer just about preserving existing structures; it is about developing holistic leaders capable of navigating high-stakes transformation and institutional resilience.
Quao encouraged the audience to imagine discontent not as a threat, but as a space for innovation, calling on those present to envision and implement courageous systemic changes that benefit society at large. Quao demonstrated the courage to treat disruption as an essential catalyst 鈥� turning collective dissatisfaction into the raw material for the next great era of innovation.
The Equity Team also recognizes the generous support from 麻豆传媒网站 Communications and Institutional Relations.
Author: Karrie-Noelle Plohman, Senior Advisor 鈥� Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Faculty of Management, with content from the 麻豆传媒网站 Reporter.
