Schulich ExecEd Announces Exciting New Partnership with Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
Posted on August 22, 2023Schulich Executive Education (Schulich ExecEd) partners with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to strengthen leadership across the management and senior teams.
Schulich ExecEd, an extension of the Schulich School of Business at York University, and TIFF, a not-for-profit film festival presenting the best of Canadian and international cinema, are partnering to launch leadership and management programs, workshops and speaking engagements with the goal of strengthening the leadership capabilities of TIFF’s management and senior teams. This joint venture launched in May 2023 and will continue into 2024, alongside TIFF’s September 7, 2023, opening date.
Targeting managers, senior managers and executive leaders across TIFF, these programming and professional development events are a response to the current needs and strategic goals of the film organization. Through this partnership, Schulich ExecEd strives to empower TIFF leaders with advanced training to enhance skill sets in areas such as: strategy, resilience, leadership, management change and transformation, and DEI initiatives.
“The goals of the partnership are to augment and enrich the management and leadership development program at TIFF by engaging with Schulich ExecEd’s research excellence and expertise; to co-develop a diverse curriculum intended to elevate leadership competence and empower TIFF people leaders at all levels; to secure best-in-class resources and tools that will increase team effectiveness and organizational performance; and to position TIFF as a learning organization committed to investing in its employees’ growth and development,” says Nathalie Sato, Director of People and Culture at TIFF.
To Nathalie and TIFF, the vision is to grow leaders at every level of the organization through impactful and sustainable professional development.
As organizations undergo change to various degrees, success lies on the shoulders of senior leaders with superior problem-solving skills. Today, problem-solving is included in the top seven essential soft skills for leaders in the constantly shifting business landscape, as listed by Forbes. Also relevant is a leader’s ability to lead change and transformation, manage stakeholder relations, create strategic partnerships, and achieve management goals.
Targeting these areas, Schulich ExecEd’s programming is customized to address relevant business trends, but it also centres specifically around the skill gaps and needs of TIFF as an organization and its leadership teams.
Through a blend of ‘soft’ skills and ‘hard’ expertise, Schulich ExecEd’s programming allows TIFF leaders to fully engage in interactive sessions and learn and practice key business concepts with a curriculum that blends academic rigour with industry relevance.
Taking up the mantle for programming creation and facilitations in this partnership, Schulich ExecEd draws on their successful experience with professionally developing, upskilling, and reskilling non-profit and media-based organizations, which include Women in Film and Television (WIFT), the McGillivray Group, and the American Marketing Association. With world-class faculty and their recent title of #30 best in the world for the 2023 Financial Times Executive Education rankings, Schulich ExecEd brings experience, prestige, and capabilities to match their internationally celebrated partners.
“Schulich ExecEd is proud to be the official training partner of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Through custom programming and a bespoke learning journey, we will empower TIFF senior leaders and management with advanced training on skillsets integral to today’s business landscape, such as problem-solving, strategy, resilience, and leadership. Through a series of programs, workshops, and speaking engagements, we will incorporate TIFF’s mission and goals with strong strategic leadership skills that are at the core of the program,” says Rami Mayer, Executive Director of Schulich ExecEd. “The TIFF-Schulich ExecEd partnership will amalgamate our mission to support the professional development, upskilling, and reskilling of today’s business professionals and TIFF’s aim to transform the way people see film.”
Upon completion of Schulich ExecEd programming, TIFF participants will receive a highly transferable digital credential from the #1 business school in Canada, recognizing their new skill development and commitment to continuous improvement.
With the official start of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival only a few weeks away, Schulich ExecEd looks forward to continuing its partnership with TIFF leaders and curating customized programming that will help the organization transform the way people see film.