Education provides a passport to “other worlds of knowledge, awareness and connectivity with the bigger picture,” according to Ronald Mock (MBA ’79), CEO of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.
Mock shared his thoughts on the importance of education with the 47 Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA graduating students during convocation on Oct. 20, where he was awarded an honorary doctor of laws by York University for his financial commitment to social responsibility.
“Congratulations to the graduating EMBA class. You have earned your passports. I know that they can – and will – take you beyond anywhere that you can even imagine,” he said.
Mock also stressed to graduands to keep their eye on the “bigger picture,” and how diversifying knowledge can open new doors and present new opportunities. He shared his own story of becoming and engineer, and then later feeling like the “blinders” were off after earning an MBA.
“Ultimately, I could put all of those pieces together to embark on a new career path that has taken me places I had never dreamed of when I graduated with my engineering degree,” he said.
As one of Canada’s most influential CEOs, Mock started his career as an electrical engineer with Ontario Hydro and eventually moved into the investment field. In 2001, he joined the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan before accepting the position of president and CEO in 2014. Today, Mock captains one of the world’s largest pension funds, which manages $175 billion in global assets on behalf of nearly 320,000 active and retired teachers in Ontario.
Earlier this year, Mock was named a Champion of Change by Women in Capital Markets for his commitment to increasing the representation of women in corporate leadership teams and boardrooms. Half of the Teachers’ Board of Directors and half of the fund’s executive team are women.
“Ron Mock is one of this country’s most admired and accomplished CEOs leading one of this country’s most important pension plans,” said Schulich Dean Dezsö J. Horváth. “We are proud of all that he has accomplished. He is a great role model for our students, a great friend to Schulich and a great Canadian.”
Story by Jason Miller