Schulich launches new Centre for Customer Centricity

Schulich School of Business

The Schulich School of Business at York University has announced the launch of its new Centre for Customer Centricity, a hub for the creation, application and dissemination of knowledge related to making organizations customer-centric.

The centre has been established thanks to a generous gift of $1 million from StarTech.com, a leading IT connectivity products manufacturer with a portfolio of more than 3,700 products designed to meet the needs of IT professionals. Founded in London, Ont., in 1985, StarTech.com has grown to become a global company with more than 500 employees and operations in 23 countries across five continents.

The centre will assist organizations in implementing a customer-centric management philosophy and culture. The centre will provide organizations with customized consulting projects involving extensive industry, competitor and customer analysis, followed by insights and practical recommendations.

“I deeply believe that an approach centred on the customer is the key to success in business,” said Paul Seed, executive Chair and owner of StarTech.com, a founding member of the centre. “The goal of the centre is to help other companies learn, apply and benefit from a customer-centric approach that has made StarTech.com so successful.”

The consulting projects will be carried out by teams of MBA students from the Schulich School of Business, and the students will be coached and guided by Professor Ajay Sirsi, the centre’s director and an associate professor of marketing at Schulich.

“I believe that the Centre for Customer Centricity will become a leading force in the development and implementation of management approaches that focus on the customer,” said Schulich Dean Dezsö J. Horváth. “The centre will help companies and organizations, while providing rich, real-world experiential learning for Schulich MBA students.”

The mission of the centre is to help organizations succeed by harnessing the full power of a customer-centric approach, said Sirsi.

“Customer centricity has been the focus of my research and consulting work for many years, and in my experience customer-centric organizations are more successful than their peers,” he said.

Companies or organizations interested in participating in a consulting project with the centre can contact Sirsi at asirsi@schulich.yorku.ca.

For more information on the Centre for Customer Centricity, visit schulich.yorku.ca/faculty-research/centre-for-customer-centricity.