Jeff Gallant

If not for the timely gift of a thought-provoking book from his father, Steve, an investment advisor, and a Grade 10 hockey tournament that included a lecture at Queen’s School of Business (QSB), Jeff Gallant, Com’11, might have taken a different path in life.

Jeff had originally planned to study mechanical engineering, but two things set him on a new path. On that hockey trip to Kingston, he heard renowned businessman and QSB professor David McConomy, MBA’69, give an inspiring lecture in Goodes Hall. Later on, his father gave Jeff the 1985 book Letters of a Businessman to His Son by Queen’s alumnus G. Kingsley Ward, Arts/Com’55. Jeff discovered an interest in investment and business. In 2007, he came to Queen’s to start his formal business education.

In addition to spending part of his program on one of QSB’s exchange programs, studying at Sweden’s prestigious Stockholm School of Economics, Jeff spent time in a “Leadership in the Business World” program at The Wharton School of the U of Pennsylvania. Throughout his undergrad years, he was also the chief strategy officer for the Queen’s University Investment Counsel, Canada’s premier student-run asset management organization.

Since graduating and moving to Toronto to begin work as an analyst at Gluskin Sheff & Associates, Jeff has remained engaged at a community level through volunteering for social-impact projects and taking advisory roles for Toronto area hospitals, start-up companies, and organizations that touch on his two main interests: education and health care.

It’s this winning combination of sharp business skills and an engaged, socially responsible nature that made him an ideal candidate for the World Economic Forum’s inaugural Global Shapers program, an international community of young entrepreneurial individuals who are committed to using their leadership potential in the global public interest.

“It is an honour to have been chosen as a member of the Global Shapers community,” says Jeff. “Having the opportunity work on projects alongside young, talented, and socially conscious professionals in Toronto will be one way to contribute back to society at a young age.”

Global Shapers is a network of local hubs based in international cities such as Toronto, Tokyo, Paris, and Washington. After spending the first few months of the program developing governance documents and an intra-hub communications strategy, each local team is now close to the stage at which it can concentrate on tackling an important social issue in its own community.

Continuing with his analyst work, volunteering, studying for the Level III Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams and being involved with the Global Shapers’ Toronto hub mean that the next year will be an especially busy but rewarding one for Jeff.

“Through my parents and mentors, I’ve learned the importance of giving back to society and contributing in a meaningful way. I have been fortunate, so what I want to do is look for a way to pay it forward,” says Jeff.