I am here with Isabelle Bajeux

who recently became the first female dean of McGill University's Desautel faculty of management in Ｍontreal.

Prior to joining this Canadian business school,

she spent 21 years in the US, George Washington University.

She's also taught Essec business school in her native, France.

Isabelle, have we reached a stage now where a new female head of a business school should not really be news?

I don't think we've reached that stage yet.

But I would hope that we would reach that stage soon enough.

So, what have you done in coming into the school

as a leader and maybe to present yourself and avoid this split we have between men and women?

So the one thing I'm really trying to do is to have a very open conversation with all of the stakeholders,

and the staff members and the faculty members within the school,

and make sure that everybody feels comfortable coming up with the questions.

What is the difference between leadership and management?

Well, in this position, I feel that we need to be both a manager and a leader.

A leader would inspire people and make sure that people feel comfortable to come up with projects and realize some of their dreams.

A manager would be well... more hands-on and looking at the details of how to run.

And you're having to manage what itself is very diverse organization.

Um...you've got the sort of faculty academics

and then other stuff you've got undergraduates, you've got graduate students.

What are you trying to bring here to lead that diverse group of people?

What's very important is to have this open communication with all of the different groups of people

and the diversity is definitely an asset, and I'm really trying to make sure that everybody feels comfortable within that.

I see. So it's embracing diversity and the...

It's embracing diversity very much.

Um... Isabelle, thank you very much.

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