UNews - Anil Pereira

AGILITY Innovation Series hosting panel of leaders from agricultural sector for two-day event

trevor.kenney — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 21:09:17 +0000

The AGILITY program, an experiential program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge that fosters innovation and nurtures entrepreneurial thinking, will be hosting business leaders from the Canadian agricultural sector for a two-day event March 2 and 3, 2016, at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Lethbridge and Calgary campuses.

Innovation in Agriculture, Where’s the Smart Money Going, is the fourth event in the 2015-16 AGILITY Innovation Series and features a panel of agriculture and finance leaders who will discuss the role that innovation, rapid changes in technology and finance are playing in exposing and developing new agribusiness opportunities that place Canada at the forefront of meeting changing global food demands.

“Global food demand will double in the next 35 years and Canada is one of only six countries in the world with the capacity to increase food and nutrition experts,” says Dr. Lesley Brown, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic). “Agribusiness and the opportunities it presents are a key theme of the AGILITY program and by bringing together leading agribusiness experts as part of our Innovation Series, we are giving our students the chance to engage with people who have pushed innovation in the province and across the country.”

Tom Burke, Senior Investment Advisor for Canaccord Genuity, is the moderator for both the Lethbridge and Calgary events. He says that the broader financial market, while always being aware of agriculture, has taken full notice of the potential and scope of agribusiness over the last decade.

“The growth trends that we are seeing are over and above anything we’ve seen before and it just continues to heat up,” he says from the Canaccord offices in Montreal. “Obviously, if people are seriously considering career options in this field and want to get a sense of what is going on out there, this will be an eye-opening experience for them.”

Among the panelists are Wade Barnes, president and CEO of Farmer’s Edge; Brad Farquhar, director, executive vice-president and CFO at Input Capital; Graeme Lempriere, CEO at Clean Seed Capital Group; and Remi Schmaltz, CEO of Decisive Farming.

Burke marvels at how fast the world of agribusiness is changing.

“Who would have thought we would be talking about setting up financial structures where you can actually finance a farmer’s production and get paid back in canola. This is all new, cutting-edge stuff,” he says.

The Lethbridge session takes place Wednesday, March 2, 2016, at the U of L’s Students’ Union Ballrooms, beginning with a networking event at 4:30 p.m. and followed by the panel discussion at 5 p.m.

On Thursday, March 3, the U of L’s Calgary campus at Bow Valley College (Room N231) will host a networking event beginning at 4 p.m., followed by the panel discussion at 4:30 p.m.

Both events are free to students and interested members of the business community. For more information, or to register, visit the AGILITY website.

AGILITY Innovation Series to feature business leaders, experts

trevor.kenney — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 22:22:05 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s new experiential learning program, AGILITY, is off and running this fall and with it comes a new speaker series that will give students the opportunity to learn from renowned business leaders and industry experts.

“Our goal is to provide opportunities for our students to engage with people whose entrepreneurial ambition has pushed innovation in the province and across the country,” says Dr. Lesley Brown, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic), who is leading the establishment of the AGILITY program.

The AGILITY Innovation Series features a highly engaging set of lectures and workshops that showcase industry experts with a track record of innovation and entrepreneurship across a range of sectors, including agribusiness and agri-tech, energy, small and family-owned businesses and public service.

“Through this series, we will be bringing in some of the leading innovators and entrepreneurs in the province who have started and grown very successful businesses,” says Anil Pereira (BMgt ’87), U of L alumnus and advisor to the AGILITY program. “Their experiences provide invaluable learning opportunities for our students.”

Skyridge Capital Corporation CEO Steve Cloutier will kick off the series with presentations at both the U of L’s Calgary and Lethbridge campuses respectively, October 27 and 28, 2015.

Cloutier is an entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in the law, investment and upstream oil and gas industries. After relocating to Calgary, Cloutier began his career in oil and gas, ultimately participating in the start-up of seven oil and gas companies, leading teams of up to 200 employees. He has more than $2 billion of direct experience in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Cloutier will be at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Calgary location on the campus of Bow Valley College presenting a talk entitled From Liberal Arts BA to Energy Startup CEO: Lessons for Tomorrow’s Entrepreneur. The presentation runs from 5 to 7 p.m.

On Wednesday, Oct. 28, Cloutier will make his presentation to students on the Lethbridge campus, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Markin Hall Atrium.

The AGILITY Innovation Series is free and open to everyone but seating is limited and attendees must register in advance. For more information on the series and to register for Steve Cloutier’s events in both Calgary and Lethbridge, visit the AGILITY website (agility-ulethbridge.ca).

“Steve Cloutier is an amazingly skilled businessperson and entrepreneur who will walk students through his own case studies, increasing their understanding of the skills and steps needed to launch a successful startup enterprise,” says Pereira. “This is a really great opportunity for students to learn how to shape their skillset, expand their vision and engage in a dialogue with a highly successful and experienced entrepreneur.”

Pereira will also play a key part in the opening of the AGILITY Innovation Series, offering workshops in Lethbridge in advance of Cloutier’s presentations. Pereira will demonstrate 3D virtual reality experiences during a workshop entitled The Virtual Reality Works of Félix & Paul Studios at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 27 and 10:30 a.m. on October 28.

“We are really excited to be highlighting innovations in agriculture and agribusiness as a theme for many of the upcoming talks and workshops in the 2015-16 AGILITY Innovation Series,” says Brown, who credits a gift from Mr. Cor Van Raay of Cor Van Raay Farms for supporting many of these initiatives.

In November, Chris Perry, president of CKP Farms Ltd. and Grow the Energy Circle Ltd., will present along with Harold Perry, president of Perry Quest Ltd. Subsequent sessions will be held in January, February and March 2016.

The format of each session will include a half-hour mix and mingle with free refreshments, followed by a 45-minute talk and conclude with a 30-minute open question-and-answer period.

“We want to engage our attendees as much as possible, to really bring them into the presentations and allow them to get the most out of the sessions,” says Pereira.

AGILITY Innovation Series (agility-ulethbridge.ca)

- Steve Cloutier, CEO, Skyridge Capital Corporation
From Liberal Arts BA to Energy Start-up CEO – Lessons for Tomorrow’s Entrepreneur
October 27, 2015, 5 p.m. (Calgary) and October 28, 2015, 11 a.m. (Lethbridge)

- Anil Pereira, Startup Advisor
Virtual Reality Works of Félix & Paul Studios
October 27, 2015, 2:30 p.m. and October 28, 2015, 10:30 a.m. (Lethbridge)

- Chris Perry, President of CKP Farms Ltd. and Grow the Energy Circle Ltd., and Harold Perry, President of Perry Quest Ltd.
Integrating Environmental Stewardship and Innovative Technology into Agriculture
November 2015

- Paul Oss, Public Affairs Officer, Ministry of Innovation and Advanced Education, Province of Alberta
Keeping Pace with Technological Change
January 2016

- Tom Burke, Senior Investment Advisor, Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management
Canadian Agriculture in the 21st Century: Technology, Finance, and Sustainability (roundtable discussion with agribusiness and agri-tech leaders)
February 2016

- Danny Martin, Director Business Development, Engenium Chemicals
March 2016

- Chris Perry, President of CKP Farms Ltd. and Grow the Energy Circle Ltd., and Harold Perry, President of Perry Quest Ltd.
How CKP Farms Ltd Integrates Environmental Stewardship and Innovative Technology into Agriculture
March 2016

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's AGILITY program designed to nurture innovation

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 18:04:33 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has launched a new program – AGILITY – a university-wide initiative that has been designed to nurture and support innovation and entrepreneurship among U of L students at both the Lethbridge and Calgary campuses.

AGILITY will give U of L students a head start in establishing their careers before they even enter the workforce.

AGILITY builds on the strong foundation of a liberal education while preparing students for life and careers in the 21st century. Launched under the leadership of Interim Vice-President (Research) Dr. Lesley Brown and U of L alumnus Anil Pereira (BMgt ’87), AGILITY provides students access to knowledge about innovation within key sectors of the Canadian economy, and supports them through talks and mentorship by faculty and industry leaders, course work, scholarships and fellowships, access to the latest technological tools and physical innovation and collaboration spaces.

“AGILITY is poised to advance the position of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as a leading institution for teaching, research and 21st Century skill development,” says Brown. “By encouraging and helping students learn about innovation, and by celebrating and supporting their entrepreneurial spirit, AGILITY will enhance the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s capacity to graduate the thought leaders of tomorrow.”

What exactly is AGILITY? It’s an experiential academic and research program that bridges all disciplines and is open to students in all majors on both of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Lethbridge and Calgary campuses. AGILITY’s goal is to equip students with the skills of resilience, responsiveness and adaptability to allow them to keep pace with an evolving labour market, as well as skills that will enable them to tolerate risk and thrive despite change or failure. In short, AGILITY will give U of L students a head start in establishing their careers before they even enter the workforce.

“AGILITY builds on the fabric of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ,” says Pereira, a Silicon Valley veteran who advises high-profile startups and technology companies on how to launch new products and grow their businesses. From this unique vantage point, Pereira sits at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies and brings that expertise to U of L students through his role as an advisor to the AGILITY program.

“AGILITY is about helping students learn that innovation happens at all levels, and in all types, of enterprise – whether a small business, family-owned business, large company, public sector organization, or an entrepreneurial venture that a student may want to join or start down the road.”

In its first rollout phase in 2015-2016, AGILITY will focus on enabling innovation and entrepreneurship in the areas of agriculture and agribusiness. With thanks to the generous financial support of Cor Van Raay Farms, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has created a program that responds to our agricultural heritage and the fabric of the southern Alberta landscape. The initial thrust of the AGILITY program will also lay the foundation for a range of academic and learning experiences in other sectors.

AGILITY Speaker Series

AGILITY will offer students a range of public lectures and workshops in both Lethbridge and Calgary. Examples of 2015-2016 AGILITY speakers include:

• Tom Burke – Senior Investment Advisor, Canaccord Genuity, who will moderate a roundtable with agribusiness and agri-tech leaders entitled Canadian Agriculture in the 21st Century: Technology, Finance, Sustainability

• Steve Cloutier – Chief Executive Officer, Roper Energy Inc., who will deliver a public lecture on Energy Startups: Key Lessons and Insights for Today’s Entrepreneur

• Paul Oss– Public Affairs Officer, Ministry of Innovation and Advanced Education, Province of Alberta, who will deliver a lecture on A Public Sector Perspective on Keeping Pace with Technological Change

• Chris Perry – CKP Farms Ltd. and Grow the Energy Circle Ltd. in southern Alberta, who will hold a workshop on integrating environmental stewardship and innovative technology into agriculture

AGILITY Scholarships and Fellowships

In order to attract, support and incent students who show a demonstrated interest in innovation and entrepreneurship, AGILITY will offer a range of scholarships and fellowships. The first awards – the Cor Van Raay Scholarships and Cor Van Raay Fellowships – will be awarded to students focused on innovation and entrepreneurship in agribusiness and agri-tech. These awards build on existing scholarships at the U of L, including the Pereira Entrepreneurship Award, which was established last year in advance of today’s launch of AGILITY.

AGILITY Innovation Labs

To provide students with access to the latest technology, as well as space for innovation and collaboration, AGILITY will design, outfit and deliver a series of collaborative, flexible, open spaces for formal and informal learning across both U of L campuses. These innovation labs are the cornerstones of AGILITY's applied learning activities. AGILITY spaces facilitate learning through hands-on, self-directed exploration of the latest software, hardware and applications, and they provide a physical location where students can access these tools and technologies for creativity, for advancing new ideas, or simply to gather to share knowledge and resources, or develop ideas. Examples of software, hardware and applications that students, faculty and alumni can access through AGILITY innovation labs include:

• Digital media and design resources such as virtual reality films from industry leaders such as Montréal-based Félix and Paul Studios(http://www.felixandpaul.com)

• State-of-the-art Education Technology (Ed-Tech) platforms for use by future teachers such as the Classroom Edition of SplashMath, the leading math practice apps for grades K-6 (https://www.splashmath.com); and Tynker Classroom, the leading platform for teaching kids programming and STEM skills (https://www.tynker.com/school/)

• State-of-the-art hardware including 3D printers, touchscreen monitors, microcontrollers, CNC routers, vinyl, laser and plasma cutters, laser scanners, motion sensing equipment and virtual reality headsets

For more on the U of L’s exciting new AGILITY program, visit agility-ulethbridge.ca.

Management alums establish Pereira Entrepreneurship Award

trevor.kenney — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 17:03:08 +0000

Faculty of Management alumni Anil Pereira (BMgt ’87) and Sheryl (Turnbull) Pereira (BMgt ’87) have established an endowment fund to support a new scholarship at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge – the Pereira Entrepreneurship Award.

This is the second scholarship fund that the Pereiras have established at their alma mater.

The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded annually and is aimed at high school applicants to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge who have been admitted to the Faculty of Management and who have exhibited high academic achievement. The recipient of the scholarship will have been previously involved in entrepreneurial activities (such as Junior Achievement, Canadian Youth Business Foundation, 4-H or self-directed initiatives) with an aptitude to further those interests through their studies at the U of L.

“Sheri and I have very fond memories of our time at the U of L since that is where we met and where we set the foundation for our future careers,” says Anil Pereira, currently on campus in his role as the Faculty of Management’s inaugural Executive in Residence. “During the time I have spent on campus this year, it’s clear that there is tremendous interest from many students in establishing entrepreneurial careers. Having spent the past 15 years working on entrepreneurial ventures myself, this scholarship seemed like the perfect way for us to help ignite and support the entrepreneurial spirit among the next generation of Faculty of Management graduates.”

Pereira and U of L President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Mike Mahon, recently met with Dave Hancock, then Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education to speak about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's drive to enhance innovation and entrepreneurship on campus.

Anil Pereira is a well-known Silicon Valley entrepreneur and marketing executive with more than 20 years of hands-on experience at both start-up companies and global corporations. He is the founder and executive chairman of Verious and an advisor to a number of high-profile high technology startups. Earlier in his career he was an executive at leading companies including American Express and VeriSign. He graduated from the Faculty of Management in 1987 and was named the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Alumnus of the Year in 2000. He is currently serving as the Faculty of Management’s inaugural Executive in Residence for 2013-2014. Anil also holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Pennsylvania.

“Entrepreneurship is about taking risks. It’s about creating a vision for a business from scratch. It’s about following your own path and inspiring those around you to work their hardest to make a small, growing business succeed,” says Pereira. “Sheri and I see a lot of those qualities in students at the U of L and hope that this award helps in some small way to attract even more entrepreneurially-minded students to the Faculty of Management.”

This is the second scholarship fund that the Pereiras have established at their alma mater. The first (Derrick and Lytta Pereira Management Prize) was put into place by Anil in 1987. The scholarship fund was later endowed by the Pereiras to fund an annual award for a deserving student in the Faculty of Management’s MSc program.

“Looking back, it seems a bit funny that I started a scholarship right after graduating from the U of L, when we ourselves didn’t really have much in terms of financial resources – and that ’s putting it mildly!” says Pereira. “However, both of us were recipients of scholarships while at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and my parents were very supportive of my education. I felt an obligation from day one to pay some of that support back.”

With the establishment of the new Pereira Entrepreneurship Award, the Pereiras are seeking to inspire the entrepreneurial spirit of students in the Faculty of Management at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for years to come.

Applicants for the Pereira Entrepreneurship Award are required to submit a 500-word essay that discusses their interest in entrepreneurship as well as the entrepreneurial activities they have been involved with or wish to undertake moving forward. Also required is a letter of recommendation from someone involved with the entrepreneurial activity.

Pereira to headline inaugural Edmonton Alumni & Friends Dinner

trevor.kenney — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 21:48:34 +0000

Silicon Valley entrepreneur and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumnus Anil Pereira (BMgt ’87) will serve as the guest speaker for the inaugural 2014 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Edmonton Alumni & Friends Dinner on Wednesday, March 19 at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.

Anil Pereira is an entrepreneur and marketing executive with more than 20 years of hands-on experience at both start-up companies and global corporations.

Pereira is an entrepreneur and marketing executive with more than 20 years of hands-on experience at both start-up companies and global corporations. The founder and executive chairman of Verious, the world’s first code recommendation engine for software developers, Pereira is also the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Management’s first Executive in Residence.

“We’ve established this dinner as a means to bring alumni together in fellowship and to offer attendees compelling and engaging speakers who reflect the values and goals of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge,” says President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Mike Mahon. “Anil epitomizes those attributes. Our 2000 U of L Alumnus of the Year, he is a dynamic, successful and influential entrepreneur who has made the most of his U of L education. That he aspires to serve as a role model for future generations of students is exemplary.”

Pereira is known as a tireless worker, serving as an advisor to numerous start-up and established businesses in Silicon Valley and around the world, among them a startup that teaches children how to code, a company that provides retailers with “intelligent CRM” and a cloud computing security company.

Pereira’s presentation at the Faculty of Management-sponsored Edmonton Alumni & Friends Dinner is the highlight of an extremely busy week. Pereira will spend time at each of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s three campuses, giving a number of presentations to students and alumni and even participating in a student vs. staff/faculty ball hockey game.

“We occupy a unique place among Western Canadian business schools in that we ensure our students get a significant amount of in-class and beyond-the-classroom learning experiences,” Faculty of Management Dean, Dr. Bob Ellis, says. “We know that learning from successful leaders like Anil – who have also had the U of L experience – will help to motivate students as they navigate the complex and dynamic environment in which business operates.”

Individual tickets for the 2014 Edmonton Alumni & Friends Dinner are priced at $50 each, with a table of 10 for $500. Tickets are available online at ulethadvancement.universitytickets.com/dinner.

For more information on the Faculty of Management and its programs, visit www.ulethbridge.ca/management.

No Limits

david.kirby — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 15:17:41 +0000

Talking with Anil Pereira (BMgt ’87) is a bit like having to grab onto a speeding train. The conversation moves quickly, and it takes work to keep up. Pereira’s words shoot out like rapid-fire artillery, his mind moving a mile a minute from one point to the next – a steady stream of thoughts and anecdotes coming at you with pinpoint accuracy and searing resonance. A half-hour discussion seems to pass in the blink of an eye, and afterward you’re left with a dizzying amount of information that you sense is extremely valuable, but will take some time to fully decipher.

Twenty-six years after earning a Bachelor of Management degree at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Pereira spent a week on campus in the fall of 2013 and he will return again in the spring of 2014 as the inaugural Faculty of Management Executive in Residence, bringing more than 20 years of business experience along with him and the kind of résumé management students dream of building.

Pereira is a highly respected Silicon Valley entrepreneur and executive – currently the founder and executive chairman of Verious, a code-recommendation engine for software developers around the globe. Founded in 2011, Verious was a finalist in the prestigious TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield – one of 20 companies (out of 1,200 applicants) that competed to be named the most promising new technology venture of the year.

Prior to establishing Verious, Pereira was founder and CEO of SecondSpace (now DataSphere), senior VP at Classmates Online and an early-to-later-stage executive at VeriSign – helping all three companies achieve unprecedented growth and success. VeriSign, for example, grew from under $1 million to over $1.3 billion in revenue during his tenure.

“I’m excited to help continue the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s success and growth, and I’m especially excited to work with students in the classroom.” - Anil Pereira (BMgt ’87) (Photo by Eva Kolenko Photography)

Pereira honed his marketing skills at American Express in New York, where he held several key roles in the Consumer Card Services Group and was promoted to VP in under four years. He began his career as a programmer with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), where he was quickly promoted to supervisor and never looked back. Not a bad list of accolades, especially for someone who prior to attending the U of L was a college dropout.

“I was attending community college in British Columbia, got caught up in the restaurant industry and dropped out of school,” Pereira recalls. “I wasn’t sure I was going to ever go back, but I decided I wanted to get some management skills, so I applied to the U of L.”

Despite the fact that Pereira’s previous grades were less than stellar, his innate drive to succeed showed early on. Upon arriving in Lethbridge, he was told that he needed six more classes to be admitted into the Faculty of Management, but was only allowed to register for five the first semester. Undeterred, Pereira struck a deal with the admissions officer that would lay the foundation for his work ethic from that day forward.

“I said if he allowed me to take six courses, I’d guarantee to have an A average in every one of them by midterm. If I didn’t, I’d drop a course. He agreed, and I held up my end of the deal. I got As in all of those classes that semester, and I kind of surprised myself in the process. It was the first real academic stretch I made, and I started to believe that I could accomplish more,” recalls Pereira, who went on to earn his Bachelor of Management with great distinction and was later recognized as the U of L Alumnus of the Year in 2000.

“Stretching” is a word that Pereira uses often in conversation, and for him it’s more of a philosophy than a descriptive term. He’ll tell you he’s stretched over and over again throughout his career, extending himself in ways he knew would push him forward in the direction he needed and wanted to go.

“The early days of my career were pretty much all about seeing how far I could stretch. Working hard, working smart and looking for opportunities where I could push past my own perceived limits. I very often had to convince employers that I was capable of doing certain things, and then had to prove it to myself after they hired me.”

Pereira applied to the MBA program at the Wharton School of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Pennsylvania after being promoted to supervisor at Andersen Consulting (Accenture), a move that he otherwise might not have considered if he’d worked quietly as a programmer instead of playing to his strength as a leader.

“I was a lousy programmer, but the partners liked what I was doing in terms of looking for growth opportunities and managing people. One of my U of L profs encouraged me to apply to a top-tier business school and so I gave it a shot,” recalls Pereira, “When I got to Wharton I was terrified. Suddenly I was in the ring with people out of New York and Los Angeles, from companies like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey. It was intimidating, but it didn’t take me long to discover that I could go toe-to-toe with anyone. I’ve learned over time that it’s good to have your guard up, maybe be a little under confident, but people are people. It’s possible to compete at a higher level no matter where you are or where you come from.”

Pereira says the example his parents set when they immigrated to Canada from India when he was four still resonates with him today. That and the unwavering support of his wife, Sheri (Turnbull) Pereira (BMgt ’87), and his family are the foundation upon which he’s built his career.

“My parents gave up successful lives in India to start over in a new country. It was a huge risk, but it taught me that to grow you have to be willing to fail. The same is true with my wife, Sheri. We’ve always managed risk as a couple. It’s impossible to take career risks and not have a supportive spouse next to you.”

As the first Executive in Residence at the U of L, Pereira brings a lifetime of risk-vs-reward experience and immeasurable business knowledge to the Faculty of Management. He served one week on campus in November, and will serve two more weeks in the spring, visiting the Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton campuses.

“I’m honoured and thrilled to come back in this capacity,” says Pereira. “The U of L has evolved so much. I’m excited to help continue the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s success and growth, and I’m especially excited to work with students in the classroom. My goal is to tie research and classroom teachings to practical, real-world examples of businesses in today’s marketplace that are in the midst of growth and facing various challenges. I want to help students apply theory in real ways, and help them understand how to manage their own careers, whether in professional services, small business or as the CEO of a company.”

Recalling his own days as a U of L student, Pereira says the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ – and specifically the Faculty of Management – provided him with exposure to research and many different disciplines early on.

“The U of L is a top-ranked research university, and I think research is underappreciated because those skills really help you across a variety of dimensions later on in life,” he says. “Problem-solving has its roots in research. What is the problem? What is the hypothesis? What are you trying to solve and what are the alternatives? That methodology flows through the Faculty of Management, and the breadth of classes I took was a great foundation for a career in business.”

In addition to running Verious, Pereira plays an active role as an advisor to several other technology companies – start-ups that are staffed by younger people who are full of new ideas and potential. As he does with all promising young managers, Pereira makes an effort to provide an equal measure of skill and common sense in his counsel.

“At VeriSign we had a saying that has guided me throughout the balance of my career: It’s better to be lucky than good. I wish I could say that success is all about planning, but there is a good amount of luck involved, too. You have to be able to meet opportunity when it presents itself, and you have to be sharp enough to see the opportunity when it arises.”

Pereira introduced as Management's first Executive in Residence

trevor.kenney — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 17:24:43 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Management is launching its Executive in Residence program by appointing international technology marketing expert Anil Pereira as its first on-site executive.

Anil Pereira is the inaugural Executive in Residence for the Faculty of Manegement. (photo by Eva Kolenko Photography)

“We are delighted that our inaugural Executive in Residence is Anil Pereira, a technology entrepreneur with an intense passion for building highly visible and trusted global brands,” says Dr. Bob Ellis, the U of L’s Dean of the Faculty of Management. “Of course, we are also thrilled that he is ‘one of our own’ and able to return to campus to share his insights with students and faculty alike.”

Pereira (BMgt ’87) is a well-known Silicon Valley entrepreneur and marketing executive with more than 20 years of hands-on experience at both start-up companies and global corporations. He is currently the founder and Executive Chairman of Verious, the world’s first code recommendation engine for software developers.

The company serves a booming market that industry analysts predict will be valued at more than $100 billion by 2015.

Pereira, who founded the company in 2011, works with a team of developers to aggregate programming libraries, open source code, tutorials, code samples and snippets and other content that helps app creators and other programmers speed up their time to market.

Verious received a significant award from technology news service TechCrunch as a “2011 Disrupt Award Finalist” in its first year of operation.

The purpose of the Executive in Residence program (funded by the Chartered Professional Accountants) is to create an opportunity for senior leaders in industry and government to visit the Faculty of Management to share the knowledge and insights gained from working in key industries with students, faculty and staff at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the communities it serves. The program has been designed to tie research-based teaching in the Faculty of Management with practical, real-world examples of business strategy and implementation from senior industry leaders.

Pereira, the 2000 U of L Alumnus of the Year, brings a host of real-world business expertise to campus.

There should be no shortage of ideas that Pereira, the 2000 U of L Alumnus of the Year, might bring with him during his visits to campus – all drawn from his own extensive library of current and previous business experiences.

“You can learn all you want from textbooks, and theory is certainly an important foundation in the world of business, but it’s always eye-opening to successfully apply theory in the workplace,” says Pereira. “My goal is to provide practical examples – to apply research and classroom teachings to businesses in today’s marketplace that are in the midst of rapid change and growth and facing various challenges. I want to help students apply theory to practice in real ways, and help them understand how to manage their own careers.”

Ellis says that the key benefit of Pereira’s visit to campus will be his time spent with students.

“We occupy a unique place among Western Canadian business schools in that we ensure our students get a significant amount of in-class and beyond-the-classroom learning experiences,” he says. “We know that learning from successful leaders like Anil – who have also had the U of L experience – will help to motivate students as they navigate the complex and dynamic environment in which business operates.”

In addition to his time at the helm of Verious, Pereira also serves as an advisor to numerous start-up and established businesses in Silicon Valley around the world, among them a startup that teaches children how to code, a company that provides retailers with “intelligent CRM”, and a cloud computing security company.

Pereira serves as the lead independent director for Fnbox (a holding company that operates leading online businesses in Latin America), and is a senior advisor to Innovation Norway and a number of fast-growing start-ups including Capillary Technologies, Conference Hound and Tynker.

Additionally, he has held senior positions at American Express and VeriSign, a leading Internet infrastructure company, and was the founder and CEO of DataSphere Technologies.

Initially, Pereira will be on campus for a week beginning November 4 to engage students through a series of guest lectures and mentoring sessions. This will set the stage for a return visit in the spring that will feature similar activities as well as public presentations in Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton.

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