Led by the McKenna Institute and Mariner Partners, an effort is under way to raise $250,000 to $500,000 to endow the Gerry Pond Professional Sales and Business Development Experiential Learning Fund.
It’s intended the endowment will uphold the legacy of Gerry Pond and create learning opportunities for MBA students at University of New Brunswick, organizers said on LinkedIn. The fund will provide learning opportunities for students in the UNB Saint John MBA program and senior undergraduate students interested in sales and business development with grants of $8,000 to $10,000 for full-time applied work terms.
The fund’s endowment will support two student grants per year. Each work term will provide nine to 13 weeks of experience, linked with industry partner-hosted projects, co-op experiences, capstone projects, UNB Saint John-led digital sales research projects or case studies, or UNB Saint John-led business community outreach initiatives with a digital sales component.
Global sales capacity is known to be a challenge in Atlantic Canada, one that has long concerned Pond. As a leader at NBTel, Pond fostered growth in emerging digital industries. Since then, his commitment to nurturing talent and his experience in building and scaling companies has catalyzed the growth of over 50 startups across Atlantic Canada, said organizers, who also produced a short video on Pond’s legacy.
Pond advocates for equipping business students with skills to navigate future sales challenges, including AI.
Organizers said that by contributing, businesses and individuals can:
- Incentivize students to pursue or further careers in professional sales and business development.
- Provide networking opportunities and meaningful work experiences.
- Bring university and industry partners together to foster digital sales.
- Support research initiatives exploring effective sales strategies in digital and international contexts.
- Facilitate student-led problem-solving efforts focused on digital sales.
- Support students in acquiring skills to sell digital technologies in international markets.
More information on donating to the fund can be found here.
