Peter B. Gustavson School of Business

Since 2004 Brian Leacock has been the Associate Director of International at the Gustavson School of Business. Leading a dedicated International Office staff, he supports the internationalization of the faculty, including management of an exchange program (74 partnerships in 35 countries – one of the largest in Canada), international student recruitment and integration, and dual degree development at both undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2009, to honour his innovative leadership within the university, he was awarded the coveted prize for Innovation in International Programs. Additionally, Brian enjoys a secondary role as senior instructor teaching business communications with a special emphasis on understanding and practically navigating our globalized world.

International education has long been a career for Brian. In the early 1990s at the College of the Rockies (Cranbrook, BC) he first began teaching, recruiting and marketing to international students, and coordinating international summer tours. His interest in foreign culture eventually led him to take up residence in Japan as a Coordinator of International Relations on the Jet Programme. On his return to Canada at the end of the 1990s, he pursued an MBA at the University of Victoria, bringing a first-hand, international perspective to research in Japanese entrepreneurship. Next on his career path was developing and implementing CIDA funded projects in South America (Guyana) and Africa (Ghana and Namibia).

Brian’s present focus is on furthering the vision of Gustavson School of Business as a leading innovator in internationalization among Canadian business schools. Steps include enhancing existing international programs, refining international relationships and creating overseas partnerships that offer rich opportunities to students and faculty alike.

Brian’s passion after 20 years in the field of international education has been sustained by his conviction that direct international experience is inherently valuable and a requirement for cultural understanding among people and nations.  This passion for cultural exploration has taken him to 42 countries, across four continents.