George Brown College in Toronto has appointed a new director for its School of Business and Centre for Financial Services Education.

Dan Thompson will direct the college’s Centre for Financial Services Education. Prior to joining George Brown, Thompson was senior manager at the National Bank of Canada where he developed and implemented competency programs on change management and sales leadership. He also spent 10 years in executive positions with the Institute of Canadian Bankers. Thompson holds an MBA from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Memorial University.

The Centre for Financial Services Education expects to soon finalize the curriculum for a new Bachelor of Applied Business (Financial Services) degree, the only applied degree-granting program to offer accounting, financial services management and financial planning specialties in Ontario. The degree, to be offered in September 2003, will prepare students for professional careers as accountants, financial planners and financial services managers and administrators.

Thompson will also oversee the completion of a new building dedicated to the Centre. The College’s business programs will be housed in a new CFSE building on Adelaide Street as part of the St. James campus, scheduled to open in the spring of 2003.

“Dan is an expert in setting educational standards in the banking and financial services industry,” said Paul Carder, Dean of George Brown’s Faculty of Business and Creative Arts. “He is uniquely qualified to develop program requirements for our new Bachelor of Applied Business degree that reflects the need for qualified candidates by Toronto’s financial services employers.”