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Mandy Shapansky, CEO, Xerox Canada

No man, or woman, is an island. Now a model for MBA students and senior executives alike, the Xerox turnaround story is about employee dedication. Mandy Shapansky, president and CEO of Xerox Canada, but former CFO and chief-of-staff, lived through that charge. Xerox Canada is now recognized as the leading operating company in the Xerox world. Her visionary approach to growth and process optimization has enabled the company to consistently grow market share and revenue through a variety of economic climates. Join Mandy as she discusses some of the lessons learned during Xerox’s transformation, and how the company’s history of empowering employees was not only instrumental in the financial turnaround, but is a cultural element that continues to foster growth, win corporate awards, and promote diversity through all levels of Xerox Canada.

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Highlights

  • Work is a rubber ball. It always bounces back. The other balls, life, health, family, are made of glass and can be broken.
  • Diversity is key for continued success. No intent for gender balance but rather for dynamic.
  • The value of cross-functional systems. You need to walk a mile in other shoes.
  • It is often the challenging assignments that give you the most personal development and get you noticed.
  • The key to figuring out career intersections has been focusing on who you are and what matters for you. Be honest with yourself.
  • Many of the attributes and qualities necessary in a matrixed organization come naturally to women.
  • Being in a minority can give you a position of strength. We each have our own unique traits.

Bio

Mandy Shapansky is president and chief executive officer of Xerox Canada. She was appointed to this position in July 2010. She is responsible for the business operations of Xerox Canada, including human resources, customer service, marketing, and sales.

Previous to this appointment, Mandy was CFO and chief of staff for Xerox Canada, where she was responsible for corporate financial strategy, planning and risk management, as well as audit, accounting and controllership functions. Mandy joined Xerox in 1985, and since that time has taken on a variety of increasingly challenging field and head office roles in marketing and finance.

Mandy’s unconventional leadership and lateral thinking in the area of corporate finance has led Xerox Canada to be recognized as the leading operating company in the Xerox world. Her visionary approach to process optimization and cost control has enabled the company to consistently grow market share and revenue through a variety of economic climates.

In 2010, Xerox was named one of Canada’s Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations by Maclean’s magazine, and in 2009 was ranked first in Fortune Magazine’s most admired companies in the Computer Industry. The Xerox Research Centre of Canada was named one of 2009’s “Top 10 places where Employees thrive,” by Your Workplace magazine.

Mandy holds an Honours B.A. in Economics from the University of Waterloo, and is a Chartered Accountant. She serves on the board of Altruvest and is a member of Financial Executives International Canada. She resides in Toronto with her husband and their four children.