AVP & CTO Update September 24, 2018

Good morning everyone!

This will be a brief update for you all. I am fresh off my vacation and unfortunately flight issues resulted in my return a day later than expected – swallowing any of my usual work prep time yesterday so I haven’t had time to get myself sorted out fully.

What I learned last week

• My trip to France with friends was great – First I was in the Nice region – specifically in Villefranche-sur-la-mer where we had a great place to stay. My friends are travelling over in France for 6 weeks so I had the enviable opportunity to just show up with no planning required. 🙂 The weather was hot and it is a beautiful location to spend a few days at pools, beaches and just wandering around (code for eating a lot). I want to share one highlight which was a solar boat ride that we went on from Beaulieu which is just around the bay from Cap de Ferrat and about a 10 minute car ride from our villa. It was so great – and so quiet – check it out on their website and be sure to watch the video so you can enjoy the experience!
• After Nice we were in Lyon. My first time there. It is an amazing city – beautiful and busy – and well known for its gastronomic opportunities. We visited the Textiles Museum and also enjoyed some of the local Bouchon restaurants – NOT for vegetarians (sorry!) If you ever go – try Le Garet and Le Bouchons des Filles. Yum! Lyon is a place I will have to return to as I really did not see that much of it. 

What I read last week

Two books since I was on vacation – and I am getting lazy for today and adding links to some book reviews. They were both very intense books but so extremely different. And both definitely require you to ‘believe’ in the intangible. The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal (Canadian Author) and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

What I am up to this week

• First a reminder to please register for the IT Forum as registration closes September 28th. Here is some copy for your convenience: If you haven’t yet done so, please register for this year’s McMaster IT Forum. You can view the agenda overview here and even build your preferred schedule once registered. Please note that preregistration is required for sessions with limited seats. Any questions can be sent to itforum@mcmaster.ca
• I am focused on Strategic Planning and Budget this week – just like the last few weeks. 🙂 the IT Strategic Planning Steering Committee meets this AM, and I have a few 1:1 meetings with stakeholders to discuss the plan, along with the UTS Management Team. Next week I meet with the IT Executive. A reminder that I will be presenting on the Strategic Plan at the IT Forum – so please register! 🙂
• I will be participating in the interviews for our new AVP Facilities this afternoon.
• I have a lot of regular update meetings this week with the VPR, Ranil Sonnadara, members of my team, etc.
• I am heading to Ottawa on Friday night to attend the PANDA game – Ottawa U vs Carleton. I am an alum of Carleton and am attending with a few friends. I will stay on in Ottawa for CANARIE which takes place at the start of next week.

Have a great week everyone!

Take good care
gg