Remembering Dr. Ali Dastmalchian, dean of the Beedie School of Business

SFU is saddened to share that our colleague and friend, Dr. Ali Dastmalchian, dean of the Beedie School of Business, passed away on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020.

“Those who were fortunate to work with Ali remember him as a brilliant, kind and devoted colleague, always ready to mentor and advise,” says Andrew Petter, SFU President and Vice-Chancellor.

Dr. Dastmalchian was widely respected in Canada and around the world for his extraordinary leadership and research abilities. He was deeply committed to making business education relevant and innovative. He led the Beedie School of Business through a process of renewal, and championed new programs that brought contemporary business education to students from many different disciplines.   

The university community extends our deepest condolences to his family, and to his many friends at Beedie, at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria, in the local business community, and around the world.

In a personal tribute, Petter says:

"What words can I muster to do justice to the life and legacy of my dear friend and colleague, Ali? Those who knew him will, of course, mention his kindness and decency, his curiosity and brilliance, and his amazing capacities to bring people together to bring about change. He was a man who had big ideas and the ability to implement them. He was a futurist, a strategist and a pragmatist. 

"Ali was also a great mentor and colleague. He was an engaging dinner companion and a compelling story teller. He loved and embraced the complexities of a puzzling world, sharing ideas and contemplating the possibilities.

"What will I remember most about Ali? That he was an extraordinary academic, a visionary leader, and a dear friend—someone who elevated the universities with which he was associated, and who worked every day to make the world a better place.  

"My heart goes out to his family and his many friends at Beedie, SFU and the University of Victoria."