MOS students inspired by Darryl King's visit to campus

Students got to meet the person behind the name of the Darryl J. King Student Life Centre when King returned to campus on April 6, 2018 as a guest of the Management and Organizational Studies program. King graduated from King’s in 1997 with a History degree. He parlayed that into becoming president of Logikor Inc., a multi-national logistics company. King is now Executive Director of the company and a generous donor to the university.

The lunch-hour Q & A with King was organized by Dr. Trevor Hunter. Marketing students from Dr. Jennifer Jeffrey’s class attended the event along with third and fourth year students from classes in strategic management, operations and supply chain management.

King gave a broad-ranging and inspiring talk to the students about new trends in business which could influence career opportunities. He also spoke about what it takes to be an entrepreneur.  He had some practical advice. “Pay off your student debt as fast as you can,” he said. King said while it is tempting to pay off debt over many years, he feels that debt can hold back new graduates from moving to new locations because they feel they have to live at home, which may be limiting to their opportunities. He advised students to put in extra hours on weekends at their new jobs to show employers that they have drive and determination. He also encouraged students to learn more than one language and to be prepared to continue to take more courses after graduation for continuous learning.

However, it was his interest in people which King says gave him the biggest advantage in the business world. He says that by understanding how people repeatedly behave, business leaders can then better negotiate with governments and other groups. “Your degree from King’s proves to yourself and to others that you can deal with stressful times such as exams. It also shows that you can overcome challenges. For me, my history degree helped me understand human behaviours over time and how those behaviours can repeat themselves. It also helped me become a better communicator.”

Dr. Jeffrey was grateful to have King observe her marketing class. She says he provided insights on new career paths. “It is hard to know what the future will be like as the landscape is changing so dramatically. It is important to have business leaders connect with our students on the changing marketplace which is becoming more specialized and technical,” says Dr. Jeffrey.