Since 2020, George Drazenovic has served as a faculty member at University Canada West (UCW) in Vancouver, BC. He has taught courses across accounting, finance, entrepreneurship, and corporate strategy. Alongside his teaching role, he served as Chair of Undergraduate Programs for nearly 4 years. Before transitioning into academia, he held leadership roles in private industry, directing several ventures in the junior public markets.
His areas of focus include human resources, recruiting, business development, financial reporting, capital budgeting, strategic analysis, regulatory compliance, capital markets, and investment valuation.
George began teaching in UCW’s MBA program and later became an Associate Professor. In 2021, he was appointed Chair of the Undergraduate Programs. Reporting to the Vice President of Academics, he led the unit through a period of significant growth. By the time his term concluded in December 2024, student enrollment and faculty numbers had grown by more than tenfold. He directed curriculum changes, supported governance development, built external partnerships, and managed academic planning, budgeting, and compliance processes.
George oversaw three academic programs: the Associate of Arts, the Bachelor of Commerce (ACBSP-accredited), and the Bachelor of Arts in Business Communications. These programs served over 5,500 students and involved more than 200 faculty members. He held voting roles in university-level committees, including Senate, Governance and Strategic Policies, Quality Assurance and Standards, Curriculum, Admissions Appeals, and Undergraduate Program Working Committees. He also completed the consent renewal process for all three programs and led course development and revisions.
George introduced academic leadership roles, including subject leads, co-vice chairs, and associate chairs. These changes supported teaching quality, faculty engagement, and student success. He secured complete transfer-credit alignment for the accounting program with the CPA Western School of Business, improving its status among private institutions in British Columbia. He also added technology-driven, certification-based courses to expand program relevance and student opportunities.
Operationally, he oversaw improvements to curriculum structure, faculty coordination, scheduling systems, and the implementation of a new Learning Management System. He mentored faculty, supported diversity and inclusion work, expanded employer partnerships, and taught in the Bachelor of Commerce program, where his student evaluations were consistently strong.
Beyond teaching, he introduced new student-focused events, including UCW’s first Pitch Night. He created career development events for those pursuing CPA credentials and contributed to academic discussions at the McGill Transformative Business Law Summer Academy in Montreal.
Before his work in education, George held senior roles including CFO, CEO, and Director with multiple public companies. He developed corporate strategies, handled regulatory filings, and worked with public exchanges, including OTC, CSE, and TSX-V, on financial and audit matters.
As CEO of a mining exploration company, he negotiated the acquisition of gold projects in Newfoundland and the Yukon. These properties held a combined inferred resource of approximately 2.5 million ounces. He also managed the completion of a 3,000-metre drill program in the Yukon.
Previously, as the founding CFO of a pharmaceutical company focused on diabetes solutions, he secured $2.5 million in funding, completed a Reverse Takeover, and helped lead the company through Phase 1B clinical trials and preclinical animal studies for an oral insulin pill.
His academic work explores the impact of artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and investment strategy. He has co-authored peer-reviewed research analyzing the role of AI in business decisions and innovation. His contributions include chapters in academic and professional publications that examine digital disruption, startup development, and technology-driven change.
George is a co-author of Business Transformation in the Era of Digital Disruption and contributed the foreword to Mainstreaming Cryptocurrency and the Future of Digital Finance, reflecting his insights into how new technologies influence finance and entrepreneurship.
George Drazenovic pursued his Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of British Columbia before earning an MBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.
Outside of his professional commitments, he is a certified WSET Level 3 Sommelier with Distinction in wine and spirits. He remains active through soccer, has completed the Victoria Marathon, and once ran federally for Member of Parliament.
George Drazenovic continues to apply his combined experience in education, industry, and research to support innovation, academic leadership, and professional development.
Portfolio: https://georgedrazenovic.com/
Website: https://george-drazenovic.com/
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