Norman Jaskolka

Biography

Norman Jaskolka is President of ALDO Group International and Deputy Chairman of the ALDO Group. He joined the ALDO Group as vice-president of corporate planning in 1995, after a 20-year career in accounting at Ernst & Young, where his areas of practice included taxation, business valuations and corporate finance. In 1997, he was awarded the title of Fellow of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Quebec in recognition for services and leadership in the accounting profession. He completed his undergraduate degree at McGill University in 1976 and in 1978, attended the MBA program at Harvard University. Jaskolka’s introduction to the world of business came at a young age; as a child he routinely accompanied his father, a one-shop retailer, on weekly excursions to collect accounts from the neighborhood clientele. Jaskolka credits his parents – both Holocaust survivors – with having instilled in him a deep sense of responsibility, integrity, and the determination to be industrious every day. In 1995, while he was a partner at Ernst & Young, Jaskolka was convinced by Aldo Bensadoun to join the family. This move awarded him the opportunity to apply his accounting skills in a new environment and required him to learn about something brand new to him: shoes and retail. Though this career change was a big risk, it paid off. When asked how he knew that moving to the ALDO Group was the right choice, Jaskolka points to the passion and dedication of the people inside the company. He says, “Today our team is professional in the truest sense of the word; their attitudes and respect for the diversity of our countries and cultures, along with their desire and drive, to do the job with pride and respect for everyone.” In 2000, Norman Jaskolka assumed responsibility for the conception, development and operations of international business for the ALDO Group. Since that time, the company has established itself firmly in the US market and opened stores in over 100 countries around the globe, including flagship stores in strategic markets in Europe and Asia. In 2011, he was named president of ALDO Group International. Jaskolka is a frequent lecturer and speaker on the development of international retail. In 2007, he joined the McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management Advisory Board. He has spoken at the World Retail Congress in Barcelona in 2007 and 2008; in Berlin in 2010 and 2011, and at the National Retail Federation in New York City in 2010 and 2013. Jaskolka is also a member of the Advisory Board of the World Retail Congress. His insight into the development of international retail brands was featured with a fully devoted chapter in the book “The Art of Being Chosen – Secrets of Success From the Giants of Retail,” written by British author Martin Butler and published in October 2010. In May 2012, he was appointed to a task force to revitalize, sustain and develop the fashion industry in Montreal and in Quebec by the minister of economic development, innovation and export. Outside the office, Jaskolka is an avid golfer, tennis player and jogger. He is devoted to community organizations including the Federation CJA, the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre (of which he is formerly the president), the Old Brewery Mission, and The Sheela Bal Bhavan Home For Girls in India, which provides care, life skills and educational opportunities. He is married and has two daughters, of whom he is enormously proud.

Research Interest

Business