Conversations with Goodman host Susan LeBlanc chats with Goodman graduate Victor Rocca (BBA ’93), who is now Regional Vice President, Ontario, at McDonald’s Canada.

Having built a successful career in business, Rocca has a lot of insight to share with Goodman students looking to start their careers.

Rocca oversees 500 McDonald’s stores in the Ontario region and is responsible for franchising, marketing, operations and finance.

Rocca, who holds a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation, talks about how accounting was a great starting point for his career and opened doors of opportunity for him.

“Anything that’s happening out there is business. There’s different forms of it, but what an accounting basis gives you is the opportunity to understand how businesses are run, how businesses stay profitable – or even in a non-profit environment, how they survive – and I’ve been fortunate enough that that background had led me to a number of directions in my career,” said Rocca.

“Everything comes down to people and relationships. Accounting forms a solid platform from which to venture out but it’s simply the starting point. Being able to understand business and connect with anyone you’re interacting with on a common ground is the key to being successful in anything you do.”

Rocca talks about various innovations that have taken place at McDonald’s Canada in recent years, including a focus on reimaging restaurants, coffee, and most recently, a “transformation of our guest experience.”

Reflecting on his time at the Goodman School of Business, Rocca describes his co-op experience as invaluable in implementing what he learned in the classroom.

Rocca was on campus yesterday to speak to Goodman Scholars and Beta Gamma Sigma members at the Goodman Scholars Reception which honoured student academic excellence.

This podcast is the latest in the Conversations with Goodman series which is produced by the Goodman Marketing, Communications and Alumni Relations team and features guests from the Goodman community.