Greg Craig (BBA ’91) discovered his passion for finance mere moments after meeting the Brock University professor teaching his third-year class in the late 1980s. 

That interaction all those years ago, which led to a lifelong friendship, also cemented a connection between Craig and the University that continues today.

“I just remember how they all made you feel,” Craig said, reflecting on how approachable his teachers were during his undergraduate degree. “I never felt like a number. Some campuses, you were a number moving through the system. I never felt that way at Brock and that is why I have a strong affection for Brock. I will do what I can for the school.”

The Goodman School of Business recently reciprocated when it presented Craig with its 2025 Distinguished Graduate Award.

The award celebrates the outstanding professional and personal achievements of Goodman graduates.

It’s the second time the University has honoured Craig, who was named the Brock University Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus in 2019.

The recognition comes shortly after he retired from 31 years with the Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC), an organization that reinvented itself during that time, much like his alma mater has.

Greg Craig (centre front) receives the Goodman School of Business Distinguished Graduate Award in a fourth-year leadership class on Oct. 29.

“This award feels like a culmination of what I’ve done in 31 years,” said Craig, whose last role with CTC was as its executive vice-president and chief financial officer. “It’s the cherry on top of the cake at the end of a career. You work hard and do the best you can and stay true to your values along the way. I was really thrilled to be recognized.”

The award, he added, was “a nice bookend” to a career that took shape when Craig enrolled in business at Brock in 1987.

It also came with the opportunity to speak to a fourth-year leadership class about leadership done well — something he credits Brock and professors like his third-year finance mentor with showing him.

“Everyone in a company can be a leader,” Craig said. “You don’t have to be a CEO or CFO. Just be yourself and represent your thoughts professionally.”

His own professional journey, which started in the throes of a recession in the early 1990s, wasn’t always a straight, upward trajectory, he noted. Craig made several lateral moves, keen to learn everything he could about all facets of an organization that does everything from selling gas, tools and clothing to offering credit cards and a popular consumer rewards program.

The 18 roles he held at CTC didn’t always fit the typical CPA and CMA career pathway. They also made him a rarity in an era when spending a career with the same employer became less common. 

“That’s why I stayed. There was always a chance to grow and contribute,” Craig said. “It was a chance opportunity just to get a role (back then). It was take a job for a year and see what happens, but I loved the people, loved the role and had a chance to really grow and learn for the next 31 years.”