A tribute to Mike Leenders

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30 November 2023

The Case Centre pays tribute to case expert Professor Michiel R Leenders. 

Mike Leenders

The Case Centre was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Professor Michiel (Mike) R Leenders on 23 November 2023 after a brief illness.

Mike completed a degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Alberta in 1956 and an MBA at Western University in 1958. Already on faculty at the Business School since 1959, he obtained on leave of absence a DBA from Harvard Business School in 1962. In 1993, he became the first holder of the PMAC endowed chair in purchasing management until his retirement in 2002. He was also the founding director of the Ivey Purchasing Managers Index from 1998 until 2015 as Professor Emeritus after his official retirement.

Mike was the co-author of three case method books and taught case learning, writing, and teaching workshops to over 15,000 participants in more than 40 countries. 

The Case Centre’s partnership with Mike began in 1996 when he and long-time collaborator, Jim Erskine, brought their Teaching with Cases workshop to Europe for the first time. Mike, Jim, and Mike’s wife Louise Maufette-Leenders went on to run 17 workshops with The Case Centre over a period of 16 years.

In 2012, Mike, along with Jim and Louise, was awarded The Case Centre’s award for Outstanding Contribution to the Case Method.

Vicky Lester, CEO of The Case Centre, said:  

“Mike was an immensely talented case teacher and writer, whose impact on the case community is immeasurable. He not only mentored countless case teachers and writers through his workshops but also reshaped our perspectives on case learning, teaching, and writing. Mike's legacy in the case method will endure through the numerous individuals who have gained invaluable knowledge and guidance from him. We send our condolences to Louise and their family and friends.”

Read Mike’s obituary here

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