BA, MBA, PhD Candidate
Instructor
School of Business
Faculty of Business and Professional Studies
604.986.1911 ext. 2553
Cedar Building, room CE243
trevormcfadyen@capilanou.ca
Education
PhD Candidate (Management), University of Leicester, 2027
MBA, Odette School of Business / Burgundy School of Business (FR), 2013
BA, University of Alberta, 1995
Bio
Trevor McFadyen is a business instructor in Human Resource Management, an applied researcher and Student Engagement and Retention Convener at Capilano University’s School of Business. He brings more than two decades of experience spanning the public, private, and post-secondary sectors, with a career grounded in leadership development, innovation and entrepreneurship strategy and experiential education.
Before joining Capilano University, McFadyen was a faculty member at the Odette School of Business at University of Windsor for seven years. Previously, he served as a strategic communications and change management advisor to executive leaders in both government and industry, including senior-level roles with multinational corporations and federal departments. His professional practice has focused on organizational transformation, stakeholder engagement and cultivating learning cultures that foster collaboration and creativity.
An MBA graduate of leading Canadian and French business schools, McFadyen is currently completing his PhD in Management at the University of Leicester (UK), where his research explores gamified approaches to entrepreneurship and innovation education. He is the Faculty Advisor for Enactus Capilano and a member of the John Dobson Enactus Fellowship, mentoring student teams who design and scale social enterprises that create measurable community impact.
Recognized by students and peers alike for his energy, authenticity, and passion for teaching, McFadyen was named Professor of the Year in 2018 and continues to develop student-centered initiatives that blend academic rigour with real-world application. His teaching and leadership reflect a deep belief in purpose-driven education, experiential learning and the transformative power of community-engaged business practice.
I believe that learning should be active, applied and human-centred. In my classes, I create spaces where students explore, experiment and connect theory to practice through experiential projects and community partnerships. I emphasize curiosity, collaboration, and reflection—encouraging students to take risks, learn from failure and discover their own leadership potential.
Courses taught at Capilano University's School of Business:
BADM 380 - Community Empowerment and Development through Enactus
BADM 302 - Human Resources Management
BADM 305 - Leadership
BADM 306 - Independent Study II
BADM 303 - Labour Relations
BADM 218 - Leading Teams
BADM 106 - Organizational Behaviour
McFadyen's current research explores gamified learning, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and the design of innovation management ecosystems that build belonging and motivation. I’m particularly interested in how game-based and narrative frameworks can improve innovation and entrepreneurial engagement, persistence and performance. This work informs both my teaching and my broader commitment to evidence-based business management design, integrating insights from organizational behaviour, psychology and management theory.
Professor of the Year, Odette School of Business (2018)