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Celebrating the Lazaridis School Alumni Awards 2018
Oct. 26, 2018
Print | PDFEach year, the Lazaridis Alumni Awards provide us with the opportunity to reflect on the successes of the year before and recognize the outstanding accomplishments of some of our Lazaridis School alumni.
On Saturday, Oct. 20, more than 200 guests gathered in Lazaridis Hall to celebrate this year’s award recipients. The audience included award recipients and their supporters, event sponsors, faculty, students, members of the Dean’s Advisory Council and members of the university’s senior administration, including president and vice-chancellor, Deborah MacLatchy.
We would like to congratulate the 2018 Lazaridis Alumni Award winners, who were selected for their extraordinary achievements in community service, career success and support of the Laurier community:
J. Alex Murray Alumni Award:
Jason McDonell, BBA ‘96
President, PepsiCo Foods Canada
Ray Tanguay, DIPL ’83, HC ‘12
Former Chair and President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc.
MBA Alumna of the Year:
Marina Garabetian, MBA ‘05
COO, Raffi Jewellers Inc., Founder, MODALINA Media Group Inc.
Young Alumna of the Year:
Sinead Bovell, BBA ‘11
CEO and Founder, Weekly Advice for Young Entrepreneurs (WAYE)
Steve Farlow Entrepreneurship and Innovation Award:
David Ceolin, BBA ‘89
General Partner, Innovation Grade Ventures
Community Leadership Award:
Elise Gasbarrino, BBA ‘07
Brand Manager, Burberry, Founder, Pink Pearl Foundation
Dean’s Award for Community Service:
Mary D’Alton
Executive Director, Nutrition for Learning Waterloo Region
“Yes, [the award recipients] have all enjoyed great successes in their chosen industries. But it’s not just that. Without exception, these award winners have all given generously to help others and truly embody the Laurier spirit of ‘inspiring lives of leadership and purpose’. Our alumni are an inspiration to our students. Through your accomplishments and generosity, you have become role models, demonstrating the value of a Laurier education.”
– Deb MacLatchy
Award recipients shared stories about their fondest Laurier memories, both as students and through the opportunities they’ve taken to return to campus in other capacities such as guest lecturers, CEOs-in-Residence, investment advisors to the Laurier Startup Fund and members of the Dean’s Advisory Council.
“I used to spend my life thinking about my career from the perspective of “what do I want to do?” Instead of asking myself, “who do I want to be? What impact do I want to make?” Sinead Bovell, Young Alumna of the Year, encourages other young people to consider the impact they want to have. She credits her success to the time spent with peers and professors, in class, case studies, and social groups here at Laurier.
Marina Garabetian, MBA Alumna of the year told the audience that an MBA is a “degree for life, not just business”, and Jason McDonell finished by thanking Laurier for inspiring him and unlocking his potential.
The awards were sponsored through generous support from the Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association, ON Semiconductor, Lynn and Tom Oldfield, KPMG, POI Business Partners, TD Bank, Maple Leaf Foods and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada. Thank you to our sponsors for your recognition of our award recipients.
Learn more about the award criteria and nomination process.
Congratulations again to all our award winners!