On March 2nd, 2012, Jan Eliasson was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He took office on July 1, 2012. Mr. Eliasson was the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Darfur from 2007-2008. Prior to this, he served as President of the 60th session of the UN General Assembly. He was Sweden’s Ambassador to the U.S. from September 2000 until July 2005. In March 2006, Mr. Eliasson was appointed Foreign Minister of Sweden and served in thi...
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University of Ottawa alumnus Michael Chambers (BComm ’70; LLB ’73) has contributed generously to sport in Ottawa, in Canada, and around the world. Always a “team player”, he is seen as someone who brings people together.  Mr. Chambers’ sport career began as a young competitor at the Rideau Canoe Club in Ottawa, and for many years he served on the club’s Board. He quickly moved up the ranks to the national level, where he held many leadership positions with CanoeKayak Canada. In 2011, he w...
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On July 1, 2010, Elizabeth Cannon was appointed the eighth president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary. She is a passionate advocate of higher education and its role in driving discovery, innovation and creativity, in solving the world’s greatest challenges, and in transforming talented young people into successful leaders. Prior to her appointment as president, Elizabeth Cannon was dean of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary, and in this position, sh...
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Anne-Marie Cadieux is an exceptionally talented actress known for her intensity, daring and versatility. She has performed brilliantly on the stage, the screen and television. A University of Ottawa alumna (BA ’84), she first appeared on the stage of the Théâtre de la Vieille 17, and then at the National Arts Centre, directed by AndréBrassard.  Early on, her career was shaped by two major figures she met, Robert Lepage and Brigitte Haentjens, with whom she began a long and fruitful c...
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Canadian-born Albert Bandura is one of the most influential psychologists of all time, and indeed, the most cited living psychologist. Currently the David Starr Jordan Professor of Social Science in Psychology / Emeritus at Stanford University (where he has taught since 1953), he is best known for his social cognitive theory (also known as social learning theory), which emphasizes people’s capacity to shape the course of their lives. Born in 1925 in Mundare, in northern Alberta, Albert Bandura...
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A true pioneer, Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire has paved the way for her contemporaries in engineering, diplomacy, communications and philanthropy. She was the first woman to graduate in civil engineering from Montreal's École Polytechnique, then, the first woman consulting engineer in Quebec, and, finally, the first woman to serve as a Quebec delegate-general abroad. Since 1991, Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire has served as president and executive director of Centraide of Greater Montreal, using her abil...
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Since 1992, Kim Pate has served as Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, an umbrella body bringing together Elizabeth Fry societies nationwide. The societies provide support and advocacy for women who are currently or who have been in prison, including members of some of the most vulnerable groups in society. Additionally, she has worked with scholars, sociologists, front-line workers and others on the broader issues facing women in the correctional system. ...
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Monique F. Leroux has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group, the largest cooperative financial group in Canada, since 2008. Prior to joining Desjardins in 2001, she held senior positions with Quebecor Inc., the large multimedia group, and the Royal Bank, as well as with the international accounting firm Ernst & Young. She also holds positions on many national and international boards, including the European Association of Co-operative Banks and the Internationa...
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Daniel Lamarre is President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil, where he is responsible for both business development and operations strategy, as well as ensuring its financial stability and furthering its organizational culture and values. A University of Ottawa alumnus (Communication), he began his career as a journalist at Trois-Rivières’ Le Nouvelliste and Radio-Canada. He began working in public relations with the Fédération des caisses populaires du Centre du Québec and Cogeco. He later served a...
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Dr. Axel Kahn is the Director of Research at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) in France, and was head of INSERM’s Institut Cochin in Paris from 2002 to 2008. He is the former President of l’Université Paris Descartes from 2007 to 2011. His scientific work is focused on gene control, genetic disease, cancer, and nutrition. He has written a number of books and close to 500 original articles published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals such as...
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