Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award
The Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award recognizes the outstanding achievement of one of our alumni members within the last year. Consideration is given to alumni who have won honours in their field or who have been recognized nationally or internationally.
2023: Hon. Michelle O'Bonsawin
The Hon. Michelle O'Bonsawin (LLB ’98, PhD ’22) has dedicated her distinguished career to making progress in law, as it pertains to several areas, including mental health, the Gladue principles and human rights. In 2022, Justice O’Bonsawin became the first Indigenous person to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.
2022: Véronique Lecault
Entrepreneur Véronique Lecault (BSc'06, BASc’06) combines leading-edge technology, biology and creativity to equip Canada and the world to both react rapidly to future coronavirus waves and to prevent and fight a slew of other diseases through new antibodies.
2021: Harley Finkelstein
Harley Finkelstein (LLB ’09, MBA ’09) is president of Canada’s most high-profile company, Shopify. During the pandemic, he invested time and money to support both uOttawa students and small businesses. Harley was recently named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 as well as to the Order of Ottawa. Currently, he is a member of the Felicis Ventures advisory council, as well as one of the “Dragons” on CBC’s Next Gen Den.
2020: Dr. Rob S.B. Beanlands
Dr. Rob S.B. Beanlands (MD ’83) is president of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology and a past president of the Canadian Nuclear Cardiology Society. He has presented his work around the world, and earned the 2019 CIHR-ICRH/CCS Distinguished Lecturer Award in Cardiovascular Sciences.
2019: Chuck Rifici
Chuck Rifici (BASc ’02) is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Tweed Marijuana Inc., one of the first companies granted a licence by Health Canada to produce and sell medical cannabis. A leader in Canada’s cannabis industry, Chuck heads Nesta Holding Co., a private equity firm, and is CEO at Auxly Cannabis Group.
2018: Guy Laflamme
Guy Laflamme (MBA ’89) was the Executive Producer of the Ottawa 2017 Bureau, responsible for rebranding Ottawa from “old to bold” during Canada’s sesquicentennial. Ottawa 2017 was the culmination of Guy’s lifetime of work in high-visibility marketing and production for organizations.
2017: Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan
Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan (PhD ’89) is an administrator, educator, engineer, entrepreneur, inventor, policy adviser and researcher. He is the executive vice-president for knowledge enterprise development and chief research and innovation officer at Arizona State University.
2016: Micheál Kelly
Micheál Kelly (MA ’75) is dean of the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, after 10 years at the helm of the Telfer School of Management. Among other accomplishments, Micheál led the school to achieve the “triple crown” of international business school accreditations.
2015: Bernie Ashe
Bernie Ashe (BAdm ’78) is CEO of Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, the company that partnered with the City of Ottawa to bring CFL football back to our community. Before heading OSEG, Bernie led Kott Group, one of Canada’s largest building supply organizations.
2014: David W. Scott
David W. Scott (LLB ’60) worked for more than 50 years as one of Canada’s most respected lawyers. David was also instrumental in fundraising for uOttawa’s Ian G. Scott Courtroom, which opened in 2013. In his spare time, David generously works with several community and charitable organizations.
2013: Marc Ruel (B.Sc ’90)
A native of Québec City, Dr. Marc Rue) received his Medical Doctor degree from the University of Ottawa in 1994 and his Specialist Certification in Cardiac Surgery from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2000. He then received an award to pursue post-specialization studies at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts.
2012: Dr. Deepali Kumar (MD ’96)
Deepali Kumar completed her medical degree and a Bachelor of Medical Science at the University. She had also been doing research work on infectious disease, taking on academic posts that led to her current position as a faculty member in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. In 2009 she led a major study on how transplant patients were affected by influenza, resulting in a major publication and her receiving a gold medal from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.