Toronto - Three distinguished alumni of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management will be honoured this evening with the Rotman Alumni Awards during a gala, which is the first event in the school’s annual Reunite at Rotman alumni homecoming event.
“I cannot think of three more deserving honorees than Victor Dodig, Rachel Megitt and Naheed Kurji,” said Susan Christoffersen, Dean of the Rotman School. "Victor is a leader in financial services, championing Canadian prosperity and equity. With unwavering dedication, Rachel uplifts students and advances a more inclusive world for women in finance. She particularly empowers high school women to embark on this path. Meanwhile, Naheed's unyielding commitment to addressing some of our most critical global health challenges is paving the way for safer, more sustainable medical solutions, benefitting patients worldwide."
All of tonight’s recipients have achieved tremendous success in their professions while continuing to give back to their organizations, industries and communities. They exemplify the Rotman and University of Toronto values of diversity, excellence, respect, and integrity. Here are their short biographies:
Victor Dodig, BCOM '88 , receives the Rotman Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes a seasoned graduate’s significant contributions to their organization, industry, and community. He is the President and CEO of CIBC, where he leads a global team. Under his leadership, the bank has transformed into a modern, relationship-oriented bank, with a strong North American platform and a commitment to enable a more sustainable future for all stakeholders. Before becoming CEO of the bank, he held several senior leadership roles within CIBC, led several businesses with UBS and Merrill Lynch in Canada and internationally, and was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. He is a strong advocate for Canada on the global stage and a proponent of economic growth to enable a more prosperous and inclusive future for all. He has held numerous positions with organizations focused on diversity and inclusion, including the Black North Initiative and Catalyst Canada. He is currently Chair of CIBC’s Inclusion Leadership Council, and also the current Chair of the Business Council of Canada.
Rachel Megitt, MBA’10 , is the recipient of the Rotman Volunteer Excellence Award. The award recognizes the outstanding volunteer contribution of a graduate to the Rotman School and the University of Toronto. She is Vice President of Term Investments & Savings, RBC InvestEase and RBC Healthcare for Personal Banking & Investments (PBI), and Personal & Commercial Banking (P&CB) at RBC. Prior to joining RBC, she spent more than five years working in human capital strategy, healthcare strategy and management consulting. While at Rotman, she served as the President of the Graduate Business Council. Her commitment to her community has been recognized through several awards from the University and Women in Capital Markets. Throughout her career, she took a particular interest in the advancement of women. From 2012 to 2015, she served as Chair of SheBiz, an all-day business symposium for young women in high school. From 2015 to 2017, she served as the Co-Chair of RWomen – an RBC employee resource group dedicated to fostering inclusion and women’s career aspirations within the firm. In 2014, she created Ladies Who Lunch (LWL), a program designed to educate young women in high school on opportunities available to them in the finance industry. In 2018, Rachel helped launch RBC Academy in Canada, an after-school club for high school students highlighting careers and opportunities in Capital Markets. She previously represented RBC Capital Markets as a Director on the Rotman Financial Services Advisory Board and served as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Dean of Rotman School. Most recently, she served as a Director on the University of Toronto Alumni Association Board.
Naheed Kurji, MBA12 , is the recipient of the Rotman Leader to Watch Award. This award recognizes a young graduate who has a tremendous impact on their industry and has demonstrated a commitment to giving back to their community. He is the President of Recursion Canada, the Canadian wholly owned subsidiary of Recursion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RXRX). Before joining Recursion, he was the Co-founder, President, and CEO of Cyclica, a Toronto-based biotech company (acquired by Recursion in May 2023). At Cyclica, he had the distinct privilege of working with an incredibly talented and dedicated team that was considered one of the pioneers of what is now the increasingly hot space of AI for Drug Discovery and Development. He is also a co-founder and Board Member of EntheogeniX Biosciences, a psychedelic-inspired biotech company for mental health jointly founded with atai Life Sciences (NASDAQ: ATAI), co-founder of the Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAIH) for which he served as Chair until May 2023, Board Member of the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization (OBIO), and Member of the Life Sciences Advisory Group for Global Affairs Canada.
The Alumni Awards Dinner is the kick-off to our annual homecoming celebration – Reunite at Rotman. This year, there's an extra layer of excitement in the air as Rotman Commerce, the Bachelor of Commerce program jointly offered by the Rotman School and the University's Faculty of Arts & Science, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. A special marquee event in June 2024 is being planned to coincide with the convocation of the 100th graduating class. A digital hub for the celebration, including stories, timelines, and news about special events, has been launched at https://100.rotmancommerce.utoronto.ca/.
Every fall Reunite at Rotman brings together our global community. This year on September 29 Reunite will feature faculty speakers on governance, quantum computing, what’s new in marketing, leadership, and the future of work, engaging fireside chats with accomplished alumni plus a celebratory dean's reception with the reunions of classes celebrating milestone years. Learn more about this celebration by visiting www.rotman.utoronto.ca/reunite .
The Rotman School of Management is part of the University of Toronto, a global centre of research and teaching excellence at the heart of Canada’s commercial capital. Rotman is a catalyst for transformative learning, insights and public engagement, bringing together diverse views and initiatives around a defining purpose: to create value for business and society. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca
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For more information:
Ken McGuffin
Manager, Media Relations
Rotman School of Management
University of Toronto
Voice: 416.946.3818
E-mail: mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca