Alumni of Influence

Peggy Gale is an independent curator and art critic who has published extensively on time-based works by contemporary artists. Her collection of writings on artists' videos, Videotexts (1995), established artists' videos as a major art medium and her study, Artists Talk: 1969 – 1977 (2004) is a widely assigned course text that clearly and engagingly sets out the history and terms of conceptual art. She received the Toronto Arts Award (2000) and the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts (2006), the highest arts award in the nation.

James Gifford is the editorial director, non-fiction, at Harper Collins Canada. He has published more than 15 number-one bestsellers and is approaching 100 national bestsellers. His titles have been nominated for or have won every major literary award in Canada, and his author list includes Linden MacIntyre, Dr. Marla Shapiro, David Suzuki, Lloyd Robertson, Ron MacLean, Bruce Cockburn, Andrea Martin, Raj Patel, and Tara Westover, among others.

The late James Hillier (BA 1937 UC) was a scientist and inventor. He co-developed the world's first high-resolution transmission electron microscope, the basis for all subsequent electron microscropes. He held 41 patents and won the Lasker Prize (1960) for co-developing the electron microscope. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada (1997) and was invested into the US Inventors Hall of Fame and the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame. He established the Dr. James Hillier Foundation in 1992 to support, in perpetuity, Brantford-area secondary school students attending university and studying the sciences.

The late Honourable Robert Kaplan was a renowned lawyer and politician. He was first elected to The House of Commons in 1968 and re-elected in 1972, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1984 and 1988. In 1980, he was sworn to the Privy Council as Solicitor General of Canada and brought in the Young Offenders Act and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. After his decision not to seek re-election in 1993, he became active in international business. He was awarded the Legion of Honour medal from France as well as the Order of Kazakhstan.

William Lazonick is a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Massachusetts and president of the Academic-Industry Research Network. An economist in the fifth decade of an impactful career, he is known globally for his research on innovation and development. His book, Sustainable Prosperity in the New Economy? Business Organization and High-Tech Employment in the United States, was awarded the International Schumpeter Prize (2010), and his article, “Profits Without Prosperity,” won the McKinsey Award for outstanding article in Harvard Business Review (2014). He holds honorary doctorates from Uppsala University and University of Ljubljana.

Physician Paul Lem is the co-founder and CEO of Spartan Bioscience Inc., a company that develops, manufactures, and markets DNA testing systems for on-demand applications. He was named one of Ottawa’s 40 Under 40 (2015), and he was recognized with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers of Ottawa’s 2016 Outstanding High Technology Company Recognition Award. His company quickly jumped into action in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to create a portable, rapid test kit that will produce results in under an hour, which will particularly benefit rural and Indigenous communities.

Robin Mednick is the president and co-founder of Pencils for Kids (P4K), an organization helping children in Niger, West Africa, attend school. In 15 years, P4K has built three schools, a library, a sewing centre for girls, 14 kindergartens, sponsored more than 500 scholarships for girls, and created 10 income-generating gardens for women. Mednick holds a master’s in politics and economics from Oxford University and a law degree from Osgoode Hall. She has also been extensively involved in amateur sport, including roles at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester and Melbourne. For her achievements in Niger, she received the Meritorious Service Medal (2018) from the Governor-General of Canada.

Alvin Rakoff is a celebrated television, film, and stage director. Now in his 90s and still working, in the last 68 years he has directed some of the world's leading actors, from Laurence Olivier to Sean Connery. He won an Emmy Award for Call Me Daddy (1967) and A Voyage Round My Father (1983) and is credited with launching the career of the late Alan Rickman.

Peter Slan is vice-chair of The Bank of Nova Scotia and head of the bank’s global strategic client group. In his more than 22 years with Scotiabank, he has served in a wide variety of roles and has made significant contributions to the bank’s success. He is active in the community and has served on the boards of the Baycrest Foundation, the Rotman School of Management, and the United Jewish Appeal's Bay Street Cabinet, among others. He received the IR Magazine award for Best Investor Relations During a Corporate Transaction for Scotiabank’s $3.2 billion acquisition of DundeeWealth.

Catherine Tait completed an undergraduate degree in literature and philosophy, following the encouragement of the UC registrar at the time who suggested she switch from science to liberal arts. She went on to complete post-graduate degrees in communications studies at Boston University and the University of Paris. She has taken on many leadership roles in media and film, including at Telefilm Canada, Hollywood Suite, iThentic, and Duopoly, which she co-founded. She was previously the president and COO of Salter Street Films and in 2018 was appointed president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada. She has reinvigorated the public broadcaster on several fronts, including digital transformation, and in 2019 was named Playback’s Executive of the Year.

Jeff Wrana is a renowned cancer researcher and senior investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute. He was awarded the McLaughlin Medal by the Royal Society of Canada (2018) in recognition of "his pivotal contributions to our understanding of biology, human disease, and its treatment." He and his team also recently discovered a new type of intestinal stem cell that may lead to a better understanding of and treatment for inflammatory bowel disease.

Dr. John Barrett’s career has spanned the federal public service, international organizations, think-tanks, universities, and the nuclear industry, with a focus on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. He is a former president and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Association, former board chair of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and past president of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. He is currently the Vice-President, Strategy and Government Relations, Westinghouse Electric Canada.