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Alumni profile: Michael Low

Story by Kurtis Rideout

An entrepreneur with a lifelong interest in business, Michael Low (BA '95) is passionate about creating opportunities for members of the Indigenous community.

Low is president of Symbiotic Group Inc., an Indigenous-owned consulting company that specializes in IT consulting, as well as talent and recruitment solutions with an Indigenous focus. He is a community member of the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve, located on the eastern side of Manitoulin Island.

Low's company is split into three divisions: Symbiotic Indigenous Consulting, Symbiotic Digital and the recently launched Symbiotic Cloud Solutions. Symbiotic Indigenous Consulting assists organizations in implementing Indigenous strategies; Symbiotic Digital helps organizations meet digital transformation goals; and Symbiotic Cloud Solutions provides expertise in cloud-based computing solutions.

Michael Low
Michael Low

While Low earned an honours degree in geography from Laurier, it is an interest in business that has helped fuel his career. That interest also enabled him to pay for his university degree.


"I felt confident because of my business studies. I wanted to put those studies into action."

- Michael Low


"I was definitely interested in geography, but I was always interested in business as well," Low recalls of his time at Laurier. "And I needed money to pay for university."

To pay his way through school, Low started a window cleaning business. He says that on-the-ground experience, combined with business classes, was key in helping him get where he is today.

"I felt confident because of my business studies," he says. "I wanted to put those studies into action."

Low says he has unique opportunities as an Indigenous person who has been successful in business, by being able to provide employment opportunities to young Indigenous people and to help non-Indigenous companies gain a better understanding of matters that impact Indigenous peoples.