A Magazine for Alumni and Friends
Laurier alumnus Ryan Martin (BBA '16) is spending his summer cycling across Canada to raise awareness and funds for the Canadian Mental Health Association. Learn more about Martin's journey at mindcycle.ca.
Former Golden Hawks women's basketball standout Lee Anna Osei (MA '15) was recently named head coach of the St. Francis Xavier University women's basketball team. As well as leading Laurier to a Top 10 ranking and trip to the national finals, Osei played Division 1 basketball at the University of Miami. At 28 years old, she becomes one of the youngest coaches competing at the U Sports level.
Joel Wittnebel (BA '11) was recently promoted to the position of editor of the Oshawa Express newspaper, where he had previously worked as a reporter. The Oshawa Express covers news and community events in Ontario's Durham Region.
Sarah Guirguis (BBA '09) and Jay Cameron (BA '09) recently added a new Golden Hawk to the family, their daughter Léa. Guirguis and Cameron met at Laurier and married four years after graduation. Sarah went on to earn her CPA, CA designation and specializes in tax, while Jay earned his MBA and works in marketing.
Medical device company Profound Medical Corp. recently announced the appointment of Ian Heynen (MBA '03) as senior vice-president of sales and marketing. Heynen possesses more than 15 years of leadership experience in the medical device sector.
Shouvik Roy (BBA '01) was appointed chief financial officer with the online payment company VersaPay Corporation. Roy previously held senior finance positions at companies including Nike, Home Depot and FreshBooks.
International law firm Goodwin announced that Rachel Faye Smith (BA '99) has joined the firm’s Boston office as partner in the firm's Employee Retirement Income Security Act and executive compensation practice. Smith represents a range of clients and business sectors in the areas of employee benefits and executive compensation.
Dennis Mitchell (BBA '98) has been appointed chief executive officer and chief investment officer of Starlight Investments, a newly formed real estate securities investment platform. Mitchell has spent more than 15 years in the investment industry, most recently at Sprott Asset Management, where he served as senior vice-president and a senior portfolio manager.
Hong Kong-based satellite operator AsiaSat has promoted Roger Tong (MBA '98) to the position of executive director and chief executive officer. Tong has over 33 years experience in the satellite and telecommunications industry, and has been with AsiaSat for the past decade.
Hill Street Beverage Co., a producer of alcohol-free and cannabis-infused wines and beers, recently appointed Hinta Chambers (BBA '96) as the company's chief financial officer. Chambers possesses more than 20 years of finance experience with companies based in Canada, England and France.
Greg Puhalski (BA '90) will be inducted into the Toledo Hockey Hall of Fame for his play with the Toledo Storm during the 1990s, when he led the team to two ECHL championships. Puhalski currently serves as manager of hockey operations at Laurier and head coach of the men's hockey team.
Karen Rennie (BA '87) has been appointed manager of the City of Peterborough's arts, culture and heritage division. Rennie previously spent 10 years as heritage tourism manager and museum curator for the Town of Perth.
Max Liedke (BBA '82) has been appointed to serve as senior VP and chief operating officer of Health Sciences North, a Sudbury-based network of integrated heath care facilities and programs. Liedke will begin in the position Aug. 20.
Renee Guttmann (BA '80) was recently appointed as a board member of NETSHIELD Corporation. Guttmann previously served as vice-president of information and privacy with Time-Warner, as well as chief information security officer with the Coca-Cola Company and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. NETSHIELD delivers critical protection to corporate computer networks.
Derrick Drouillard was named executive director of the Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Society. Previously, Drouillard was executive director of Family & Children’s Services of St. Thomas and Elgin County.
The Co-operators has appointed Karen Higgins as its new executive vice-president and chief financial officer. Higgins has spent the past two decades in senior financial roles in the insurance and financial services industry, including the past 10 years with The Co-operators.
Laurier alumnus Andrew Lockington was presented a BMI film music award for his work scoring the 2018 feature film Rampage. Lockington received the award during the BMI Film, TV and Visual Media Awards, held in May at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.
Brett Whalen was recently appointed to serve on the board of directors of Newstrike Resources Ltd. and chair of its audit committee. Whalen is currently a vice president and portfolio manager at Goodman Investment Counsel and also serves as president and CEO of the CMP Group of companies. Newstrike Resources Ltd. is the parent company of Up Cannabis Inc.