The Empire Club of Canada
Monday, October 29, 2012
The Empire Club of Canada Presents:
Anne Sado, President, George Brown College With Toronto Next: Return on Innovation
Anne Sado, President of George Brown College. Anne can be described as a hometown girl who made very good. Educated at the University of Toronto she earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Industrial Engineering and an MBA and has been an indomitable force ever since. Throughout her life Anne has been an industrious and creative force benefiting the worlds of industry, education and the not-for-profit sector.
Her employment history includes more than two decades at Bell Canada in various capacities capping her time there with an appointment as Senior Vice-President of Business Processes and Operational Effectiveness in 2000, where she championed new customer-service initiatives and supported company goals with significant earnings improvements.
In 2004 she accepted the position of President at George Brown College. Her focus in education has been on cultivating the development of a work force with the right balance of skills for the knowledge economy, innovation in learning, and providing the tools for transition to new Canadians so they can enter productive careers that will drive economic growth. She lives these educational ideals. As someone who has been invited to teach at George Brown on occasion, I can speak to a collegial environment that encourages an open and free-flowing exchange of ideas and dreams that can enhance the learning experience of students. Within the educational framework, President Sado is a strong advocate of experiential learning, emphasizing the importance of deepening partnerships with industry across the Greater Toronto Area.
Her impact on the vision, direction and culture of the college has resulted in significant growth at George Brown, and in a wider framework she has activated a critical public discussion on the value of college education in Ontario’s economic development. This year Anne has been recognized as one of YWCA’s Women of Distinction in Education, but that is only the most recent of her many honours, that include the Women’s Executive Network recognition as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women of 2010. She was inducted into the University of Toronto’s Engineering Hall of Distinction in 2010 and awarded the Ontario Professional Engineers Gold Medal in 2007. She has also received the Queens Golden Jubilee Medal for her work with the YWCA of Greater Toronto, the Professional Engineers Ontario Citizenship Award for contributions to her community, and an Arbor Award from the University of Toronto. She was also awarded a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the University of Toronto in June 2011.
Anne’s commitment to serving her community is also laudable. She is Chair of the Board of Orion and Past Chair of Trillium Health Centre. She currently sits on the boards of organizations such as the Toronto Board of Trade, Legacy Private Trust and the Toronto Financial Service Alliance. She is a past Chair of Colleges Ontario’s Committee of Presidents and served as a board member of the YWCA of Greater Toronto, Junior Achievement and the Canadian Hearing Society Foundation. This combination of professional and volunteer experiences has given her a variety of perspectives on the social and economic challenges facing the GTA.
Speaker:
Anne Sado, President, George Brown College
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