Building Waterloo champions in Canada and around the world

Friday, May 10, 2024
Dominic Barton speaking at podium

What is a Waterloo champion?

It’s a person who recognizes our University’s unique strengths and offers their expertise, resources and networks to amplify our impact on the world.

At the end of April, we celebrated one of our most prominent champions – Chancellor Dominic Barton – who will conclude his tenure on June 30 after six years of leadership. It was a privilege to bring together so many global change makers to recognize Dominic’s contributions to Waterloo. As a key ambassador for our institution, Dominic has provided strategic direction to catalyze new initiatives and expand the University’s global network. He has given generously to support institutional priorities, and enabled us to build exciting partnerships with leaders in the public and private sectors.

Recently, Dominic served as a distinguished speaker at this year’s sold-out Waterloo Innovation Summit on next-generation talent. Hosted at the Toronto headquarters of McKinsey & Company, where Dominic held multiple leadership positions, the event drew more than 100 select attendees with a goal to connect and collaborate with emerging leaders. We’re grateful to our hosts at McKinsey and our many partners and colleagues who made the event a success.

You can dive deeper into this topic and others in the University’s new podcast hosted by Dominic Barton, Global Futures in Focus, which examines the transformational forces facing our future.

Building community in the nation’s capital

The University’s long-term vision, Waterloo at 100, emphasizes the importance of acting both globally and locally to drive positive change. Our new alumni chapter in Ottawa, which launched on May 1, is a wonderful example of creating impact on a local scale.

Ottawa is home to thousands of Waterloo alumni working in government, technology and academia, among other sectors. Our new alumni chapter enables them to connect around their shared experiences and create opportunities for professional growth. Co-op students are invited to participate in chapter events as well, which provides them with additional social support while they’re on their work terms. This early engagement can encourage students to return to a city after graduation, strengthening local communities, workforces and economies.

Thank you to Lisa Tran (BA ’17) and Robert Beamish (BA ’15), for leading this new chapter. We’re looking forward to working with you to strengthen our alumni network in Ottawa.

Co-create the future with Waterloo

By combining our strengths to achieve our shared goals, we will exponentially increase our impact on humanity and the planet. I invite you to contact the Waterloo Advancement team to discuss how we can work together to support communities across Canada and worldwide.