Paul Koenderman (BASc '71)

Paul Koenderman was a mechanical engineering student at the University of Waterloo when he got his first job at Babcock & Wilcox Canada in 1969. He worked his way up through the ranks and, by the time he left the Cambridge firm more than 30 years later, he was company president.

Koenderman (BASc '71) is currently the chief executive officer of Aecon Industrial Group, Canada's largest infrastructure and development contractor. However, Koenderman still makes time for the university that gave him his start. He was appointed chair of the University of Waterloo Board of Governors in 2005, after having served as vice-chair for a year. He has been a member of the board since 2000.

He is a Campaign Waterloo volunteer and, in addition to being a regular donor, he also established the Koenderman Scholarship for Engineering and Arts. In 1998, he received the Faculty of Engineering Alumni Achievement Medal for his professional accomplishments. Koenderman was also honoured in 2003 by the Canadian Nuclear Society with the Ian McRae Award of Merit for his accomplishments in the Canadian nuclear field. He served as chair of the Canadian Nuclear Association in the early 1990s.

In addition to his engineering degree, Koenderman is a graduate of the Executive MBA program at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. In the community, he has served as campaign chair for the United Way of Cambridge and North Dumfries and has served on the board of the Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro.

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