Peggy Mulligan (BMath '81)

If Peggy Mulligan's mother had anything to do with it, her daughter would have stayed in Toronto and become a teacher. Mulligan, however, had a different plan. So, in the fall of 1976, she found herself enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo.

It was a profitable gamble for the self-professed "mathie" who went on to become an executive vice-president at the Bank of Nova Scotia, and more recently an executive vice-president and chief financial officer for Linamar Corporation. In 2003 and 2004, Mulligan (BMath '81) found herself on the Top 100 list of the Most Powerful Women in Canada, as compiled by the Women's Executive Network.

She has served on University of Waterloo's Board of Governors and been a director of the Crown Foundation, as well as a volunteer for Campaign Waterloo. During her career, she has encouraged industry to support the University of Waterloo's innovative programs, establishing major support from Scotiabank for new software labs and scholarships.

Her favourite University of Waterloo memory harkens back to that first day on campus when a young man leaned out a residence window and yelled, "Hey, girl." That man, Tom Mulligan (BASc '81, MASc '83), became her husband and they have been married for 26 years.

Mulligan continues to enjoy "tremendous pride in a great organization" and treasures the friendships she has gained during her years as a student and on the Board of Governors.

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