Global Game Changers | Waterloo News | University of Waterloo

With more than 205,000 alumni from 145 countries, our community has a real impact on the world.

Here are five young alumni who have taken their careers to the next level, disrupting industries and practices across the globe. Read on to meet these global game changers.

Fred Ngan (BMath ’07) and Michael Chan (BMath ’08)

Fred and Michael are disrupting Hong Kong’s insurance industry with their company Bowtie. With 10 years’ experience each in global insurance, they noticed a gap in the industry: if companies would embrace technology, they could better educate the public about their insurance options, make the process easier and target an audience that has been underserved in the past.

“Traditionally, the most affordable insurance and simple products with high protection are not widely sold by agents because of the low commission,” explains Fred. “The way the distribution has been structured made it difficult to sell those products.”

Bowtie offers a completely digital experience to distribute medical insurance policies. The company targets a young, tech-savvy audience. It will also provide protection to an underserved community who cannot currently afford many insurance products.

Nohémie Mawaka (BA ’13)

Mother and newborn populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo face one of the highest mortality rates in the world. Growing up in the Congo, Nohémie witnessed this issue firsthand. She saw far too many women being forced to accept their life circumstances because there was no alternative available to them.

Nohémie aimed to change all that when she founded Stats Congo, the first Congolese national maternal and newborns health centralized database. By collecting and analyzing health data of new mothers and their babies, StatsCongo can inform research, policies and best practices for hospital delivery.

In 2019, Nohmie was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her work.

Richard Yim (MBET ’17)

One of Richard’s proudest accomplishments was his return to Cambodia in 2016, where he successfully tested his company’s robots in his home country. His startup, Demine Robots (formerly Landmine Boys), was born out of his fourth-year mechanical engineering Capstone Design project. The company develops semi-autonomous machines that can locate, dig and remove a landmine while keeping humans at a safe distance.

After war, when peace comes and bullets stop flying, landmines are still in the ground. Children shouldn't be afraid to step off the beaten path.
RICHARD YIM, Founder, Demine Robotics

Richard was named on the list of 30 Under 30 Asia by Forbes in 2019, where he is recognized for his strong humanitarian mission.

Christina Hassan (MPH ’16)

As a Waterloo co-op student, Christina travelled to Uganda and witnessed the poor conditions under which many Ugandan women give birth. As an alumnus, she committed to disrupting these unacceptable conditions by establishing FullSoul, a Canadian program that supplies safe and sterile childbirth equipment to Ugandan hospitals.

Christina was honoured as one of six People of Action: Young Innovators during 2018 Rotary Day at the United Nations.