Ken McGillivray, Vice-President, Advancement joined a full house of local alumni in London, England on Thursday, March 14 to officially launch the University of Waterloo’s London/UK alumni chapter.

University of Waterloo Alumni in London, England

Ken McGillivray with members of the UK alumni chapter in the North Tower Lounge at the historic Tower Bridge in London.

Hosted in the North Tower Lounge at the historic Tower Bridge, the creation of this alumni chapter is the result of collaborative efforts between Waterloo’s Office of Advancement and six alumni who now serve as the chapter’s founding directors – Robin Carswell (BMath '01), Alex Scott (BASc '09), Kathleen Broekhof (BMath '98), Shikha Gandhi (MAcc '04; BA '04), Laura Gordon (BA '11), and Anna Dyck (BMath '08).

Bringing greetings on behalf of President Feridun Hamdullahpur, McGillivray shared stories about a few of the successes that are ensuring Waterloo continues to be the hub of innovation that the world turns to for answers, for talent , and for knowledge.

McGillivray also spoke about the university’s global outreach and his ambitious goals for increasing international alumni engagement. “Chapters such as the one we’re celebrating tonight play a critical role in ensuring our continued success as a local, national, and international agent of change, he said. “The energy in the room this evening undoubtedly means that our London chapter is going to be a very engaged and active group of alumni.”

These sentiments were echoed by Patricia Duguay, Senior Alumni Officer, Outreach. “The central alumni team back in Canada couldn't be happier to support this group and work to build our brand overseas,” she said. “With 160,000 alumni living in more than 140 countries, chapters are essential to keeping Waterloo alumni connected and engaged.”

The London/UK alumni chapter is the first-of-its-kind launched by Waterloo in Europe. It joins seven other Waterloo chapters that encompass alumni living in Western Canada, the United States, and Asia. Alumni Affairs is continuously working to launch more alumni chapters all around the world. Stay tuned to find out if one is starting up in your area and how you can get involved.