Honorary degree citation - Robert Courteau
By: Anne Beaudry, November 2011
Mr. Chancellor, it is my honour to present to you Mr. Robert Courteau, President of SAP North America.
Concordia alumnus and global technology executive, Robert Courteau is more than an IT expert, he is a dynamic and thoughtful leader that has shown incredible ability to shape teams, grow new markets, and deliver results. As President of SAP North America, he is responsible for the largest business unit at the company with revenues that now exceed $5b in revenue annually.
En janvier 2011, après une carrière de près de vingt-cinq ans dans l’industrie des technologies, M. Courteau a choisi de déployer son expérience de gestionnaire de haut niveau auprès de la firme SAP. Fondée en 1972, SAP est aujourd’hui une multinationale du secteur des applications logicielles d’entreprise et l’un des leaders du marché. À titre de président, Amérique du Nord, Robert Courteau est responsable de toutes les opérations commerciales de la société dans la région.
He first joined SAP in 2004 as President and Managing Director, SAP Canada. In this role he expanded SAP Canada’s leadership position in business application software and doubled its customer base. Since 2004 he has held various senior executive and sales management positions with SAP, including Chief Operating Officer for SAP’s Global Field Operations division, where he was responsible for the overall performance of SAP field operations throughout global sales, ecosystem, services and sales support teams.
Avant de travailler à SAP, M. Courteau était vice-président exécutif de EDS Corporation. Il a également exercé diverses fonctions de gestion et de direction dans une variété de multinationales et parmi les pionniers du secteur. Ainsi, il a été vice-président et directeur général de la division nord-américaine de Xerox Corporation, à Rochester, dans l’État de New York.
He is an advocate for Canadian competitiveness and has invested his time and provided guidance and support to many young entrepreneurs across Canada. This has included his work on the Boards and Advisory Committees of two successful Canadian companies as they grew quickly to become public companies.
M. Courteau siège actuellement au conseil d’administration de Jeunes entreprises (JE), après avoir été membre du conseil, bénévole et participant aux programmes de l’organisme dans tout le pays. En 2008, il a accédé à la présidence de l’Association canadienne de la technologie de l’information (ACTI); il fait aussi partie du comité exécutif du conseil d’administration de l’association. Il est par ailleurs membre du conseil consultatif du Collège des directeurs de l’École de commerce DeGroote de l’Université McMaster.
Perhaps finally, on a more personal note, we know that Mr. Courteau was an avid skier while studying at Concordia – it is said that one of the reasons he chose Concordia was the tremendous opportunity it afforded him to continue with his love of the sport. In fact, it was this shared passion for skiing with his first manager that helped him land his first job in the technology industry.
Mr. Chancellor, on behalf of Senate and the Board of Governors, it is my privilege and honour to present to you Mr. Robert Courteau, so that you may confer upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.
