Aaron Fish

After leaving high school in 1949, the 17-year-old entrepreneur started Canadian Key and Lock Supply. As Aaron's expertise, reputation and contacts grew, Bell Canada approached him with a request to develop a keyless lock for their facilities. In 1964, the Unican pushbutton lock was launched.

By 1999, Montreal-based Unican and its subsidiaries and affiliates boasted more than 3,700 employees and worldwide sales in excess of $450 million. Two years later, a Swiss company, now part of Kaba AG, purchased the Unican Group. Aaron sat on Kaba's Board of Directors until his retirement.

For his considerable business accomplishments, Aaron earned a Lifetime of Outstanding Achievement award from the Associated Locksmiths of America and the Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Quebec government, the Bank of Montreal and several investment firms.

A 2016 honorary degree recipient from Concordia, Fish was recognized as an innovator, a global authority in the field of lock design, and a long-time supporter of the university’s next generation of engineers.

Aaron Max Fish — inventor of the push-button lock design, and a dedicated Concordia community member — passed away on October 1, 2020.