A pioneering artist, a philanthropist and 3 nationally recognized business leaders recognized by Concordia

Miriam Roland

For her service to the community

Miriam Roland spent 32 years in the US, where she studied international relations and psychology, before returning to her native Montreal and subsequently setting up a private psychotherapy practice.

In her first week back in 1978, she registered for classes at Concordia, and has been deeply involved with the university ever since. As a member of the Board of Governors from 1992 to 2004 she sat on the Executive, Advancement, Communications and Real Estate Planning Committees, helping guide the university through a period of great expansion.

As per her family’s ethos to give generously, Roland has established a number of community-oriented projects at Concordia over the years. These include a lecture series, bursaries in the Community Economic Development program, and endowments to fund special projects and students’ emergency needs.

She was the driving force behind making a course in business ethics mandatory for all John Molson School of Business graduate students. In 2018, she established a perpetual fund for graduate students in all four Concordia faculties.

Beyond Concordia, Roland has been an active board or committee member at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Batshaw Youth and Family Centres, the Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal, the Wilstein Institute of Social Policy in Boston, the Taube Center for Jewish Studies at Stanford University, Ben Gurion University, Portage, and Centraide of Greater Montreal.

Miriam Roland will address the Faculty of Arts and Science on Monday, November 19 at 10 a.m.

Louis A. Tanguay

For his executive leadership

Louis A. Tanguay (BComm 75) enjoyed a long and successful career at Bell Canada from 1957 to 2001. During his rise through the company, he headed its three-year re-engineering program in the 90s and served as President of the Bell Canada Innovation Centre, President of Bell Quebec, and COO, President and CEO of Bell Canada International, a publicly-traded subsidiary of Bell Canada Enterprises.

Tanguay has been generous with his time and experience to public, private, and not-for-profit organizations. His has served on the boards of directors of more than 30 companies, in the fields of wireline, wireless and satellite telecommunications, cable television, food processing, healthcare, information technology, retail and wholesale distribution, and airport management.

His extensive volunteer experience includes serving as Organizing Committee President of Les Jeux du Québec, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Quebec, and Chairman of the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation. He has also been involved extensively as a volunteer and fundraising leader at his alma mater, JMSB.

For his service, he was awarded the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation’s Medal of Honour (2014), Concordia’s JMSB Award of Distinction (1998), and Man of the Year from the Chartered Administrators Order of Quebec (1994).

Luigi Liberatore and Louis A. Tanguay will address the John Molson School of Business on Monday, November 19 at 3 p.m.

Nathalie Pilon

For her innovation in business

Nathalie Pilon is a leader whose vision brings people and technology together to create jobs and innovate in Canada for Canada. She brings that vision to life in her role as President of ABB Canada, where she draws upon her passions for people, technology and sustainability to motivate the organization to fulfill its goal as a driver of Canada’s energy and industrial revolutions.

Her more than 20 years’ experience in manufacturing and distributing equipment in the energy sector includes serving as Senior Manager, Professional Practice for KPMG LLP, and Vice-President, then President of Thomas & Betts Canada.

A recognized thought leader in her field, Pilon was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network and has received the Leadership Award from the Association of Women in Finance. She is a member of the Business Council of Canada and is a board member of Electro-Federation Canada, the CSA Group and the Montreal Port Authority.

Pilon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from HEC, is a member of the Québec Order of Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) and, in 2011, received her certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Meredith Monk and Nathalie Pilon will address the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science at a joint ceremony on Monday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m.