 MEDIA RELEASE |
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MEDIA RELEASE |
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Governor General awards Banff Centre president and chief executive officer Order of Canada
Dr. Graeme McDonald, president and CEO of The Banff Centre has been named a Member of the Order of Canada by the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada.Throughout his academic and professional careers, Dr. McDonald has explored the diverse landscape of Canadian arts and enterprise, and has championed the ingenuity of innovators in many fields. Dr. McDonald graduated with a BA (Honours) in Political Science from the University of Alberta with the Governor General’s Gold Medal in Arts in 1965. Subsequently, he received a MA, Regional Studies, East Asia and a Ph.D History: Modern China from Harvard University.
McDonald served in the Canadian Army from 1961 to 1979, during which time he was seconded to the Department of External Affairs, and posted to Peking as Sinologist and First Secretary (Cultural and Scientific Affairs). He moved on to become a senior executive and officer of Northern Telecom (where he spent 15 years) in Canada and Singapore. In 1990, he was seconded from Northern Telecom to the Vancouver-based Asia Pacific Foundation as president and chief executive officer. His three-year tenure there focused on making Canadian businesses more competitive in Asia and resulted in a four-fold increase in the Foundation's revenues. McDonald left Northern Telecom in 1993 to become president and chief executive officer of The Banff Centre.
Dr. McDonald continues to serve on boards and advisory committees directed at fostering excellence in Canadian business and the arts. He currently serves on: The Alberta Economic Development Authority, the New York based Asia Society, the Asian Business Consortium, the Banff School of Advanced Management, the Council on Business and the Arts in Canada, Esther Honens Calgary International Piano Competition, the Canadian Foundation for the Preservation of Chinese Cultural and Historical Treasures, and the Governor General's Canadian Study Conference 2000. He was recently elected to the Los Angeles-board Pacific Council on International Policy and is the Canadian appointee to the advisory committee for Harvard University’s new Asia Centre. He is also an honorary patron of Strings of the Future.
The Order of Canada was established in 1967 as a lifetime achievement award to recognize outstanding service and achievement in various fields of human endeavour. Dr. McDonald has been recognized in the field of education. He will be presented the insignia of the Order by the Governor General, Adrienne Clarkson, at a future investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall, in Ottawa.
For Interviews with Graeme
McDonald, contact:
Linda Mazzucca
The Banff Centre
Ph.: (403) 762-6240