UWI Benefit Gala in Toronto Honours Outstanding Leaders of Caribbean and Canadian Heritage

TORONTO, Canada – On March 10, 2012, the University of the West Indies will honour nine outstanding individuals of Caribbean and Canadian heritage and one remarkable institution at the 2012 Annual Benefit Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Zanana Akande, social and political advocate, Malcolm Gladwell, award-winning author and speaker, and Artis Lane, internationally renowned artist and sculptor will receive Luminary Awards for their international achievements. University Health Network, which includes Toronto General, Toronto Western and Princess Margaret Hospitals, and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute will be honoured for providing post-graduate training to UWI medical students and for the exceptional care it provides to its communities.

Vice-Chancellor‘s Awards will also be given to: Dr. Pamela Da Camara, medical pioneer; Dr. Anthony MacFarlane, MD and cultural philanthropist; Mr. Lloyd Seivright, charity founder; Mr. Howard Lincoln Shearer, President and CEO of Hitachi Canada Ltd, Mr. Suresh Sookoo, CEO, Caribbean Banking, RBC; and Mr. Frank Walwyn, Partner at WeirFoulds LLP, who was recently recognized as one of the best lawyers in Canada.

Raymond Chang, Director of CI Financial and Chancellor of Ryerson University is Patron of the UWI Benefit Gala and says, “This year’s honourees reflect how the University of the West Indies and the wider Caribbean community contributes in Canada and worldwide. In every sector – law, medicine, banking, arts and culture, philanthropy – there is most often a UWI graduate or someone of Caribbean descent playing a leadership role.”

Zanana Akande has worked towards equity in our society by addressing education, communications and the media, feminism, race relations and social change. She has worked as a teacher, consultant, and administrator in the public education system, and a lecturer at the university level. She continues to speak on issues of effective communication, social change, community development and diversity, a topic in great demand locally and abroad. Zanana has worked in the media with MTV, and was the co-founder of Tiger Lily, a magazine giving voice to the perspectives of women of colour. Elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1990, she was appointed Minister of Community and Social Services, thus becoming the first Black woman to hold a cabinet position in Ontario. A community advocate, she has served on the boards of many organizations, including the YWCA of Toronto, the United Way of Greater Toronto, the Family Services Association, as Governor of Centennial College and as President of Harbourfront Centre and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. Zanana has been the recipient of many awards including: African Canadian Achievement Award for Education, and the Lifetime Achievement Award; the Onyx

Award for Exemplary Service to Community, the Community Builder Award for Exemplary Professional and Community Service, the Arbor Award from the University of Toronto, the Human Rights Award from the Centennial Foundation, and the Constance C. Hamilton Award from the City of Toronto.

Malcolm Gladwell (www.gladwell.com) was born in England, grew up in rural Ontario, and now lives in New York City. He graduated from the University of Toronto, Trinity College, with a degree in history. Malcolm has been a staff writer with The New Yorker magazine since 1996. His 1999 profile of Ron Popeil won a National Magazine Award, and in 2005 he was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. He is the author of four books, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference (2000), Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005), and Outliers: The Story of Success (2008), all of which were number one New York Times bestsellers. His latest book, What the Dog Saw (2009) is a compilation of stories published in The New Yorker. From 1987 to 1996, he was a reporter with the Washington Post, where he covered business, science, and then served as the newspaper’s New York City bureau chief.

Artis Lane (www.artislane.com) was born in a farmhouse near the historically Black village of North Buxton, Ontario, Canada. She studied at Ontario College of Art in Toronto, Cranbrooke Art Academy in Detroit and UCLA. She has since become internationally renowned for her life sized portraits and sculptures. Lane’s commissions include such people as: Rosa Parks, Oprah Winfrey, Cary Grant, Mrs. Walter Annenberg, the Edsel Ford Family and Presidents Mandela and Reagan. Her bronze bust of Sojourner Truth was unveiled at the U. S. Capitol Building by First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009. In the same year, Lane and The Hon. Jean Augustine unveiled a bust of Lane’s great-great aunt, abolitionist Mary Ann Shadd Cary, in Chatham, Ontario. Lane is best recognized by museums for her 2011 installation Emerging in the Spirit- a series of statues portraying man’s journey out of the darkness of ignorance into the realization of his true identity as God’s ideal reflection, “Principle, Mind, Soul, Spirit, Life, Truth and Love.” Her sculptures depict an African man as finely balanced and stately, unlike the stereotypically downtrodden images so many artists still promote. The model for “Emerging into Spirit “, Djimon Honsou, was born in the Republic of Benin, where the earliest bronzes were created. The transparent sculpted figure “New Man” expresses clarity of spirit standing balanced in the light of Life, Truth and Love through the Christ consciousness. Artis Lane’s works are representations of the real definition of man as God’s idea.

Dr. Pamela Da Camara was born in British Guiana (now Guyana), attended the University of West Indies and received her post-graduate education in medicine from the University of Toronto. Dr. Da Camara is known for her leadership abilities. She worked at Toronto East General Hospital from 1972 until 1978, York Finch Hospital from 1978 to 1986, and again at Toronto East General Hospital as Chief & Medical Director of Laboratory Medicine from 1986 until her retirement in 2005.. Dr. Da Camara obtained the Certificate of Health Service Management in 1990 and served on the Board of Directors as Vice President of the Medical Staff Society at York Finch Hospital. At Toronto East General Hospital, she spearheaded the computerization of the medical laboratory, the modernization and implementation of new testing methodologies, as well as the realization of cost utilization issues. She also chaired numerous committees, including the Quality Assurance Committee, the Infection Control Committee & the Medical Advisory Committee. Since 2005, Dr. Da Camara has worked on a part-time basis in Sudbury, Humber River Regional & the Toronto East General Hospital. She is the Treasurer for the University of West Indies Medical Alumni Association Canadian Chapter (www.uwimaa.on.ca). She is listed in The Who’s Who of Toronto in 1984.

Dr. Anthony MacFarlane, MD is a philanthropist and community leader. His career was medicine until his retirement six years ago. His passion is French West Indian, particularly Jamaican, History, which spurred his book collection, as well as classical music. Both of these passions have benefited countless others. Dr. MacFarlane donated his rare and valuable antiquarian book collection to McMaster University – the earliest book being from 1654 and detailing the history of the West Indies, and donated other antique books to York University and the University of Toronto. He also recently donated his home in Hamilton, Ontario along with his classical musical collection to his alma mater – the University of West Indies. Dr. MacFarlane also once served on the Board for the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. He is a Jewish convert who relates to his ancestors, Portuguese Jews who have lived in Jamaica since the 15th century, and he is also Past President of Congregation Anshe Sholom in Hamilton, Ontario. Dr. MacFarlane attended the University of West Indies for two years, received a BA from McMaster University and a medical degree from the University of Toronto. He is writing his memoirs.

Lloyd Seivright was born in Jamaica and immigrated to Canada in 1969. He worked at the Canada Malting Company for more than20 years and at Cott Beverages for over 14 years until his retirement in 2008. In 1978, concurrent with working at Cott Beverages, he followed his true calling and founded the charity, Independent United Order of Solomon Inc. Canada (IUOS) – a not-for-profit, charitable and fraternal organization that is completely run by volunteers. IUOS collects and donates medical equipment and supplies to hospitals and healthcare facilities worldwide including: The Hospital for Sick Children, the Easter Seal Society, The War Amputations of Canada, The Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children in Montreal, the Cana Place, and hospitals and other institutions in CARICOM countries, Italy, Greece, Africa, Hungary and Israel. Since 1989, IUOS has also raised funds for 108 university scholarships for promising young students pursuing Medicine, Computer Science and Political Science at University of the West Indies, Jamaica; University of Toronto and York University. IUOS also donates Christmas baskets including clothing, food and other necessities to families in need across the GTA. For his outstanding charitable work, Mr. Seivright has received numerous awards including the Order of Ontario (1998), the African-Canadian Achievement Community Service Award (2002) and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal Award (2002).

Howard Lincoln Shearer is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hitachi Canada Ltd. (HCL) (www.hitachi.ca), having joined Hitachi in October 1984. He is also a member of HCL’s Board of Directors, a position to which he was appointed in 1999, and a Board Member of GE-Hitachi Nuclear Canada Ltd. Prior to this, he served as Vice-President & General Manager of HCL’s Semiconductor division. Prior to joining Hitachi, Mr. Shearer was employed in the high-tech industry by Texas Instruments as well as Murata Erie. Mr. Shearer holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario and is currently a member of McMaster University’s Board of Governors. He is also a member of the Principal’s Advisory Council (PAC) at the University of Toronto and serves on board of the Governing Council, University of Toronto. He was recipient of the University of Toronto’s Arbor Award for Outstanding Voluntary Service in 2003. He serves on the boards of the following non-profit organizations: Japan Society and the Canadian Nurses Foundation. He is on the Board of directors of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) in Ontario, Canada, as well as a member of other professional organizations including the Energy Council of Canada, Canadian Nuclear Association, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and the Mississauga Board of Trade. He serves on the Special Advisory Council to the League for Human Rights, B’naiBrith, Canada.

Suresh Sookoo is a distinguished banker with over 30 years of experience in banking and finance. He began his career as a teller at the then Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago in 1974 and, over the course of three decades, has worked his way to become Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Caribbean Banking, RBC (www.rbc.com). On June 16, 2008, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Canada’s largest bank, completed the acquisition of the RBTT Financial Group. RBC and the RBTT Financial Group offer the full range of banking services in 19 countries and territories across the Caribbean with a network of 125 branches, 327 ATMs and approximately 7,000 employees. As CEO, Caribbean Banking, Mr. Sookoo leads the combined operations of RBTT and RBC in the Caribbean, with responsibilities encompassing Caribbean-wide banking operations including retail, business and corporate banking, sales and trading, capital markets, asset management, brokerage and trust services. He holds a B.Sc. (Honours) degree in Management Studies and an Executive Masters in Business Administration (Distinction) from the University of the West Indies. Mr. Sookoo was recognised in 2011 as one of the 50 Distinguished Alumni of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus as part of their 50th Anniversary celebrations. He was also recognised in 2011 by the Institute of Banking and Finance for his contribution to the Development of the Banking Industry in Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. Sookoo is a former Rotarian and has a private foundation, the Shivan Sookoo Memorial Trust, which contributes to the cause of education for the underpriviledged in Trinidad and Tobago.

Mr. Frank Walwyn is a partner at WeirFoulds LLP (www.weirfoulds.com), one of the oldest law firms in Canada. He is frequently consulted and appears as counsel on complex litigation matters in Canada and the Caribbean. Mr. Walwyn is named in the 2012 Edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada as one of Canada’s top lawyers in the area of corporate and commercial litigation. Among other positions he holds, Mr. Walwyn is a board member and the Immediate Past President of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL), a member of the International Training Committee of The Advocates’ Society, a member of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee for appointments to the Ontario Provincial Court, an honourary member of COMBAR, a specialist bar association in London, England comprised of barristers who specialize in commercial law, and a director of Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO), a legal clinic specializing in public legal education for low income and other disadvantaged groups. Mr. Walwyn is a much sought after speaker on varied legal topics. He speaks often on the challenges of diversity in the legal profession in Canada, and on emerging legal issues related to the use of electronic documents and social media in business. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Ryerson and Queen’s University.