The faculties of engineering, computer science, and management paid tribute to some of their distinguished alumni. Anne-Marie Gammon (BBA'83), Michael Tsamaz (BBA'84), Bill Cooper (BScCE’62) and Mike LeBlanc (BScCS’92, MCS’97) were honoured for their achievements in their fields of work and their contributions to their faculties.
Anne-Marie Gammon (BBA'83), inaugural president and chief executive officer of CPA Atlantic School of Business, brings more than 25 years of senior financial management experience within diverse industries, including education, real estate, automotive, aerospace and oil. An experienced educator who’s spent more than 20 years delivering the CMA Professional Program, Anne-Marie served on the national CPA Certification Steering Committee established to develop the new pre-certification program to support the unification of the accounting profession in Canada.
After receiving a BBA from UNB, Anne-Marie received her CMA designation in New Brunswick in 1990. A strong believer in life-long learning, she received a master’s of business administration degree from Edinburgh Business School, UK in 2012 and is currently pursuing a doctor of business administration at the same institution. She was nationally recognized with the prestigious fellow of the Society of Management Accountants’ designation in 2003, followed by the award of fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia in 2015. Read more about Anne-Marie.
Michael Tsamaz (BBA'84) has headed OTE Group (HTO:GA), the largest technology company in Greece and subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG, since 2010.
Under his leadership, with sustainability as a key driver, OTE Group managed to streamline its financials amidst a 10-year period of unprecedented economic crisis; create new revenue streams; and transform into a modern, customer-centric tech enterprise.
Michael is a strong advocate of technology as a means to sustainable growth. In 2016, he set a new vision for OTE Group to become a digital transformation paradigm in Greece, as well as in Europe. From his position as head of the Digital Economy Committee of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises and member of the Athens Digital Council, he focuses on policymaking proposals in order to bridge the digital gap nationwide, while creating awareness for the merits of the new digital era through education. Read more about Michael.
On Jan. 31, UNB’s Engineering Wall of Fame had a new face on display. Bill Cooper (BScCE'62) was honoured with the Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award at the annual engineering awards dinner held on the Fredericton campus.
Bill is CEO of Cooper Construction, a third-generation family-owned Canadian construction and real estate development company in Oakville, ON. He came to UNB’s civil engineering program from the Hamilton/Burlington, ON, region on a recommendation from a neighbour whose son had attended UNB. Bill told the crowd of stories from his time as a student, including how he was one of the very first students into the newly opened Aitken House, and he got in early so he could choose a bottom floor in order to have a window "for easy access any time of day or night."
Bill graduated in 1962 and went straight to work at the family company, first as a project engineer, then working his way up to president and chief executive officer in 1978. Under his leadership, the company has become an industry pioneer in design/build, and expanded to commercial and industrial real estate development, as well as facilities management.
A deep commitment to serving the community is a family and company tradition that Bill is passionate about. He’s served as vice-chair of the board of trustees of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and co-chair of the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Fundraising Campaign. He was president of the Hamilton Wentworth Business Advisory Council, the Hamilton and District Chamber of Commerce and the Hamilton YMCA. He is a former member of the board of governors and past chair of the Business Advisory Council for the business school at McMaster University.
In addition to gifts to the UNB President’s Fund and various campaign projects, Bill also established the prestigious William P. Cooper Scholarship, awarded each year to two civil engineering students at UNB.
At its awards ceremony last November, the faculty of computer science recognized Mike LeBlanc (BScCS’92, MCS’97) with a distinguished alumni award. Mike has been building and growing companies in New Brunswick over the last 25 years. The latest being Blue Spurs, which he sold to Deloitte Canada in May 2019 to help the company advance its global technology capability and put New Brunswick on the map. He is now a partner at Deloitte and continues to grow the local team.
Mike has been interested in software/computers since programming his Commodore 64 in the mid 80s from his home in Moncton. He attended UNB in Fredericton and received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science. Over the last 25 years he has called Fredericton home and has been involved in numerous companies / ventures. Some successful and some not so much but he has always been learning.
Mike is a big supporter of UNB's computer science program, having hired more than 100 co-op students and many graduates over his career. He is also serving as a mentor in the J. Herbert Smith Venture Mentoring System at UNB.
