As Ivey celebrates its 100-year legacy of leaders and looks ahead to its exciting future, it’s fitting that the Ivey Alumni Network (IAN) volunteers are the proud recipients of this year’s Spirit of Western Award.
The Spirit of Western Award recognizes Western alumni who embody the School’s essence through their volunteer commitment to the University, and exceptional efforts to enrich the Western community and the lives of its alumni.
Volunteers with the IAN make it their mission to provide alumni with continuous, relevant, and high-quality opportunities to engage, contribute, and advance, while fostering their connection to Ivey and support for the School.
“I am incredibly proud of our alumni network and the dedicated volunteers and Board members who share this well-deserved award,” said IAN Chair Lisa Dymond, MBA ’06. “I believe in the power of this network, and receiving this recognition makes me that much more excited about the opportunity to steward the alumni experience as the School begins its next chapter.”
In only a century, the alumni network has grown to more than 32,000 alumni living and working in 101 countries. IAN Chapters in London ON, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, California, Hong Kong, and more still to come have helped support Ivey Centennial Celebrations throughout the year, leading to the engagement of over 300 alumni who had never before come to an Ivey event.
The IAN hosts various initiatives, programs, and events, including Global Ivey Day, which was recently held for the 14th consecutive year, Mentor Circles, the Women of Ivey Network, and dozens of global Chapter events annually. The Mentor Circle Program wrapped up its fifth year and recently engaged over 400 alumni.
In 2022, the IAN restructured to better reflect the needs of the alumni community. One of the committees added was Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, which now has a PRIDE and BIPOC lead.
“As you can see, the Ivey Alumni Network’s contributions to the Western community have been enormous and we are so grateful for their efforts,” said Mark Brown, MBA ’95, who presented the award to the IAN volunteers at the Alumni Association Annual General Meeting on June 1, 2023.
IAN Executive Committee members Pamela Schott, EMBA ’14, and Kaleigh Sainthill, EMBA ’19, accepted the award on behalf of the IAN.
