Este 21 de junio se galardonará a 25 destacados inmigrantes quienes han sido nombrados como ganadores de la 8° edición de los premios RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants 2016. Varios artistas, académicos, empresarios y ganadores de diversas causas fueron elegidos para recibir esta importante distinción. La ceremonia en Toronto se llevará el martes 21 de junio y en la ciudad de Vancouver será el jueves 23 de junio.
Desde la fundación de los premios RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants se ha reconocido los logros de 200 inmigrantes canadienses por su inspiradora contribución en nuestra sociedad. La premiación no sería posible sin el valioso auspicio de RBC Royal Bank.
"Cada inmigrante que estamos galardonando el día de hoy en algún momento de su vida se atrevió a soñar", dijo Christine Shisler, director de mercados multiculturales de RBC.
Un verdadero ejemplo de la diversidad de Canadá representa este año los ganadores que provienen de países como Irlanda o Nigeria, y que ahora tienen su hogar en las comunidades a lo largo de Canadá.
Cada ganador ha tenido un impacto económico, social y cultural positivo a Canadá, y aunque muchos de ellos son reconocidos internacionalmente por el trabajo en sus respectivos campos, al igual que muchos de ellos son pilares de su comunidad local.
"El grupo que reúne a los 25 ganadores de este año es una mezcla ecléctica de inspiración y que muestra el talento diverso que los inmigrantes traen a Canadá", señala Margaret Jetelina, editor de la revista Canadian Immigrant.
"Nosotros en la revista Canadian Immigrant estamos muy orgullosos de que, durante los ocho años de este programa de premios, ahora hayamos reconocido a 200 sorprendentes inmigrantes como Top 25’s. Y honestamente solo hemos arañado la superficie del gran talento inmigrante en Canadá".
CONOCE A LOS TOP 25 DEL 2016
Se recibieron cientos de nominaciones, de las que 75 finalistas fueron seleccionados por un panel de jueces que incluyó a varios ganadores anteriores. Más de 50,000 votos fueron emitidos en línea, por lo que es el año más popular en la historia del premio. Los 25 ganadores fueron elegidos en base a una combinación de votos y una segunda ronda de juzgar.
Los ganadores del RBC Top 25 recibirán una placa conmemorativa y una donación de $500 para ser donado a una causa caritativa de su elección. Conoce, a continuación, a los 25 inmigrantes canadienses más importantes del 2016:
The RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award winners of 2016:
• Kiran Ahluwalia (Toronto/India) is a two-time JUNO Award-winning composer and singer. She is a classically-trained Indian signer, with a strong contemporary edge, whose latest album, “Sanata: Stillness,” was a hit on World Music Charts.
• Leen Al Zaibak (Toronto/Syria) is senior manager of donor engagement at international charity Free the Children, co-founder of Jusoor, which helps Syrian youth to realize their potential, and a board member of Lifeline Syria.
• Godwin Chan (Richmond Hill/Hong Kong), a lawyer by profession, was the first visible minority councillor in Richmond Hill. Chan is also on the board of directors of the national Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
• Tilak Chawan (St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador/Bhutan) is a settlement worker who helps young newcomers and refugees integrate seamlessly in schools. He also promotes diversity initiatives in communities across the province.
• Queenie Choo (Vancouver/Hong Kong) was named CEO of immigrant settlement organization SUCCESS, after a career as a respected leader in the social and health care industry. Most recently, she was honoured as one of B.C.’s Most Influential Women.
• Igor Dobrovolskiy (Moncton/Ukraine) is founding artistic director of the Atlantic Theatre Ballet of Canada, which is celebrating 15 years. He is an award-winning director and one of Canada’s most prolific choreographers.
• Emma Donoghue (London, Ontario/Ireland) is an international best-selling author known for her award-winning novels such as Room, which was adapted into an Oscar-winning film last year.
• Josephine Etowa (Ottawa/Nigeria) is a full-time associate professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa and holder of the Marie Des Anges Loyer DaSilva Chair in Public Health Nursing.
• Chandran Fernando (Toronto/Sri Lanka) is founder of Matrix Search Group, a recruitment firm specializing in real estate and property management, which advocates for diversity and inclusion in corporate Canada.
• Dr. Azita Haddadi (Saskatoon/Iran) is a doctor of pharmacy. Her research program at the University of Saskatchewan focuses on novel approaches for cancer treatments. She has won a number of grants and awards for her work.
• Narmin Ismail (Toronto/Kenya) is founder and CEO of the Spark of Hope Foundation, which focuses on providing university-level educational scholarships to women from the developing world.
• Christians Izquierdo (Edmonton/Cuba) is CEO of DevFacto Technologies, one of Western Canada’s leaders for process integration on the Microsoft and Apple platforms for the government, energy, mining and construction verticals. He is this year’s RBC Entrepreneur Award winner.
• Perla Javate (Winnipeg/Philippines) is president of the Philippine Heritage Council of Manitoba, a teacher and the current Filipino community liaison officer for the Winnipeg School Division.
• Jin Jiang (London, Ontario/China) is a professor and NSERC/UNENE Senior Industrial Research Chair at University of Western Ontario, who has made contributions in the area of control, instrumentation and electrical systems for nuclear power plants.
• Ignat (Iggy) Kaneff (Mississauga/Bulgaria) is chairman and CEO of the Kaneff Group of Companies, a real estate development firm building homes and retail and commercial properties, as well as a philanthropist and anchor supporter of Community Living Mississauga.
• Leon Lee (Vancouver/China) is a Peabody Award-winning film director and producer, whose investigative documentary Human Harvest shed light on the topic of illegal organ harvesting.
• Fiona Macfarlane (Vancouver/South Africa) is managing partner (Vancouver and Western Canada) and chief inclusiveness officer at Ernst & Young LLP. She was recently honoured as one of B.C.’s Most Influential Women.
• Mina Mawani (Toronto/Uganda) currently serves as the president and CEO of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, after building a reputation as a leader for organizations such as Canadian Women’s Foundation and the Aga Khan Council for Canada.
• Renan Orquiza (Mississauga/Philippines), P.Eng, is a project manager at Watters Environmental Group Inc. He serves as the environmental committee chair for Professional Engineers Ontario, and volunteers to promote environmental issues.
• Nasser Rad (Toronto/Iran) is CEO and President of AUTORAMA, one of the largest preowned car dealerships in Toronto, which is known for its “Care to Share – Free Car for People in Need” program.
• Minister Harjit Sajjan (Vancouver/India) is a retired Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces and a combat veteran who is today the member of Parliament for Vancouver South and Minister of National Defence.
• Fred Farhad Soofi (Coquitlam/Iran) is the restaurateur behind Pasta Polo and Club Ilia, and is an avid community advocate on affordable housing and heritage preservation.
• Kumaran Thillaindarajah (Fredericton/Sri Lanka) is CEO of Smart Skin, a startup he founded at the age of 23 creating pressure-sensitive skin technology with a variety of applications.
• Avan Yu (Vancouver/Hong Kong) is one of Canada’s most exciting young pianists, who won his first international piano competition at 14 and has since toured extensively as a soloist with major orchestras around the world.
• Félix Zogning (Montreal/Cameroon) is an academic, author, executive director of the Centre for Business People from Cultural Communities of Quebec, consultant at Omnipole Intelligences, head of the economic desk at Radio RCV International and coordinator of business start-up programs within Im'pacte Affairs.
