Businessman Dan Fortin will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony on Tuesday, June 9, “in recognition of a distinguished career in engineering and business, for his international work for the environment and for creating policies to support shared learning in the context of a global corporation.”
As president of IBM Canada Ltd., Dan Fortin is responsible for strategic direction and day-to-day operations. Named to his current position in January 2005, he leads a team of more than 20,000 professionals in the development and delivery of innovative solutions to help IBM clients address today’s most pressing business challenges.
Since joining IBM in 1978, Mr. Fortin has held a number of prominent marketing and management positions, overseeing divisions in Canada, the United States and Latin America.
Most recently, Mr. Fortin was vice-president of small and medium business for IBM Americas and was responsible for supporting clients across North and South America. Prior to that, he was vice-president of business partners for IBM Americas, managing IBM’s relationship with a network of resellers, distributors and solution providers. He also played an integral role in the creation of ibm.com Americas, which successfully transformed IBM’s web and call centre infrastructure to better service clients.
He is also the acting vice-chair on World Vision Canada’s board of directors and is a member of the board of directors on the Conference Board of Canada and the Toronto Region Research Alliance, and a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.
Mr. Fortin graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Carleton University