WATERLOO, Ont. -- The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo has announced the recipients of the 2005 Alumni Achievement Medals.
The prestigious awards were established in 1994 to recognize Waterloo Engineering graduates who have distinguished themselves through their professional achievements, community service or academic excellence. The medals were presented to the recipients Thursday (Sept. 29) at the annual Faculty of Engineering Dinner.
"We are extremely proud of the many accomplishments of our Waterloo Engineering alumni," said Adel Sedra, Dean of Engineering. "Our alumni continue to advance the reputation of the university and these two deserving medal recipients provide just two examples of the success shared by many Waterloo Engineering alumni."
Winners of the 2005 Faculty of Engineering Alumni Achievement Medals are: Catherine A. Booth and John M. Seminerio. For details about the program, photos of the current recipients and a listing of all recipients to date, visit www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~eng-alum/medals/gallery.html.
John M. Seminerio (BASc 1982, Systems Design Engineering) Managing Partner, Magellan Angel PartnersSeminerio was cited "for his remarkable leadership in the volatile high-tech computer industry as one of the top serial entrepreneurs in Canada. His involvement with venture capital groups to invest back into the high-tech community helps create opportunities to grow this sector of the Canadian economy."
BACKGROUNDER: Biographies
CATHERINE A. BOOTH BASc '88, Systems Design Engineering MASc '90, Management Sciences Vice-President, Canadian Tire Retail Information Technology, Canadian Tire Corporation
Catherine Booth is recognized for Professional Achievement and Community Service. Booth is a role model and leader in the field of information technology consulting and is also an active community volunteer. Her success can be attributed to her strong work ethic, commitment, and leadership skills. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated outstanding leadership and exceptional client service in the field of information technology consulting.
Booth is currently Vice-President of Canadian Tire Retail Information Technology at Canadian Tire Corporation. Previously, she was Vice-President at Capgemini, a major global consulting, technology, and outsourcing service provider. At Capgemini, Booth was a leading practitioner in the management of large, complex, mission-critical, technology-intensive projects for her clients. She was responsible for one of Capgemini's largest Canadian clients, led the Canadian Technology Strategy Practice and was the Toronto Area People Leader.
A dynamic speaker, Booth has also authored several business articles on information technology. She has appeared as a guest speaker at the Schulich School of Business, Technology in Government Conference, Laval University, and many more. Her articles have appeared in CIO Canada, Focus, I.T. Magazine, Computing Canada, and others.
Booth has been recognized for business leadership through a number of prestigious awards and board appointments. She was selected as one of Canada's "Top 40 Under 40" in 2003 and received the Gold Medal Award from the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Canada in 1994. She was one of the youngest individuals admitted to the Ernst & Young management consulting partnership (Capgemini's predecessor firm), and was appointed to the board of directors at the Timberland Group and New Horizons System Services.
Since graduating in 1990, Booth has been an active leader in charity, arts, and community organizations, including the United Way, Toronto International Film Festival, Arts Foundation of Greater Toronto, and the Ontario Courts Management Advisory Committee.
JOHN M. SEMINERIO BASc '82, Systems Design Engineering Managing Partner, Magellan Angel Partners
John Seminerio is recognized for Professional Achievement. His exceptional entrepreneurial and leadership qualities have led him to success in the volatile high-tech computer industry. As one of the top serial entrepreneurs in Canada, Seminerio is now working with young start-up companies to help them achieve similar success. His many accomplishments were recognized by the British Columbia Technology Industries Association in 2004 when he was named "Person of the Year."
Seminerio was the Co-Founder, President, and CEO of two very successful high-tech start-up companies, Abatis Systems and OctigaBay Systems, in Vancouver.
Abatis was only two and a half years old when it was acquired in 2000 by Redback Networks for over $1.2 billion Canadian -- the highest price ever paid for a private Canadian high-tech company. Under Seminerio's leadership, the company created value for its investors at a rate of over $2 million U.S. for each working day in the life of the company. When he served as CEO, Abatis received numerous international awards including being named one of a dozen "Hot Start-ups to Watch" in 2000 by Telecommunications Magazine.
Seminerio then co-founded and led OctigaBay Systems to develop a revolutionary new supercomputer and compete with the biggest companies in the world, including IBM, HP, Sun, and Cray. In 2001, he closed the largest seed financing in Canadian high-tech history -- over $24 million CDN -- to kick-start OctigaBay. He managed this during an exceptionally difficult time to raise money following the high-tech boom. Only 14 months after closing this seed financing, Seminerio achieved his second major professional success with the introduction of the world's first affordable supercomputer with new groundbreaking technologies. This led to the acquisition of OctigaBay for over $155 million Canadian by Cray Inc., the world leader in supercomputers. OctigaBay investors saw a 500 per cent return on their investment within those 14 months. Since its launch, the OctigaBay supercomputer has set numerous industry performance records and has been sold all over the world.
Seminerio is now giving back to the high-tech community, helping others succeed by informally advising many start-up ventures and by speaking at conferences and universities (including the University of Waterloo). He is a founding partner of Magellan Angel Partners, an Angel investing arm focused on high-technology opportunities across North America. He is also a co-founding limited partner of Yaletown Venture Partners, an early stage venture capital group focused on high-technology companies in Western Canada. Seminerio uses his experience and involvement with these venture capital groups to invest back into the high-tech community, creating opportunities and helping to grow this sector of the Canadian economy.
Contact:
Gosia Brestovacki, Alumni and Communications Officer, Faculty of Engineering
(519) 888-4567, ext. 3470, mbrestovacki@uwaterloo.ca
John Morris, UW Media Relations, (519) 888-4435; jmorris@uwaterloo.ca
Release no. 217 -- September 30, 2005
