The Installation ceremony for Linda Hasenfratz, as Western’s Twenty-third Chancellor and Alan Shepard, as Western’s Eleventh President, will take place on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. at Alumni Hall. [MAP] John Thompson, Chancellor Emeritus, will preside over the ceremony.

Linda Hasenfratz

Noted Canadian industrialist and philanthropist Linda Hasenfratz was named Western University’s 23rd Chancellor on May 23, 2019 and officially began her four-year term on July 1.

As CEO of Linamar Corporation, one of the world’s most successful manufacturing companies, Linda brings a wealth of international experience and a dynamic, energetic leadership to Western.

A Western graduate, Linda, BSc’89, MBA’97, became head of Linamar in 2002, after working at the company for 12 years, starting as a machine operator. Her father founded the business in 1964 from the basement of the family home. Today, under her leadership, Linamar employs more than 29,000 people at 60 manufacturing facilities in 17 countries around the world.

Linda is a member of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame and worked as part of a group of executives from Canada, the United States and Mexico to advise on key recommendations regarding enhancement of the NAFTA. She has been widely recognized for contributions to Canadian business and for her commitments to the community.

She and her husband, Ed Newton, are long-time advocates for encouraging women to pursue careers aligned with her professional fields. They, along with Linamar and its founder Frank Hasenfratz, established the Linamar Scholarships for Women in Engineering and Business at Western in 2017. The scholarships support up to 10 female students annually in the Faculty of Engineering/Ivey Business School dual-degree program.

Alan Shepard

Professor Alan Shepard was named Western University’s 11th President & Vice-Chancellor on November 29, 2018. He arrived at Western in July 2019 after serving as President & Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University in Montreal.

Prior to Concordia, Alan was Provost and Vice-President (Academic) of Ryerson University in Toronto. He has also held senior academic leadership roles at the University of Guelph, Texas Christian University, and the University of Virginia.

American-born, Alan was the first of his family to attend university when he enrolled in St. Olaf College in Minnesota. At the end of first year he realised academia was the life he wanted. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa as an undergraduate, he earned a PhD in English from the University of Virginia, and his scholarship has since been supported by the University of Toronto and the Folger Library in Washington. He is author or editor of three books and many articles focused on the culture of early modern England, early modern literature and science, modern theatre, the future of innovation and the future of universities.

Beyond his university leadership roles, Alan is also actively involved in the community. He has served as a volunteer for organizations including Universities Canada, Stratford Festival of Canada, and the Montreal Chamber of Commerce. Currently, Alan is a member of the Board of Directors of the London Economic Development Corporation and he is Chair of the Canadian Research Knowledge Network.