Eligen a los “10 hispanos de más influencia en Canadá 2011”

REDACCION / OTTAWA /
La Honorable Diane Ablonczy, Ministra de Canadá para las Américas, y Michael Darch, director de mercadeo global para el Ottawa Center for Research and Innovation, reconocieron la noche del pasado 15 de noviembre a los diez hispanos de más influencia en Canadá – versión 2011.
El evento fue atendido por ejecutivos, periodistas, miembros del Parlamento y embajadores de la mayoría de países de habla hispana y Brasil. La asociación privada HispanicBusiness.ca organiza este único programa nacional hispano desde 2007. Las nominaciones de este año se abrieron en Montreal en julio por la Honorable Paulina Ayala, Miembro del Parlamento. En mayo de 2010, el Primer Ministro de Canadá Stephen Harper se reunió con galardonados anteriores en su oficina en Ottawa; se espera una reunión similar el próximo año.

“Fue un honor personal el reconocer a 10 inspiradores Hispano Canadienses. Sus impresionantes logros dan luz a la contribución de la diáspora hispano-canadiense, y la importancia de los lazos comerciales. La unión personal con nuestros vecinos en Latinoamérica es elemento clave de nuestra prosperidad y crecimiento. Las Américas han sido una prioridad de la política de relaciones exteriores de Canadá, reafirmado con la visita del Primer Ministro Harper a la región en agosto de 2011”, dijo la Honorable Ablonczy.

Los 10 hispanos de mayor influencia en Canadá, 2011 en orden alfabético por primer nombre son:
• Álvaro Morales (Colombia – ON): Urólogo nombrado Miembro de la Orden de Canadá en 2011
• Catalina López-Correa (Colombia – QC): Genetista, VP de Asuntos Científicos (McGill University and Génome QC)
• Christian Izquierdo (Cuba – AB): Empresario ganador de premios en Alberta, CEO de DevFacto Technologies
• Claudio Cuello (Argentina – QC): Neuro-científico nombrado Oficial de la Orden de Canadá en 2010
• Fausto Padilla (Ecuador – ON): Ex-oficial poliglota de las Naciones Unidas y abogado de derechos humanos
• José Bautista (República Dominicana – ON): El jugador de beisbol más efectivo en el mundo con los Blue Jays
• José Suarez (Puerto Rico – ON): Sr. vicepresidente de SNC-Lavalin y activista de causas femeninas y de la niñez
• Marina Jiménez (España – ON): Periodista y miembro del consejo editorial del diario Globe and Mail
• Mario Bunge (Argentina – QC): Filósofo y científico con la Universidad McGill y autor de casi 100 libros
• Paola Murillo (Colombia, BC): Organizara del Carnaval del Sol, el evento hispano más grande de Vancouver

“Los hispanos son la fuerza que empuja la clase creativa de Canadá. Por quinta vez, los nominados y galardonados lo ejemplarizan,” comento el director del programa Mauricio Ospina de Hispanic Business. Ospina cabildeó con éxito por la política de diversidad empresarial implementada para Juegos Panamericanos del 2015 en Toronto. Es además el proponente de que los hispanos adquieran a precios reducidos el 10% de las 2.000 unidades de vivienda en la Villa Panamericana que se está construyendo para los Juegos.
Los galardonados de este año fueron seleccionados de un grupo de 29 nominados proveniente de cuatro provincias y representan 11 países de origen. Los ganadores fueron seleccionados por ganadores de las cuatro ediciones anteriores, y ejecutivos y periodistas provenientes de la Fundación Canadiense para las Américas (FOCAL), CBC, Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, Canadian Council for the Americas y el Toronto Star.

Los 740.061 hispanos que viven en Canadá son cinco años más jóvenes, más propensos a tener educación universitaria, la mayoría viven en el GTA, y más del 70% llegaron hace menos de veinticinco años al país. Esto de acuerdo al estudio de la comunidad hispana realizado por Estadísticas Canadá basado en el censo del 2006. Un reciente estudio de FOCAL pone al español como el tercer lenguaje más comúnmente hablado en el país. La sexta edición del programa “10 hispanos de mayor influencia en Canadá“ se llevará a cabo el 20 de noviembre del 2012 en una importante ciudad canadiense.

¿Quién es quién?

DR. ALVARO MORALES
(Colombia – ON) Urologist appointed as Member of the Order of Canada in 2011
Colombian-born Dr. Alvaro Morales is recognized as one of the world’s legends in urology. This year, he was appointed Member of the Order of Canada, one of the highest civilian honours, for his contributions in the field. Dr. Morales completed his undergraduate training at the Universidad Javeriana in Colombia, his surgical training in Washington, D.C. and Boston, and his urological training at Queen’s University. He has been with the Department of Urology since 1972, was promoted to full Professor in 1982 and is now Professor Emeritus. Dr. Morales stepped down as the Head of Urology in 1997. He cultivated external funding support for the department and carries on numerous and research projects; primarily in the areas of andrology and oncology. A highly-sought after international visiting lecturer, Dr. Morales has published more than 300 papers. His 1976 seminal publication on bladder cancer has been recognized as one of the most important papers published in the last 100 years by the Journal of Urology. He officially retired in 2004, but continues as founding director of the Centre for Urological Research, a facility in Kingston, Ontario, that he spearheaded. He is recipient of the Coley’s Medal from the Cancer Research Institute of New York for his studies in cancer immunotherapy, the Commemorative Medal for the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee, the Hugh Hampton Young Award both for outstanding contributions in the study urological cancers and endocrinology of aging and for his training of numerous academic urologists in North America.

DR. CATALINA LOPEZ-CORREA
(Colombia – QC) Researcher, McGill University, Génome QC
Colombian-born Catalina Lopez-Correa, MD, Ph.D. is Vice President of Scientific Affairs at both McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre. With more than 10 years experience in the field of genetics and genomics, her work and accomplishments have been recognized internationally. She serves as a Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre, where she is responsible for defining its scientific direction. At Génome Québec she works with Robert Haselkorn, Ph.D., co-founder of Integrated Genomics, Inc. and Distinguished Professor at University of Chicago. Integrated Genomics™ is a provider of bioinformatics products and services for the life sciences industry. Its scientists have broad experience in both in silico and wet lab sequencing, research and development with more than 100 relevant publications in these areas. Prior to Genome Quebec, Dr. Lopez-Correa worked as a senior scientist at the US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly where she managed a group of scientists. She was also Head of the Cytogenomic department at deCODE Genetics where she studied common genetic variants as well as large genomic rearrangements (deletions, duplications and inversions) and their association with common diseases, with specific focus in oncology and cardiovascular disorders. Dr. Lopez-Correa studied medicine in Colombia, and has a Master’s degree in Human Genetics from Paris V University in France and a PhD in Human Genetics from the KULeuven, Belgium. A frequent speaker in international circles, Dr. Lopez-Correa was selected by the Quebec media as one the provinces of the 15 women movers and shakers in 2009.

CHRISTIAN IZQUIERDO
(Cuba – AB) Award-winning entrepreneur, CEO of DevFacto Technologies
Christian Izquierdo arrived from Cuba 14 years ago. Today, he is the CEO of DevFacto Technologies, Alberta’s fastest-growing company and one of best to work for in Alberta. He graduated with honours, Computer Science, from the University of Havana in 1997. In 2007, with only a $1,000 investment, Izquierdo co-founded technology consulting company DevFacto Technologies and made $29,000 with two employees. In 2009-2010, revenues grew to $1.3 million with assets valued at $600,000. Currently, the company has 45 employees in Alberta and Saskatchewan with plans to double again over the next two years. Since its inception, DevFacto has had an incredible 100% employee retention rate. DevFacto’s phenomenal growth led it to placing first on the 2011 Alberta Venture Fast Growth 50 (fastest growing company in the province with a 2,228% sales increase since 2007). Izquierdo also received the City of Edmonton‘s 2005 Award of Excellence and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Small Business Owner of the Year Award. Izquierdo’s employment standards include quarterly Development Days, where everyone works on a project of their own. He hosts monthly summer weekend parties, pays for his employees’ cellphones, home Internet and has a travel subsidy, a profit-sharing arrangement and a training budget. DevFacto has delivered projects in Calgary, Vancouver, Regina, Toronto, Phoenix, Houston, Mexico and Bahrain; it recently opened a new office in Saskatchewan to service its Fortune 1000 companies and clients. Through his collaboration with Oscar Jofre (past 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadian winner), DevFacto implemented the award-winning BoardSuite board management service.

DR. CLAUDIO CUELLO
(Argentina – QC) Neuroscientist named Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010
World renowned researcher Dr. Claudio Cuello was named Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010 by former Governor General Michaëlle Jean for his pioneering contributions to the field of neuroscience, notably for his research on the biology and therapeutics of Alzheimer’s disease. He was inducted at Rideau Hall in May 2011 by the current Governor General Dr. David Johnston. He has been named Highly Cited Neuroscientist by the Institute of Scientific Information, USA. His scientific accomplishments until 2001 were published in “The History of Neuroscience in Autobiography” (Sponsored by the Society for Neuroscience, USA). He is a past Chair of the McGill Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and presently holds the Charles E. Frosst Merck Chair in the same Department. He is also currently an Associate Member of the Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University, adjunct Professor of the Scripps Institute (LaJolla, CA) and Visiting Professor at Oxford University. Professor Cuello studied at the Universities of Buenos Aires (Argentina), U. C. San Francisco (USA) and Cambridge (England). He held research and academic positions at both Cambridge and Oxford. He has received much international recognition, such as the Heinz Lehman Award, the Novartis Award and has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), as well as Doctor Honoris Causa at the Federal University of Ceara (Brazil) and Honorary Doctor in Medicine at Kuopio University (Finland).

FAUSTO PADILLA
(Ecuador – ON): Former UN staffer, international human rights lawyer fluent in 7 languages
Fausto Padilla is an Ecuadorian lawyer specialized in international human rights and humanitarian and business law who has worked primarily with the United Nations since 1994. He arrived in Canada in 2009 as a UN employee. This year, he joined Citizenship and Immigration Canada as Regional Program Advisor. Padilla devoted his career at the UN to the defence of human rights, justice and the rule of law in countries which have gone through civil war, and where appalling human rights violations and genocide have taken place. He was among 180 Human Rights Officers from around the world who worked for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. He has also worked in other post-war countries such as Mozambique, Angola, Timor-Leste, Congo and Guinea Bissau. His work aims to promote and protect human rights in situations of violence and insecurity; combating impunity in particular for sexual violence; gender-based violence and human trafficking; strengthening the rule of law; countering discrimination, chiefly for people of African descent and persons with disabilities. In addition to his past UN work, he has lectured in U.S. law schools on the promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law. Padilla holds a Juris Doctorate, a Master’s Degree in International Business Law (LLM) and another in International Protection of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (LLM), and a Bachelor of Political and Social Science. He is fluent in English, French, Portuguese, Italian, Swahili and Kinyarwanda and Spanish.

JOSE BAUTISTA
(Dominican Republic – ON): The world’s most dangerous baseball hitter, plays for Blue Jays
Jose Bautista is the most dangerous baseball hitter on the planet. Born in the Dominican Republic, he always loved math and chemistry but baseball was his destiny. He is the first Blue Jays player to lead the league in All-Star voting, and first Blue Jay to be voted as started in an All-Star game since Carlos Delgado in 2003. In 2010, Bautista set a Toronto Blue Jays single-season team record by hitting 54 home runs – an honour shared only by only 25 other players; that year, no one else hit even 40. On July 3, 2011, Bautista set the all-time MLB record for the most All-Star votes ever received by a single player with 7,454,753. That same season he was the American League, as well as the Major League home run champion. During the 2004 season, Bautista played for the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Kansas City Royals, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was also technically with the New York Mets after being acquired from the Royals and dealt to the Pirates the same day. This made him the first and only player to be on five different Major League rosters in one season. Bautista has received numerous awards including a 2010 American League Hank Aaron Award (second Blue Jay to win the award) and 2010 Silver Slugger Award for being one of the top hitting outfielders in the American League. Bautista reads books on exceptionality. He has earned the respect of his coach and teammates for his humility.

JOSE SUAREZ
(Puerto Rico – ON) Senior VP at SNC-Lavalin and supporter of women and children’s rights
Puerto Rican-born José J. Suárez is Senior Vice President, Global Mining and Metallurgy, at SNC-Lavalin, Canada’s largest engineering firm and one of the world’s leading construction groups. A 28-year industry veteran who has worked in 20 countries, Suárez manages business development within his division, globally. Last year alone, he and his team secured more than $16 billion in just three projects, adding jobs to the Canadian economy. He also improved the success rate on large projects awards from 30% to 67%. He holds a Master’s of Science Degree (University of Kansas) and a BSc in Civil Engineering (Virginia Military Institute). He is a frequent speaker at industry conventions including the Professional Engineers of Ontario and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, which represents the mineral exploration industry. Suárez and his wife sponsor five children in Africa, India and South America. He recently was a volunteer Director of the Minority and Women Issues with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has made personal financial contributions to eradicate polio, and led the Rotary Vinings Club to surpass its financial target that contributed to that cause. As a result of his efforts, he was named Fellow by Rotary International (Paul Harris Fellow), and the Rotarian of the Year for the Vinings Rotary Club. In Ontario, Suárez is a registered professional engineer. In Colombia, Suárez received the Award of Merit from the Consulting Engineers of Ontario (2009) and Commander’s Award for Public Service from the US Army Corps of Engineers (1999).

MARINA JIMENEZ
(Spain – ON): Journalist and member of the Globe and Mail’s editorial board
Marina Jimenez has been a journalist for 20 years and has worked for both of Canada’s leading national daily newspapers, for the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and freelanced for several magazines. She currently sits as a member of the Globe and Mail’s editorial board, where she writes about foreign affairs. Jimenez has specialized in the coverage of immigration issues, and in Latin America. She has covered elections and other stories in Haiti, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela and also reported from Cuba, Guatemala and Argentina. Last year, she traveled to Mexico to write about President Felipe Calderon’s war on drugs, and also interviewed him recently during his trip to Toronto. She is a contributor to the upcoming book, “Canada and Mexico: Building Bridges to a Better Future” (McGill Queen’s Press – fall). Her long list of recognitions include a National Newspaper Award in 2003 for beat reporting (immigration), one of three finalists in 2004 for the same award and a 2009 /2010 Fellowship at Massey College , University of Toronto. Canadian Journalism Fellows are chosen for professional competence. Jimenez has also attended more than a dozen international conferences, including one in 2010 at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a symposium in 2010 at the Institute of the Americas in San Diego celebrating 200 years of independence for Latin America. She has a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of London, and teaches at the University of Toronto. She volunteers with the Canadian Foundation for Journalism.

DR. MARIO BUNGE
(Argentina – QC): McGill University philosopher, scientist, author of close to 100 books
Mario Bunge is a world-renowned specialist in the philosophy of science based at McGill University and the author of close to 100 books and scientific publications, including an eight-volume Treatise on Basic Philosophy. Now 88 years old and still teaching in McGill’s philosophy department, Dr. Bunge is the Frothingham Professor of Logics and Metaphysics at McGill University, where he has been based since 1966. He obtained a Ph.D. in physico-mathematical sciences from National University of La Plata in 1952, and was professor of theoretical physics and philosophy (1956–1966), first at La Plata then at University of Buenos Aires. Dr. Bunge has 15 honorary doctorates and four honorary professorships awarded by universities in both the Americas and Europe. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1984) and of the Royal Society of Canada (1992), and a laureate of the International Academy of Humanism. In 1982 he was awarded the Premio Príncipe de Asturias (Prince of Asturias Award), and in 2009 the Guggenheim Fellowship. Bunge is a very prolific intellectual, having written more than 400 papers and 80 books, notably his monumental Treatise on Basic Philosophy in 8 volumes (1974-1989), a comprehensive study of those philosophical aspects Bunge takes to be the core of modern philosophy: semantics, ontology, epistemology, philosophy of science, and ethics.

PAOLA MURILLO
(Colombia, BC): Organizer of the Carnaval del Sol, the largest Hispanic event in Vancouver
Colombian-born Paola Murillo is organizer of the Carnaval del Sol, the largest Hispanic event in Vancouver, now in its third year. Murillo arrived in Canada six years ago and began working for the federal agency Canadian Heritage. In 2008, she founded Latincouver, a non-profit organization that connects Latin Americans and enthusiasts of the region. She now has her own marketing agency (mirrai.ca) specialized in Latin America. Murillo partnered with the City of Vancouver on Carnaval del Sol to bring the colour of Latin American heritage to approximately 40,000 people while showcasing the social, economic and cultural contributions of Latin Americans. The event took place following the Vancouver riots, injecting a much-needed spirit of unity to the city. The festival was recognized by the media, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Kenney and British Columbia Premier Christy Clark. Award-winning environmentalist David Suzuki was one of the festival’s guest speakers. Murillo holds a marketing degree from University of Kentucky and an MBA from the Grenoble School of Business in France. Her expertise includes viral marketing, brand marketing, public relations, marketing strategy development and intercultural awareness. Murillo’s marketing acumen complements her passion for promoting socially responsible businesses. She is the founder of RangiChangi Roots, a non-profit organization that bridges communities and public entities to work for human rights and climate issues. Through RangiChangi Roots, Murillo is helping immigrants understand the importance of sustainability and is working closely with the city to help Vancouver to become the world’s greenest city by 2020.