MADAME CHANCELLOR,
It will take people of extraordinary skill and vision to keep Canada at the forefront of the
rapidly changing global technology sector. Today we recognize such an individual: Mr.
Ibrahim Gedeon.
Mr. Gedeon is Chief Technology Officer at TELUS Communications Inc. In that role,
he is responsible for technology strategy, network and services architecture and network
support systems. He is widely respected for his organizational achievements, for his
active leadership in the global technology sector, and for his strong support of industry-
university collaboration.
Among his many achievements, Mr. Gedeon played a pivotal role in establishing the
IPShere 2008 telecommunication network, enabling the first-ever consumer connectivity
across the globe between Australia, Hong Kong, Sweden, Germany and Canada.
As a member of the board of the International Engineering Consortium, he was
instrumental in bringing the first Broadband World Forum to Canada, and Vancouver, in
2006. In doing so he demonstrated remarkable leadership by building collaboration with
industry giants like Nortel, Microsoft and Nokia, and promoting Canada as a leader in
connected communities.
I want to underline Mr. Gedeon’s support for university learning and research. He earned
a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the America University of Beirut, and a Master
of Science degree in Electronics at Carleton University. While at TELUS, he has been
instrumental in supporting the UBC Faculty of Applied Science in major research grants.
He has been a member of the UBC Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory
Board. He is a board member with Engineers Without Borders, which has a very active
UBC student chapter.
Madame Chancellor, for his contributions to Canada’s technology sector, and for his
active commitment to learning and research, I ask you to confer the degree of Doctor of
Laws, honoris causa upon Ibrahim Gedeon.