TOP 40 UNDER 40

The best of the best

GLOBEANDMAIL.COM Tuesday, May 3, 2005

To celebrate the program's 10th anniversary, Top 40 Under 40 organizers asked past recipients to vote for their choice of outstanding alumni in eight categories.

Here are the winners:

Most Influential

Michelle DiEmanuele (1998)

A senior civil servant in the Ontario Health Ministry when she received the award, she left for the private sector to work for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce before returning to the provincial government last year as a deputy minister charged with revamping its employee management system.

Sam Duboc (2000)

The founder and president of one of Canada's biggest private-equity investment companies, EdgeStone Capital Partners, recently made headlines for his plan to launch a new, ambitious $600-million fund.

Tony Graham (1995)

Formerly with the Montreal brokerage firm Levesque Beaubien Geoffrion, he is now president of Wittington Investments, the principal holding company of the Weston-Loblaw group. The company recently added to its luxury store portfolio with the purchase of Selfridges in London, England.

Dale Lastman (1995)

A major player in Toronto's corporate and political life, he's co-chair of Goodman's law firm and on several corporate boards, including Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust and Roots Canada. as well as on the boards of the Hospital for Sick Children and his alma mater, York University.

Leonard Asper (2001)

He continues to work as chief executive officer of the family's CanWest Global Communications Corp. and is currently considering a major spinoff of the company's newspaper titles into an income trust.

Top Contributor to Community

Richard Heinzl (1999)

The founder of Doctors Without Borders Canada, he is also the vice-president of Vivid Health Solutions, a company creating new media solutions for the health sciences.

Marc Kielburger (2003)

Executive director, Free the Children International and Leaders Today. Has recently been distributing medical supplies and rebuilding schools in areas hit by the Asian tsunami.

Isabella Pain (2003)

Recently promoted to aboriginal affairs superintendent with the Voisey's Bay Nickel Co., her work involves working with the Innu and Inuit regarding the impact of the company's work in Labrador.

Jim Peplinski (1998)

The former Stanley Cup winner with the Calgary Flames set up Jim Peplinski Auto Leasing Ltd., which has grown nationwide into The Humberview Group, of which he is managing partner. He is active in several charities.

John See (1996)

The former president of TD Green Line Investor Services is now president of TD Waterhouse. His community activities include United Way of Toronto campaign volunteer and chair of Queen's School of Business fundraising committee.

Dynamic Success Story

Sam Kolias (1996)

He still runs Boardwalk Equities Inc., the large Calgary-based real estate investing company, but with a new name -- Boardwalk Real Estate Investment Trust -- acquired last year when the firm converted to a REIT.

Christine Magee (1997)

The founder and president of mattress retailer Sleep Country Canada, she took the company public in 2003 via an income trust. She has won numerous business awards for building the company into a nationwide chain.

Madeleine Paquin (1998)

The president and CEO of cargo company Logistec Corp., has received many business awards, including the 2003 Business Women of the Year by the Consumers' Choice Award and, last year, the Prix Dimensions from L'Ordre des administrateurs agrées du Québec.

Elias Vamvakas (1996)

After building up eye-care services company TLCVision Corp., he moved to become TLCVision's board chairman and CEO of TLC subsidiary OccuLogix Inc. The firm, which is developing a therapy to treat macular degeneration, recently went public at a valuation of over $500-million.

Brett Wilson (1996)

He still runs First Energy Capital Corp., a Calgary-based energy investment firm (these days as managing director and chairman), which is thriving in the current oil-price boom.

Most Dramatic Career Change

Paul Alofs (1995)

President of HMV Canada when he won the award, he's now CEO of Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, Canada's largest hospital foundation.

Michael Guerriere (1997)

He left his position of COO of the Toronto and Princess Margaret Hospitals to co-found and become managing partner of Courtyard Group, a health-care consulting firm. He's also chairman of Ryerson University's board of governors and a director of MediSolution Ltd.

Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk (2001)

The former Edmonton doctors who founded independent video-game developer BioWare Corp. are continuing to produce highly praised content, including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic , for the movie franchise's creator, George Lucas.

Rod Phillips (1999)

The former chief of staff to then Toronto mayor Mel Lastman is now president and chief executive officer of employee assistance provider WarrenShepell.

Gregor Robertson (2003)

The founder of Happy Planet, which sells natural fruit drinks, is currently running as an NDP candidate for Vancouver-Fairview in the B.C. election.

Outstanding Entrepreneur

Greg and Glenn Chamandy (1998)

The brothers founded Gildan Activewear Inc., the Montreal-based company that became North America's largest T-shirt maker. Greg cashed out his stake last year, handing the CEO baton to his younger brother, Glenn.

George A. Cope (1996)

He became the president of Telus Mobility, Canada's third largest mobile phone company, when Telus Corp. bought Clearnet Communications in 2000. Mr. Cope had helped move Clearnet from an upstart to a major player in the wireless world.

David Cynamon (2001)

Formerly CEO of KIK Corp., a major bleach manufacturer, he's now CEO of investment firm KCP Income Fund. In 2003, he co-bought the ailing Toronto Argonauts CFL franchise.

Kevin Kimsa (2002)

The multimillionaire software developer runs two firms, Avista, which powers a sports-ticketing operation, and Casero Inc., which creates applications for broadband service. He is also a part owner of the Toronto Rock lacrosse team and the CFL's Ottawa Renegades.

Greg Wolfond (1995)

He sold Footprint Software Inc. to International Business Machines Corp. and used the proceeds to start 724 Solutions Inc., which develops technology for mobile networks. He left last year.

Achievement in Health/Science

Peter Dirks (2003)

The pediatric neurosurgeon still practices at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and has led breakthrough research into brain tumours.

Alejandro Jadad (1998)

The director of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation at the University Health Network and the University of Toronto, he is leading innovative projects to bring greater efficiency to health-care delivery.

Marco Marra (2000)

The director of the Genome Sciences Centre at the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre is one of the nation's foremost genetic researchers. Recently, he led a team that decoded the genome of the SARS virus.

Ravi Menon (2002)

He continues to hold the Canada research chair in Functional Neuroimaging at Robarts Research Institute, where his major research focus is in functional magnetic resonance imaging, a method for mapping brain function.

Stephen Scherer (1999)

The associate director of the Centre for Applied Genomics at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, his work centres on mapping chromosome 7, where diseases such as epilepsy, autism and cystic fibrosis originate.

Top Newsmaker

Darren Entwistle (2000)

CEO of Telus Corp. since 2000, his strategy of sticking to the Telco's core businesses have reaped rewards, with its wireless division bringing in strong earnings.

Steve Hudson (1996)

He founded and grew Newcourt Credit Group into a huge finance company, then quit in 1999 to take over Hair Club For Men.

Robert Milton (1998)

He was Air Canada's chief operating officer in 1998, but took over the reins as chairman in 2000 and recently led the airline successfully through bankruptcy protection and restructuring.

Julie Payette (1999)

The Canadian Space Agency astronaut last year was named co-chair of Canada Corps, a vehicle for youth to promote Canada's values of "justice, federalism and pluralistic democracy" abroad.

Belinda Stronach (2001)

Now a Conservative MP, she resigned as president and CEO of auto parts giant Magna International Inc. in 2004 to run for the leadership of the federal party.

Corporate Achievement

Jay Forbes (1999)

The former CFO for N.S. Power Holdings Inc. has run Atlantic Canada's dominant phone company, Aliant Inc., since 2002. His other roles include serving as chair of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council and governor of Dalhousie University.

Linda Hasenfratz (2002)

She is still CEO of auto-parts maker Linamar Corp., a title she assumed from her father in 2002, and is embarked on an ambitious expansion plan to increase revenue to $10-billion by 2020.

Claude Mongeau (1996)

The former vice-president of Canadian National Railways is currently the company's chief financial officer and last month won the prestigious Canada's CFO of the Year award.

Aaron Regent (1999)

CEO of Trilon Securities in 1999, he joined metals giant Falconbridge Inc. as CFO and then moved up to CEO. He's busy planning the company's proposed merger with Noranda Inc.

Marc Tellier (2000)

The president and CEO of Sympatico-Lycos Inc. in 2000 has become president and CEO of Yellow Pages Group, the country's largest telephone directory company. The company recently bought Advertising Directory Solutions Inc.