Dan Fortin , BEng / 78 , LL.D. / 2009

Not many people become president of a company that hired them fresh out of university, but Dan Fortin has worked his way from the ground up to become president of IBM Canada Ltd.

Fortin began his career as a systems engineer in IBM’s Ottawa office in 1978 after graduating from Carleton’s civil engineering program. He has since held a number of prominent marketing and management positions, overseeing divisions in Canada, the United States and Latin America. In January 2005, after serving as vice president, Small and Medium Business for IBM Americas, Fortin became president of IBM Canada Ltd.

Fortin is a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and serves on the Board of Governors of the Information Technology Association of Canada. Carleton University awarded him the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, in 2009.