Ivey alumna Bonnie Brooks is a trailblazer in many ways.
She made her mark as the first female CEO of the Bay (now the Hudson’s Bay Company), turning around the ailing department store chain in only five years and moving up the ranks to Vice Chair of the organization in 2014.
She is now also the first woman to receive the Ivey Business Leader Award, which honours individuals who have advanced business in Canada and demonstrated leadership in both business and their communities.
Brooks received the award in front of 400 of Canada’s most prominent business leaders at a gala at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto on October 30.
Related to this story
Kevin O’Brien, HBA ’93, Chair of the Ivey Business Leader Award Dinner, said Brooks has distinguished herself as a visionary leader both nationally and internationally.
“She has defined herself as an outstanding leader within an extremely competitive industry, serving as an inspiration for the Canadian business community,” he said.
The award dinner also raised $328,500 for Ivey Business School. Since its inception in 1991, the Ivey Business Leader Award Dinner has raised more than $3.9 million to support faculty fellowships, student scholarships, and the Richard Ivey Building.
Brooks joins an esteemed list of past Ivey Business Leader Award recipients including George Cope, President and CEO, BCE Inc. and Bell Canada; Ed Clark, Group President and CEO of TD Bank Group (TD); and Frank Stronach, Chairman of the Board, Magna International Inc.
