CME Alberta Hall of Fame
In recognition of exceptional service to Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters and its members.
2012 INDUCTEE:
Dr. Robert Westbury, C.M., Ph.D, LLD (Hon)
Dr. Robert Westbury is well known in the Edmonton region and throughout the province as a tireless volunteer and outstanding community citizen. Branching out from his early career in education and curriculum development, Dr. Westbury has served as Vice President, Public Affairs and Environment, for TransAlta Corporation and Vice President, Corporate Relations, for Grant MacEwan College. Currently, he is the Chief Advisor, Relations and Innovation at TELUS.
His singular commitment to charitable service includes leadership roles in Kids Kottage, Fringe Theatre Adventures, The United Way and Kids with Cancer. He chaired the 2004 Juno Awards in Edmonton, served on the Board of Governors of the 2005 World Masters Games, and co-chaired the Alberta Task Force on Crystal Meth.
Dr. Westbury's dedication to his community has been recognized in numerous awards including appointment to the Order of Canada in 2011 and a Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Alberta in 2007. He has also received the Grant MacEwan Outstanding Citizen Award (2006), the Queen's Jubilee Medal and the Alberta Centennial Medal. He was named one of Alberta's 50 most influential people, the Alberta Wild Rose Foundation's Star of the Millennium Volunteer and one of the 100 Ambassadors for Alberta's Centennial in 2005.
Known as an advocate for the arts, for his community, and for numerous community causes, Dr. Westbury continues to use his talents, his energy and his charm to turn challenges into success.
In recognition of his continuous efforts to create a safe and caring Edmonton Region, in 2010 the City of Edmonton renamed 84 Avenue to Westbury Way.
Dr. Westbury has made a significant contribution to the work of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters in Alberta. He served as a board member for many years and as board chair during some of the formative years of the organization in Alberta. He was particularly instrumental in the development of the Deputy Ministers' Dinner as a signature event on the business calendar for CME members and the Government of Alberta. Robert saw the value of connecting leaders and decision makers from the manufacturing industry and government together to help this vital sector of the economy grow and flourish in Alberta. Since his departure from the Alberta board of CME he has continued to provide valuable advice and direction to the organization, helping to recruit new board members and provide CME with the benefit of his perspective and experience on issues of business and government relations. He has a passion for the manufacturing sector and we greatly appreciate his engagement and participation within CME.
Dr. Westbury, for your exceptional service to your community and to the development of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters as the face and voice of Alberta manufacturers, we induct you into the CME Board of Directors Hall of Fame.
2011 INDUCTEE:
Patricia Glenn, Hon FCIPS, ISP/ITCP, CMC
You reap what you sow – a common adage, never more applicable than in membership in an organization, such as CME. If you just join an organization and don’t attend events, participate in committees or get actively involved in the organization, you don’t receive the benefits of membership. Business thrives on networks of people. Involvement with organizations such as CME is one of the best ways to build effective and beneficial networks.
Patricia Glenn joined CME through the merger of Canadian Exporters Association and the Canadian Manufacturers Association, which became the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). She quickly became a member of the board of CME-Alberta.
Her interest and involvement with international trade came about through her involvement with CIPS (Canada’s Association of IT Professionals). After serving as the national president, an elected position, she remained on the board and represented CIPS at the South East Asia Computer Confederation (14 countries) and then at the International Federation of Information Processing Societies (an UNESCO organization). She was asked about Canadian IT products and technology. People and businesses from around the world were interested in doing business with Canadian IT companies. She expanded her management consulting practice to include international trade, focusing on the Information and Communications Technology sector. She was named to the Government of Canada’s International Trade Advisory Council.
To ensure that Canadian software products met international standards, she founded and co-chaired Canadian Software Quality Forum, which was linked with other standards groups in software producing nations. Within CIPS, she chaired the committee which established the professional designation. She worked within CIPS and IFIP on mutual recognition agreements with other national computing societies and started international standards discussions with ISO and WTO.
Within CME-Alberta, she initiated the Alberta Export Awards and chairs the committee. Her desire to do this is based the need to extol the value of exporting to the Alberta and Canadian economy. She knew that Export Awards are effective in raising awareness from her involvement with the Canadian Export Awards and the Calgary Export Awards.
She was a member of the Alberta Premier’s Council on Science and Technology and the Alberta Economic Development Authority. On the former, she chaired the Science and Technology committee, which developed a strategy that became the basis of the Government of Alberta’s economic policy. She was the Alberta member to the National Forum on Science and Technology. She chaired the National Forum meeting on the Federal Science & Technology Policy and the Western Canada Federal Science & Technology meeting.
She was named to the C-Prosperity Initiative (Calgary – economic development), chairing the Geomatics cluster and co-chairing the Regional Capital Pipeline initiative.
She has been a Member of the Conference Board of Canada: Advisory Group – Excellence through Connectedness and Leader’s Roundtable on Commercialization; a member of Human Resources Development Canada Steering Committee, Geomatics Sector Study; a member of Knowledge Based Industries Loan Fund (Federal Government) Industry Advisory Committee; a member of University of Alberta - Advisory Council Western Centre for Economic Research, a member of University of Calgary: Advisory Council, Geomatics Engineering; Advisory Committee, NSERC Chair; Advisory Council, CREATE (Centre for Research, Entrepreneurship and Applied Technology Education); a member of Industry Canada National Sector Team – Information Technology & Telecommunications; a member of Ministerial (Alberta) Advisory Council on Land Related Information Systems; a member of (Calgary) InfoPORT FACILITATION GROUP and a member of Advisory Council for Canada-Arizona Business Council
She is on the Board of ATB Financial and a number of corporate advisory boards.
Mel Svendsen
Mel Svendsen is the President and CEO of Standen’s Limited, a Calgary manufacturing firm established in 1924.
Raised on a farm in Northern Alberta, Mel started working part time with Standen’s while studying at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. After graduating from SAIT in 1968, Mel began his full time career with the firm, while continuing his studies at Mount Royal College, The University of Calgary and the Ivey School of Business.
Mel rose through the ranks at Standen’s, from plant superintendent through vice-president, general manager and to COO. He began his current position as President and CEO of Standen’s Limited in 1995.
As the Past Chair for Alberta, Mel has served the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters on a National and Provincial board level; he has served on the boards of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters the Spring Research Institute, Rockwell Automotive Distribution, the Canadian Labour Market and the Productivity Centre. He is a member of the Chairman’s Circle at SAIT, is a member of Calgary Economic Development’s Manufacturing Action Committee, and is a director of Careers: the Next Generation.
Mel was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1996 and was presented with an Honorary Degree in Applied Technology by SAIT in 1999.
In his spare time Mel enjoys golf and skiing, and especially spending time with his family; wife Marlene, their children and grandchildren.
