Conestoga news

November 19, 2013 10:23 AM

Conestoga grad honoured at 2013 Premier's Awards

Tahani Aburaneh, a 1987 graduate of Conestoga’s Business Administration - Management Studies program, joined the ranks of Ontario’s most distinguished college graduates on Monday, November 18, when she was named the 2013 recipient of the Premier’s Award for Business at a gala celebration held in conjunction with the Higher Education Summit held November 17 and 18 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

The annual conference on post-secondary education, hosted by Colleges Ontario, explores the major issues of the day and the challenges facing educators, governments, business leaders and others.

Each year, Ontario presents Premier's Awards in six categories to acknowledge the social and economic contribution college graduates make to their communities, the province and throughout the world. Categories include Business, Community Services, Creative Arts and Design, Health Sciences, Technology and Recent Graduate.

A real estate entrepreneur, author and public speaker, Tahani Aburaneh moved to Canada from a refugee camp in Jordan at the age of 15 and is now one of the country's leading experts in real estate development and investment. She is the founder of five companies and recently launched a training and certification program for realtors across Canada. Aburaneh is also author of the Amazon bestseller Real Estate Riches, and is a columnist for Canadian Real Estate and Infinity magazines.

Other 2013 Premier's Awards recipients include:

  • Jim Caruk, George Brown College (1976) - Technology
  • Ramesh Ferris, Confederation College (2001) - Community Services
  • Rex Grignon, Sheridan College (1984) - Creative Arts and Design
  • Elina Katsman, Canadore College (1986) - Health Sciences
  • Lee Renshaw, Humber College (2009) - Recent Graduate
  • Brian Tamblyn, president emeritus of Georgian College, was also recognized with the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities' annual Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to Ontario's college system.

    This is the second consecutive year that the Premier’s Award for Business has been presented to a Conestoga graduate. In 2012, the honour went to Chameli Naraine, a 1983 graduate of Business Administration - Materials Management who is now president and CEO of Symcor, one of Canada’s leading financial processing services providers.

    For more information on the 2013 Premier’s Awards, visit the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

    For media questions, contact Brenda Cassidy, Corporate Communications Manager, 519-748-5220 ext 3336 or bcassidy@conestogac.on.ca