MDS and Rotman Create $30,000 Award for Leadership

MDS Inc., an international health sciences company, has donated $250,000 to the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto in honour of its past president and CEO, John Rogers (BCom 1968). The gift, which the Ontario government has matched, will fund scholarships for Rotman students who exhibit exceptional leadership skills. The John A. Rogers Award in Leadership “pays tribute to the extraordinary career of John Rogers,” says Prof. Roger L. Martin, Rotman’s dean. Beginning in 2007, the $30,000 award will be given to an incoming student who demonstrates outstanding leadership qualities. The award will enable Rotman to attract students “who reflect the mission and goals of the school – integrative thinkers, leaders who will make important contributions to society,” says Martin.

An awards committee composed of representatives from MDS Inc. and the Rotman School of Management will recommend a recipient to Prof. Martin each year. Applicants must submit an essay describing their approach to leadership and how their leadership will contribute to a better world. “These students will help Canada pursue the competitive advantage that is so essential to the country’s long-term prosperity,” says Martin. John Rogers received the Rotman Distinguished Business Alumni Award in 2004.

After joining MDS Inc. in 1973, Rogers helped transform it from an Ontario laboratory company into a diversified multinational with revenues of $1.8 billion in 2003 and more than 10,000 employees in 28 countries. “He’s a terrific example of the kinds of leadership skills we aspire to instill in all of our students,” says Martin. “And he’s a great source of pride to the University of Toronto community.”