An Evening of Accolades 2025: Honouring the past, inspiring the future

From left to right: Shawn Cheung, inaugural recipient of the DeGroote School of Business Alumni Social Impact Award; Khaled Hassanein, Dean, DeGroote School of Business; David Lazzarato, recipient of the 2025 Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award, at the May 15, 2025, Evening of Accolades.

For more than 25 years, the Evening of Accolades has served as the DeGroote School of Business’ flagship alumni celebration, recognizing the accomplishments of outstanding graduates through the Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award. 

This year’s event built on that proud tradition by introducing a new layer of recognition. The evening introduced a new award—the DeGroote School of Business Alumni Social Impact Award—and also celebrated the incredible contributions of faculty, staff and students. 

A legacy of impact: Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award

The prestigious Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award is DeGroote’s highest honour, celebrating exceptional alumni whose impact, achievements and character have enhanced the reputation of the DeGroote School of Business and McMaster University. 

David Lazzarato, recipient of the 2025 Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award.

This year, the award was presented to David Lazzarato (BCom ’79), whose career spans influential roles in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. Known for his ability to lead through change and challenge, David’s work has left a lasting imprint across industries and communities alike.  

🔗 Learn more about David’s incredible career journey 

Celebrating social impact: Inaugural award

The evening also marked the debut of the DeGroote School of Business Alumni Social Impact Award, created to recognize alumni who are creating tangible and sustainable social change. 

Shawn Cheung, inaugural recipient of the DeGroote School of Business Alumni Social Impact Award.

The inaugural award was presented to Shawn Cheung (BCom ’05), Founder and CEO of Raising The Village (RTV), an organization that partners with last-mile communities in sub-Saharan Africa to lift families out of ultra-poverty. Shawn’s acceptance speech highlighted the power of opportunity and collective action—values that resonated deeply with guests. 

🔗 Learn more about Shawn and his impactful work with RTV 

A community celebration

From heartfelt speeches to shared moments of connection, the evening brought together students, alumni, faculty, staff, McMaster colleagues and friends of DeGroote in a powerful celebration of community pride and purpose. 

Khaled Hassanein, Dean, DeGroote School of Business, served as the evening’s master of ceremonies, recognizing and celebrating the achievements of the broader DeGroote community, including the faculty, staff and students in attendance. 

Maureen MacDonald, Dean, Faculty of Science, delivered remarks on behalf of McMaster University. Earlier that day, her appointment as the university’s next provost and vice-president (Academic) was announced. 

Sean Van Koughnett, Associate Vice-President of Students and Learning, and Dean of Students at McMaster, shared his congratulations to the award recipients, and expressed his excitement about the future of entrepreneurship at McMaster through the new McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery. 

One of the most moving moments of the evening came when Neha Tayal, MBA candidate and Heather L. Main Memorial Scholarship recipient, took the stage to share her personal journey as an international student.

Watch a montage of the highlights of the award recipients’ acceptance speeches and Neha’s remarks. 

David Feather, 2007 Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, provided a heartfelt introduction for Shawn Cheung, the inaugural recipient of the DeGroote School of Business Alumni Social Impact Award. 

Jane Peverett, 2024 Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, made the trip across Canada to introduce and “pass the torch” to this year’s recipient, David Lazzarato.   

From left to right: David Lazzarato, 2025 Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award recipient; Wayne C. Fox, namesake and inaugural Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award recipient; Khaled Hassanein, Dean, DeGroote School of Business and Shawn Cheung, inaugural recipient of the DeGroote School of Business Alumni Social Impact Award.

From left to right (all recipients are past Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award recipients unless otherwise noted): Khaled Hassanein, Dean, DeGroote School of Business; Paul Allison, 2014 recipient; Ed Minich, 2002 recipient; Shawn Cheung, inaugural recipient of the DeGroote School of Business Alumni Social Impact Award; David Lazzarato, 2025 recipient; Wayne C. Fox, namesake and inaugural Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award recipient; Jane Peverett, 2024 recipient; David Feather, 2007 recipient and Dino Trevisani, 2018 recipient.

David Lazzarato, 2025 Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, and his family, friends and supporters filled the room with pride and joy as they celebrated his well-deserved recognition.

Shawn Cheung, inaugural recipient of the DeGroote School of Business Alumni Social Impact Award, celebrated a memorable evening with his family and supporters.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2025 Evening of Accolades such a meaningful event.  

A special thank you to our supporting partners, The Peter Cundill Foundation and Jefferies Canada.  

Do you know a DeGroote alum who is making an impact in their community? Learn more and help us celebrate the next generation of leaders and changemakers.