Indira Samarasekera
 Indira Samarasekera     (bureaucrat) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Born | 1952-04-11 Colombo, Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||
| Nationality | Canadian | |||||||||||||
| Ethnicity | Tamil | |||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Sri Lanka, University of California/Davis, University of British Columbia | |||||||||||||
| Spouse | Sam Samarasekera | |||||||||||||
| Member of | Trilateral Commission | |||||||||||||
Canadian academic administrator, WEF, Bilderberg
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Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera is a Canadian academic administrator.[1][2] She was president and former vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta when she attended the 2009 Bilderberg meeting. From 2010 to 2012, she attended the World Economic Forum in Davos and has participated as either a speaker or a moderator.
Contents
Background
Samarasekera was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, of Sri Lankan Tamil descent, and was married to a Sinhalese,[3] Sam Samarasekera and was divorced when her children were 7 and 3 years.[4]
She received her B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sri Lanka in 1974 and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis as a Fulbright Scholar in 1976.[5] In 1977, she immigrated to Canada, where she received her PhD in Metallurgical Engineering at the University of British Columbia in 1980. That year, she began working in the Department of Metals and Materials Engineering at UBC with a focus on the continuous casting and hot rolling of steel.[6]
Administration
In 2000, she was appointed UBC's vice-president of research. During her time in that role, the university's research funding from government, private donors and industry more than doubled, from $149 million to $377 million.[7]
She succeeded Roderick Fraser as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta on July 1, 2005, and sat two terms, ending June 30, 2015. She was the first female president of any university in Alberta.
As of July 1, 2015, she was succeeded by David Turpin as president of the University of Alberta.
Board positions
Samarasekera was appointed to the board of directors for Scotiabank in 2008,[8] and for Magna International in 2014.[9] She was appointed chair of the Worldwide Universities Network in 2012,[10] and on the CEO of the Year Advisory Committee[11] and has sat both board member and chair of the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT).
Samarasekera is on the board of directors of TC Energy, owner of the Keystone Pipeline, appointed in 2016.[12]
She has been member of Canada's Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC),[13] the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public Service,[14] the Conference Board of Canada[15] and the Public Policy Forum.
Spending
In July 2009, the University of Alberta purchased Samarasekera's private residence for $930,000, representing approximately $180,000 profit for Samarasekera, and the home was renovated by the university.[29] University administration was criticized by some for the initiative, given budget shortfalls at the time.[16]
In the wake of deep government cuts to the cuts to the Alberta post-secondary sector in 2013, debate ensued on and off campus as to how the university should respond.[17] Samarasekara undertook to limit her international travel. However, when personally invited by Alberta Premier Alison Redford, she traveled to China in September 2013 at a cost of $13,800. Responding to criticism, Samarasekara stated "people will find reasons to criticize me whichever way I do it."[18]
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/2009 | 14 May 2009 | 17 May 2009 | Greece Vouliagmeni | The 57th Bilderberg |
| WEF/Annual Meeting/2011 | 26 January 2011 | 30 January 2011 | Switzerland | 2229 guests in Davos, with the theme: "Shared Norms for the New Reality". |
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100824174530/http://www.scotiabank.com/cda/content/0,1608,CID12292_LIDen,00.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080524010227/http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/newtrail/nav03.cfm?nav03=41976&nav02=41975&nav01=41974
- ↑ http://www.southasiamail.com/news.php?id=98708
- ↑ http://www.womenofinfluence.ca/2016/09/01/indira-samarasekera-on-building-a-career-of-firsts/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20121202015032/http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/celebrate/citweek-samarasekera.asp
- ↑ http://www.sangam.org/articles/view2/?uid=431
- ↑ http://walrusmagazine.com/articles/2010.09-education-office-of-the-president/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080908043311/http://www.scotiabank.com/cda/content/0,1608,CID12292_LIDen,00.html
- ↑ http://www.magna.com/media/press-releases-news/news-page/2014/05/08/press-release---magna-announces-2014-annual-meeting-results
- ↑ http://www.wun.ac.uk/
- ↑ http://www.ceoaward.ca/indirasamarasekera
- ↑ https://www.tcenergy.com/about/governance/
- ↑ http://www.stic-csti.ca/eic/site/stic-csti.nsf/eng/h_00008.html
- ↑ http://www.clerk.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?featureId=19&pageId=244
- ↑ http://www.conferenceboard.ca/about-cboc/bod.aspx
- ↑ https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/u-of-a-buys-president-s-house-for-930-000-1.539505
- ↑ https://archive.today/20130916024317/http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=bc4f8109-14ef-4e8c-b84f-5a8aac8cfdba
- ↑ http://metronews.ca/news/edmonton/781216/university-of-alberta-president-speaks-about-13800-china-trip/
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