Oshawa, Ontario - Paul Vessey, a Durham College alumnus and executive vice president and chief operating officer at Visa U.S.A., is a recipient of a distinguished Ontario award that recognizes outstanding career achievement and significant contribution to society.
Vessey was selected as the top Ontario college graduate in the business category of the 2000 Premier's Awards. The awards are presented each February to five Ontario college graduates, each of whom has excelled in the field of community service, creative arts and design, business, health sciences or technology. Vessey and the other recipients will be honoured at a special dinner at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto on February 19. The following day, a special lunch will be held at Durham College's Oshawa campus to recognize Vessey's accolade.
"Paul is an exemplary individual. He has achieved a very high level of success in his career and he has served society immeasurably," says Gary Polonsky, president of Durham College & University Centre. "In Durham Region, Paul played a key role in our college's highly successful Creating Futures fundraising campaign and he continues to promote the cause of higher education through his service as a director of the Durham College Foundation."
Immediately after graduating from Durham College with a diploma in Business Administration-Marketing, Vessey joined the Toronto Dominion Bank's advanced management training program. Vessey worked his way through the ranks of a number of well-known financial companies including American Express Canada and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). In his most senior role at CIBC, he served as Senior Executive VP for card products, payments and insurance. As Vessey explained to graduates and guests at Durham's 1999 convocation ceremonies, he learned a tremendous amount from every position he held.
Currently Vessey serves on the board of directors of the Toronto Film Festival and Prologic Corporation. In 1999, he successfully completed Harvard University's Graduate Advanced Management program.
Vessey is the second Durham College alumnus to receive a Premier's Award. Fred Upshaw, a 1975 Nursing grad and well-known labour leader, was chosen the Premier's Award winner in the health sciences category in 1996.
| Contact: | Catherine Shearer-Kudel Durham College & University Centre 905-721-3111, ext. 2162 catherine.shearer-kudel@ durhamc.on.ca |
Disclaimer: The contact information provided in archived news releases was current at the release date. For current information please contact Communications and Marketing.