Retiring Mitel CEO receives departing honour

It was announced this afternoon that Don Smith, departing CEO of Ottawa-based Mitel, has been named the 2010 CEO of the Year by the Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ). 

The award is based on five criteria: corporate performance, leadership and vision, competitiveness and innovation, community involvement and timeliness.

Committee chair and OBJ Publisher, Michael Curran, touched on a couple reasons the committee selected Smith:

"Don's success at re-engineering Mitel and preparing it for the future is very clear. And beyond that, he has demonstrated strong leadership on a local front."

Claude Haw, President of OCRI and a member of the decision committee, added this:

"Don spent several years charting the course for Mitel in the 1980s only to return to the company as the CEO in 2001. He is a proven leader not only in the technology community, but in the community at large. He successfully steered Mitel back into the mainstream and completed the most significant IPO on the NASDAQ in Ottawa's history. While a soft spoken, mild-mannered gentleman, he is a giant when it comes to building a global company with market leadership."

Mr. Smith is the eleventh recipient of the award, which has recognized several Ottawa tech industry greats in the past, including: Rod Bryden, George Cwynar, Ron Zambonini, Peter Strom, Kevin Dee, and David Dobson.

For complete details on the selection, visit the OBJ Website.