Dr. Indira Samarasekera
O.C.
Director, Magna International Inc., TC Energy Corporation, Stelco Holdings Inc.;
Senior Advisor, Bennett Jones LLP
Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera served as the 12th President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Alberta, from 2005 to 2015. She also served as Vice-President Research at the University of British Columbia from 2000 to 2005.
She is currently a Senior Advisor for Bennett Jones LLP and serves on the boards of directors of Magna International, TC Energy and Stelco. She serves on the selection panel for Canada’s outstanding CEO of the Year sponsored by Caldwell Partners and Bennett Jones, and is a member of the Tri-Lateral Commission. Dr. Samarasekera is a past Director of Scotiabank (2008 to 2021). She is co-author with Dr. Martha Piper of the forthcoming book,
Nerve - lessons from two women leaders who went first.
As a Hays Fulbright Scholar, she earned an MSc from the University of California in 1976. In 1980, she was granted a PhD in metallurgical engineering from the University of British Columbia. She has a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Ceylon.
Dr. Samarasekera is internationally recognized as one of Canada’s leading metallurgical engineers for her groundbreaking work on process engineering of materials, especially steel processing. She held the Dofasco Chair in Advanced Steel Processing at the University of British Columbia. She has consulted widely for industry worldwide leading to the implementation of her research discoveries.
Dr. Samarasekera is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Engineering in the US. She has received honorary degrees from the University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, University Waterloo, Université de Montréal, Western University and Queen’s University in Canada as well as Queen’s University in Belfast, Ireland.