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Sprott School of Business celebrates three exceptional alumni for their professional and community impact

The Sprott School of Business at Carleton University is proud to announce the recipients of its 2020 Alumni Awards.

These awards honour the exceptional achievements of members of Sprott’s alumni community for the impact they have made in their career, profession and communities.

The 2020 Sprott Alumni Award recipients are:

Early Achievement Award

Genevieve Walton (BCom/16), recipient of the Sprott Early Achievement Award, owns the largest Airbnb property management company in Ottawa: Short and Suite BNB.

The Early Achievement Award is awarded to a graduate of either the Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of International Business programs, who has received their degree within the last 10 years and has achieved significant career, professional, and/or entrepreneurial accomplishments since graduation.

A young entrepreneur with a passion for business, Genevieve currently owns the largest Airbnb property management company in Ottawa – Short and Suite BNB – and recently expanded her business to focus on the long-term rental market by launching Flex Property Development.

On top of rapidly growing a successful business within just four years of graduating, she also strives to give back to the community. Her initiatives with local shelters and food drives to help local youth and women have touched numerous lives.

“The main reason why I really wanted to build a legacy was my parents were both entrepreneurs so I kind of learned a lot at the dinner table from them. They were very passionate about entrepreneurship and giving back to the community and that was something I wanted to explore myself,” Genevieve said.

Good Business Award

Emily Jones Joanisse (MBA/13), recipient of the Sprott Good Business Award, is the CEO and co-founder of Connected Canadians – a non-profit organization that provides seniors with free technology training and support to help them stay connected to others.

The Good Business Award is awarded to a graduate from any of the School’s programs who has made a positive impact in local, regional or global communities through their professional, voluntary or philanthropic endeavours.

A graduate of Carleton University’s Computer Science program, with an MBA from Sprott, Emily is the CEO and co-founder of Connected Canadians – a non-profit organization that provides seniors with free technology training and support to help them stay connected to others. In the past she has served in a range of leadership roles with a variety of businesses and non-profits and has taught management at Algonquin College. Emily has also been performing as a DJ for over 15 years now.

Along with running Connected Canadians, Emily is also pursuing her PhD in Management at Sprott. She is focusing her research on understanding how volunteering helps Connected Canadians’ volunteers – most of whom are newcomers to Canada – integrate into their Canadian communities and workplaces. Her end goal is to develop a framework that supports the career transitions of newcomers through volunteering.

“Working in tech and working at a few youth-focused non-profits I just thought ‘why is there not anything on a larger scale delivering digital literacy support for seniors’ because clearly there’s a need for it,” Emily said about her motivation behind Connected Canadians. “There’s a huge aging population that’s just growing larger year after year and they are not really getting accessible free support anywhere.”

“And as our world becomes increasingly more digital it just feels as though this is a massive gap that no one is stepping in to fill.”

Professional Excellence Award

Kristy Carscallen (BCom/89), recipient of the Sprott Professional Excellence Award, is the Canadian Managing Partner for Audit and a member of the Management Committee at KPMG Canada.

The Professional Excellence Award is awarded to a graduate from any of the School’s programs who has demonstrated outstanding lifetime achievement within their career and community.

This year’s recipient, Kristy, is the Canadian Managing Partner for Audit and a member of the Management Committee at KPMG Canada. With more than 30 years’ experience in assurance and advisory services, Kristy is well known for her insights and guidance on complex accounting and securities matters. She is also a contributor to KPMG’s Future Thought: The Audit is Changing, and Audit Trends reports, as well as several Audit Point of View articles. She was elected to Fellow of CPA Ontario (FCPA) for rendering exceptional service to the accounting profession and her communities. And Kristy was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in 2015.

Kristy is very active in the community, serving as the chair of the board for Ronald McDonald House in Toronto, chairing KPMG Canada’s United Way campaign for several years, and being a regular lecturer at the Institute of Corporate Directors’ Directors Education Program.

“I’ve always felt it’s really important to give back your time, your energy, and your prosperity to help the community that was critically important to making you who you are. We are all stronger together,” Kristy said.