Celebrating Alumni Achievement

Carleton University business alumni have gone on to make a positive impact in their careers, professions and communities. On Tuesday, the Sprott School of Business recognized three alumni who exemplify this impact. The recipients received their Sprott Alumni Award at Sprott’s Community Net Night event that gathered students, alumni, faculty, staff and the business community.

This year’s Sprott Alumni Award honourees are:

• Sprott Alumni Award in Early Achievement:  Jabir Sandhu (BIB/16)
• Sprott Alumni Award in Positive Impact: Clare Grosskleg (BCom/79)
• Sprott Alumni Award in Professional Excellence: Asit Kaul (MBA/05)

Learn more about the award recipients and their outstanding achievements below.

This award recognizes a Carleton University graduate of a bachelor’s degree in business who has received their degree within the last 10 years and has achieved significant professional accomplishments since graduation.

Sandhu graduated from Carleton in 2016, earning his Bachelor of International Business and the University Medal for highest academic standing in his class. He went on to complete a Master of Financial Risk Management from the University of Toronto and was the class valedictorian.

His career at the Bank of Canada as an analyst in Ottawa and he later served on the inaugural team of traders when the Bank opened its second trading floor in Calgary in 2019, where he managed a portfolio of Canada’s foreign exchange reserve fund.

Sandhu advanced to more senior roles and is currently Principal Economist in the Financial Markets Department at the Bank of Canada. He leads the preparation of his department’s briefings to the Governing Council on financial stability risks and conducts analysis of financial markets and non-bank financial intermediaries, authoring publications that inform the Bank’s policy work. He is also an active volunteer at work and in his community.

This award recognizes a Carleton University graduate of an undergraduate, master’s or PhD degree program in business who has made a positive impact in local, regional or global communities through their professional, voluntary or philanthropic endeavours.

Grosskleg graduated in 1979 from Carleton’s Bachelor of Commerce program and holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration.

Throughout her career, these degrees supported her progressive roles at Canada Post, from Labour Relations to Human Resource Management.

She is an active community volunteer and leader with various organizations. She has won many awards for business and community leadership and innovation. For example, she volunteered for the Entrepreneurial Adventure Program (EAP) as a business mentor to teach students how to build and operate businesses to earn money which they would then donate to the charity of their choice.

In 2014, she founded a new registered charity called the National Children’s Botanical Garden of Canada. This hands-on, experiential learning organization focuses on nutrition, sustainability, environmental stewardship, and community belonging. This charity was created in response to increasing chronic illnesses for kids and youth, worsening mental health, poor eating choices, inability to cook healthy food, little notion of gardening or fresh produce, sedentary lifestyles, lack of access to nature, polarization, loneliness, crisis-level climate change, food insecurity, and more.

Grosskleg has brought the organization’s programming to schools in the Ottawa are and is currently in discussions with the City of Ottawa to expand the reach of these programs.

This award recognizes a Carleton University graduate of a business degree who has demonstrated outstanding achievement within their career or entrepreneurial endeavours.

Asit Kaul graduated with his MBA in 2005. He is the founder of Elevext Inc., an Ottawa-based coaching, consulting, and media services firm. As a certified coach with over 15 years of corporate experience across the telecommunications and media sectors, he helps businesses and individuals navigate change, unlock performance potential, and lead with purpose in an era defined by transformation and AI. As a motivational and keynote speaker, he inspires diverse global audiences on topics related to leadership, communication, technology, and personal growth. He has been featured in multiple media publications, including BizWeekly, CEO Times, NY Review, Rogers TV, and others for his thought leadership and innovative work.

With a background in computer engineering, his professional journey advanced through Sprott’s MBA program. Building on this foundation, he rose through the Canadian telecommunications industry to senior leadership, including as Director at Bell Canada, where he managed a $700 million portfolio and supported global teams across five continents. His leadership excellence earned him the Bell Execution Excellence Award and the Bell All Stars Award.

He is currently pursuing his PhD at Sprott, where his research examines the adoption of AI and robotics through an interdisciplinary lens that integrates technology, privacy, trust, culture, identity, and personality. He has presented several research papers at leading international conferences and contributed to advancing scholarship in his field. As an instructor, he teaches courses in Operations Management, Project Management, Sales Management, and Performance Management to Sprott MBA and BCom students.