[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/BusinessAccolades09.jpg” caption=”L to R: Dean Paul Bates, Professor Yufei Yuan, Inaugural distinguished alumni award winner Wayne Fox, DAA recipient Neil Skelding, President Peter George, Associate Professor Nick Bontis. Photo by JD Howell.”]McMaster's DeGroote School of Business presented Neil Skelding '88, president and CEO of RBC Insurance, with the 10th annual Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award last night.

The award was presented at DeGroote's Evening of Accolades, which also honoured excellence in faculty research, student leadership and alumni contributions.

“In addition to building a successful career, Neil has found time to continue a strong connection with his University,” says Paul Bates, Dean of DeGroote. “His support of McMaster and DeGroote, particularly his role on the executive of the Campaign for McMaster University, contribute in a variety of meaningful and important ways.”

Skelding is the president and CEO, RBC Insurance where he has global responsibility for RBC Financial Group's insurance business. In addition to his professional successes, Skelding is a member of the Board of Governors of North York General Hospital, The Young President's Organization and McMaster's Campaign Cabinet.

“It's an honour to be recognized by the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster. I feel a great sense of satisfaction and pride from my affiliation with DeGroote, a place that has not only influenced my career but my life as well,” said Skelding. “My career is really a testament to the school, its program, its faculty and directors. Without the support, guidance and knowledge I found at McMaster, I wouldn't be where I am today.”

The evening also included a donation by Skelding's MBA class of 1988 of a new scholarship in memory of classmate Greg Brophy '88. Under the leadership of alumnus Quentin Broad '88, the group announced the MBA Class of 1988 Greg Brophy Memorial Scholarship in Principled Leadership. Brophy, an inspirational and visionary entrepreneur who built his companies Shred-it and Securit into dominant global leaders, was killed in a plane crash in the fall of 2007.

“This scholarship is an enduring legacy of our time and Greg's at McMaster,” said Broad. “We hope that it will help to attract top notch students to DeGroote.”

DeGroote also recognized student leadership and achievements in faculty research. Yufei Yuan, professor of information systems, was awarded the Faculty Research Excellence Award, and Nick Bontis, associate professor of strategy, was the recipient of the inaugural Research to Practice Excellence Award. Yuan's research focuses on important work in mobile commerce, security and privacy, emergency response, online negotiations, and ehealthcare. Bontis, who studies intellectual capital and how knowledge resources relate to organizational performance, was recognized for his research outreach activities.