EllisDon exec named among Globe and Mail’s best
A senior executive from EllisDon has been named among the country’s top executives by The Globe and Mail's Report on Business.
Kieran Hawe, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Construction Operations, was named to the second edition of the list. He was recognized in the operations category.
The Best Executive Awards recognize non-CEO leaders at the SVP, EVP and C-suite (or equivalent) levels. The winners are grouped into five areas: finance, human resources, operations, sales and marketing and technology.
A report written in the Globe and Mail explains that Hawe’s work at EllisDon has taken him across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. In that time, he has held roles all the way from construction manager to corporate executive.
"Since he has taken over as Chief Operating Officer, Kieran has exhibited an ideal combination of humility, determination, and leadership both through example and (when needed) direction, all of which have combined to place EllisDon as the leading building company across Canada today," said EllisDon president and CEO Geoff Smith. "As importantly, he personifies EllisDon's values and purpose so thoroughly that the younger people who are watching and learning from him will be thoroughly ready when their time to lead comes, ensuring EllisDon's ideals and industry leadership for another generation - and more."
Hawe joined EllisDon in 1999 with a mechanical and electrical background. He was appointed to Toronto-area vice president in 2013, to senior vice president and area manager of central Canada in 2016, and executive vice-president in 2017. EllisDon said, “his entrepreneurial spirit helped build a $5-billion construction operation while managing a number of large-multidisciplinary teams, and shaping EllisDon into one of the largest construction and building services companies in Canada.”
Hawe has also been a catalyst for EllisDon’s work on inclusion and diversity. In 2020, when EllisDon’s construction sites in downtown Toronto experienced incidents of anti-Black racism, Hawe acted as the executive sponsor of the company’s Alliance of Black Employee and Leadership.