07Apr 2016

Linamar CEO is Honoured as University of Victoria’s 2016 Distinguished Entrepreneur

See University of Victoria’s Media Release below: Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of Linamar Corporation, is the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business 2016 Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year. The award is given to leaders who have achieved success through their business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit.  Hasenfratz joined her father’s company in 1990 and worked her way up from the ground floor, learning all aspects of the business prior to her tenure as the chief executive officer. As CEO, Hasenfratz has grown the company from an $800 million enterprise to a company worth more than $5.2 billion. Linamar manufactures precision metallic components for automotive, marine, agricultural, and industrial equipment.   The Gustavson School of Business chose Hasenfratz for her continuing dedication to seeing women progress in business to the top levels of industry. “Linda Hasenfratz is a Canadian leader in the automotive industry, and we are delighted to honour her with the 2016 award,” says Peter Gustavson, chair of the Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year committee. “Her entrepreneurial spirit is recognized on an international scale and her impact within the automotive industry—and within Linamar—is remarkable.” Hasenfratz supports Linamar’s automotive arm through her appointment as the first female director to the Faurecia Board of Directors, a French automotive supplier, in 2011. She has been named one of the Automotive News 100 Leading Women for the years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015 and was appointed to the Canadian Business Hall of Fame, along with her father Frank Hasenfratz, in 2015. Hasenfratz will receive her award at the DEYA gala on Sept. 12.  Full biography of Linda Hasenfratz and list of previous DEYA award recipients: https://www.uvic.ca/news/topics/2016+linda-hasenfratz-honoured-as-2016-deya+media-release