MechE 7T1
Bill’s professional legacy is that of a designer and business builder of two Canadian companies serving global markets.
Bill began his career with Burndy Canada Inc., the Canadian subsidiary of Burndy Corp., an international electrical/electronics connector company. At Burndy, Bill served initially as a product engineer and became General Manager of the Electronics Division in 1979. He became VP and General Manager in 1985 and then President in 1989. As President, he was responsible for all of Burndy’s operations in Canada and Australia. During Bill’s tenure, Burndy developed a proprietary process for manufacturing integrated circuit sockets and printed circuit edge connectors that were distributed across North America and Asia. Burndy also provided connectors used on the International Space Station. While with Burndy, Bill was the co-inventor of two novel electronic connectors that were subsequently patented.
Bill joined ShawCor Ltd. in 1994 as Senior VP, Energy Products, ultimately rising to President & CEO and a Director of the Company in 2005. Today, ShawCor is the world’s largest provider of advanced pipeline coatings, particularly in offshore deepwater locations, with more than 70 manufacturing and service facilities that employ over 5,000 people worldwide. A large part of ShawCor’s success has been due to Bill’s strong desire to achieve a global presence and his unwavering focus on technological leadership, superior execution and organizational excellence.
Through it all, Bill has not forgotten his engineering roots, as he provides strong support for ShawCor’s engineering and management development programs, including U of T’s Professional Experience Year internship program.
Selected Achievements
- Member, Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME), 2008–current
- Member, Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), 2007–current
- Member, Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), 1973–current
- Member, Board of Sercel, a subsidiary of Compagnie Gènèrale de Geophysique based in Paris, France, 2000–2010
- A founding Board member of the Electro-Federation of Canada (EFC) in 1994, its Chair in 1997 and the recipient of its Industry Recognition Award in 2008
- Member, Board of Hammond Power Solutions, 1992–1994
- Member, Boards of the Canadian Electrical Distributors Association (CEDA) and the Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers Association of Canada (EEMAC), 1990–1994
- Past Canadian Sailing Champion (Hobie Cat 16 class) and master’s level competitive cyclist