(Officer of the Order of Canada)
Dr. Veena Rawat, OC is an electrical engineer who specializes in telecommunications – she is an internationally recognized expert in spectrum management and ICT (information and communication technologies). In 1973 she was the first woman to graduate with a PhD in electrical engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She held executive positions in Industry Canada, managing programs related to radio-frequency spectrum engineering for all wireless and space communication services. She was also the first woman to be the President of the Communications Research Centre (CRC), a national ICT R&D (research and development) laboratory of the Canadian Government. After leaving the government, she joined Blackberry’s Advanced Technology Division, as Vice President and Ambassador to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU, a UN body). In 2014 she was awarded the Officer of the Order of Canada (OC) for her lifetime achievements and contributions at the national and international levels to wireless communications.
Dr. Rawat lived in Ottawa between 1973 and 2015. She currently lives in Washington DC with her husband Dr. Surendra Rawat. They came to Canada from India in 1968. They have two children Nishi Rawat, MD, and Vineet Rawat, Ph.D.
Some Honors and awards:
- Officer of the Order of Canada, 2014
- Honorary doctoral degree awarded in June 2019 by the Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa, at the convocation ceremony of engineering graduates, where she also addressed the convocation of graduating engineers
- IEEE Communications Society Award for Public Service in the Field of Telecommunications, 2012
- 2011 Public Service Award of Excellence, Government of Canada
- Canada’s Leading Woman High Tech Entrepreneur/Sara Kirke Award for Woman Entrepreneurship, Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance, 2008
- Canada’s Most Powerful Women, Top 100, Canada’s Executive Women’s Network, 2005
- Leadership in Government Award, Wireless Communications Association International (USA), 2005
- Professional Woman of the Year Award, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, 2005
- Canadian Woman of the Year in Communications, Canadian Women in Communications, 2004
- Radio Advisory Board of Canada Award of Excellence, Radio Advisory Board of Canada, 2004
- Honorary Fellowship, Broadcast Engineering Society, India, 2004
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU, United Nations) Gold Medal, World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03) Chairmanship, 2003 (first woman and first Canadian ever to chair)
- Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, 2003
- Excellence in Leadership Award, Industry Canada, 2003
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU, United Nations) Silver Medal for chairing major technical committees, 1997
More information is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veena_Rawat