The University of Waterloo is once again reaching into Waterloo Region’s tech community for a new chancellor.
School officials announced Tuesday that OpenText chair Tom Jenkins has been named the school’s 10th chancellor.
He replaces Prem Watson, chair of Fairfax Holdings – the largest shareholder in BlackBerry.
Other former chancellors including BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis and Com Dev CEO Valentine O’Donovan.
“Tom Jenkins has enjoyed an enviable career as a leading innovator and business leader that many students here at Waterloo can aspire to and learn from,” university president Feridun Hamdullahpur said in a press release.
“I can think of few people who embody the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of this university to the extent that Tom does.”
Jenkins joined OpenText in 1994, when it was a fledgling startup based at the university.
He eventually became CEO of the company, which he guided through the first initial public offering of a Canadian internet-based company, before leaving in 2005.
Jenkins will officially replace Watsa next May.
