25th anniversary of Top 40 Under 40 recognizes Calgary’s leaders and innovators

The University of Calgary is thrilled to join in celebrating 25 years of commemorating the best and the brightest with its annual Top 40 Under 40 awards. 

Avenue’s Top 40 celebrates young Calgarians whose commitment and contributions to our city — and beyond — have shaped Calgary into what it is today. Now, more than ever, younger generations are driven to start something of their own that can help change our world for the better. The Top 40 Under 40 continues to shine the spotlight on the individuals who are currently shaping our future.

Top 40 history

The program has come a long way since it began in 1998. Through the years, Top 40 Under 40 has grown into a celebration of early career success, but also of the courage and grit it takes to make change, to innovate, and, in doing so, create a better city and world for all of us. 

Becoming Top 40 alumni is the icing on the cake — once you’re on the list, you’re on it for life. Today, Top 40s represent a range of sectors, including energy, technology, medicine, the arts, community-building and the non-profit sector, among others. The nomination and selection process has evolved into a robust, year-long, collaborative initiative between Avenue’s editorial team and an expert judging panel comprising Calgarians from various industries, many of whom are Top 40 alumni themselves.

Celebrating the success of Calgarians

With a strong UCalgary presence among past and present recipients, it is clear the university attracts ambitious individuals from around the world who are eager to start something. From this year’s 45 recipients, over 20 have links to UCalgary. In this list, you can find top changemakers, creators and executives, including many of our accomplished faculty, staff and alumni who are making a difference in our community. 

Among the past honourees, you might recognize our very own chancellor, Jonathan M. Cornish, who was featured in 2022. Hockey Hall of Famer Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, BKin’13, MSc’16, Hon. LLD’18, MD’21, was recognized in 2008, while former Mayor Naheed Nenshi, BComm’93, received the honour in 2005.

As a long-standing sponsor, UCalgary takes pride in celebrating our community’s accomplishments, while also supporting programs like Top 40 that recognize their achievements. The university has always been a part of Calgarians’ successes in many different ways, including being a place to explore mentoring and teaching, upgrading of skills or degrees, and a place to work or study.

"The University of Calgary has been an incredibly supportive partner for the Top 40 Under 40 program for many years. We have helped each other build the annual Top 40 Under 40 issue and event into a true celebration of the city and the kind of success that is possible here," says Käthe Lemon, president of RedPoint Media Group, publisher of Avenue.

"So many of the Calgarians we feature each year have some tie to UCalgary — whether they are alumni or staff — so it's a great partnership on both sides and demonstrates the university's significant part in creating a city of opportunity."

Event details

The 25th anniversary celebration will be hosted at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium on Nov. 2, and is set to be the biggest event yet! Avenue’s partners and sponsors will be helping to cultivate the premier business networking party of the year with numerous activations, including a “cupcake lounge” featuring Crave Cupcakes, a business founded by Top 40 alum Jodi Willoughby, BCR’01, and Carolyn McIntyre Jackson. 

The evening will be filled with interactive activities, including the UCalgary Spark Lounge, which will feature a portrait-drawing station that uses a robotic drawing tool and several interactions by the Schulich School of Engineering’s Maker Multiplex and Zetta Digital Design Lab.

Learn more about purchasing tickets to this year’s celebration event. To get a 15 per cent discount on your ticket purchase, use code t4u40 at checkout. Group ticket purchases of 10 or more save $25 per ticket at checkout.