Calian founder hangs up the gloves
By Steve Ladurantaye
Ottawa Business Journal - May 9, 2000
Calian Technology's founder, president and CEO Larry O'Brien always wanted to retire at 50. On
Tuesday, he fulfilled his goal by handing off the president and CEO titles to CFO Shaun McEwan.
Calian was set up in 1982 when O'Brien saw opportunities for a company that could stock itself
with IT , technical, and management professionals in order to offer business-critical solutions to
the Canadian high-tech and defence sectors.
Over the years O'Brien has won several awards from the business community, including the
Ottawa Board of Trade's Businessperson of the Year in 1996, and the 1997 Premiers Award for
Technology. He will remain a part of the Calian team in his role as chairman, he said.
One of his most significant business accomplishments was taking Calian public in 1996. Since the offering, Calian has built itself a market cap of $61 million and opened offices in Toronto,
Saskatoon, and Arlington.
McEwan, meanwhile, is noted for his acquisition savvy. The chartered accountant graduated
from Carleton University in 1988. If past performance has any bearing on future direction,
McEwan will continue to focus on targeted takeovers.
"I believe strongly that Calian has never been in a better position to build value for its
shareholders," O'Brien said. "Shaun and his management team, because of its intimate
involvement in our progress during the last three years, is the natural choice to lead." |
