2023 TD Canada Trust Distinguished Teaching Award winners announced

Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 TD Canada Trust Distinguished Teaching Awards. One of the most prestigious teaching honours at SFU, the award recognizes exceptional educators who have displayed an outstanding commitment to teaching and showcased excellence in teaching activities.

Every year, students, faculty, and alumni at SFU Beedie nominate their preferred instructors from both undergraduate and graduate programs, recognizing their exceptional teaching and the high regard students have for these educators.

This year’s winners are:

Andrew Harries
Tom Foord Associate Professor of Practice in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Andrew Harries is the Tom Foord Associate Professor of Practice in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at SFU’s Beedie School of Business. At SFU Beedie, he blends the latest in theory and practice in his courses on innovation and entrepreneurship, resourcing new ventures and product and brand management.

Andrew chaired the board at Contractually through its acquisition by Coupa Software. He co-founded Zeugma Systems Inc. and was the company’s CEO through its acquisition by Tellabs. In 1993, Andrew co-founded Sierra Wireless Inc. and during his 11 years there the company grew from inception through IPO to over $200m in annual revenues, and in 1999 topped Deloitte’s “Canadian Fast 50” list as Canada’s fastest growing company.

Andrew chairs the board of Hailo Data and serves on the advisory board of Science World British Columbia, where he is a past board chair. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University, is a former recipient of EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year award and in 2023 was inducted into BC Tech’s BC Innovators Hall of Fame.

“Advancing the innovation and entrepreneurship agenda with our students, and receiving this award for doing so, is a tremendous honour,” says Andrew. “Great teachers leave us with unforgettable lessons we can use on our journey, and this is my goal.”

Dr. Joey Lam
Sessional Instructor, Marketing

Dr. Joey Lam recently crossed the stage at the SFU Beedie convocation in October 2023 and received her PhD in marketing strategy. She has been recognized for her exemplary contributions to teaching and academic community engagement. During her doctoral studies, she exhibited her passion for education by teaching Ethical Issues in Marketing. Joey’s dedication to teaching excellence led to her winning the Marketing Management Association’s 2022 Annual Outstanding Teacher-Scholar Doctoral Student Competition. She has also taught business-to-business marketing.

In addition to her teaching achievements, Joey has been instrumental in organizing an online Marketing Seminar Series that featured researchers from North America, Europe, and Australia. This initiative aimed to enrich the academic experience of PhD students and faculties. Joey’s research interests lie at the intersection of marketing, human resources, and psychology, with a particular focus on salesforce deployment in B2B firms. Her work has been published in reputable journals, including Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Health Psychology, the International Journal of Management Education, and the Journal of Wine Research. She won the Jane K. Fenyo Best Student Research Paper at the Academy of Marketing Science Annual Conference in 2023.

“I want to express my gratitude to my PhD supervisor, Dr. Leyland Pitt, for insisting that I should start teaching early during my PhD program,” says Joey. “I am also thankful to the amazing teachers who gave me teaching tips, including Dr. Mila Lazarova, Dr. Michael Parent, Dr. David Hannah, Stephen Spector, and Mike Church.”

Joey encourages other teachers who are first-generation university students, female, with English as an additional language to take these characteristics not as disadvantages, but rather opportunities to motivate students to learn.

“Learning is a reciprocal gift, and I have learned a lot from the students who took my courses,” says Joey. “I want to thank them as well, especially those who took both of my classes. I look forward to continuing my teaching journey at SFU and my new role as an assistant professor at Trinity Western University.”

Celebrating excellence in teaching

For more information on the TD Canada Trust Distinguished Teaching Awards and to explore past winners, visit the awards page. Please join us in congratulating these remarkable educators for their remarkable contributions to teaching and learning at SFU Beedie.