To whom it may concern,

As an organiser of international conferences and Head of Research at Xephon, a large-systems consultancy in the UK, I have been privileged to know Stephen in a professional capacity. I have been fortunate to work with many of the foremost figures in the IT sector - none has been more commendable than Stephen Ibaraki. In the 20 year history of Xephon, Europe's leading publisher of consultancy reports, professional journals and international conferences/briefings in London, Stephen achieved the highest ratings of any speaker. He has also produced the most written material, and the most slides of any speaker at a Xephon conference. Furthermore, he is the only international speaker who has given ten presentations back-to-back during a conference.

Stephen has an exemplary career spanning 35 years. He is currently Head of Research for Advanced Professional Programs, and a member of the senior faculty of Capilano College, British Columbia. He also holds the position of chairman of iGEN Knowledge Solutions, Inc.

Stephen has acted as an ambassador for Canada in the IT Sector, and has helped establish Canada’s position as a world leader in this dynamic industry. He has a distinguished reputation on the world stage for his international IT briefings; most recently, he spoke in London, England. He is also renowned for his numerous world-wide Internet broadcasts. Stephen has pioneered the use of the Internet to emphasise the quality of Canadian educational establishments to people and institutions across the world. Furthermore, his work highlights Canada’s importance as a leading player on the world stage for business and computing.

His articles are published in many major publications within North America, including Computing Canada, Computing World, CIPS News from National, HiTech Career Journal, the Financial Post, and the National Post, amongst others.

Stephen's dedication to his work is reflected in the esteem of his peers, as demonstrated by the awards he has received over the past decade. These include the highest of international IT awards: the Gary Hadford Professional Achievement Award (2001), presented by the Canadian Information Processing Society. He has also been inducted into the CIPS IT Hall of Fame, included in Lexington's Who's Who for international career achievement, presented the IT Hero Award by ITAC and Industry Canada, won the All Star team award by EDS/SystemHouse-Datatech, and has been named a Top Writer by the Western Magazine Foundation. Stephen was also selected for Career Achievement by CIPS BC. In addition, his wide-ranging IT expertise and outstanding teaching ability have earned him 'Excellence in Teaching' awards from numerous colleges and universities.

These awards provide an indication of his outstanding abilities, but his true achievement can be seen in the thousands of Canadians who have been personally touched by his work in education, and in business.

His decision to pursue a career in education, rather than in commercial IT, is an example of Stephen’s ability to place the needs of others before his own. His belief in the importance of education has been an immense benefit to Canadians, and to Canada. Stephen has always striven to do more to help others - his work to provide support and recognition for women in IT is a sterling example. We live in an era where the need for top-quality education is becoming paramount, and the achievement of this will secure Canada's position on the world stage. It is through the work of people like Stephen that this will come about.

Stephen's success extends to the commercial world as well. Within the last year, Stephen has turned iGEN, a Canadian company, into the top-ranking Microsoft-recognised developer for .NET, enterprise database, and e-business solutions world-wide. Given a choice of five million IT professionals around the world, Microsoft chose to profile Stephen's accomplishments, and his leading role in the IT industry.

Stephen has the rare ability to span successfully the often divergent worlds of education and business. He has made a profound difference to the people he has worked with in both of these arenas. His international work, and the recognition he has received, reflect highly on Canada, while his educational work within Canada has created the foundations for a better country. Stephen's devotion to his work, his students, and his country have made a unique contribution to the IT industry, which is shaping the future of Canadian society.

I can think of no one more deserving of the highest of honours of any form than Stephen Ibaraki. His admirable contributions to education, the IT sector, and Canada's position in the IT arena have been unsurpassed.

Yours sincerely

Dr. Jaime Kaminski