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Gallery: Think Ottawa Gala

Tia MacPhersonTia MacPherson
Priska Even-Hen, Paola Toussaint, Martine St-Pierre, Cassandra Auguste-Rene of Its Time Event Management, Kris Bellefontaine of Makatew Workshop, Tatiana Amisial, Barbara Alexis-Tettey, Sheyna Antoine and Sagine Edouard of Its Time Event Management celebrate after the award ceremony at the Think Ottawa Gala at the Rogers Centre in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Priska Even-Hen, Paola Toussaint, Martine St-Pierre, Cassandra Auguste-Rene of Its Time Event Management, Kris Bellefontaine of Makatew Workshop, Tatiana Amisial, Barbara Alexis-Tettey, Sheyna Antoine and Sagine Edouard of Its Time Event Management celebrate after the award ceremony at the Think Ottawa Gala at the Rogers Centre in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.

Event Date: 02/12/2026
Organizer: Ottawa Tourism/Rogers Centre

Ottawa highlighted its growing reputation as an international meeting destination during the 2026 Think Ottawa Gala on February 12, where civic leaders were recognized for attracting major conferences and sporting events to the capital.

Backed by Ottawa Tourism, Invest Ottawa and the Rogers Centre Ottawa, the program honoured organizers credited with bringing nearly 30,000 visitors to the city in 2025, generating economic activity for local hotels, restaurants and venues.

This year’s recipients are:

  • Leo Doyle, Ontario Cup, Ontario Basketball Association 2025
  • Phyllis Bergmans, Canadian Ringette Championships 2025
  • Richard Johnston, Canadian Track and Field Championship 2025
  • Matei Radulescu, 30th International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems (ICDERS) 2025
  • Alison Jones, International Tritium Conference on Tritium Science and Technology 2025
  • Judith Nassuna, Global Nursing Summit 2025
  • Timothy Lethbridge, IEEE-ICSE 2025 (International Conference on Software Engineering) / ACM
  • David Michelson, IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and North American Radio Science Meeting 2025
  • Cassandra Auguste-René, Ottawa Black Business Expo 2025
  • Mark Tse, Cybersecurity & Identity Summit 2025
  • Melissa Brett and Dr. Stephanie Redpath, Canadian Paediatric and Neonatal Transport Conference 2025
MC Stephanie Seguin of Ottawa Tourism, left, poses with award presenters Carly Grace of Rogers Centre, Michael Crockatt of Ottawa Tourism and Sonya Shorey of Invest Ottawa at the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Lakhwinder Saran of Irish Hills Golf & Country Club, left, and Jagdeep Perhar, a board member of Rogers Centre, attend the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Ian Fraser, CEO of the RA Centre, enjoys the cocktail hour at the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Meg McCallum, left, and Kaite Burkholder Harris of the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa attend the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe shares a hilarious moment with MC Stephanie Seguin of Ottawa Tourism at the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Guled Ader of Community Links attends the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
James Wilson, left, and Tara Duarte of JPdL attend the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Georgia Gauthier, left, and Krynn Wrigley of Rogers Centre attend the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Lauren Epp, Farzane Zangere, Matei Radulescu, Jennifer Marie Stewart, Daniela Gutiérrez de Piñeres and Patrick Genest of the University of Ottawa attend the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Dr. Stephanie Redpath, left, and Melissa Brett of CHEO attend the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Leo Doyle of the Ottawa Basketball Network celebrates at the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Dr. Sam Suppiah, left, and Dr. Ian Castillo of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories attend the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Tia MacPherson for OBJ.
Award Recipients Think Ottawa 2026: (L-R) Puneet Aggarwal and Presantha Dassa, representing Mark Tse at the Cybersecurity & Identity Summit; Melissa Brett and Dr. Stephanie Redpath of the Canadian Paediatric and Neonatal Transport Conference; Cassandra Auguste-Rene of the Ottawa Black Business Expo; Bill Dunnion attend on behalf of the Cybersecurity & Identity Summit for Mark Tse; Matei Radulescu of the International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems; Timothy Lethbridge of IEEE-ICSE 2025; Leo Doyle of the Ontario Basketball Association; Richard Johnston of the Canadian Track and Field Championship; Phyllis Bergmans of the Canadian Ringette Championships; Dr. Sam Suppiah, representing International Tritium Conference on Tritium Science and Technology; David Michelson of the IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and North American Radio Science Meeting; and Dr. Ian Castillo of the International Tritium Conference on Tritium Science and Technology attend the Think Ottawa Gala in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Ottawa Business Journal/Tia MacPherson.

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