The leaders of two companies in which OMERS is invested are being recognized amongst Ontario’s top entrepreneurs for 2013. Christopher Szybbo, CEO of healthcare services provider CBI Health Group, and John Baker, President of cloud-based learning solutions leader Desire2Learn (D2L), are category winners of the 2013 Ontario EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards.
Mr. Szybbo, winner in the Business-to-consumer products and services category, has overseen CBI’s growth into Canada’s leading provider of outpatient rehabilitation and community health care services. OMERS Private Equity (OPE) acquired CBI in 2011, and Mr. Szybbo’s strong strategic vision was a large part of the investment’s appeal, says Don Morrison, Co-Head, North America at OPE.
"From being the owner and operator of an individual clinic, Chris has become the head of an extensive and very well-respected national healthcare network. He and his highly-effective management team are the epitome of strong leadership – and OPE is proud to work with them," Mr. Morrison said.
Mr. Baker was honoured in the Software and technology category. A multiple award winner for his achievements in business, he founded D2L in 1999 at just 22 years old while attending university as a Systems Design Engineering student. Today, D2L is the global leader in providing cloud-based learning solutions for the higher education sector, K-12 schools and Fortune 1000 companies. OMERS Ventures was an investor in D2L’s $80 million in financing in 2012, one of the largest-ever venture capital investments in a Canadian software company.
“In addition to building a great global company, John and his team are striving to fundamentally change the way education is delivered around the world,” said John Ruffolo, CEO of OMERS Ventures. “We are incredibly impressed by D2L’s market position, technology and transformative potential.”
