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John Gerhardt (BA’85) will be awarded an honorary doctorate of letters at the 196th encaenia ceremony on the Fredericton campus on Thursday, May 29, 2025.

Gerhardt will be recognized for his remarkable achievements in fashion, branding and creativity. Hailing from Moncton and a UNB alumnus, Gerhardt is one of the world’s most esteemed figures in luxury branding.

As the Global Creative Director for Moët & Hennessy—a key division within LVMH, the world’s largest luxury conglomerate—Gerhardt oversees the creative for a seven billion dollar portfolio and some of the most iconic brands in the luxury industry. His visionary leadership ensures these renowned brands continue to thrive and innovate in a competitive, ever-evolving market.

Gerhardt has achieved extraordinary milestones throughout his career. Time Magazine named him among “The Design 100,” a celebration of the individuals who shape and influence design today. A creative powerhouse, he previously served as the Creative Director for Holt Renfrew, aligning the company’s brand development with cutting-edge creative marketing strategies.

As Senior Vice-President of Branding and Creative for DFS Group, based in Hong Kong and New York, Gerhardt led the transformation of the multibillion-dollar luxury retailer and its 400 stores. His efforts revolutionized their branding while creating groundbreaking marketing collaborations and partnerships with industry giants like Estée Lauder, Tiffany, Burberry, Hermès and Cartier.

His contributions have been widely celebrated. Flare Magazine described him as a “national retail hero.” The Globe and Mail declared him a “fashion guru” while Architectural Digest highlighted and lauded his personal style at his home in Paris.

A defining voice in luxury branding, he has also collaborated with top-tier fashion houses like Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton.

Gerhardt has guest lectured at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), McGill University, McCarthy Tetrault LLP and Verity. He has also served on the board of The Sato Project in New York City and is currently a board member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Carol Loughrey (BBA’70), OC, will be awarded an honorary doctorate of letters at the 196th Encaenia ceremony on the Fredericton campus on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

Loughrey was the first woman to earn tenure in the faculty of business administration at UNB, achieving the positions of assistant dean and associate professor in 1986. She was the first woman to hold an academic administrative position in the faculty.

She was also the first woman in New Brunswick to qualify as a chartered accountant by examination. Loughrey later made history as the first female chair and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), where she championed diversity in the profession.

In 1987, Premier Frank McKenna recruited Loughrey to the provincial civil service, where she became the first female comptroller in any Canadian province. She later served as New Brunswick’s first female deputy minister of education and continued as a deputy minister from 1996 to 2006. Throughout her time in government, she mentored women, helping many advance into senior leadership roles.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, she co-founded New Brunswick’s first breast cancer support group and later the New Brunswick Breast Cancer Network Inc.

As president of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation, she helped establish the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Research Centre at UNB. She has served in leadership roles in many local, provincial and national non-profit organizations.

Since 2007, Loughrey has served as an outside director of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation.

In 2005 she was named a Paul Harris Fellow and an Officer of the Order of Canada in the category of Industry/Commerce/Business. She was recognized with the Order of New Brunswick in 2015, and is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals.

Subramonian Shankar will receive an honorary doctorate of science at the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) 196th encaenia ceremony in Fredericton on Thursday, May 29, 2025.

Building upon a bachelor of technology in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Shankar took the chance of flying halfway around the world to study at UNB. Here, he found an environment that was receptive to student initiative and supportive of innovation. Given permission by his professors to use laboratory equipment while the campus was closed and other students were on holiday, he undertook exploratory research which would form the core of his master of science in electrical engineering and provide a foundation for his significant contributions to the development of the North American computer industry.

Shankar graduated in 1976, telling his professors and fellow students that miniaturization would enable the creation of a new generation of accessible, personal computers. In 1985, he co-founded the highly successful international technology company American Megatrends Inc. (AMI) to serve this emerging market. AMI focused on motherboard design and firmware; it took off after gaining the company now known as Dell Computers as its first customer. Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, AMI has locations around the world and has been a household name among computing enthusiasts for more than 35 years. Shankar served as its President and CEO until 2019.

Shankar exemplifies how education, combined with determination, can lead to remarkable achievements. The Indian Institute of Technology Madras honored him with its Distinguished Alumnus Award, while UNB recognized him with the Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award.

Shankar has consistently focused on giving back to the community. In 2019, he founded the Lakshan Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting meaningful causes, particularly in the areas of education, health and hunger.

He demonstrated his commitment to education by funding the Subramonian Shankar Block, a modern computer science building at his alma mater in India. At UNB, his generosity led to the opening of the Subramonian Shankar Computer Science Laboratory in 2022, following a $1 million contribution. Designed for both onsite and remote access, the lab provides students with opportunities to engage in innovation and experimentation, reflecting Subramonian Shankar’s own path to success.

In 2023, Shankar worked with Emory University to establish the Emory Global Diabetes Research Center (EGDRC) Translational Accelerator. This initiative aims to accelerate the development of technologies to address the most challenging issues in diabetes. By providing funding, education, resources and mentorship, the Accelerator supports interdisciplinary teams of scientists, clinicians, engineers, fellows, and students as they work to transform academic research into commercially viable solutions.

To complement the efforts at Emory, Shankar spearheaded the creation of the Shankar Center of Excellence in Diabetic Research (SCoEDR) within the Department of Medical Sciences and Technology at IIT Madras. This state-of-the-art center will focus on multidisciplinary research, innovative treatments, public awareness, and capacity building to significantly improve diabetes care and management in India. Collaboration between Emory University and IIT Madras will further foster the exchange of ideas, faculty and students, enhancing the global fight against diabetes.

Recognizing the pressing issue of hunger in Atlanta, which worsened in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shankar engaged with the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB). This organization is dedicated to combating hunger by engaging, educating, and empowering the community to ensure that people in metro Atlanta and North Georgia have access to nutritious meals. In recognition of their support through the Lakshan Foundation, Shankar and his wife, Lakshmi, were named "Hunger Champions" in 2023.

Through Lakshan Foundation, Shankar is also providing financial support for the construction of a new Biological Sciences Annexe building for housing the Molecular Biophysics Unit at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. The building is expected to be ready for occupation by mid 2025.

Recently, Shankar joined the Board of Advisors of Sankara Nethralaya, USA with a focus on its Mobile Eye Surgery Unit (MESU). MESU is a pioneering initiative aimed at addressing preventable blindness and providing accessible eye care to underserved communities, particularly in rural areas of India.

Shankar regularly donates to the Indian American Cultural Association (IACA), whose primary goal is to preserve and promote cultural, charitable, educational, and literary activities within the Indian community in Georgia, USA, while also organizing fundraising activities to support charitable causes.

Continuing his contributions to the technology sector, Shankar recently launched AmZetta Technologies. His enduring dedication to philanthropy and innovation stands as a testament to the profound impact that purpose-driven leadership can achieve.