Aryannah Rollinson (Mossadiq Umedaly’s daughter) The Globe and Mail, June 26, 2022
Mossadiq Umedaly: Entrepreneur. Refugee. Philanthropist. Problem solver. Born July 4, 1951, in Kampala, Uganda; died Dec. 28, 2021, in Vancouver [Canada], of complications from leukemia; aged 70.
When he was 20 years old, Mossadiq Umedaly chose to study in Canada because he saw it as a country with the influence, resources and leadership to positively impact the world.
Mossadiq and Yasmin, his girlfriend since age 12, arrived together as students at McMaster University in 1971. He then became a refugee when Idi Amin expelled all Ugandan citizens of Asian origin. Mossadiq would spend the next 45 years as an entrepreneur, philanthropist and adviser helping to build cleantech industries – it was his main focus and contribution to the country that welcomed him.
Mossadiq earned his Chartered Accountant designation in 1978 and worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers. The now married couple left Ontario for Rome where he was stationed for 1.5 years. He then joined the Aga Khan Development Network and moved to Karachi, Pakistan, for eight years to help plan, develop and operate Aga Khan University as its chief financial officer. In 1989, Mossadiq, Yasmin and their son returned to Canada and settled in British Columbia, where he wanted to raise his family.
In B.C., he worked as CFO at Ballard Power Systems, one of the first cleantech companies in the world. In 1999, he helped build and grow another cleantech innovator, Xantrex Technology, improving the harvest of energy from solar panels and wind turbines. In 2007, he became chairman of BC Hydroand the following year, Simon Fraser University recognized Mossadiq’s contributions by awarding him an honorary Doctorate of Laws.
Read full article at The Globe and Mail
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