News

Since Douglas Caldwell, chairman of Caldwell Partners International Inc., founded the Top 40 Under 40 Awards in 1995, he has seen key issues wax and wane: national unity, recessions, brain drains, dot.com delirium ... This year, one of the key areas in the Canadian economy is the resource sector, where there's a wealth of opportunity for young stars to make their mark.

But when he starts talking about the awards, Mr. Caldwell is clearly more interested in the universal traits of what makes a good leader than he is about the latest business trend or hot sector.

"One thing that distinguishes the group [of honorees] this year is the giving back these people have seen as a responsibility," Mr. Caldwell says. "That is an important thing to be doing."

He and his team of 26 advisory board members, who chose the 2007 honorees from among 1,600 applicants, held to the same criteria that applied to winners in the past: They looked for people (who had to be under the age of 40 as of Dec. 31, 2007) who have shown vision and leadership, innovation and achievement, people who have made an impact and been involved in their community.

"I call these people swans," Mr. Caldwell adds, explaining that the honorees are smart, work hard, are ambitious, "and they are also nice people."

The awards — which will be presented in Toronto today — honour 40 people from across the country and across a spectrum of sectors, from business to science to civil service and academia.

The winners will attend a two-day conference featuring presentations by business leaders and an opportunity to network with hundreds of guests, many of whom are Top 40 alumni.

Mr. Caldwell says that acknowledging the accomplishments and highlighting the promise of the under-40 set is more important than ever because of changing demographics and the pace of business today,

The age of top leaders has dropped dramatically in the past 20 years, he points out. To succeed, he says, Canada needs the "energy and passion" of youth.