John Risley Awarded The Second Annual Samuel Cunard Prize for Vision, Courage and Creativity
The 2016 Samuel Cunard Prize for Vision, Courage and Creativity was awarded today to John Risley, President of Clearwater Fine Foods Incorporated. This second annual award was bestowed upon Mr. Risley at a luncheon onboard Cunard’s flagship ocean liner Queen Mary 2 as she was docked in Halifax.
Risely was joined by Captain Kevin Oprey, Master of Queen Mary 2, along with local dignitaries, port officials, and key members of the community including The Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board of the Government of Canada; The Honourable Tony Ince, Minister of Communities, Culture, and Heritage of the Province of Nova Scotia; and John Young and Allan Shaw, Co-Chairs, Canadian Maritime Heritage Foundation.
The award was inaugurated in 2015 to celebrate the company’s 175th Anniversary in the ancestral home of its founder Sir Samuel Cunard. Created in partnership with the Canadian Maritime Heritage Foundation, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and Cunard, the award acknowledges an extraordinary individual who demonstrates the qualities exemplified by Samuel Cunard throughout his life.
An active member in community affairs, John Risley sits on the board of a number of charitable organizations. He is Chair of Futurpreneur Canada and Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign for the Nature Conservancy. He engages in public policy debate, is Chairman of the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies, a member of the World President’s Organization, The Chief Executives Organization and is a director of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. Risley was named an Officer of the Order of Canada and was inducted into the Nova Scotia Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame in 1997.
As part of today’s commemorative activities, Cunard retained noted restoration artist, Heather Lawson, known for her work on heritage stone monuments, to restore the gravesite of Susan Cunard, wife of Samuel Cunard. After Cunard’s 175th Anniversary celebrations last year, Cunard pledged to restore the gravestone located in the Old Burying Ground in Halifax. This morning, Captain Kevin Oprey, noted Cunard historian John Langley, and Cunard Public Relations Director Jackie Chase laid a wreath at the site to pay tribute and to the legacy of Samuel and Susan Cunard.
Queen Mary 2 recently completed a significant Remastering, with a refit costing in the region of $132 million. The extensive renovation includes new staterooms, its first staterooms for solo passengers, expanded kennels, new dining venues and public spaces, and 594,000 square-feet of new carpet.
