Chairman & CEO, Hatch Ltd.
Honorary Doctorate – John Bianchini | 2025 Convocation
Address by Honorary Doctorate Recipient John Bianchini at the University's 2024 Convocation Ceremony.
About John Bianchini
John Bianchini, chairman and CEO of Hatch, received an honorary doctorate from OCAD University during its 2025 convocation ceremony. In his address, Bianchini argued that the relationship between art and engineering is mutually beneficial and that "art makes us better engineers and conversely, engineers can make artists better." He stated that the coexistence of these fields "creates jobs, revitalizes communities, and generates billions of dollars in revenue" and called it "the core of modern social progress." He urged graduating students to seek out engineers as partners in creating positive change. In a March 2024 podcast interview, Bianchini said that Canada's policy and legislation have become overcomplicated, giving the example that "we can't build a meter of pipeline anymore in this country." He expressed hope that Canada can become a global leader by asserting itself as "the best example of what we call at hatch positive change in the world," encompassing industry, business, culture, and social endeavors.
Transcript (2 segments)
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Jamie Watt0:00
Friends, it's me, the greatest pleasure to introduce you to a remarkable leader and Canadian, John Bianchini. A legendary process engineer, a visionary philanthropist, and tireless supporter of the arts, who has championed Canadian artists of all stripes across all genres. As the chairman and chief executive officer of the engineering firm Hatch, a company known as Canada's best-kept secret. A firm that as a direct result of John's leadership is now a global powerhouse. All that, of course, makes John a strong and formidable business leader. But what makes him exceptional, and what makes him worthy of this honor from our university, from OCAD University, what makes John a great Canadian, is his belief that creativity is not an accessory to innovation, but it is its engine. As you will soon discover for yourself, John is not just a successful executive. He is a rare and generative thinker, the kind who builds bridges between fields and ideas and people, an interdisciplinarian of the highest order and consequence. Here's the truth. Tough problems don't care about academic silos. The existential challenges facing our country and our planet don't consider social boundaries. They depend on creative, integrated, and collaborative approaches. They demand cross-disciplinary thinking. John just doesn't understand this. He lives it. And he believes deeply that art and design play a foundational role in that work. That belief isn't abstract for him. It's embedded in his actions, his leadership, and his legacy. Hatch is headquartered in Mississauga, and there John founded the Hatch Gallery, a space that brings together works from his personal collections with the voices of emerging artists. Under his leadership, the gallery has become a hub for artistic and intellectual engagement. He's made significant contributions to institutions, galleries, and individuals not just across Canada, but beyond. Especially emerging artists, indigenous creators, and women artists. He served on the board of the Art Canada Institute, and has been an avid supporter and advisor to the Toronto International Art Fair, the National Gallery of Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, the Toronto Biennale of Art, and the Michael Canadian Art Collection. And of course, he serves as a governor of the Royal Ontario Museum, where he's played a pivotal role in supporting and advancing Canadian art, and in championing equity and representation in the cultural sector. John's belief in the power of integration as an interdisciplinary is more than a mindset. It's a mission, a practice, and it's a roadmap for solving the most pressing problems our world must face. People like John don't just follow paths, they find and make new ones. And more importantly, they build them so that others can follow. President Serrano, faculty, graduands, honored guests, please join me in welcoming a remarkable leader, a champion of creative thinking, and a true friend of the arts and OCAD University, John Bianchini. On behalf of the Senate of OCAD University, I confer upon you, John Bianchini, the degree of honor of the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, with all the rights and privileges thereunto appertaining.
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John Bianchini4:48
That was something unexpected. First of all, I want to say good morning to everyone on this really happy day. And I first want to acknowledge the distinguished leadership and faculty of OCAD U, and I personally want to thank Chancellor Watt for very kind and generous words of introduction. You're a good friend, Jamie, and I truly appreciate our friendship and our partnership. But I also want to acknowledge our esteemed guests and my fellow honoree, the proud families around the room, and most of all this brilliant graduating class of OCAD U 2025. It's a tremendous and very humbling honor for me on this momentous occasion to receive this honorary doctorate from an institution that I dearly, dearly admire. An institution that is dedicated to creativity, innovation, and interdisciplinary pursuits, the qualities that I believe are needed for society to thrive in this modern age. These are values that I cherish, as Chancellor Watt so eloquently put, and that we strive for at Hatch. As you heard, we're a global engineering firm founded 70 years ago right here in Toronto. So, yes, I'm an engineer. Please don't hold that against me. So, you might be asking, why is this person dedicated to left-brain activities addressing a class of right-brainers, right? There is a story behind this, and I'll elaborate on a few of the things that Chancellor Watt said. You see, I studied not too far away a reasonably long time ago at the University of Toronto, when the Faculty of Engineering was directly across the street from the then Ontario College of Art campus, or at least part of it. Back then, in that mélange of young students on College Street, I met and was drawn to many would-be artists from OCA. You see, I always was and still am very much attracted to art and design, but my love has always been science and technology. It was in this melting pot, in the bars, the bistros, the cafes on College Street, that I came to believe that there is a natural and synergistic connection between art and science. And it is exactly that I wish to explore today, because it has driven much of my personal and professional life, as it might drive yours in the future. Simply put, my thesis is that art makes us better engineers and conversely, engineers can make artists better. This is true today as it was centuries ago in the Renaissance, but as time has moved on and especially since the Industrial Revolution, these two natural partners have grown further apart due, I believe, to the growing need for specialization in an ever more complex world. As a result, both pursuits have from time to time been shaped in society by stereotypes, broad brushes, causing an unnatural rift. Art is often seen as an empathetic pursuit of beauty, storytelling, or self-expression, with wrongly only a modest interest or connection to social economic well-being. Engineers are often stereotyped as nerdy mathematicians, scientists, constructors with little sense of beauty, only to be tolerated because they are responsible for our built environment. But today, in everything that I do and we do at Hatch, we challenge these definitions. Both art and engineering are about creation, innovation, curiosity, imagination, and importantly, they're all about making connections. And the great thing is when combined, they influence, they transform. And today, this partnership is needed more than ever to shape and improve the social, environmental, and economic fabric of our society. At Hatch, we call this positive change. And we live it daily wherever we work around the world. And that's why we've transformed our offices, as you've heard, around the world into art galleries amongst places of work. Throughout history, artists and engineers have been catalysts for change. We did get it right often. And there are good examples of this. The Renaissance, perhaps the best example, was not just a period of artistic mastery. It was a revolution in thought, a revolution in technology, and a revolution in innovation. More recently, the Bauhaus movement didn't simply redefine design. It fused artistry with function, setting the foundation for industrial design, urban planning, and modern architecture. Today, digital art has become mainstream. You live that. I believe it is no coincidence that over history, engineers were some of the best artists and vice versa. Leonardo da Vinci himself, as we all know, was both an artist and engineer. He understood that one discipline could not thrive without the other. More recently, Albert Einstein noted, 'The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.' So today, as you step out into the world as graduates, you step into an era where this partnership, based on the same creative thinking, is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. Business thrives on aesthetics. Economies flourish with innovation. Cities become more livable when design meets urban planning. And in today's digital world, as we embrace AI and virtual reality, the ability to merge artistic ingenuity with technological advancement will define the next generation of breakthroughs. I've witnessed over my 40-year career that this coexistence of art and engineering creates jobs, revitalizes communities, and generates billions of dollars in revenue and should no longer be an afterthought. It is the core of modern social progress. So, I'll conclude my remarks today with a request of you, the graduating class. What you have accomplished in your studies is truly amazing. Be proud of that. As you now step out into the working world, remember art and design is not just creation, but transformation. It is the bridge between imagination and innovation, between vision and real world. You are not just artists and designers, you are change makers who will challenge conventions, shape industries, develop economies, and as President Serrano has already said, redefine a positive future. And as you move forward, seek out your friends in the engineering world who are on the same journey as you. You will find kindred spirits who also are seeking to create a better world through positive change. Congratulations, class of 2025. The world needs you and needs this relationship to continue now more than ever. Thank you.