$1M gift to Smith School of Business will support women in AI and Indigenous initiatives

Kingston, Ont. – A Smith School of Business alumnus, Ian Friendly, BCom’83, has gifted $1 million to the school for new awards that will support female graduate students pursuing careers in artificial intelligence and faculty members advancing Indigenous reconciliation through their research.   

The Ian R. Friendly Women in AI Graduate Scholarship, valued at $500,000, will support awards to female students in Smith’s Master of Management in Artificial Intelligence (MMAI) program on the basis of academic excellence. Preference will be given to Canadian and U.S. residents.  

While AI is still in its early stages, Friendly says it is already profoundly impacting all areas of society. “This will be cutting edge for years to come, and I think Smith has a real opportunity to innovate and lead.”

The new award addresses the pressing need to close the gender gap in the AI sector. Only 22 per cent of AI professionals are women according to a 2022 report from the World Economic Forum.

Ceren Kolsarici, associate professor and director of the Scotiabank Centre for Customer Analytics (SCCA) at Smith, says establishing the scholarship is an important step to advancing women in artificial intelligence. “At SCCA, one of our core passions is empowering women to take on leadership roles in AI — a critical step toward addressing the gender equity gap in this rapidly evolving field,” she says. 

“Ian’s support not only advances our mission but will also enhance the diversity of thought and innovation that is so crucial for the future of AI,” adds Kolsarici, who is also the Ian R. Friendly Fellow of Marketing at Smith.

The second new gift, the Ian R. Friendly Indigenous Initiatives Fund, is also valued at $500,000. It will support faculty members pursuing research, thought leadership and programs that advance Indigenous business knowledge and contribute to economic reconciliation. Preference will be given to Indigenous faculty members.

Friendly sees the award as being in line with a focus at Smith and Queen’s University to support Indigenous business knowledge.

The two new awards follow on the heels of three others that Friendly and his wife Carol have established at Smith since 2008: the Ian and Carol Friendly Leadership Entrance Award; the Ian R. Friendly Marketing Scholarship; and the Ian R. Friendly Fellowship in Marketing.

Over the years, Friendly, a retired General Mills executive, has met many of the recipients of the Ian and Carol Friendly Leadership Entrance Award. “They are a truly remarkable group,” he says. “I always leave those encounters with a warm and joyful feeling in my heart, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to support them.”  

Friendly says he is looking forward to supporting even more students and faculty with these two new awards. 

“I’ve been donating in some amount since my very early years after graduation,” he says. “I always appreciated what Queen’s did for me and wanted to help others get access to the same experience.”