This has been a special month for Oakville business leader Rola Dagher. Last Thursday, Dec. 12, Dagher was awarded the country's highest honour by being invited to the Order of Canada.
The award is given to a Canadian that "makes extraordinary contributions to the nation". Dagher was given this great honour for her "incredible contributions to the fields of technology and business in Canada."
"When I got the call a year and a half ago [that I would be given this award] I actually cried," Dagher said.
But her story does not begin here in Oakville, or even in Canada.
Her story begins in war-torn Lebanon, where she escaped the country with her nine-month-old daughter and lived on the streets of Cyprus before eventually becoming one of Canada's most successful Tech leaders.
Her story is one of determination and strength, and to always have the will to work hard and push forward.
Dagher was born and raised in Lebanon during an ongoing war in the country. While having a nine-month-old child, she fled her home to escape the war and entered Cypress and slept on the streets for over a year just to escape the horrors occurring in her homeland.
During her journey of escaping the war, Dagher lost contact with her parents who immigrated to Canada before she had: "When we lost communication because of the war," she says, "I thought I would never see my parents again."
Thankfully she was able to make contact with her parents and let them know that she was still alive. Dagher was determined to get out of Lebanon and find her way to Canada to create a better future for herself and her family.
"The determination and the fighter in me found a way to get out of Lebanon. I kept thinking of my baby in my hands and my arms and felt like I needed to give her a better life."
Dagher and her young child continued to sleep on the streets of Cypress, but began to sleep outside of the Canadian Embassy because she had began her immigration papers to come to Canada. Her parents were going to sponsor her, but the process took a long time due to the ongoing war.
She was finally able to get her sponsorship paperwork finalized and was able to come to Canada nearly 18 months after her parents came. When landing in Canada, she was greeted by her parents at the airport.
"When I landed and I saw my parents, I cried like a little kid."
Once Dagher landed in Canada, she and her family first lived in Scarborough and she eventually got a job in fashion. While at her job, it was her responsibility to help dress some of her customers and felt that she wanted to look like her customers and do what they do.
But Rola really wanted to work in an office. That's how she ended up finding an office job as a telemarketer at Bell selling long distance minutes.
Her time at Bell lasted nearly 15 years and she began to work her way up the ladder at the company: "I knew there was a fire in me and spark that wanted more and more."
While at Bell, she held several positions, including Director of the company.
It was during her time at Bell that Dagher found her way to Oakville. She first went to Oakville for a meeting, and drove down Trafalgar Road towards Lakeshore in the fall season.
She says scenery reminded her of her small village in Lebanon, and "I said to myself: one day I want to live in this town"
Three years later, she moved to Oakville, and has lived in the town for the last 17 years since.
"Oakville for me is home. Oakville for me is where I found peace, and where I found a community."
After her 15 years at Bell, Dagher found a job at Dell selling networking technologies. She worked her way up from an account manager, to a director, to a Vice-President in less than two years. Her work took to the eye of company CEO Michael Dell and he was amazed by the incredible work that she had been doing.
Dell wasn't the only person that loved what Dagher was doing, she also took to the liking of popular tech company Cisco.
Cisco approached Dagher to interview for the role of President. She originally thought that they called the wrong person, because at that point, she says it was rare to see women interview for positions of power, and especially woman of colour.
The company assured her that they called the right person, and after interviewing for the job, she got the position.
In her role as President, Dagher learned how to become a servant leader. Rola says a servant leader is "someone who serves others and does not try to take control and gain power over people."
In this role, Dagher began to do plenty of community work, including creating a coalition to help the Lebanese community after a bombing in Beirut and raised over $50 million. She also sat on the board of CAMH and began a program centred around mental health in the workplace.
She was determined to not just make an impact in her life in the business world, but also to help her community outside of work.
While at Cisco, Michael Dell reached out to Dagher and offered her a chance to come back to the company as their Global Channel Chief. Although Dagher loved her time at Cisco, this was an offer she could not turn down.
When she left for Cisco, Michael Dell told her that he would "bring her back home one day."
That day came when he offered her the position, she became the company's Global Channel Chief for three years. She only recently stepped down, back in October 2023.
Dagher is now writing a book about her story. A story of will, determination, and fighting. Not just as someone who tried to escape terror in her home country, but as someone who never wavered during her time in the corporate world and knew that should could do anything if she worked hard at it and never gave up.
Her story is an example of the Canadian dream, where people can come to our country and create better lives for themselves and their families.
"As an immigrant that came to this country from a bomb shelter in a war torn country to being awarded the Order of Canada is a reflection of everything that I believe in. Which is I learned, I earned it, and I have the pleasure of returning it to the community, to Canada, and to my family."
She is an inspiration to all, and a proven example of no one should ever give up on their goals.