Western employees and alumni dominated London Inc.’s 20 under 40 list this year.

Three professors, one staff member, and ten Western alumni were named to the 20 Under 40 Class of 2026 for their contributions to London, Ont. through work and volunteer efforts. More than 180 people were nominated. Winners were chosen based on their business achievements, growth and development, industry innovation and community involvement.

The magazine will celebrate the recipients at a ceremony on March 12.

“This group of accomplished women and men are in the Top 20 because they lead busy lives and achieve a lot, both in their careers and our community. They will have a significant impact on the advancement of our city, and it is our great pleasure to recognize them,” said Gord Delamont, the founder and creative director of London Inc.

From medicine and manufacturing to social work and law, Western graduates were honoured across fields. More than half of the 2026 recipients are Western alumni or faculty.

“As has been the case since the inception of the 20 Under 40 awards program, the role Western University plays in regard to the education and professional journeys of our 20 Under 40 recipients really cannot be overstated – the Western connection is deeply foundational,” said Delamont.

Meet the Western employees on this year’s list:

Dr. Emily Jones is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and she is an attending physician at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).

“It was an honour to be nominated, and a surprise to be selected,” said Jones about being named a recipient. “I work without the ambition of recognition; I want to provide good care to my patients and train medical learners to develop the practical and life skills needed to succeed in a career in medicine.”

In General Internal Medicine, Jones and her colleagues manage multiple coexisting medical conditions alongside complicated social circumstances such as homelessness, addiction, and challenging family dynamics.

“Our role is to treat these critically ill patients while guiding them and their families through complex decisions during times of significant uncertainty and duress,” she said. “My clinical niche is providing care to under recognized vulnerable populations — addiction medicine, physician wellbeing, and medical assistance in dying.”

Jones says she likes the community that Western provides, and the opportunity to work with incredibly innovative, focused, kind, and collaborative individuals.

“London has so much talent — I think that we punch above our weight for a mid-size city in terms of the quality of the care and teaching that we offer at Western and LHSC, the complexity of the patients that we deal with as well as the innovation and leadership that we demonstrate in approaching the complicated problems in our community,” she said.

Dr. Lindsay Milroy is a diagnostic and spine interventional neuroradiologist in Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and works as a Neuroradiologist at London Health Sciences Centre.
 
Dr. Milroy’s clinical practice spans the full range of diagnostic neuroradiology, with a particular focus on the diagnosis and treatment of spine-related conditions through minimally invasive spine interventions. She has a special interest in the detection and management of cerebrospinal fluid leaks and is dedicated to advancing patient care through collaboration, innovation, and education.
 
In addition to this London Inc. recognition, Dr. Milroy was honoured in June 2025 by her students with two prestigious awards: the Radiology Residents’ Choice Award for Best Rounds Presentation and the PGY5 Radiology Residents’ Choice Award for Excellence in Board Exam Preparation & Teaching.
 
“It’s incredibly meaningful — and honestly quite humbling — to be recognized by the learners themselves at an early stage in my career,” said Dr. Milroy. “Teaching is something I put a lot of thought and heart into, so knowing that it’s had a positive impact on residents means a great deal. It affirms the importance of creating a supportive learning environment and inspires me to continue growing as an educator."

Sadaf Taimur is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Centre for Building Sustainable Value (BSV) at Ivey Business School.

On receiving this recognition, Taimur said, “It is truly an honour. For me, the recognition affirms not only professional milestones, but also the importance of learning, innovation, and community impact — values that are especially meaningful in sustainability and systems-change work (and I am passionate about).”

In her role, Taiumur focuses on enhancing the impact of the Centre by building bridges between research and practice, and co-creating pathways toward sustainable, regenerative, and inclusive futures through applied research, policy engagement, and convening.

“I value Ivey, particularly the Centre for Building Sustainable Value, for its strong emphasis on translating research into real-world impact and for the collaborative, dedicated team at BSV. Being part of Western allows me to work at the intersection of academia, industry, and community in a way that is both intellectually rigorous and deeply purpose driven.”

In addition to this most recent honour, Taimur earned the Global 50 Women in Sustainability Award in 2024 for her pioneering efforts and transformative leadership in sustainability.

Denis Vida came to Western from Croatia and earned his PhD in 2020. He has been an adjunct professor in Physics and Astronomy since 2024.

“This is a great honour for me. I feel proud that my efforts and general philosophy of giving back to the community have been recognized like this,” said Vida about being named to the Top 20 Under 40. “I’ve been fortunate to be in a position where I can flourish. I have had amazing support from my collaborators, and the brilliance of my students helps drive my projects forward every day.”
 
Vida is a Research Scientist and Founder and Principal Investigator of the Global Meteor Network, a worldwide citizen science project that provides science-grade cameras to other scientists and enthusiastic amateurs to observe the sky. The network meteor observations are used by NASA, and recently, the network began observing contrails — work that is being funded by Google, Breakthrough Energy, and several private industry collaborators.
 
Vida is also leading Western's Project Luciole, which is a sovereign Canadian project that observes satellites over the country and reports the data to the Department of National Defence.
 
He is quick to credit the positive culture within his faculty and department for his success. “Our department has a very open and collaborative atmosphere, and I receive a lot of support from the team at the Dean's Office in the Faculty of Science who make running projects a breeze,” he said. “I also have access to an amazing talent pool of students who never cease to amaze me.”

 
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Western Alumni also named to this year’s list include:
 
Melina Rodrigues Bellini, PhD’20
Science communicator, Diagnostics Biochem Canada
 
Robert Bierbaum, BMOS’18
CEO, Old Oak Properties Inc.
 
Cassandra DeMelo, JD’12, LLM’19
Founding partner, DeMelo Heathcote
 
Sandra Kostrubiec, BMOS’11
Portfolio manager, TD Wealth
 
Euphy Xuejun Liu, BMOS’17
Co-founder and managing partner, AEON Canada
 
Peter Markvoort, HBA’08, MPA’10, MSW’24
Owner, lead clinician and Indigenous social worker, Peter Markvoort Therapy
 
Andy Rady, BA’09, JD’12
Co-managing partner, Harrison Pensa LLP
 
Matt Trovato, HBA’09
CFO, ASICS Apps