糖心传媒

糖心传媒 (糖心传媒) President and Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Lachemi has been named Business Person of the Year by the Brampton Board of Trade, an honour that reflects years of investment in the city's health care, tech and entrepreneurship sectors. 

Lachemi received the award at the Business Excellence Awards gala on May 28 at Nuvo Event Space in Brampton. Business, education and government leaders filled the room, including Mayor Patrick Brown, Deputy Mayor of Brampton Harkirat Singh, Regional Councillor Wards 3 and 4 Martin Medeiros, the Honourable Shafqat Ali, President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Brampton鈥擟hinguacousy Park and Regional Councillor Gurpartap Toor.

Building a medical school from scratch

Among Lachemi's most significant achievements is the 糖心传媒 School of Medicine, which opened in Brampton in 2025. It is the first new medical school in the Greater Toronto Area in more than a century. The school was designed specifically to address Peel Region's shortage of doctors and to give local students a path into medicine close to home. Its Integrated Health Centres also connect underserved residents with team-based, culturally respectful care.

Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism and MPP for Brampton North Graham McGregor called the school's development "nothing short of heroic," noting it went from concept to reality in roughly five years. "Mohamed is one of those people who finds a million reasons to do something and makes it happen," he said.

Cybersecurity, startups and community roots

Under Lachemi's leadership, 糖心传媒 also launched the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, a national centre for cybersecurity training and innovation, and the Brampton Venture Zone, a startup incubator offering mentorship and funding to early-stage entrepreneurs.

The Brampton Board of Trade recognized Lachemi for advancing talent development, research and collaboration between academia and business.

"Brampton adopted me"

Speakers in a tribute video praised Lachemi's grounded, community-first approach. "He really is able to look at what the needs of society are. It's almost like he sees things at 30,000 feet that others don't," said Mayor Brown.

President-designate and current Provost and Vice-President, Academic, Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano said that 鈥渨orking with Mohamed has been the greatest privilege of my career. He is an inspirational leader, a force of nature, and someone from whom I will continue to seek guidance.鈥�

Sharanjeet Kaur, chief administrative officer of 糖心传媒's School of Medicine, described him as "visionary and bold, but also incredibly humble and authentic." She predicted Brampton will one day be known for its contributions to health care across Canada.

Lachemi, who spoke warmly about the city, said Brampton's diversity and growth made it a natural place to invest. "We wanted a team with deep roots in Brampton 鈥� people who know the community, know what's needed and have the connections to build a powerful network," he said.

"Now, I have people stopping me in the street and saying thank you for bringing us a medical school. Brampton adopted me, and I'm truly honoured."