Matko Papic was the distinguished speaker on June 14th, 2023 at the SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) Convocation, where he shared his experiences and insights with the graduating class of 2023. As a former SAIT student, Matko credits the institution for playing a significant role in his successful engineering career. This blog post will provide a recap of the convocation ceremony and highlight Matko's impressive bio, which is posted on the SAIT website. Thanks for reading!

For more information on SAIT Convocation Ceremonies, including access to live streams of the event, be sure to check out their website. Today was truly a remarkable day as we celebrated the accomplishments of the graduating class of 2023, with the honor of having Matko Papic as the distinguished speaker. His insights and experiences have left an impact on us all.

Matko Papic Distinguished Speaker Excerpts

Matko gave us many pearls of wisdom during his speech to SAIT graduates. He told us that "life gives us the opportunity to look ahead and embark on a journey, and the journey ahead of you is an opportunity for you to carve your unique path"

In regards to his time at SAIT and career at Evans Consoles, he said, "I am very passionate about this institution as it has greatly impacted my career."

Matko met with Evans' advisers during his time at SAIT and subsequently through those connections began working at Evans Consoles. During his time after graduation, through the work experience programs he could visit SAIT as an adviser himself. Through these programs, many SAIT graduates have come to work at Evans and contributed to the success of the company.

Matko spoke about his journey from Croatia to Canada and how he overcame those obstacles, he was not able to attend engineering school in his home country but he was able to feel at home when he was accepted into SAIT. These challenges have shaped who he is today and in effect have shaped how Evans Consoles has conducted business in North America and across the world.

Matko encouraged the SAIT graduates to, "move forward with adaptability, flexibility, and the ongoing improvement of continuing education."

This is how we approach things at Evans Consoles as we are always learning from each other, and our clients to improve our products and processes. Our goal is to make sure these learnings translate into direct benefits for our clients.

Matko ended his speech with a quote from Anne Frank:

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

[Watch the entire ceremony including all of Matko's comments]

Matko Papic Biography & Convocation Introduction

The following is Matko Papic's bio which was posted on the SAIT website before the convocation proceedings and also served as part of the introduction when he took the stage for his speech on June 14th, 2023. It highlights his engineering career and role in establishing Calgary-based Evans Consoles Corp. as a global leader in designing and implementing mission-critical facilities worldwide. Matko's academic achievements and his passion for applied education are also mentioned, including his role as an advisor for SAIT's Engineering Technology programs and his service on SAIT's Board of Governors as a Public Member.

Matko Papic is a Professional Engineer who has helped establish Calgary-based Evans Consoles Corp. as a global leader in the design and implementation of mission-critical facilities around the world. Over the past 40 years, Evans has designed and implemented numerous control rooms for customers such as The Pentagon, FBI, Federal Aviation Administration, New York 911, Boeing, Shell, Department of National Defense, and NASA. As a proud Calgary-based company, Evans has had a long-standing relationship with the local community, and particularly SAIT with hundreds of Alumni who are both current and previous employees.

In his role as Chief Technology Officer, Matko continues to evolve Evans’ market leading position globally by expanding their products and services to add more value to their customers.

Matko immigrated to Canada in 1996 and completed his Mechanical Engineering Technology Diploma at SAIT in 1999. He went on to complete his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Lakehead University in 2002, the Queen's Executive Leadership Program in 2006, and his Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Calgary in 2011.

He continues to pursue his passion for post-secondary education and, specifically, applied education. He has served as Chair of the Industry Advisory Board to SAIT's School of Manufacturing and Automation and acted as an advisor for students in SAIT’s Engineering Technology programs. Most recently, Matko served on SAIT’s Board of Governors as a Public Member.

We appreciate the kind words about Matko and our company from the team at SAIT. If you are looking for opportunities at Evans Consoles as a SAIT graduate or a graduate of any other institution, please refer to our careers page or follow us on LinkedIn to keep up to date on job postings. We welcome individuals who are passionate about making an impact in the industry to join our team.

If you're curious about how Evans designs their mission-critical facilities, check out one of our previous blog posts by clicking on the image below. It's a great resource to learn how we can assist you at any stage of the process, no matter where you're located or what phase you are currently at.