Chris Lang – Lifetime Impact Award

What is the Chris Lang – Lifetime Impact Award? 

The name Chris Lang is synonymous with sports business. Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Chris helped shape the business of sport in Canada and internationally through initiatives connected to the Olympic Games, the 1972 Summit Series, ParticiACTION, the Coaching Association of Canada, and many other landmark programs. 

Known for his leadership and mentorship within the sponsorship industry, Chris influenced generations of executives and leaders across global brands and organizations. 

The Chris Lang Lifetime Impact Award is one of the specialty awards presented by George Brown Polytechnic, in partnership with Lang & Associates, to honour Chris Lang and his legacy of “leaving other people better than you find them.” The award recognizes leaders with more than 30 years of significant accomplishments and lasting impact on the sports business industry in Canada and beyond. 

The Chris Lang Lifetime Impact Award recognizes a Canadian industry executive who has made a tangible and forward-thinking contribution to the sports business industry at large. The Award, named after one of Canada's sport and entertainment pioneers, also reflects the recipient’s impact on people they have trained and mentored over time. Past recipients include John Cassaday (a leader in the entertainment and broadcast industry), Tracy Wilson (Olympian, broadcaster and coach) and Keith Pelley (President and CEO Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and longtime broadcast executive). —Rob Morash, Committee Selection Member 

Award Criteria

  • The Chris Lang Lifetime Impact Award recognizes a Canadian industry executive who has made a tangible and forward-thinking contribution to the sports business industry at large. The Award, named after one of Canada's sport and entertainment pioneers, also reflects the recipient’s impact on people they have trained and mentored over time.  
  • The career component focuses on their significant achievements in the business of sport. The primary consideration will be whether the nominee's actions over the course of their career have driven identifiable results for the organization(s) they have worked for. They should have initiated strategic decisions which have driven positive change. Nominees should differentiate their individual achievements from those of their organizations. 
  • The "giving back" component may be volunteer or work-based and take a variety of forms including (but not limited to) mentoring students, volunteering on industry Boards, working with sports-related, profit or not-for-profit organizations. Nominee accomplishments need not have been done in conjunction with George Brown Polytechnic or the Sport and Event Marketing Program. 

Eligibility Requirements

  • The award recognizes leaders with more than 30 years of significant accomplishments and lasting impact on the sports business industry in Canada and beyond. 
  • The award is open to sports business professionals from all sectors of the industry. Candidates must be Canadian citizens and have been employed in the business of sport for a minimum of 30 years. Canadians working internationally are also eligible. 
  • Candidate(s) will be selected from the following segments of the sports industry: 
    • Sports Properties 
    • Amateur sports bodies including National/Provincial Sports Organizations and Educational Institutions 
    • Media Outlets 
    • Event/Promotional/Sports marketing agencies 
    • Advertisers, Licensees, Sponsors 
    • Large Sports Events 
  • Candidates must work on the business side of their sports operation (vs. on-field performance roles like coaches). General management roles are acceptable considering the commercial requirements of their job. 
  • The Selection Committee requests that the Award recipient be available to attend the 5 to Watch Awards on October 29, 2026, at George Brown Polytechnic's Waterfront Campus in downtown Toronto. We recognize that alternative arrangements may be required due to unforeseen in-person attendance challenges. 

Nomination Period 

  • A list of candidates will be nominated by the Chris Lang Lifetime Impact Award Selection Committee. 
  • Additional candidates can be nominated by industry executives and organizations. 
  • The candidates may be contacted directly and asked to submit a nomination application that highlights both their professional and volunteer accomplishments as they relate to the world of sport. 

Voting/Selection Process 

  • All nomination information will be circulated to members of the Selection Committee for review. 
  • A short list of 2-3 candidates will be selected for consideration and decision of a final recipient by the Selection Committee. 
  • All decisions on candidate eligibility will be made at the sole discretion of the Selection Committee.  
  • The Chris Lang Lifetime Impact Award Selection Committee will present the award at the 5 To Watch – Canada's Sports Business Awards ceremony. 

Selection Committee Members 

  • Mike Lang – President Lang Partnerships Network 
  • Shauna Lang – Partner, Executive Leadership Coach and Trainer 
  • Robert Morash – Former President/GM Head Canada 
Land Acknowledgement

Land Acknowledgement

George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.

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