Samantha Kane, co-founder and President of Kane MacKay and Associates, passed away peacefully on February 8 after a long battle with cancer.
Friends of Kane asked CDN to, in memory of Kane, tell readers to take a moment to do something kind for someone else today because that would have pleased her the most.
Well known and respected in the telecommunications and information systems industry, Sam was a pioneer – both as an early champion of business process re-engineering, as well as a successful advocate and role model for Women in IT.
Founded in March of 1989, the Kane MacKay and Associates practice implemented contact center and help desk solutions based on their People-Process-Technology and Culture Management Methodology, and were the driving force behind hundreds of major global initiatives that included clients such as WestJet, Ceridian, Disney, InBev, as well as Federal, State and Provincial governments.
In 2007 they developed a new area of expertise with their E911 Enterprise Compliance practice. Considered by most to be the thought leaders in this area, they worked with major vendors such as Avaya, Cisco, Mitel, Microsoft and NEC to implement best practices for clients and partners in this emerging field.
Kane was a sought after speaker and workshop leader who spoke frequently at conferences throughout North America.
She was most proud of the charity work that she and her partner and husband, Bill MacKay spearheaded. In particular, they helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for victims of Hurricane Katrina and spent many weeks visiting and working with the people in New Orleans to help with the rebuilding efforts.
She and Bill also helped to fund access to costly drugs for cancer patients who could not afford some of the emerging treatment programs.
Sam’s energy and enthusiasm were contagious. A fighter to the end, she continued to entertain friends, family and clients from her home in Belleville where her primary concerns were always for others. Her natural curiosity and genuine interest in others led her all over the world and connected her to hundreds of people – some of them for only a few minutes – others for a lifetime.
Sam will be mourned by a global community of friends, family and colleagues. If you would like to remember Sam, a donation to the Belleville Hospital Oncology Clinic in her name will continue to fund access to new drugs for patients who need them. A celebration of her life is planned for Tuesday, February 12 in Belleville.
