Tareq Hadhad, Humber College Honorary Degree Recipient 2024

Tareq Hadhad is the founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate. After arriving in Canada in 2015 as a newcomer from Syria, Hadhad has been named the recipient of the EY Entrepreneur of The Year 2021 for the Atlantic Region and was named one of the Top 25 Immigrants in the Maritimes. He was awarded RBC’s top Immigrant Award and Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020 and Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. In 2012, the Hadhad’s home and factory that housed the family’s chocolate-making business were destroyed. Passionate about peace and entrepreneurship, his family relaunched the family business in Canada to recreate the chocolates they once exported across the Middle East. A feature film, Peace by Chocolate, based on the family’s story premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Hadhad has spoken at the Summit of the Americas, Amnesty International’s Human Rights Conference, TEDx events and Chambers of Commerce dinners. He was also recently awarded Atlantic Business Magazine’s 30 under 30 Innovators.
Find out more, along with a list of past recipients, by visiting the Convocation webpage.