Rod McQueen, former press secretary to federal Progressive Conservative leader Robert Stanfield, has garnered numerous awards for his books and newspaper reporting. McQueen, who earned his English degree from Western in 1967, has enjoyed a 30-plus year career in journalism as editor, reporter and columnist for London Free Press, Maclean's, Financial Post and National Post. His first book, “The Moneyspinners," explored Canadian banking, a work inspired by time spent as Director of Public Affairs for the Bank of Nova Scotia. McQueen won the National Business Book Award for “Who Killed Confederation? The Inside Story" and the Canadian Authors Association Award in History for “The Eatons: The Rise and Fall of Canada's Royal Family." His biography about Edgar Bronfman Jr., “The Icarus Factor," was published in 2004 and was short-listed for the National Business Book Award. McQueen's forthcoming (in 2008) book focuses on BlackBerry and Research in Motion.