Asif Butt and Benita Ceresney Receive 2025 Staff Excellence Awards

The Staff Excellence Awards honour staff members who exhibit the university's values and have demonstrated excellence in their service. The ECU Human Resources team launched the Staff Excellence Awards in 2020 to celebrate individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their colleagues and the university community.

Asif Butt, Service Desk Coordinator received a Staff Excellence Award for his contributions to service excellence and his ability to resolve technical issues in a calm and friendly manner. As a long-time member of the IT Services team since 2000, Asif has witnessed the many technological changes and improvements ECU has made over the years.

“It feels great to work here, and I call my team almost my second family. I’ve seen the IT team grow up so much from our Granville Island days when it was only me and a few other team members handling all inquiries and problems. I want to thank my colleagues and the senior management team, who often don’t get the credit for all the work that they support us doing.”

Crissy Giesbrecht nominated Asif and shared that his steadfast dedication during the onboarding process, where new technology can be intimidating to employees.

“Asif doesn’t just solve problems - he makes people feel supported. His presence makes our workplace calmer, kinder and better for everyone. Working with Asif has shown me firsthand how skilled and dependable he is. His quick problem-solving and willingness to step in to make projects smoother help every colleague feel supported.”

Benita Ceresney, HR Advisor, Benefits, received the Staff Excellence Award for her steadfast dedication. Her nominator, Sara McLaren, highlighted Benita's welcoming nature throughout her interactions during the benefits process and HR projects they’ve collaborated on.

“Trying to write down how much Benita contributes to ECU is almost impossible. She relays information clearly, patiently and precisely. However, the main reason I nominated her is the mere fact that seeing Benita around this building always means being greeted warmly with a smile and an open ear. Her generosity of spirit is infectious, and this, to me, is staff excellence because she reaches across all departments and makes this environment a bit better just because of who she is.”

For Benita, this award is an overwhelming and special feat. “It's a huge honour to be recognized since I see colleagues going 'above and beyond' every day in a variety of situations. I'd like to thank the HR team, who allow me to do work in my own particular, and sometimes peculiar way. I would also like to thank the ECU community, as I feel fortunate to work with so many unique, interesting, and caring people. For folks over a certain age, this feels like my "Cheers" moment!”

The selection committee also recognizes Perrin Grauer, Communications Officer, for an honourable mention and his unwavering efforts to tell the stories of the ECU community.

Congratulations to both Benita, Asif and Perrin!