Canada’s Moonshot Expert Advisory Panel
Date: Tuesday May 18, 2021
PPF and BII+E are excited to announce the Expert Advisory Panel of our joint project, Canada’s Moonshot: Charting a Mission-Oriented Innovation Strategy. This advisory panel will provide in-depth expertise from a diversity of perspectives on innovation, business, policy, social and economic issues to help guide, challenge and validate research content and directions.
Meet Our Expert Advisors
Expert Advisory Panel Co-Chairs
Bill Tam
Co Founder and Chief Operating Officer at the Digital Technology Supercluster
Bill Tam is recognized as one of the pre-eminent leaders of the B.C. tech sector. A lifelong entrepreneur, Bill has been actively involved with technology and start-ups as a founder, executive, investor, advisor and board member for the past 20 years.
In 2017, Bill co-founded the development of the Digital Technology Supercluster and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer. The Digital Technology Supercluster is part of the Government of Canada’s $950-million, five-year Innovation Superclusters Initiative to drive large-scale collaboration among industry leaders, small and medium enterprises, and post-secondary institutions to develop and scale high-potential technologies in Canada.
A champion of entrepreneurship, Bill forges partnerships across private and public sectors to accelerate economic growth and foster inclusiveness. He serves on the Steering Committee of the Cascadia Innovation Corridor initiative – a cross-border partnership between B.C., Washington and Oregon to develop and promote a globally recognized hub of innovation and Commerce.
Bill also serves on the Innovation Committee of the Rideau Hall Foundation and is as an industry advisor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Simon Fraser University and the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He earned his MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University and his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (Summa Cum Laude) from McGill University. In 2018, UBC awarded Bill the Applied Science Dean’s Medal of Distinction for his contributions to the engineering and tech community.
Ilse Treurnicht
Former Chief Executive Officer, MaRS Discovery District and Chair, Public Policy Forum
Ilse Treurnicht’s career spans scientific research and commercialization, building health and cleantech firms, venture/impact capital and public policy. Ilse served as CEO of MaRS (marsdd.com) in Toronto from 2005-2017, overseeing its development into a leading urban innovation hub. She holds a doctorate in Chemistry from Oxford University, which she attended as a Rhodes Scholar.
Expert Advisory Panel Members
Adam Legge
President of the Business Council of Alberta
Adam is the President of the Business Council of Alberta. He has worked with the founders since Day 1 of the organization to create something new and unique—an organization of business leaders advocating for shared prosperity and a better life for Albertans.
Adam has spent over two decades building and leading high-performance teams and organizations in business, public policy, and economic development. He is a life-long student of economics and history and believes strongly in the ability of a team to create something remarkable.
He was the 18th President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber where he transformed a struggling organization into a national and international award-winning entity. He is the author of Making Remarkable, and former Director at the Haskayne School of Business and Vice President and Chief Economist at Calgary Economic Development.
Adam serves on the Board of Vibrant Communities Calgary and on the boards of a number of Calgary-based private companies.
Armughan Ahmad
President, Digital and Managing Partner at KPMG
Armughan Ahmad is a President & Managing Partner, Digital at KPMG. He leads the firm’s digital transformation solutions go to market serving large enterprise, commercial and public sector clients. KPMG is bridging the consulting services with mainstream and exponential technologies to deliver business function level customer experiences. Before joining KPMG, he served as the Senior Vice President & General Manager at Dell Technologies, where he led the company’s Global Cloud, Solutions and Alliances organization with a team of engineering, sales, marketing and customer success organization across North American, European and Asian markets. Before Dell Tech, he held executive positions at Hewlett Packard, Huawei 3Com and other technology firms.
Armughan serves on the advisory board of Future Skills Center, Queens University’s AI and Analytics board, and the Dean’s Advisory Council for University of Waterloo. He is a passionate promoter of girls’ STEAM education, mental health awareness, and homelessness resettlement programs.
Carol Anne Hilton
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of the Indigenomics Institute
Carol Anne Hilton, MBA is the CEO and founder of the Indigenomics Institute and the Global Center of Indigenomics. Carol Anne is a dynamic national Indigenous business leader, author, speaker and senior adviser with an international Masters Degree in Business Management (MBA) from the University of Hertfordshire, England. Carol Anne is of Nuu chah nulth descent from the Hesquiaht Nation on Vancouver Island.
Carol Anne is the author of ‘Indigenomics- Taking A Seat at the Economic Table’ and is an adjunct professor at Royal Roads University’s School of Business.
Carol Anne was the only Indigenous person appointed to the Canadian Economic Growth Council as a senior advisor to the federal Finance Minister. Carol Anne most recently served on the BC Emerging Economy Taskforce, and the BC Indigenous Business and Investment Council. Carol Anne currently serves as a Director on the McGill University Institute for the Study of Canada, MITACS Research and the BC Digital Supercluster.
Carol Anne’s work has been recognized with the 2020 BC Achievement Foundation’s Award of Distinction in Indigenous Business and the 2018 national Excellence in Aboriginal Relations Award from the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business.
Clement Bourgogne
Vice President Strategic Programs at Scale AI
Clement Bourgogne is VP of strategic programs at Scale AI. Based in Montreal but operating across Canada, Scale AI is an investment and innovation hub aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence in supply chains. With $300M in public funds to deploy by 2023, Scale AI is positioned at the heart of the Canadian AI ecosystem, supporting organizations of all sizes in their efforts to deploy innovative solutions across their supply chains.
In his role at Scale AI, Clement leads the company’s three investment teams and oversees the deployment of capital for industry-led projects, workforce development programs and startup growth. In addition, Clement is also responsible for liaising with key stakeholders of the Canadian AI and supply chains ecosystem and is actively involved in fostering collaboration between established and emerging businesses to accelerate the pace of innovation in Canada.
Prior to joining Scale AI, Clement was a project leader at BCG, where he worked with leading corporations on industry 4.0 and operational excellence initiatives. He holds a bachelor in mechanical engineering from the University of Ottawa and an MBA from HEC Paris.
Derrick Rossi
President & Chief Executive Officer, Convelo and Co-Founder of Moderna Therapeutics
Dr. Rossi is a serial biotech entrepreneur and stem cell scientist. His efforts in the development of cutting-edge technologies and novel therapeutic strategies are at the forefront of regenerative medicine and biotechnology. Time magazine named Dr. Rossi as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world (Time 100) in 2011. Dr. Rossi earned his BSc and MSc from University of Toronto, and his PhD from the University of Helsinki.
Until his retirement from academia, he was an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard University and an investigator at Boston Children’s Hospital where he led an academic team working on stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Discoveries made in Dr. Rossi’s lab led to the formation of several leading biotechnology companies. His development of modified-mRNA reprogramming was named by Time magazine as one of the top ten medical breakthroughs of 2010. That same year, Dr. Rossi leveraged that technology to found Moderna, a company focused on developing modified-mRNA therapeutics and whose COVID-19 vaccine is being deployed around the world.
In 2015, Dr. Rossi co-founded Intellia Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company focused on developing CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutics. In 2016, he co-founded Magenta Therapeutics, which is focused on transforming transplantation medicine. In 2017, he co-founded Stelexis Therapeutics, an oncology company targeting the stem cell origin of cancer. Also in 2017 he helped launch Convelo Therapeutics, which is developing remyelination therapeutics for patients suffering from demyelination diseases such as multiple sclerosis. He currently serves as the CEO of Convelo.
Judy Fairburn
Co-Chief Executive Officer & Fund Managing Partner of The51
As Co-CEO and Fund Managing Partner of The51 (Financial Feminist™ platform and venture fund), Judy is a change-maker with a proven track record of building cutting-edge business ventures.
She currently serves on the boards of VEERUM Inc., Petronas Canada and MEG Energy as well as the Business Council of Alberta , Calgary Economic Development and the Alberta Securities Commission New Economy Advisory Council. She is also a mentor to numerous women-led startups, Creative Destruction Lab Agriculture / Energy founders as well as the University of Calgary’s UCeed Student Fund.
Prior to co-founding The51, Judy was the first female Board Chair of Alberta Innovates (health, agriculture, clean energy and digital). A pioneer in corporate/entrepreneurial innovation, she co-founded a $100 million cleantech/digital venture fund (Evok Innovations). Her career includes roles as Cenovus Energy’s Chief Digital Officer, EVP Business Innovation, President Environment Opportunity Fund as well as VP-level operations / P&L / technology development roles.
Judy holds an MSc degree (Chemical Engineering), an MBA and Institute of Corporate Directors designation. She is also a 4th generation farm owner, award-winning Creative Destruction Lab mentor, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, 2013 Clean 16 award winner, and recipient of the 2020 Calgary Influential Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award.
Kendra MacDonald
Chief Executive Officer of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
Kendra MacDonald is the CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, responsible for driving innovation and digital, sustainable, and inclusive growth in the ocean economy. Together with a team working across six cities in Atlantic Canada, Kendra is focused on changing the culture of doing business in the ocean from coast-to-coast-to-coast, increasing collaboration across ocean sectors and Canada’s global reach. In recognition of her leadership in building the cluster from the ground up, Kendra was recently named one of Atlantic Canada’s most powerful women in business by Atlantic Business Magazine.
Kendra was previously a Partner in Deloitte’s Risk Advisory practice and the Chief Audit Executive of Deloitte Global. Kendra speaks regularly on the topics of innovation, future of work, and disruptive technologies, and also serves on the Board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and is the Past-Chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries. Over the course of her career, Kendra has both lived and worked in Ottawa, Montreal, Australia and Hong Kong before moving to St. John’s in 2010.
Michel Bergeron
Chief Strategy Officer of the BDC
Michel Bergeron was appointed Chief Strategy Officer of the Business Development of Canada (BDC) in 2018. In this role, he is responsible for designing, developing and communicating BDC’s overall strategic direction and vision for the future. He leads a multidisciplinary team focusing on corporate strategy and initiatives, digital transformation, partnerships and government relations, economic and market research, and innovation. He is also in charge of the implementation of an integrated approach to develop new products and solutions across all BDC’s lines of business.
Mr. Bergeron has over 20 years of private, public and parapublic experience, dealing with financial sector issues, strategic planning, digital experience, communication, branding and international trade matters.
Before his current position, he was BDC’s Senior Vice President, Marketing and Public Affairs for over 5 years, overseeing branding and advertising, client experience, economic analysis, corporate communications, marketing, public and media relations, research, and digital experience.
He joined BDC in 1999 and has held a variety of field and corporate positions during his career with the bank, including Senior Manager, Loans; Director, Corporate Planning; Director, Strategic and Business Solutions; and Vice President of Corporate Relations.
Mr. Bergeron began his career in the federal government, where he worked in international trade negotiations for the Department of Finance.
He is a board member of Futurpreneur and Jack.org. Michel is the Founding Chair of The Montreal Group, a global forum for development banks focused on micro, small and medium enterprise. Mr. Bergeron holds Law degrees from Laval University and Dalhousie University, and a Master of International Relations degree from Laval University. He also holds the Corporate Director (ICD.D) designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Nadia Theodore
Senior Vice President, Global Government and Industry Relations with Maple Leaf Foods
Ms. Theodore is Senior Vice President, Global Government and Industry Relations with Maple Leaf Foods. In this role, Ms. Theodore leads Maple Leaf Foods’ global government relations and public policy functions, collaborating across the organization in developing and implementing the company’s government and industry relations strategy.
Prior to joining Maple Leaf Foods, Nadia spent over 20 years in the Canadian federal public service where she built a reputation for forging strong partnerships with government and business leaders, managing complex, priority trade files and leading multi-disciplinary teams. She has held senior leadership roles on several international trade negotiations and directly prior to joining Maple Leaf Foods, served as Canada’s Consul General to the Southeast USA, based in Atlanta.
Ms. Theodore is a proud contributor to organizations committed to empowering people and culture. She has served as a Carleton University Alumni Mentor, as a Global Advisor with G(irls)20 and on the Carter Center Advisory Board. Ms. Theodore holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Master of Arts in Political Science, both from Carleton University, and a Bachelor of Laws from University of London.
Pari Johnston
Vice-President, Policy and Public Affairs for Genome Canada
Pari Johnston joined Genome Canada as Vice-President, Policy and Public Affairs in March 2020. She provides expertise and leadership that shapes and supports the strategic direction of Genome Canada, while raising awareness of the organization, its mission and impact with Parliamentarians, federal policymakers and community partners. As a member of the executive team, Pari plays a key role in putting genomics into the hands of those who are at the forefront of addressing critical challenges in health, the environment, agriculture and the economy. She is a strong advocate for coalition-building to ensure broad reach and impact across sectors and borders.
Pari is recognized as a Canadian higher education and research leader, having held increasingly senior positions at Universities Canada for 20 years. She served as Vice-President, Policy and Public Affairs, providing strategic direction to the organization’s federal advocacy agenda. Prior, she served as the first Director of Member Relations, transforming the association into the premiere national forum for Canada’s 96 university presidents. Initially at Universities Canada, she worked as Director of International Relations, delivering on Canadian universities’ global mission.
Pari was a founding Board member of The Conversation Canada/La Conversation Canada, the national digital media organization for academic journalism. She also served on the Advisory Committee for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Canada Research Chairs Program.
She is a passionate community volunteer, driving several initiatives to improve mental health and housing for Autistic youth and adults. She sat on the Family Advisory Council at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, and now serves on the Board of Trustees. She is a member of the National Advisory Group to the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health and York University for their project to create the first Canadian literacy guide for Autism and mental health.
Fluently bilingual, Pari has an M.A. in International Affairs from Carleton University and a B.A. in French Literature from the University of Regina.
Sara Wolfe
Director of Indigenous Innovation Initiatives for Grand Challenges Canada
Sara is Anishinaabe from Brunswick House First Nation in Northern Ontario. She is a Registered Nurse, a Registered Midwife, and holds a master’s in business administration (MBA) from the Rotman School of Management. Working more than two decades primarily in sexual and reproductive health, Sara was the founder and managing director of Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto and co-led the development and implementation of the Toronto Birth Centre, Canada’s first mainstream healthcare facility to use an Indigenous governance and leadership framework.
Today, she is the Director of the Indigenous Innovation Initiative at Grand Challenges Canada, one of the largest impact investors in Canada. They are an innovation platform dedicated to supporting Bold Ideas with Big Impact®. Through the Indigenous Innovation Initiative, Sara is supporting innovators and communities to identify and solve their own challenges, drive inclusive growth, and improve peoples’ lives through Indigenous innovation. Their inaugural program is to advance Indigenous gender equality through innovation and social entrepreneurship.
Zayna Khayat
Future Strategist for SE Health
Zayna Khayat is Future Strategist with SE Health (formerly, Saint Elizabeth Health Care) a health and social impact enterprise with a major focus on creating a better future for aging adults in their homes and communities. Zayna is Faculty of Singularity University’ Exponential Medicine stream, and is adjunct faculty in the Health Sector Strategy stream at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Dr. Khayat was previously the lead of health system innovation at MaRS Discovery District, a health innovation hub in Toronto, Canada. In 2017 she was seconded to the REshape Innovation Centre at Radboud university medical centre in the Netherlands. Zayna completed her Ph.D. in diabetes research from the University of Toronto (2001), followed by a career in strategy consulting, including as a Principal in the healthcare practice of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). She currently resides in Toronto with her husband and three children and is proficient in French and Arabic languages.
Organization Representatives
Edward Greenspon
President & Chief Executive Officer of the Public Policy Forum
Edward Greenspon has worked at the intersection of journalism and public policy for more than 30 years. Before becoming President & CEO of the Public Policy Forum, Ed was a journalist with The Globe and Mail, Bloomberg News and newspapers in Western Canada. He is also the author of two books on Canadian politics, policy and public opinion.
At the Globe, Ed specialized in politics, economics, foreign affairs and business while serving as Editor-in-Chief, Ottawa bureau chief, European correspondent and managing editor of the Report on Business. He was an early proponent of digital transformation as founding editor of globeandmail.com.
At Bloomberg News, he was Editor-at-Large for Canada and global managing editor for energy, environment and commodities, a group situated in 22 countries on six continents.
Ed is the author of Double Vision: The Inside Story of the Liberals in Power, which won the 1996 Douglas Purvis Award for best public policy book, and of Searching for Certainty: Inside the New Canadian Mindset. He was a winner of PPF’s Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism. In 2010, he chaired a 13-person panel for the Canadian International Council that produced a bold international policy strategy called Open Canada: A Global Positioning Strategy for a Networked Age.
Ed holds a combined honours degree in journalism and political science from Carleton University and was a Commonwealth Scholar at the London School of Economics, earning an M.Sc. (Econ.) with distinction.
Ed joined the PPF in 2016.
Sean Mullin
Executive Director at the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship
Sean is an economist, public policy expert, leader and thinker. In 2015, he joined the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship (BII+E) as its founding Executive Director, where he provides strategic direction and leads the overall day-to-day activities of the institute.
For more than a decade, Sean has championed and shaped important public policy decisions with a particular focus on economic issues. Through this experience, he has become increasingly convinced of the importance of fostering innovation and entrepreneurship as conduit for economic growth and prosperity.
Prior to joining BII+E, Sean served as the Chief of Staff at a Toronto-based private equity firm, where he worked at the intersection of finance and management strategy. Sean also served for more than six years in senior advisory roles to the Premier of Ontario and Ontario’s Minister of Finance, where, among other responsibilities, he coordinated the development of the annual Budget for the Province of Ontario.
He also worked as a consultant, providing expertise and advice on business strategy and management to clients in the technology, non-profit and public sectors. Sean also contributes to the public policy discourse in Canada, and has frequently been published as an author, contributed to reports or invited to speak on topics ranging from tax policy, infrastructure, clean technology, economic development and innovation and entrepreneurship.
Sean has a degree in Economics and Computer Science from the University of Toronto, an MA in Economics from McGill, and an MBA from the University of Oxford. He also serves on the Board of Woodgreen Community Services, also sitting on the Strategy and Innovation Committee. Sean lives in the east of Toronto with his wife, Jessica, daughter, Ada, and son, Leo.
We extend a warm welcome to our panelists and look forward to the knowledge they will share with the team!
GET INVOLVED!
We welcome your insights. If you have thoughts on how mission-oriented innovation policy could work in Canada, the project team would love to hear from you.
Contact PPF Policy Lead, Marlena Flick (mflick@ppforum.ca) or fill out the Contact Form below: