Board Chair

Dr. Arvind Gupta is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. He has served as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia, as the CEO and Scientific Director of Mitacs Inc., and as CEO of Palette Skills Inc. He has published extensively on theoretical computer science, computational genomics and national innovation strategies. Arvind has a record of accomplishment for initiatives that improve Canada’s productivity and competitiveness by successfully enhancing workforce skills through industry-academic partnerships. As the founder of Mitacs, he achieved success in interweaving graduate education with socio-economic needs by bringing together 60 universities and over 1,000 civil society partners. Significant service includes acting as an Innovation leader for the Federal Innovation Agenda, serving on the Federal Government’s blue-ribbon innovation panel (Jenkins panel), serving on the national Science, Technology, and Innovation Council (STIC), and serving on the BC’s Food Security Task Force.

Board Member

Joy Johnson was appointed president and vice-chancellor of Simon Fraser University in 2020. She is committed to carrying out SFU’s vision to be a leading research university, advancing an inclusive and sustainable future. Prior to her appointment, Joy served as SFU’s vice-president, research and international, and oversaw the evolution of cutting-edge research, innovation, and international engagement across eight faculties. Under her leadership, SFU has achieved the fastest research income growth of any Canadian university in Canada, with a focus on mobilizing knowledge to enhance the social, economic and environmental wellbeing. Prior to SFU, Joy had a distinguished career in academics and research, with a focus on gender and health. She is an elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Joy serves on a number of Boards including Universities Canada, World University Service of Canada, and the International American Organization for Higher Education.

Board Member

Mr. Michael Harcourt served as a Vancouver alderman from 1973 to 1980. He was first elected as a member of The Electors' Action Movement (TEAM). He was  Mayor of Vancouver from 1980 to 1986. He was first elected to the British Columbia Legislature in the 1986 British Columbia provincial election. He became the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Leader of the Official Opposition in the following year. He was considered to be a moderate within the ranks of his social democratic party. In the 1991 provincial election, Harcourt led the NDP back to power, defeating the Social Credit party led by Rita Johnston. That marked the second time that the NDP had ever been in power in BC and the first since 1975. A near-fatal accident in 2002 left him partially paralyzed. However, Michael found a strengthened resolve to contribute to the transformation of communities around the world through the principles of sustainability, particularly social inclusion. Michael has been very involved in spinal cord research and education through the Rick Hansen Man in Motion Foundation and International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (I-CORD).

Chair, Governance & Nominating Committee

Dr. Thecla Schiphorst is the director of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University. Her background in technology and computing forms the basis for her work in embodied interaction, focusing on movement knowledge representation and wearable technologies. She has founded and led several international projects on human-computer interaction. Dr. Schiphorst focuses on communications at Circle Innovation.

Ex-officio Board Member

Dr. Sylvain Moreno is tenured faculty at SFU’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology and Special Advisor to the Office of the VP Research and International. His research focuses on neurotechnologies and their implications for education and rehabilitation. He is the recipient of numerous national and international awards and his work has been featured in a variety of media, including television and newsprint.

Board Member

Dr. Carolyn Sparrey’s research focuses on biomechanics and biomaterials. She leads SFU’s Neurospine Lab, which works closely with surgeons at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Dr. Sparrey is also the lead investigator on a research initiative funded by SFU’s Community Trust Endowment Fund to create point-of-care enabled technologies for preventative health. Dr. Sparrey earned her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California in 2008, her master’s in mechanical engineering from UBC in 2004 and she has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Waterloo.

Board Member

A graduate of Princeton and McGill, Scott Dunlop initially practiced at Farris and moved to Davis (now DLA Piper) and helped it expand to one of Canada’s top national firms. He is a business lawyer with extensive legal expertise relevant to the management of enterprises, including director, executive, and shareholder issues. While at Davis/DLA Piper, he served as Chair of the Employment and Labour Group and as Chair of the Government Affairs Group. Scott has acted for many of British Columbia’s major corporations and led a national lawyer team acting for Harmon International’s acquisition of QNX Software Systems. He is an expert in administrative law, executive employment, shareholder remedies and commercial disputes. Scott attended Harvard Law School Lawyer Programs in Advanced Negotiation and Mediation and returned as an instructor at a mediation course. During the last two decades, he has been acting primarily as a strategic general counsel, managing corporate and litigation matters for venture and growth businesses.

Board Member

Roger Flowerdew has provided interim and full-time executive level services to life science, information technology, specialty manufacturing (extraction, isolation and purification of high value compounds for bio-tech clients) companies in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom since 1986. Roger’s areas of expertise are strategic and tactical planning, tactical implementation, business development, and corporate finance. He has also served as a director and board chairman (Northern Lipids Inc. & Chromos Molecular Systems Inc.), CEO (Cognetix Inc.), COO, VP - Business Development, Managing Director – European Operations and/or CFO/Director Finance (Incisive Genetics Inc.) of various listed public and unlisted companies and not-for-profit organizations (Pacific Salmon Foundation, Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund Society, Vancouver Opera Association, Vancouver Opera Foundation). He obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from Simon Fraser University in May, 1980 and his Chartered Accountant designation with Thorne Riddell (now KPMG Canada) in December, 1982.