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John Baker (Brazil only) President and Chief Executive Officer Desire2Learn John Baker founded Desire2Learn in 1999, at the age of 22, while still a student at the University of Waterloo. With passion, dedication and an exceptionally strong team behind him, he has expanded Desire2Learn to 430 employees and more than eight million users worldwide, all completely through self-funding. Mr. Baker is a strong believer in community involvement, devoting both personal and business efforts to local entrepreneurship, and development and applying technology to improve society worldwide. Desire2Learn has been recognized for four consecutive years as one of Canada's fastest-growing technology companies in the prestigious Deloitte Technology Fast 50. It was the first academically focused learning management system (LMS) to implement the SCORM content standard and released the first Learning Repository in the industry. The program has received unanimous endorsement from MiCTA and the ATAlliance organizations twice for Desire2Learn Learning Environment and Learning Repository, and received the USDLA 21st Century Best Practice Distance Learning Award in 2009. Mr. Baker has been honored with the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, the KPMG Excellence in Technology Award and the Waterloo Region Record 40 Under 40. Through Desire2Learn, Mr. Baker is committed to collaborating with clients to improve human potential globally by providing the most innovative technology for teaching and learning to make eLearning accessible to all.
The Honourable Perrin Beatty President and Chief Executive Officer Canadian Chamber of Commerce The Honourable Perrin Beatty is the president and CEO of the 192 000member Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canada’s largest and most representative national business association. Mr. Beatty is the principal spokesperson, advocating the policy positions of the Chamber’s members to the federal government, international organizations, the media and the general public. Prior to joining the Chamber in August 2007, Mr. Beatty was the president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). A descendant of one of Canada’s most prominent manufacturing families, Mr. Beatty grew up in Fergus, Ontario, and graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1971. In 1972, he was elected to the House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative; in 1979, he was appointed as minister of State for the Treasury Board within the government of Joe Clark. Mr. Beatty held six additional portfolios in subsequent Progressive Conservative governments, including those of National Revenue, in 1984;
Solicitor General, in 1985; National Defence, in 1986; Health and Welfare, in 1989; Communications, in 1991; and Secretary of State for External Affairs, in 1993. In 1994, Mr. Beatty joined a number of private-sector boards and worked as a consultant in the field of communications. He was an honorary visiting professor with the Department of Political Science, at the University of Western Ontario. He wrote a weekly column on government and politics for a major Canadian newspaper. From 1995 to 1999, Mr. Beatty was president and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Mr. Beatty has served on a number of Canadian governmental advisory committees, is a member of the advisory council of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian International Council. In 2008, Mr. Beatty was named chancellor of the University of Ontario Institute Of Technology.
Suzanne Fortier (Brazil only) President Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Dr. Suzanne Fortier has served as president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) since January 2006. Before her appointment to this position, Dr. Fortier was a professor at Queen’s University in both the Department of Chemistry and the School of Computing. She also served as vice-principal (Research), from 1995 to 2000, and as vice-principal (Academic), from 2000 to 2005. Dr. Fortier is a crystallographer by training, specializing in the development of mathematical and artificial intelligence methodologies for protein structure determination. Dr. Fortier is currently a member of the Ontario Task Force on Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Progress, and serves on the board of directors of the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Mary Jo Haddad (Barbados &Trinidad and Tobago only) President and Chief Executive Officer The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Mary Jo Haddad was appointed president and CEO of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, in November 2004. SickKids is recognized as one of the world’s foremost paediatric health care institutions and is Canada’s leading centre dedicated to advancing children’s health through the integration of patient care, research and education. Founded in 1875 and affiliated with the University of Toronto, SickKids is one of Canada’s most research-intensive hospitals and has generated discoveries that have helped children globally. Its mission is to provide the best in complex and specialized family-centred care; pioneer scientific and clinical advancements; share expertise; foster an academic environment that nurtures health care
professionals; and champion an accessible, comprehensive and sustainable child health system. SickKids is proud of its vision of “Healthier Children. A Better World.” With a strong focus on innovation and leadership, Ms. Haddad is committed to developing future health care leaders and mentorship programs. She has championed collaboration and partnerships to enable health system improvements, to build capacity, and to enable individual and team success. She lectures at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto and at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Business, and she is a mentor to aspiring leaders from the Women's Executive Network and The Creative Institute for Toronto’s Young Leaders. Ms. Haddad holds an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Windsor and is a recipient of the Premier’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in June 2010. SickKids is currently working with children’s hospitals, ministries of health and local health leaders, as well as the private sector, to develop a Caribbean Paediatric Oncology Program in The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
James Knight President Association of Canadian Community Colleges James Knight has been president and CEO of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) since November 2007. ACCC represents the interests of Canada’s public colleges, institutes of technology, university colleges, cegeps and polytechnics. Mr. Knight holds a B.A. in history and philosophy from the University of Western Ontario; an M.A. in Canadian history from the University of Toronto; a Certificate in Management from Queen’s University; and a sommelier diploma from Algonquin College. With 25 years of leadership with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), prior experience with the federal government (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and Environment Canada), and with the Heritage Canada Foundation, Mr. Knight brings a depth of national, international and communityoriented expertise to ACCC. During Mr. Knight’s tenure at FCM, many initiatives were launched, including a tripartite program for municipal infrastructure; the transfer of five cents per litre of the federal excise tax on gasoline to municipalities; the creation of the Green Municipal Fund; and an award-winning international program. With ACCC, Mr. Knight helped secure a capital contribution to member institutions from the Government of Canada matched by provincial and territorial governments. Just under $2 billion in upgrading and expansion projects were implemented. Federal support for college-applied research partnerships with small and medium enterprises has increased several-fold. He is a proponent of the central contribution of Canada’s colleges and institutes to Canada’s economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Karen McBride President and Chief Executive Officer Canadian Bureau for International Education Karen McBride is president and CEO of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE). Established in 1966, CBIE is Canada’s national, non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to international education, with over 150 member colleges, institutes, universities, school boards and language schools. Ms. McBride has worked to promote international education in Canada for almost 20 years. She has led policy development and advocacy efforts at the national and international levels, research initiatives on the strengths and challenges of international education in the Canadian context, and major programs supporting international co-operation in education. She is frequently called upon to speak about CBIE and Canada’s international education experience at national and international events. Prior to joining CBIE as its president in August 2009, Ms. McBride served in key roles at the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, most recently as vice-president of International Affairs, and as a research advisor for the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, through her work at the Parliamentary Centre. She received her MA in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, and her Honours BA in History and French from the University of Western Ontario, now Western University.
Gilles G. Patry (Brazil only) President and Chief Executive Officer Canada Foundation for Innovation Gilles Patry is president and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Following a long and distinguished career as a consultant, a researcher and a university administrator, Dr. Patry brings to the CFI a wealth of experience from both the private and academic sectors. A graduate from the University of Ottawa and the University of California (Davis), Dr. Patry was president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ottawa from 2001 to 2008. Dr. Patry is a Member of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the Order of Ontario and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Waterloo and McMaster University, and was named Executive of the Year in 2004 by the Regroupement des gens d’affaires de la Capitale nationale. In 2009, he was also named Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Pléiade of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie.
Created by the Government of Canada in 1997, the CFI strives to build our nation’s capacity to undertake world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians. The CFI fulfills this mandate by investing in the research infrastructure necessary for Canada’s leading researchers to discover, develop and apply new knowledge in all areas of research.
Nobina Robinson (Barbados &Trinidad and Tobago only) Chief Executive Officer Polytechnics Canada Nobina Robinson has been the chief executive officer of Polytechnics Canada since May 2009. Polytechnics Canada is a national alliance of the leading Canadian colleges, institutes of technology and polytechnics that are renowned for applied education and industrial research. Mrs. Robinson began her public service career in Canada in 1990. As a Canadian foreign service officer posted to Havana from 1994 to 1997, she was responsible for building closer academic co-operation between Canada and Cuba. Thereafter, Mrs. Robinson led FOCAL, a policy institute devoted to Canada’s relations with Latin America and the Caribbean. She was a civil society leader at the 2001 Summit of the Americas, in Québec. Before joining Polytechnics Canada, Mrs. Robinson was responsible for federal advocacy for one of Canada's largest colleges, Seneca College. In 2010, Mrs. Robinson was named by the government as a member of the Expert Panel on Research and Development, which focuses on Canada’s business innovation challenges. Both education and innovation are key commitments for Nobina Robinson. Members of her association are leaders in international education collaboration. These institutions are increasingly important actors in helping Canadian businesses improve their innovation outcomes. Mrs. Robinson holds degrees from Amherst College and Oxford University, where she was a Commonwealth Scholar; she pursued post-graduate studies at Yale University. Born and raised in Calcutta, India, Mrs. Robinson now calls Ottawa ‘home,’ where she lives with her husband, Keith, and their young son, Julian.
Berry Vrbanovic (Barbados &Trinidad and Tobago only) President Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Councillor for Kitchener With over 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors, Berry Vrbanovic, Councillor for the Municipality of Kitchener, Ontario, and President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), has a long history of strong community leadership. Born in Zagreb, Croatia, Mr. Vrbanovic immigrated to Canada with his family in 1969. He graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1989. Councillor Vrbanovic was first elected in 1994 and has not only worked
tirelessly for the residents of Kitchener, but has also been a proponent, nationally and internationally, for the local government movement. Chair of the city’s Planning & Strategic Initiatives Committee, Councillor Vrbanovic is a passionate advocate of grassroots community development. In 1998, he co-founded a police-youth mentoring program, which helps at-risk youth in the community. In addition, Councillor Vrbanovic has served on FCM’s executive since 1996, after holding various leadership roles over the years, finally joining the board of directors in 2000. The Federation is an organization that represents approximately 2 000 municipalities and close to 90% of the Canadian population. He has also had extensive experience within FCM’s international programs— this year, the organization marks 25 years of international municipal development. Recently, together with the Government of Canada, FCM announced the new CARILED program (Caribbean Local Economic Development), a six year, $23.2 million program to stimulate sustainable local economic development in the region.
