Board of Directors

 

Hector MacKay-Dunn, Q.C., Chair

Partner
Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy

Mr. MacKay-Dunn has over 25 years of practice experience in advising senior public and early stage private companies in a broad range of industry sectors on corporate and general matters, complex domestic and cross-border public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions and international partnering transactions. He is recognized with the highest ranking (AV) for professional excellence by Martindale-Hubbell (an international peer-based rating organization for lawyers and law firms). He is also recognized by LEXPERT and American Lawyer Media (2005) as one of Canada's Top 100 Leading Lawyers in Canada-US Cross-Border Transactions, and is the only B.C. lawyer recognized by LEXPERT and American Lawyer Media as one of Canada's Leading Lawyers in the field of Technology and Biotechnology. Mr. MacKay-Dunn has held numerous voluntary positions and served as director for a number of public and private companies including Aspreva Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Genome BC, the University of British Columbia Industry Liaison (UILO) Advisory Council, the UBC Faculty of Science Dean's Advisory Council and the Simon Fraser University Biotech Advisory Council. He was appointed Queen's Counsel by the (B.C.) Cabinet in 2003.
 

Greg Aasen, Vice-Chair

Corporate Director

Mr. Aasen was the founder and the chief strategy officer at PMC-Sierra up to June 2007. Previously he was vice president and general manager of the Communications Products Division. Prior to that, Mr. Aasen was chief operating officer and chief technology officer of the Company. Bringing over 20 years of experience to the semiconductor industry, Mr. Aasen began his career at Mitel where he held both product and design engineering positions. In 1986, he joined MPR Teltech and later established the Pacific Microelectronic Centre (PMC), MPR Teltech’s first business division. In 1992, Mr. Aasen's vision was realized when PMC-Sierra was spun-out from MPR Teltech through an investment from Sierra Semiconductor. In addition to BCIC, Mr. Aasen currently serves on the Board of Directors for Sutus Corporation and Sierra Wireless. In June 2000, Mr. Aasen was named “Person of the Year” by the B.C. Technology Industries Association and was awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year” in BC from Ernst & Young in 1996.
 

Jonathan Burke

Vice President, Corporate Development
Westport Innovations Inc.

Mr. Burke joined Westport in March of 2006. Westport is a BC-based global supplier of proprietary solutions that allow engines to operate on clean-burning fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen and biofuels such as landfill gas. Mr. Burke has over ten years experience in corporate and investor communications and business development for both private and public technology companies. Prior to Westport, he was Director of Business Development and Investor Relations at MIGENIX Inc., a biotechnology company developing drugs for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. Prior to that, he held investor relations and corporate communications roles in the biotechnology, medical device, and venture capital fields. Mr. Burke is a Director of the BC Chapter of the Canadian Investor Relations Institute. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from Athabasca University.
 

Gurval Caer

President and Chief Executive Officer
Blast Radius

Mr. Caer brings extensive management skills combined with industry and technical knowledge to his role as Chief Executive Officer and President at Blast Radius. Prior to founding Blast Radius in 1996, he graduated from the Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Dijon with a business degree and worked for Ernst &Young in France. Pursuing his passion for technology and the Internet, Mr. Caer moved to Canada to study new media at the Vancouver Film School, where he later became a well-respected teacher. As one of the original founders of Blast Radius, he has led the company to numerous awards including two consecutive Interactive Gold Clio Awards for Brand Building (2000-2001) and recognition as one of Canada's 50 best privately managed companies. His leadership was also instrumental in establishing Blast Radius' long-term relationships with companies such as Nike, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, BMW, Philips and Whirlpool. Mr. Caer has also been named one of Business in Vancouver magazine's 40 Under 40 corporate leaders and a finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Canada.
 

Jock Finlayson

Executive Vice President
Business Council of BC

Mr. Finlayson is Executive Vice President at the Business Council of British Columbia, an association representing 210 large and mid-size B.C. companies that account for approximately one-quarter of all jobs in the province. In this capacity, he directs the Council’s work on economic, fiscal, tax, environmental and regulatory issues of interest to the province’s business community. Mr. Finlayson also serves on the Board of Directors for the Bank of Canada, Canada West Foundation and the B.C. Human Resources Management Association. He is currently a member of the Economic Forecast Council to the B.C. Ministry of Finance and previously served as Vice President of Research for the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, a leading national business association in Ottawa.
 

Richard Glickman

Corporate Director

Mr. Glickman was the co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aspreva Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Prior to establishing Aspreva, he was the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Stressgen Biotechnologies Corporation. Since 2000, he has served as the Chairman of the board of Vigil Health Solutions Inc., a healthcare services company. Mr. Glickman was also the founder and director of Ontario Molecular Diagnostics, a diagnostic facility that evolved into the largest molecular diagnostic laboratory in Canada. He co-founded Probtec Corporation, a rational drug design and molecular genetics firm, where he established and introduced the first licensed DNA-based forensic and paternity testing services in Canada. He has served on numerous biotechnology boards including roles as Chairman of Life Sciences British Columbia (formerly the British Columbia Biotechnology Alliance), Director of the Canadian Genetic Disease Network and as a member of the federal government's National Biotechnology Advisory Committee. Mr. Glickman received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2004 Award for the Pacific Region Life Sciences Group and has received both Canada's and British Columbia's Top 40 Under 40 Award for Entrepreneurs.
 

Dr. Ken Higginbotham

Vice President, Forestry & Environment
Canfor Corporation

Dr. Higginbotham was appointed Vice-President of Forestry and Environment at Canfor in June 2005. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Forestry, Environment and External Relations. While completing his university education, Dr. Higginbotham spent two years working with the U.S. Forest Service and as a Research Assistant at Utah State University. His career in academia began in 1974 at the University of North Carolina as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany and subsequently the University of Alberta from 1975 to 1988 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Forest Science. Dr. Ken Higginbotham was appointed the Director of the Forest Research Branch for the province of Alberta in 1988 and in 1989, he was appointed the Assistant Deputy Minister in the Land and Forest Service of Alberta.
 

Doug Horswill

Senior Vice-President, Environment and Corporate Affairs
Teck Cominco Ltd.

Mr. Horswill is Senior Vice-President of Environment and Corporate Affairs at Teck Cominco Limited. Prior positions include Deputy Minister of Finance and Corporate Relations and Deputy Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources with the Province of British Columbia. Before entering public service, he was employed at Utah International (BHP) and at INCO. Mr. Horswill earned a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Mineral Engineering, and a Master of Arts degree in Economics at the University of British Columbia. He is Chairman of the Management Committee of the Red Dog Mine. He is also a past chair of the Mining Association of BC, a Director and member of the Executive Committee of both the Mining Association of Canada and the Business Council for British Columbia, and Chair of the International Zinc Association Environmental Committee.
 

Greg Kerfoot

Chairman
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club

Mr. Kerfoot was born and raised in Burnaby, B.C. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Computer Science and has spent the majority of his career in the software industry. As President, CEO and Chairman of Vancouver-based Business Objects (formerly known as Crystal Decisions), he grew the software company from five people to 2,000 worldwide with 1,000 employees based in Vancouver and over $500 million in revenue. The company was regularly voted one of the top five employers in B.C. and Canada. Mr. Kerfoot has been a member of Premier Campbell's Technology Advisory Council since its inception where he is currently championing measures to improve commercialization of core research.
 

Jill Leversage

Managing Director Investment Banking
TD Securities Inc.

Ms. Leversage has been responsible for TD Securities' investment banking activities in British Columbia since June 2002. She has over twenty years experience in the securities industries, including nine years at RBC Capital Markets and seven years with Burns Fry Limited. She has successfully executed numerous debt and equity financings, and merger and acquisition advisory assignments for many large companies based in B.C. Currently Ms. Leversage is a Director of the BC Progress Board, the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation, the Mr. and Mrs. P. A. Woodward's Foundation and Treasurer for the Southlands Foundation. Her other previous volunteer work includes Campaign Cabinet for Covenant House, Campaign Cabinet for the United Way Campaign, Board Member of the Breast Cancer Foundation and the RBC Foundation. In addition, Ms. Leversage was previously Chair of the Policy Advisory Committee for the British Columbia Securities Commission and was recently honoured as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia. Ms. Leversage is also a Chartered Business Valuator of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators.
 

Dr. Alan Winter

President & CEO
Genome British Columbia

Dr. Winter was appointed President and CEO of Genome British Columbia in December 2001. Genome British Columbia is a not-for-profit research organization established in Vancouver to enable B.C. to become a world leader in selected areas of genomics R&D and to develop a vibrant life sciences cluster in the province. In 2007, Dr. Winter received a Leadership Award from LifeSciences British Columbia. His experience spans across senior levels in the technology industry and in government over the past 25 years, including such roles as the founding President and CEO of the New Media Innovation Centre in Vancouver, the President of the ComDev Space Group in Ontario, and the President and CEO of MPR Teltech in Vancouver. During his tenure as President of MPR, six companies were spun out of MPR, including PMC-Sierra and Sierra Wireless. Prior to MPR, Dr. Winter worked for Telesat Canada and the federal Communications Research Centre in Ottawa. Over the years, Dr. Winter has gained recognition as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and Canadian Astronautics and Space Institute, as Chair of the Board of the Communications Research Centre, Deputy Chair of the Council of Science and Technology Advisors (CSTA), a member of the B.C. Premier's Council on Science and Technology, a founding Director of CANARIE, and Chair of the Canadian Research Management Association and of PRECARN Associates.
 

Dr. Don Rix, Chair Emeritus

MDS Metro

Dr. Rix is one of the owners and founders of MDS Metro Laboratory Services, the largest independent community medical laboratory in British Columbia. He is also a co-founder of Cantest Ltd., based in Vancouver, B.C., which performs testing in soils, water waste work, pesticide analysis in food products, and air quality testing. Dr. Rix also serves on the boards of the BC Medical Services Foundation, BIRC Corporation and B.C. Children's Hospital Foundation. He is also a recipient of the Lifetime Leadership and Achievement Award from LifeSciences British Columbia (formerly known as the BC Biotechnology Alliance) for his contributions in biotechnology.