Dr. Rob Annan is a science policy leader driven by the transformative potential of genomics. Combining policy expertise, executive leadership and a background in genomics, Rob leads the Genome Canada team and is responsible for developing and leading Genome Canada’s overall strategic direction. An innovation strategist and skilled communicator, Rob works closely with business leaders, policy-makers and researchers, inspiring a shared effort to translate research into impact.

Prior to joining Genome Canada, Rob helped build a Canadian success story at Mitacs through executive leadership on corporate strategy, stakeholder relations, research and evaluation, and policy. Rob has also served on the Board of Let’s Talk Science and spent several years as a fellow of he Public Policy Forum.

Rob has a PhD in biochemistry from McGill University and two undergraduate degrees: one in English from Queen’s University and another in biology from the University of Victoria.

Carey began his career in 1997 as a technical assistant at the Marine Institute of Memorial University, progressing through roles that included a one year international work placement with MI in the Philippines in 1998. In 2000 Carey moved to Nunavut and progressed through various positions from Director, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister and Acting Deputy Minister of the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Environment. Carey joined the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation early in 2005 and was promoted to the position of Managing Director in 2007. In 2010 Carey was appointed as Head of the School of Fisheries at the Marine Institute and held that position for 8 years. In February of 2018 Carey joined Ocean Choice International as VP of Sustainability and Engagement. In addition to his Institutional responsibilities Carey served as the Industry Co-Chair of the Canadian Seafood Value Chain Roundtable, Past President and current board member of the International Association of Seafood Professionals, past Chair & current board member of the Fisheries Council of Canada and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation.

Eric is a seasoned business professional with a wide scope of science and technology experience in both the private and public sectors. Eric brings leadership experience in sectors ranging from oceans to space. Passionate about innovation, he is keen to find economic value in leading edge research.

Eric’s education includes a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and a masters of business administration, a combination that has served him well in seeking applied-science solutions for business.

Eric’s career includes leadership positions with the Manufacturing Technology Centre, COM DEV (now Honeywell), Apex Industries, COM DEV Wireless and the Research and Productivity Council. Most recently, Eric joined the PEI BioAlliance to lead the development of a cleantech strategy.

Eric currently serves on the boards of Genome Atlantic and the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation. He is a member of the NRC IRAP Large Value Contribution committee and Chair of the PEI Chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors. He has previously served on the boards of Genome Canada, Innoventures Canada, Genome Atlantic, the Center for Nuclear Energy Research, and the New Brunswick Environmental Industries Association.

Throughout his career Eric has been engaged in innovation regionally, nationally and internationally. He has contributed to innovation panels, advisory boards, and reviews including the Council of Canadian Academies’ Expert Panels on the State of Industrial Research in Canada and The State of R&D in Canada.

Eric is a results-driven strategic thinker, a continuous learner and a team player.

Mark is the Corporate Controller at J.D. Irving in Saint John, New Brunswick. He has formerly held executive finance positions with Comscore and Opower in Virginia. He started his career in audit with KPMG, having held progressively more senior positions across offices in Virginia, Ottawa and Halifax. Mark holds his CPA and graduated from Saint Mary’s University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Commerce.

At Comscore Mark was responsible for leading a multi-year financial restatement and for restructuring a significant portion of the accounting organization. Prior to Comscore, Mark led the SEC and technical accounting team at Opower where he was involved in the initial public offering (IPO) as well as the sell side diligence as part of the Company’s sale to Oracle. At KPMG Mark worked primarily in the technology sector with public and private companies.Mark has led teams of various sizes over many years and finds his passion in creating high-performing cohesive teams that drive continuous improvement, strategic thinking and significant value to business stakeholders.   

Mark is also on the Board of St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation and the Finance Committee for the Thistle-St. Andrew’s curling club and is passionate about helping to improve his community and the Atlantic region. Mark currently resides in Rothesay, New Brunswick with his wife and three children.

Paul is a Co-Founder of Audyse Technology, a tech start-up in St. John’s. He also runs his own Executive Advisory Consultancy, providing support to clients such as Genoa Design, where he previously held the role of Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer. Paul has a diverse background, having served as the CEO of techNL, where he successfully implemented a new strategy, rebranding, and programming to transform the organization. He has actively contributed to several Boards and committees, including CMHA-NL, Genome Atlantic, the Digital Technology Committee of The Health Accord in NL (as Chair), and the Atlantic Canada ICT Committee (ACOA-ATIGS) (as Co-Chair). Paul resides in St. John’s with his wife and two children, actively participating in volunteer activities.

Sarah is a highly regarded public affairs and corporate communications practitioner in Atlantic Canada. She is Vice-President, Communications and Corporate Affairs with Maritime Launch Services in Bedford, N.S. , where she draws on her vast experience in both government and the private sector to lead Maritime Launch’s communications, public affairs and community engagement strategies.

Previous to joining Maritime Launch, Sarah was Associate Vice President, Corporate Affairs at NATIONAL Public Relations. During her ten years at NATIONAL, Sarah led Corporate Affairs and Indigenous engagement and she was considered a trusted advisor for client seeking to secure social license in the communities in which they operate. Sarah provided strong, seasoned counsel to a wide range of clients in the financial, natural resources, energy, retail, health and economic development sectors.

Previous to joining NATIONAL, Sarah led policy development and provided issues management counsel to high profile federal Cabinet Ministers in Ottawa. Sarah has served as Director of Policy to the President of the Treasury Board, Policy Advisor to the Minister of International Trade and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

Sarah is Incident Command System (ICS) and IAP2 certified. She serves as director of the board of the Canada Games Centre and serves on the Executive Committee. Sarah is a graduate of the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University, where she studied Finance and Political Science.

In 2022, Sarah was selected to attend the Governor General Canadian Leadership Conference, a conference that brings leaders together from across Canada to strengthen policy, decision making and community building.

Surita Maddox became the Innovation Science and Economic Development (ISED) Atlantic Regional Executive Director in January 2018.

This new appointment is in many ways a return home for Surita who was born and raised in Newfoundland and Labrador, and who has spent more than 17 years working at ISED.

Surita first joined the public sector in 2000 as a commerce officer with Industry Canada, ISED’s predecessor department. Since then, she’s held various policy and program positions with increasing responsibilities within the department, including: Senior Advisor to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Industry Sector; District Director, Spectrum Management; Deputy Executive Director, Atlantic Region; and A/Senior Director with the Industrial Technologies Office. Surita recently returned to the Department from Infrastructure Canada where she worked as the Senior Director of the Canada Infrastructure Bank Transition Office.

She holds a Bachelor of Science from St. Francis Xavier University, and a Masters in Business Administration from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

During her off time, Surita enjoys yoga, running and taking spin classes, as well as traveling to Newfoundland to spend quality time with her family.

John Knubley is a consultant, corporate director, and former Deputy Minister in the Government of Canada.  He is also a senior advisor to FGS Longview Communications and Boston Consulting Group.

From 2012 to 2019, John served as the Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED Canada).  During this time, he led and implemented the Innovation and Skills Plan.

Prior to ISED Canada, John was Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs at the Privy Council Office, Associate Deputy Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities as well as Associate Deputy Minister of Natural Resources.  John’s career in public service included time at the Economic Council of Canada and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

In 2020, John founded InnovAction Advisory Services, which provides strategic counsel to organizations across a variety of sectors relating to innovation, R&D, sustainability, foreign investment, merger review and regulatory matters. He has experience in working with a wide range of sectors and CEOs.

John holds a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, a Master’s of Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.  He has also received a post-graduate diploma in Nice, France, from the Institut Européen des Hautes Études Internationales.

John serves as a Director of the Ontario Energy Board, the Asia-Pacific Foundation, the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, Genome Atlantic, COVE (Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship), and the Centre for Canadian Innovation Policy. He is a senior fellow of the Brookfield and C.D. Howe Institutes.

Patricia Hearn has over 20 years’ experience as an executive with the Government of Canada and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, contributing to economic development, science, technology and innovation. In 2017, she was named the Province’s Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Deputy Minister of Labrador Affairs. In her current portfolio as Deputy Minister, Ms. Hearn works to develop and strengthen strategic networks with other provincial governments and federal government departments and to support the economic and social development of Labrador and its residents.

Prior to this, she was the Atlantic Executive Director of the federal department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (formerly Industry Canada) where she oversaw the operations of the Federal Government’s economic program and policy agenda in the four Atlantic provinces. She also served as Provincial Director of Industry Canada, NL for four years.

Through several senior management roles in areas of innovation, trade and economic development, Ms. Hearn has developed strong networks at the federal and provincial levels. In addition to her Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Education degrees, she also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Memorial University.

Diane is the first ever Chief Science Officer (CSO) at New Brunswick’s Research and Productivity Council (RPC), a research and technology organization located in Fredericton, N.B. She earned her PhD in bioanalytical chemistry from Dalhousie University and has several publications spanning the fields of proteomics and pharmaceutical drug design.

Diane is involved in the complete innovation cycle from concept through to commercialization by providing scientific guidance to government, academic and industry partners. She also provides internal guidance to the team of scientists she leads at RPC. As a member of the executive, Diane plays a significant role in strategic planning and budgeting, with regular reporting to the Board of Directors.

Prior to her role as CSO, Diane was the Director of RPC’s Air Quality Laboratories where she consulted with stakeholders and designed analytical methods to support heath and safety initiatives. Diane strongly believes that youth mentorship is crucial for securing generations of scientific leadership in Atlantic Canada and as a result, leads several student mentorship initiatives at RPC.

Diane is a chartered chemist with the Association of Chemical Profession of Ontario, a registered biosafety officer with the Canadian Association for Biological Safety, an adjunct professor with the University of New Brunswick and a registered highland dance instructor with the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing. She is also a proud mother of two daughters.

Diane’s three favourite words are Connection, Collaboration and Communication. With these “three C’s” and some grit, she believes almost anything can be achieved.

Steve has more than 25 years of experience within the Bioscience sector. As President & CEO of Genome Atlantic, he is a results-driven champion of organizational strategy and its alignment with client needs. Steve’s career has blended management, business development and science within both the private and not-for-profit sectors. After completing his PhD at Dalhousie, Steve was a Research Associate with the Ontario Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation and McMaster University. Thereafter, he joined an international consulting firm with a focus on local and national clients in the context of regulatory approvals within Health Canada and the FDA for human pharmaceuticals, veterinary drugs, dietary supplements, and specialty foods. Steve then served as the Director of the Life Sciences Industry Partnership at InNOVAcorp in parallel with supporting the establishment and incorporation of Genome Atlantic in 2000.

Steve has been part of Genome Atlantic since day one. He has been Genome Atlantic’s President & CEO since 2007 and prior to that was Vice-President Research & Business Development and Chief Scientific Officer. Beyond Steve’s academic training in experimental cancer therapy (Post-Doctoral Fellowship), pharmacology (PhD), and pathology (MSc), he has earned a Diploma in Management from Saint Mary’s University and successfully completed of the Canadian Securities Course.

Steve has extensive experience with government relations, fund raising, and translating complex scientific topics into lay terms. He has moderated, facilitated, and presented at an array of conferences, panel sessions, workshops, and strategic planning sessions, and represented Genome Atlantic at various meetings within Canada, the United States, Italy, Spain, Iceland, Chile and Belgium. Genomics technologies are driving sustainable economic development, enhancing environmental stewardship, helping our regional industries adapt to climate change, and improving health outcomes. Steve remains passionate about the opportunity to build on today’s successes and strive for a new quantum of impact in the years ahead.

Happily married for over 35 years and a proud father of two adult children, when Steve is not at the
office you can find him with family, playing hockey, at the dojo practicing karate or on a bike trail.

Ron Keefe is Counsel to Stewart McKelvey and Managing Partner of Island Capital Partners. He is President of Regis Duffy Bioscience Fund Inc. and sits on numerous boards of private entities. Ron has a business degree from University of Prince Edward Island along with LL.B. and MBA degrees from Dalhousie University. He holds CPA, CA and ICD. D designations. He was the President and CEO of BioVectra Inc. and Diagnostic Chemicals Limited.

Ron is past chair and a current member of the PEI BioAlliance. He is a member of the UPEI board of governors and chairs the finance and audit committee of the board. He is Chair of Synapse, UPEI’s technology transfer company. He is a member of the Holland College Foundation and the Chair of Island Advance, a committee established by the Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce to advance the economy of Prince Edward Island. Mr. Keefe is a past chair of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council.

Ron has a keen interest in advancing economic development in the Atlantic region and views science-based businesses as one of the pillars to grow our economy.