Chris Greenfield is no longer the managing director of OneEleven

Chris Greenfield is no longer the managing director of Toronto-based innovation hub OneEleven, BetaKit has learned.

OneEleven’s head of communications and marketing announced Greenfield’s departure in a brief message to an internal Slack channel, which has been viewed by BetaKit.

“FYI – Chris Greenfield is no longer with OneEleven. We thank Chris for his contributions during his time with the organization,” the message reads.

Greenfield’s departure begins another chapter of uncertain leadership.

When reached via LinkedIn, Greenfield confirmed to BetaKit that he is no longer with OneEleven, but said that he is “still supporting some of the member companies in their growth journeys.” Greenfield did not specify the nature of his departure.

“Sometimes things just don’t fit the way you hoped they would,” Greenfield said. “OCI does important work funding innovation across Ontario, but in the end, our visions just weren’t aligned.”

The Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), which is part of the provincial economic development ministry and owns OneEleven, initially declined to comment on “personnel matters,” but on follow-up said the organization is “currently in a transition period” and has “strong leadership in place to ensure continuity across all operations.”

“We’ll share more details about future leadership when the time is right,” the OCI spokesperson said.

Greenfield said he is now working with a number of other groups, which include “investors, thought leaders and change makers,” at his recently launched advisory firm. He announced its launch in an early May LinkedIn post where, in the comments, he indicated that he was on leave from OneEleven but hoped to return soon.

Greenfield’s departure begins another chapter of uncertain leadership at the innovation hub. Greenfield joined OneEleven in February 2024, concluding a 10-month-long search for a replacement for former managing director Matthew Lombardi. The lengthy search amassed over 1,000 applications on LinkedIn alone. Sources familiar with the process told BetaKit at the time that a handful of candidates had been offered the role prior to Greenfield.

“I’m remaining active in the ecosystem looking to provide more value to our incredible and brave founders,” Greenfield told BetaKit. “I believe our founders deserve the strongest support we can provide across the ecosystem and I’d love to see more collaboration to make that happen.”

Feature image courtesy OCI.