Interim CEO Dr. Mike Mahon has received unanimous approval from Alberta Innovates’ board to take on the role permanently, BetaKit has learned. The decision comes days before the organization will unveil the next phase of its plan to support the province’s innovation ecosystem.
Alberta Innovates made the formal announcement May 21, prior to the start of Inventures, its flagship tech conference held in Calgary.
Alberta Innovates is a provincial government agency tasked with supporting research and innovation through funding programs. Its board is appointed by the Alberta government.
“What our plan is about is creating a unifying vision delivered by Alberta innovates in collaboration with the ecosystem.”
Dr. Mike Mahon
Mahon was named interim CEO last July amid a “critical transition period” for the organization, one month after board chair Tony Williams announced that former CEO Laura Kilcrease was no longer with Alberta Innovates, effective immediately. The provincial government also overhauled the organization’s board and appointed five new directors. At the time, former senior manager Dawyne Brunner told BetaKit the governance of Alberta Innovates was “charting a new course” and that leadership changes were a “natural part of any organization’s growth and evolution.”
Mahon comes with a wealth of leadership experience and a research background. He previously served as president of the University of Lethbridge for 13 years and dean of the University of Alberta for 10 years before that. He also served as chair of Universities Canada.
Mahon told BetaKit he had originally taken the interim role to help transition the organization. He was tasked with overseeing a comprehensive review of the agency for the provincial government, as well as a strategic plan for the organization’s future.
Williams told BetaKit that Alberta Innovates’ mission has shifted from creating an ecosystem to harnessing the one it has helped build.
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“The original strategic plan was more about trying to grow an innovation ecosystem and create one here. Now there is an ecosystem that’s operational,” Williams said. “So I think the mission has shifted, because the time is different, the ecosystem is different, and that requires a different kind of leader.”
The comprehensive review involved identifying which programs were working best to support innovation. Mahon said that once he’d delivered on the strategic plan, the Alberta Innovates board told him they’d like him to continue permanently to see it come to fruition.
“[This] gives me a chance to continue to sink my teeth into how to support the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem, the researchers in this province [who] are doing fantastic work,” Mahon told BetaKit.
Mahon will have to execute its strategic plan amid projected funding cuts. The Alberta government’s 2025-2028 technology and innovation business plan foresees a $53-million budget reduction next year, bringing its annual funding to just over $200 million.
In an email to BetaKit, Alberta Innovates manager of issues communications, Karen Garth, said the budget cuts are a reflection of some programs ending and others being realigned to better support the new plan.
“We anticipate the development of new partnered programs and services that capitalize on high-impact opportunities,” Garth wrote. “Through the implementation of the strategic plan, we will reallocate funds and resources to accelerate Alberta’s innovation future.”
Under its go-forward plan, Alberta Innovates will support the organizations that already exist in the tech ecosystem and act as a connector for innovators across the province, Mahon said, while seeking to establish national and international partnerships.
“What our plan is about is creating a unifying vision delivered by Alberta innovates in collaboration with the ecosystem,” he added.
Fostering tech talent in the province is another piece of the organization’s future plans, as it seeks to attract workers and companies to build in Alberta.
“I think our vision as a province has always been to grow the province by bringing in bright young people,” Mahon said.
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The leadership change comes as Alberta’s tech ecosystem has seen a recent uptick in growth. The province ranked third in the nation for venture capital (VC) investments in the first quarter of 2025, according to a report from the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. The province’s tech sector contributed $13 billion to the provincial GDP in 2023, according to a recent report from ATB Financial.
Both Williams and Mahon acknowledged the current political climate, with cross-border tensions and challenges to Canada’s economic sovereignty, as an opportunity for Alberta to demonstrate leadership. Each cited the growing opportunities in aerospace and artificial intelligence that have recently emerged in the province.
“Things that are happening here are not just about the Edmonton economy or the Alberta economy or the Western Canadian economy,” Williams said. “More and more, it’s about building something that goes national, goes global.”
Mahon and Williams are set to discuss the go-forward plan for Alberta Innovates on stage at Inventures 2025 on Friday. The organization confirmed to BetaKit that it would finalize its business plan with the provincial government and other partners shortly after.
With files from Douglas Soltys. Feature image courtesy Alberta Innovates.