The federal government has announced new appointments to the board of directors for Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), the federal agency responsible for funding cleantech initiatives and companies.
“The experience and diversity these individuals bring to the board will help facilitate the progress of Canada’s most promising cleantech innovators.”
– Navdeep Bains
Annette Verschuren O.C., Erin Mahoney, and Jill Earthy will all join the board of directors for the agency. Verschuren will replace outgoing chair Jim Balsillie, while Mahoney and Earthy will serve as directors.
“I look forward to continuing this important work to drive both positive environmental outcomes and economic growth under the leadership of the new board chair and with the additional expertise these new board directors will bring to SDTC,” said Leah Lawrence, president and CEO of SDTC.
Verschuren is currently chair and CEO of NRStor, an energy storage development company. Formerly a development officer with the Cape Breton Development Corporation in Nova Scotia, she worked with the Canada Development Investment Corporation and Imasco before co-founding Michaels in Canada.
In 2011, Verschuren was named officer of The Order of Canada for her contribution to the retail industry as well as corporate social responsibility. She also serves as Chancellor of Cape Breton University and led fundraising efforts for the University’s Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment. She has also been chair of MaRS Discovery District.
RELATED: SDTC invests $58.6 million in 14 Canadian cleantech companies
Mahoney, who has been named an SDTC director, is currently the commissioner of environmental services for York Region, where she oversees water and wastewater services, waste management, forestry, corporate asset management, and corporate energy.
Mahoney has served as chair of the regional public works commissioners of Ontario, with over 25 years of public and private sector experience on projects involving water and wastewater treatment, waste management, environmental legislation and public engagement. She is a member of the American Water Works Association, the Toronto Region Board of Trade, the Canadian Water Network, and American Public Works Association.
Earthy is also being appointed to a director on SDTC’s board. She is currently the head of Vancouver-based Female Funders, and was chief growth officer of FrontFundr, an online platform connecting entrepreneurs and investors, which recently appointed David R. Beatty to its board of directors.
Earthy’s previous roles include CEO of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, and regional director for BC and Yukon of Futurpreneur Canada, which recently lost funding from the Ontario provincial government. She is currently a director on the of governors at Simon Fraser University, as a board chair of the Women’s Enterprise Centre, and a co-founder of the WEB Alliance.
SDTC has invested more than $1 billion into more than 300 companies, focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 18.1 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.
“The experience and diversity these successful and enterprising individuals bring to the board will help facilitate the success and progress of some of Canada’s most promising cleantech innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. “I would also like to thank outgoing Chair Jim Balsillie for his leadership, insights, and experience.”
Image courtesy SDTC