Jan De Silva appointed Board Chair alongside six new Directors bringing expertise across finance, technology commercialization, Arctic and northern development, Indigenous economic participation and ocean innovation
September 24, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OTTAWA, ON – Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) today announced Jan De Silva as its new Board Chair and welcomed six new Directors, strengthening the national leadership guiding OSC as it enters its next phase of growth, commercialization and impact.
The new Board members bring experience spanning finance and investment, Indigenous economic participation, Arctic and northern development, technology commercialization, ocean science, energy and infrastructure, governance and international business. Their expertise aligns with OSC’s continued evolution as a national platform for building Canada’s ocean industrial capacity, scaling Canadian companies and connecting made-in-Canada solutions to opportunities at home and internationally.
The appointments were confirmed by OSC members at the organization’s Annual General Meeting on September 24. The six new Directors are:
- Brian Rogers, Founder, Blue Finance Canada
- Catherine Blewett, Board Chair, Arctic Economic Development Corporation
- Richard Boudreault, President-Elect, Canadian Academy of Engineering
- Sarah Patton, Founder & CEO, BluSpace
- Troy MacDonald, Advisory Partner, Doane Grant Thornton LLP
- Yvonne Rumbolt-Jones, Public Leader
De Silva succeeds John Risley, a founding member of OSC who helped develop the original 2017 proposal to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada that led to the creation of the organization. Over more than seven years as Chair, Risley helped establish OSC’s governance and strategic oversight, championed Canada’s ocean opportunity with governments and industry, and helped guide the organization from its creation into a national ocean innovation cluster.
“With the guidance of a strong national Board and the commitment of our members and partners, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster has grown into one of the world’s largest blue clusters and a national network of more than 1,000 members,” said Kendra MacDonald, CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster. “As we enter our next chapter, the experience Jan and our new Directors bring across business, finance, technology, the Arctic and North, Indigenous economic participation and international markets will strengthen our ability to turn Canadian ocean innovation into companies, capabilities and economic growth.”
“We are also deeply grateful to John Risley for his extraordinary commitment to OSC and to Canada’s ocean economy,” MacDonald added. “John’s ambition, leadership and advocacy have been instrumental from OSC’s earliest days, and the foundation he helped build creates significant opportunity for the organization’s next chapter.”
“Canada has extraordinary capabilities across its ocean economy, and OSC has created a powerful national platform for bringing those capabilities together,” said Jan De Silva, Board Chair of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster. “The opportunity now is to build on that foundation — helping more Canadian companies commercialize and scale, developing capabilities that respond to Canada’s economic and strategic priorities, and creating more pathways for Canadian solutions to succeed internationally.”
“I look forward to working with Kendra, our Board and OSC’s national network to translate more Canadian innovation into economic impact at home and global opportunity abroad,” De Silva added.
Eight years into its mandate, OSC has grown into a national network of more than 1,000 members and approved 170 collaborative projects valued at close to $700 million. Those projects are expected to deliver more than 300 new made-in-Canada ocean products, processes and services to global markets.
OSC’s portfolio spans blue food, Arctic and security, ocean energy and marine decarbonization, supporting the development and commercialization of Canadian ocean solutions and helping companies grow, create jobs and attract talent.
As Canada’s national ocean cluster, OSC convenes companies, researchers, Indigenous partners, investors and other organizations across the country. Through Ambition 2035, OSC and Canada’s ocean community are working toward the opportunity to grow Canada’s ocean economy five-fold to $220 billion by 2035.
With a strengthened Board and the national ecosystem built over its first eight years, OSC’s next phase will increasingly focus on accelerating commercialization, helping Canadian companies scale, connecting ocean capabilities to Canadian priorities, and creating pathways for Canadian solutions to reach global markets.
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Media Contact
Nancy Andrews
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
nancy.andrews@oceansupercluster.ca