The details of the OSC’s operations from the commencement of operations March 15, 2018 to March 31, 2019 can be found in the OSC’s Annual Report 2018/2019, available here – https://oceansupercluster.ca/our-strategy/
During the 2018/2019 fiscal year, an interim board was in place to oversee the operations of the organization. Five of the original interim board members will remain on the 2019/2020 Board of Directors – they include:
Name – Company:
John Risley, Chair of the Board – CFFI Ventures Inc.
Chris Huskilson, Director – Emera Inc.
Robert Orr, Director – Cuna del Mar
Unni Fjær, Director – Equinor Canada Ltd.
Martin Sullivan, Director – Ocean Choice International
The newest 2019/2020 members of the Board of Directors include:
Glenn Blackwood, Director – Memorial University/Marine Institute
Moya Cahill, Director – Pangeo Subsea Inc.
Geoff Flood, Director – T4G
Rory Francis, Director – PEI BioAlliance
Angeline Gillis, Director – Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq
Peter Larden, Director – ExxonMobil Canada Ltd.
Jennifer O’Donnell, Director – BioNB
Anya Waite, Director – Ocean Frontier Institute
Biographies of the newest Directors:
Glenn Blackwood – is Vice-President of Memorial University (Marine Institute), overseeing Canada’s largest and most comprehensive education and applied research institute for the ocean sector. Since assuming the role in 2005, Glenn has led the Institute though a highly successful expansion including broadening its range of industry-driven academic programs, establishing a new School of Ocean Technology and two new applied research centres in Applied Ocean Technology and Fisheries Ecosystem Research and launched six new Masters programs and a PhD program. The Marine Institute has been awarded the Distinction in Innovation Award by the Newfoundland and Labrador government in 2009 and 2012 and its people and centres have been recognized with numerous other National and International awards. Glenn is well recognized at the national and international level for his collaboration with industry to spearhead major projects and his ability to attract funding from private and public sector organizations, alongside his expertise in resource management.
Moya Cahill – is the co-founder and CEO of Pangeo Subsea Inc, a technology and service provider of high-resolution 3D sub-bottom acoustic imaging technology. PanGeo’s technology uses SAS (Synthetic Aperture Sonar) to provide enhanced sub-bottom data, imaging buried geohazards to mitigating risk for offshore installations both for the Oil & Gas and Offshore Renewable Energy sectors. A professional engineer holding a B.Eng. in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Moya has over 30 years’ experience in the oil & gas sector and more recently in offshore renewables energy sector. With a vision for a global footprint, Moya has established a strong network of clients in Gulf of Mexico, United Kingdom, Norway, Europe, Chile and the Middle East.
Geoff Flood – is the President of T4G, an applied data services company that delivers analytical solutions to some of North Americans most recognizable brands, such as Loblaw Companies, Cooke Aquaculture, Disney, Telus, & Enbridge. Geoff oversees the growth and geographic expansion across T4G’s oceanside offices, which include, Saint John, Halifax, and Vancouver, and headquarters in Toronto. Geoff’s commitment to community and culture has never wavered, leading efforts that have placed T4G on the Top 50 Great Places to Work in Canada for the last 12 years running. His vision led T4G to become a registered B Corp – the first data and analytics firm in Canada. He also founded the Atlantic Big Data Congress, a not-for- profit organization serving to advance the data and analytics capability in Atlantic Canada. Geoff has been widely recognized for sum of community development efforts with a Doctor of Letters, honoris causa from the University of New Brunswick in 2017.
Rory Francis – is the CEO of the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance, a not-for-profit network of bioscience businesses, academic and research organizations, and government agencies. He is a founder of the Emergence Bioscience Business Incubator, and Natural Products Canada, a national natural products ecosystem and business accelerator. From 1991 to 2003 Rory held Deputy Minister positions in several provincial government departments, including Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Health and Social Services. A native of Prince Edward Island, he earned a BSc in geology and chemistry from Mount Allison University and an MSc in Hydrogeology from the University of Waterloo.
Angeline Gillis – is a practicing lawyer and has worked with The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM) since October 2011, overseeing numerous files, projects and services offered to seven (7) Mi’kmaw communities in Mainland Nova Scotia. Angeline earned her undergraduate degree from Dalhousie University in 2005 and her LL.B from the Schulich School of Law in 2009. She was called to the Nova Scotia Bar Society in June 2010. In 2013, Angeline became the Director of Environment and Natural Resources after successfully establishing a number of environmental programs for CMM’s Member Communities.
Peter Larden – was appointed President of ExxonMobil Canada Ltd. (EMC) in February 2019. He is responsible for the company’s upstream interests in Canada including as operator of the Hebron and Sable Offshore Energy Projects and lead owner in the Hibernia Project. Also responsible for EMC’s interest in exploration and production activities in Western Canada and exploration licenses offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. Peter began his career in 2004 with Santos Ltd., Australia’s largest gas producer as a reservoir engineer. He joined ExxonMobil in Melbourne, Australia in 2005 and since then has held progressively senior technical, supervisory and planning roles in various assignments in Australia, the United States, United Kingdom and most recently, Africa, as the asset manager and operations superintendent. Peter attended the University of Adelaide where he received a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemicals), Honors and a Bachelor of Finance, Honors.
Jennifer O’Donnell – is the Executive Director of BioNB, New Brunswick’s bioscience agency. At BioNB, Jennifer provides leadership to the organization and works to support the commercialization of technologies in New Brunswick. BioNB works directly with entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and government to drive economic development and align assets in research, business and natural resources. Graduating from Dalhousie University in 2003 with a M.Sc. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Jennifer subsequently worked in government research, diagnostic testing, genomics, and crop biotechnology. From 2006 – 2010 Jennifer launched and directed a high-throughput biotech research program for the Ag Tech company Targeted Growth. The program involved collaborations with several industry and academic partners.
Anya M. Waite – is the Scientific Director of the Ocean Frontier Institute, and Associate Vice-President Research (Ocean), Dalhousie University. Prior to this Anya was Section Head of Polar Biological Oceanography at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven, and Professor of Oceanography in the Department of Biology at the University of Bremen. After completing a BSc Hons. in 1985 at Dalhousie University, she obtained her PhD in 1992 in oceanography at the University of British Columbia. She was appointed Postdoctoral Scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA) in 1992. Prof. Waite’s research career spans thirty-five years of education, service and international scholarship, with scientific research publications in areas as diverse as aquaculture, rock lobster fisheries, conservation genetics, physical oceanography, and the impacts of climate change. Her most recent work includes innovations in oceanographic technologies and sensors.