In a world where emerging technologies like Google Fiber have the potential to change the digital economy as we know it, there is an organization that stands out as the voice of the ICT and Digital Media sectors here in Canada. The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN) is mandated to:

“…establishing Canada as a world leader in digital media (ICT + mobile) by creating and enabling connections and collaboration between entrepreneurs, companies, research institutes, government and intermediary organizations across the country. CDMN helps bring more digital media solutions to market to create more companies, jobs and wealth in Canada.”

This is a big job, and is a really impactful one. Click here to see a video about the network they have built and that continues to grow.

The ICT sector GDP in Canada grew to around $62.7B in Canada by 2011 and had an annualized growth rate of 3.8% since 2002. Now compare that to a 1.9% growth rate for the Canadian economy as a whole in the same time period, it becomes more and more clear that the opportunities within the digital economy are important for the future growth of the nation and associated prosperity.

If you don’t know too much about the CDMN, it’s my suggestion that you look them up and learn about them. If you see synergies with your organization or want to get involved, they are a great starting point to join a coordinated effort to continue Canada’s growth. From my experience at their annual conference, Canada 3.0, and through my interaction with the CDMN here at the Communitech Hub and at the Accelerator Centre, they have great initiatives and are in it to help wherever they can, especially when it comes to startups.

Why are we having this conversation? We’re passionate about working together with organizations like the CDMN to promote this very important topic for Canada. We want to highlight the importance of infrastructure investment and inclusivity when it comes to high quality and reliable internet connection across the country to drive Canada’s economy forward. Check out this video to get a feel for Canada 3.0!

Kadie Ward, an economic developer, is taking the train across Canada to advocate for the much needed transit, transportation, and information communication technology infrastructure.   As she rides from Halifax to Vancouver May 21^st to May 29^th she will discuss the role transit and transportation infrastructure played in building the Canadian economy as well as discuss the importance of the digital infrastructure needed to support smart, connected, and sustainable future economic growth.

Kadie Ward will board the train in Halifax accompanied by a videographer, photographer, and digital media entrepreneur.  With stops in Halifax, Toronto, Waterloo, Stratford, London, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Jasper, and Vancouver, the team will showcase infrastructure investments across Canada that are fueling local economic development. She will have video and still footage available for local media at each stop.

Presented in partnership with the Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN) www.cdmn.ca, the experience of the ride will be presented through multiple platforms including an online blog, social media, and videos .The content will be published at www.buildstrongcities.com .

The Build Strong Cities Ride is presented by Kadie Ward and the Canadian Digital Media Network, and sponsored by Cisco Canada, Holcim Canada Inc., Via Rail, and Libro Financial Group.

Schedule and Route

Video footage and stills will be available for media

On the first day of its Canada 3.0 conference, the CDMN recognized four outstanding Canadian companies with its inaugural Moonshot Awards.

The awards embody the CDMN’s mandate to bring more digital media solutions to market and create more companies, jobs and wealth in Canada. The name comes from the CDMN’s ambitious “Moonshot” goal – that anyone can do anything online by 2017.

The winners were selected from among 15 finalists that were chosen from more than 30 initial submissions from across Canada.

“It was an incredibly tough decision,” said Dr. Kevin Tuer, CDMN Managing Director and an awards judge. “The innovation and technological creativity coming out of Canada is truly inspiring. It’s critical that we continue fostering and recognizing the abundance of talent in Canada with awards like these.”

The CDMN Digital Media Dynamic Company of the Year award was presented to Magnet Forensics Inc., developer of the Internet Evidence Finder, used by the world’s top law enforcement, military and corporate organizations to recover digital evidence like instant messaging chats, social media artifacts and web history. This award recognizes the Canadian company demonstrating the greatest increase in productivity through the adoption of digital media.

The CDMN Digital Media Globalizer of the Year award was presented to Axonify, an employee training process that is transforming the way corporate enterprises train their employees. This award recognizes a Canadian company that demonstrates the greatest increase in international sales, investments or other contributions to the growth of the Canadian digital media industry internationally.

The CDMN Digital Media Innovator of the Year award was presented to Miovision Technologies. Miovision has created an Adaptive Signal Control which automatically adjusts traffic signals based on real-time demand of vehicles and pedestrians. The award recognizes the Canadian company that has demonstrated the greatest degree of innovation through the adoption of digital media.

Finally, the CDMN Digital Media Company of the Year award was presented to Desire2Learn, which develops customized, cloud-based e-learning solutions. The award recognizes the Canadian company that has made the greatest contributions to the growth of the Canadian digital media industry in the past year.

The Honourable Reza Moridi, Ontario’s Minister of Research and Innovation, was on hand to congratulate the winners.

“The Moonshot awards recognize trailblazing companies that are pushing boundaries and boosting the economy with innovation in digital media,” he said. “I was pleased to see so many companies from Ontario among the nominees, and proud that the four winning digital media firms are based in Ontario.”

In addition to Tuer, the judging panel included Kevin Newman, CTV host, W5 correspondent and Founder of New Man Media; Sid Paquette, Director at OMERS Ventures; Terry Stuart, Deloitte Canada’s Chief Innovation Officer; and April Dunford, RocketScope Managing Director and Founder.

ventureLAB is York Region’s innovation centre for advanced health tech, digital media, ICT, green energy, clean tech and advanced materials & manufacturing entrepreneurs. It is the GTA’s most northerly centre in the Ontario Network of Excellence [ONE], Ontario’s client-focused, province-wide innovation network. ventureLAB works locally in York Region to facilitate mentoring, partnering and connecting advice for innovative small to medium sized and start-up entrepreneurs to help turn their great ideas into globally competitive products and services.

“By joining the Canadian Digital Media Network, ventureLAB connects its growing community of digital media and ICT entrepreneurs to a national movement where all partners are dedicated to establishing Canadian companies as global powerhouses,” said Jeremy Laurin, President and CEO ventureLAB. The CDMN already has a substantial list of best in class partners supporting the network all across Canada and ventureLAB is proud to connect and contribute York Region’s best and brightest with other entrepreneurs and organizations working together to grow global class export oriented firms.”

“ventureLAB has a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs in Markham launch a venture and keep it growing.” says Kevin Tuer, CDMN Managing Director. “CDMN is proud to count ventureLAB among our members, and is excited about tapping into its expertise to help the Canadian start-up community mature and prosper”.

By joining the CDMN, ventureLAB has Canada’s largest members-only online collaboration of commercialization resources at their disposal, immediately expanding their client support capability while enabling national access to their regional resources. ventureLAB also gains domestic and international market exposure for their organizations and client companies, and have access to unique services that enable their facilities and their clients to leverage proven regional programming and best practices of network members.

About the Canadian Digital Media Network

The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN), a federal Centre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research (CECR), is dedicated to establishing Canada as a world leader in digital media (ICT + mobile) by creating and enabling connections and collaboration between entrepreneurs, companies, research institutes, government and intermediary organizations across the country.  CDMN helps bring more digital media solutions to market to create more companies, jobs and wealth in Canada.

Together, the Network provides access to the knowledge, connections, services and support that digital media companies need to successfully innovate and market themselves at home and abroad. Major initiatives include an exclusive online national collaboration platform; an online Research Portal that provides one-stop access to important information about key digital media issues; the CDMN Soft-Landing Program to drive Canadian success globally; National Tour events enable companies to go global; and CDMN Canada 3.0, Canada’s only national digital media conference focused on the commercialization of innovation. Learn more at www.cdmn.ca or follow @CDMN on Twitter, join the Canadian Digital Media Network Group on LinkedIn, and like the Canadian Digital Media Network Page on Facebook.

Innovacorp is Nova Scotia’s early-stage venture capital organization. Its goal is to help emerging Nova Scotia knowledge-based companies commercialize their technologies, particularly in information technology, life sciences and clean technology, and succeed in the global marketplace. Innovacorp gives entrepreneurs access to world-class incubation facilities and an international network of expert advisors to help them growth their business.

“We’re delighted to join the CDMN community and enhance our support for the Nova Scotia early-stage technology companies we serve,” said Stephen Duff, president and CEO of Innovacorp. “It’s exciting to be part of a national network of like-minded people who want to advance Canada’s promising digital media industry.”

“Innovacorp has a proven track record of helping entrepreneurs in Nova Scotia launch a venture and keep it growing.” says Kevin Tuer, CDMN Managing Director. “CDMN is proud to count Innovacorp among our members, and is excited about tapping into its expertise to help the Canadian start-up community mature and prosper”.

By joining the CDMN, Innovacorp has Canada’s largest members-only online collaboration of commercialization resources at their disposal, immediately expanding their client support capability while enabling national access to their regional resources. Innovacorp also gains domestic and international market exposure for their organizations and client companies, and have access to unique services that enable their facilities and their clients to leverage proven regional programming and best practices of network members.

About the Canadian Digital Media Network

The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN), a federal Centre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research (CECR), is dedicated to establishing Canada as a world leader in digital media (ICT + mobile) by creating and enabling connections and collaboration between entrepreneurs, companies, research institutes, government and intermediary organizations across the country.  CDMN helps bring more digital media solutions to market to create more companies, jobs and wealth in Canada.

Together, the Network provides access to the knowledge, connections, services and support that digital media companies need to successfully innovate and market themselves at home and abroad. Major initiatives include an exclusive online national collaboration platform; an online Research Portal that provides one-stop access to important information about key digital media issues; the CDMN Soft-Landing Program to drive Canadian success globally; National Tour events enable companies to go global; and CDMN Canada 3.0, Canada’s only national digital media conference focused on the commercialization of innovation. Learn more at www.cdmn.ca or follow @CDMN on Twitter, join the Canadian Digital Media Network Group on LinkedIn, and like the Canadian Digital Media Network Page on Facebook.

They invited me to be a keynote speaker and, as one of the two thousand delegates who headed to Stratford, Ontario, it was a Woodstock-like moment. Though we all came from different sectors and knew little of what to expect, we all shared a commitment to the event’s success and more importantly, we had a shared sense of purpose to realize Canada’s potential in the digital age.

On the eve of its annual blossoming as one of Canada’s major theatre centres, Stratford invited creativity, spontaneity, and passion. Moreover, its cultural industries represented the emerging digital integration of arts and sciences, of culture and technology, of literacies and data, of economic and social cohesion.

The event was held in an impressive hockey arena – the only place in town able to hold such a large crowd. But the venue proved to be highly appropriate, not only as a community hub, but also consistent with the event’s Canada-pride theme and the Gretzky strategy of going where the puck will be rather than where it is.

From the start, the atmosphere was electric. The private sector formed a strong contingent with tiny start-up companies and a few multi-nationals such as host OpenText under Tom Jenkins` leadership. One hall was filled with kiosks to display cutting-edge innovations like Christie Digital’s tiles that work like mobile computer screens able to display unlimited images independently or in stunning concert. Small groups clustered to hear young entrepreneurs pitch their plans to develop prototype apps for global markets.

Academic researchers from diverse fields across the arts and sciences presented new ways to think digital, and to build tools to analyse data, enhance learning, and improve quality of life in homes and communities. Students from local high schools as well as from post-secondary campuses across Canada were connecting across the arena and beyond as Canada 3.0 began trending on Twitter.

Copious notes were taken as Federal Minster of Industry at the time, Tony Clement, took to the stage to launch the consultation paper for a federal digital economy strategy. Everyone asked about who should do what in terms of policy, regulation and investment. The Mayor of Stratford, Dan Mathieson, joined the President of the University of Waterloo, David Johnston, now His Excellency the Governor General, to announce the creation of a new satellite campus devoted to enhancing the digital media experience through research, teaching and partnerships with the private, public and non-profit sectors including those in the local cultural industries.

The emphasis in my presentation was on the deep changes in values, perspectives and behaviour that have been inspiring technological developments and making their use so pervasive and usually beyond all expectations. Rather than living in a technologically-defined era, we are using new media to fundamentally change how we interact with each other.

The early results herald the arrival of a new people-centered approach across the private, public and non-profit sectors including the blurring of such distinctions. The digital age is enabling the new customer-driven marketplace, student-centered learning, patient-oriented health, user-focused services, and citizen-engaged politics.

The overall result of this inaugural event was a new optimism, a new determination, and a new sense of a digital community bridging companies, post-secondary institutions, and government. We all left convinced that Canada could indeed lead the world in making analog to digital transformations for the benefit of humanity.

The fifth annual Canada 3.0 conference begins on May 14 and, for the first time, we will not be gathering in Stratford but rather at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This year’s program reflects the continued development of much that had been foreshadowed at the start as well as new dimensions of the rapidly evolving Digital Age.  Keynote speakers such as Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, executives from Facebook, YouTube and CBC`s Jian Ghomeshi illustrate how the digital ambition has moved mainstream while a new Youth Movement initiative and Big Data Workshop will build on key features that defined the initial conference. First-time features include a new wiki-like open invitation to develop the actual program.

What will remain constant, however, is a shared commitment to do all that we can do to realize Canada’s potential to lead in the Digital age…there is no time to lose especially since 2017 now seems right around the corner.

Chad Gaffield is President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. His many awards as a historian include the Zampolli Prize given in 2011 by the International Alliance of Digital Humanities Associations.

To highlight the international collaboration, Scott Fraser, Director General, Global Business Opportunities Bureau, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), will moderate a panel that discusses the importance of ICT and mobile technologies to each nation’s economy, what industries benefit most from ICT and mobile, and how Canadian companies can best connect with international business leaders for partnership and problem-solving. The panel will include:

• Mr. Masaaki Tanaka, Deputy Director-General, Science & Technology Policy Bureau, MEXT (Japan)
• Simon Smits, Vice Minister for Foreign Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (the Netherlands)
• Marcos Vinícius de Souza, Director – Secretariat for Innovation, Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade – MDIC (Brazil)
• Lars Hansen, Head of International Business Cooperation, Innovations-Zentrum Berlin Management GmbH, Internationale Incubator OWZ Berlin-Adlershof (Germany)

In the Grow Global pavilion as part of the Interactive Showcase at Canada 3.0, DFAIT is also hosting a ‘Grow Global Hotspot’ where Canadian companies can make valuable international business and government connections to help them take their business global. The Holland Lounge is also part of the Grow Global pavilion.

NEW SPEAKERS 
Also announced today, Canada 3.0 added two new speakers to its roster – Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer of OpenText Corporation, will provide a state of the nation on digital media in Canada and Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo Inc., will offer a Canadian success story as part of his keynote address.

MENTORING LUNCHES
Spaces are becoming increasingly limited for Canada 3.0 Mentoring Lunches. Canada 3.0 attendees are encouraged to pre-register for Mentoring Lunches with director-level or above mentors from TVO, LG, Manulife Financial, CBC, CTV, Transgaming Inc. and more. A full list of mentoring topics is available online and attendees are encouraged to sign up to secure their opportunity to learn proven business approaches straight from the source. Advance registration for the lunches closes Friday at 5pm ET, with only limited spots available for on-site sign up.

‘SIDE BY SIDE’ FILM SCREENING
CDMN has also opened free public registration for the Canadian premiere of SIDE by SIDE, a film produced by Keanu Reeves that documents the science, art and impact of digital cinema through interviews with Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, George Lucas and more. The screening will be held on the evening of Monday, May 13 at the Scotiabank Theatre and acts as a kick-off to CDMN’s Canada 3.0 2013. Sponsored by TVO, the film will be followed by a live Q&A with the film’s co-producer Justin Szlasa. You do not have to be registered for Canada 3.0 to attend the screening. Seating is limited, so those interested are encouraged to register today.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR CONFERENCE ATTENDEES
Conference attendees can also benefit from an exclusive deal with Mitacs, a national not-for-profit research organization that supports innovation by coordinating industry-university research projects with human capital development. Mitacs helps companies identify challenges and the talent required to move to the next level of development, and provides co-funding through the Mitacs-Accelerate Program. Canada 3.0 attendees are eligible for a discounted rate of $6,000 (from $7,500) which is then matched by Mitacs. The business development team will be onsite at Canada 3.0 on May 15 to answer questions about the program and match industry needs to academic researchers from GRAND that can help overcome their business challenges.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CDMN Canada 3.0 is made possible through the support of the following sponsors and partners: Lead Sponsor, OpenText; Official IT Media Sponsor, IT World Canada; Media Partner, Toronto Star; Network & Mentor Sponsors, Waterloo Stratford Campus; Workshop Sponsor, Corus Entertainment; Workshop Sponsor, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; Connect Sponsor, Canada Media Fund; Mentor Sponsor, Virtual Causeway; Video Partner, Angle Media Group; Charging Station Sponsors, Wavefront and Front Street Capital; Media Sponsors, Backbone and TechVibes; Film Screening Sponsor, TVO. Limited sponsorship opportunities are still available; contact Drew Carroll at drew@sponsorshipcanada.com for more information.

About the Canadian Digital Media Network
The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN), a federal Centre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research, is dedicated to establishing Canada as a world leader in digital media (ICT + mobile) by creating and enabling connections and collaboration between entrepreneurs, companies, research institutes, government and intermediary organizations across the country.  CDMN helps bring more digital media solutions to market to create more companies, jobs and wealth in Canada.

Together, the Network provides access to the knowledge, connections, services and support that digital media companies need to successfully innovate and market themselves at home and abroad. Major initiatives include an exclusive online national collaboration platform; an online Research Portal that provides one-stop access to important information about key digital media issues; the CDMN Soft-Landing Program to drive Canadian success globally; National Tour events enable companies to go global; and CDMN Canada 3.0, Canada’s only national digital media conference focused on the commercialization of innovation. Learn more at www.cdmn.ca or follow @CDMN on Twitter, join the Canadian Digital Media Network Group on LinkedIn, and like the Canadian Digital Media Network Page on Facebook.

Here’s a look at some Tweetable – just click the Twitter icon following the trend! – key trends and numbers that are impacting Canada’s digital economy for April 2013:

Connectivity for Canadians of any financial status and geographic location:

• 21: the average number of YouTube videos watched by Canadians each week. 
• 8: Per cent of Canadians who cut their cable in favour of Internet TV.

Productivity improvements through the adoption of digital media technologies and the infrastructure to support it:

• 65: per cent of Canadian companies who offer telecommuting feel it has a positive impact on employee productivity. 
• 20M: The user base for SoundCloud, an online mobile streaming service for Canadian music. 

Mobilizing Digital Content from ensuring Canadian content is accessible to realising commercialization opportunities created through content development or management:

• Facebook’s share of the social login space has dropped to 46% while Google’s rose to 34%. 
• A Harris study reveals 8 out of 10 US adult internet users prefer to binge-view TV content. 

Access to Capital and investments required for technology and business growth:

• 1M: RIM reports a profitable fourth quarter thanks to sales of the new BlackBerry 10 devices. 
• $19.5M: The amount nabbed in series B funding by Waterloo-based Kik Interactive.

Access to Talent including the digital skills and talent required to meet rapidly evolving workplace needs:

As Jayesh explains, “I felt the experience in New York, following the heels of Extreme Startup and working with MaRS in Toronto, really increased my knowledge base. I felt so fortunate for the experience and the money invested from the CDMN Soft-Landing Program that I decided to host an event to pay it forward to anyone who wanted to come and learn from our experience.”

Picatic, a crowdfunding platform for the event ticketing and management space, launched this past September 2012. The team started their idea in San Francisco from January to June 2012, where they literally learned how to be a startup-from how to get business going to how to put together deal flow.

Next, Picatic moved to Toronto where they got involved with Extreme Startups and CDMN hub, MaRS, which introduced them to the CDMN Soft-Landing Program. The company ended up scoring funding to assist with a three-month stint in New York City, at the Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA), at General Assembly.

“We really experienced the trifecta of startup worlds,” says Nicole Parmar, Picatic’s Community Client and Service Consultant. “The pace in New York was really intense. San Francisco seemed to be about work-life balance and being in Toronto as a startup , was intense. But New York was a whole new level of intensity. It was 7am to 11pm every day, holidays included!”

Today, with offices located in Saskatoon, Vancouver, and New York City, paying it forward really has become Picatic’s mantra-mostly thanks to the funds they were able to raise in Canada and the U.S. for their seed round of financing.

“General Assembly was amazing! The facilities were well managed, the location (two blocks from Union Street) made it easy to get anywhere in the city, and just the fact that we were surrounded by likeminded people,” says Nicole. “They offered everything we needed and more…you’re with the best and brightest in New York City.”

Picatic is still buzzing from the impact of their Big Apple landing, the biggest of which was being in the right location for raising their investment funding.

“In New York we were connected with an individual who came on board both as an investor and as an advisor,” she says, “but not only that, the physical locality gave us the opportunity to connect with some of the city’s most successful event planners, as well as General Assembly and the CTA who used Picatic for their phenomenal events.”

“Because of the connections we were able to make in New York, we were fortunate enough to be able to be part of the Canada Day International Festival in New York City. Picatic is the platform for crowdfunding this amazing event,” states Jayesh.

After all, it’s completely about who you know in the Big Apple, and the Picatic team soon learned that once you made a few solid connections in the city-the doors of interest and opportunity open up wide.

“Landing physically as a startup gave us the ability to do things we just wouldn’t otherwise have been able to do,” says Nicole. For instance, just being physically in New York, we were able to take in meetings with investors and raise American funds. Whereas if we were solely based in Canada, we wouldn’t have had that opportunity and other American investors wouldn’t be looking at us now. It gave us credibility in that market.”

So, what’s next for Picatic?

Nicole says that Picatic credits the money from the CDMN Soft-Landing Program as their solid launching pad.

“We were so fortunate to be able to get the best of both worlds and it’s because of CDMN,” says Nicole. “The initial funding really softened the blow and the rewards were amazing! We were able to hire a new programmer…we’re in the midst of a relaunch… we brought so many great ideas back… and we’re opening a new space in Vancouver. The impact of the connections made will continue to trickle in over the next 12 months.”

To learn more about the CDMN Soft-Landing Program and how to qualify, contact Lisa Cashmore, Soft-Landing Program Manager for CDMN, at 519-804-2980 Ext. 1075, or at lisa.cashmore@cdmn.ca.

“I am delighted to welcome Euan Robertson as President and COO of MaRS,” said Ilse Treurnicht, CEO. “Euan is recognized as a driver behind New York City’s spectacular success in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in recent years. He has delivered transformational results towards that city’s ambitious growth agenda. I look forward to working in partnership with him as MaRS enters a critical new phase of growth.”

The newly created role of President and COO comes at a key juncture in the evolution of MaRS. In the fall of 2013, MaRS will open its Phase 2 building, which will more than double the size of its current facilities to over 1.5 million square feet. In concert, MaRS will significantly strengthen its suite of programs to equip Canadians for the innovation economy, grow high-impact ventures, as well as scale and diffuse innovation, both in Canada and globally.

The new President and COO will lead the organization’s increasingly demanding day-to-day operations and work closely with the CEO to strengthen MaRS’ unique innovation platform to bring important discoveries to market, help Canadian entrepreneurs succeed in the highly competitive global marketplace, and contribute to Canada’s economic and social prosperity.

“I’m extremely pleased that Euan Robertson, a recognized leader in the innovation community, has agreed to join Ilse and the executive team as the new President and COO of MaRS,” said Gordon Nixon, President and CEO, RBC, and Chair, MaRS Discovery District. “Mr. Robertson has an extensive background in science and technology, and a record of effectively transforming and scaling organizations, key skills for driving economic and social prosperity — both in Canada and abroad — through smarter innovation.”

“This position is both an incredible challenge and a huge opportunity. I am truly thrilled to join one of the world’s leading urban innovation hubs,” said Robertson. “MaRS has already established an enviable record as best-in-class. I’m looking forward to working with Ilse, the Board, and the MaRS community to take this remarkable organization to the next level.”

Euan Robertson

Euan Robertson joins MaRS from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), where he held the position of Executive Vice President, and the Center for Economic Transformation, where he served as Managing Director.

At NYCEDC, he led Applied Sciences NYC, bringing a new $2-billion science and engineering campus to the city in partnership with Cornell University and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. His approach garnered international recognition, including praise from former U.S. president Bill Clinton, and is being emulated in the Netherlands, Russia, the U.K. and other parts of the U.S.

At NYCEDC, Robertson oversaw a broad suite of programs, including investment funds, incubators, training and mentorship and advisory services. His most recent role there encompassed the life sciences, financial services, media, fashion, cleantech and ICT sectors, where he worked with industry leaders and investors.

Robertson also served as Executive Director of the New York Power Utility Service, sat on the board of BioBAT (a biotech incubator) and on the Mayor’s Council on Technology & Innovation.

Prior to his work in New York, Robertson held senior roles in both the public and private sectors in the U.K. Until 2007 he worked for the U.K. government on healthcare strategy. Before that, he spent almost a decade in the private sector, including more than five years as COO of a technology startup, and four years leading business process redesign for the U.K.’s largest power utility.

He holds an MBA with Distinction from London Business School and an MA (Hons) from the University of St. Andrews.

Robertson will begin his new role with MaRS in May 2013.