The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries (NATI) membership elected its 2018/19 Board of Directors at the association’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday.
Providing strategic direction to NATI leadership, the Board of Directors is the governing body that helps shape the agenda of the association to best support the rapid growth of the technology industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. Reflecting on the milestones and achievements in the $1.6 billion industry in 2017/18, NATI Chair and Acting CEO Kendra MacDonald invited attendees to look to the future with optimism.
“Poised for continued sector growth, 2017 was a pivotal year for NATI as we began to cultivate and mature the partnerships, plans, initiatives, and activities necessary to accelerate domestic and global opportunities and put us on the path to realizing our full potential. As we continue this work, NATI will also be relentless in our efforts to expand early learning opportunities and capacity-building in technology, and ultimately build a workforce of innovators and problem-solvers that meet the needs of the industry.”
Effective May 31, 2018, the NATI Board of Directors is comprised of four mid-term members:
Kendra MacDonald, Chair
Craig Rowe, Vice-Chair
Chris Dillon
Dan Brake
And, seven directors elected by NATI members at the Annual General Meeting:
Caron Hawco
Ellissa Hull
Joe McKenna
Leonard Pecore
Sarah Stoodley
Peter Rawsthorne
Steve Taylor
Media contact:
Nancy Drover Andrews
Senior Director, Business and Communications
NATI
709.725.7070
Biographies – New Directors:
Caron Hawco, President, Caron Hawco Consulting – Caron Hawco is a communications and business strategist, negotiator and facilitator.
As President of the Caron Hawco Group, she is a specialist in oil and gas and offers stakeholder management, business development and regulatory insight, coupled with a strong international network, including Norway, Houston, Calgary, Guyana and Atlantic Canada.
For over twenty years, Caron has provided advice to Canada’s East Coast petroleum business, including seven years with Statoil as well as global operators and major suppliers. She is also the former Chair of Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industries Association (NOIA).
Ellissa Hull, Vice-President of Finance, Verafin – Ellissa brings many different skills and assets. In her current role as VP of Finance at Verafin, she is responsible for financial planning, reporting, accounting and cash management. Once an Assistant Comptroller at a leading satellite communication provider and the Chief Financial Officer of a local not-for-profit organization, she has a broad range of experience that includes international business, mergers, and acquisitions. She holds a CPA designation as well as a Bachelor of Commerce from Memorial University.
Joe McKenna, Partner and CFO, Killick Capital – Joe McKenna is Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Killick Capital Inc. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. McKenna was the CFO at the Research and Development Corporation, a provincial Crown Corporation, and was previously with the audit and assurance group of Deloitte. Mr. McKenna is responsible for the financial functions of Killick Capital along with supporting Killick’s portfolio investments on the finance side as required. In his role, Joe also supports with the investment evaluation, pre-investment due diligence work and continued investment monitoring.
Leonard Pecore, Founder and Chair of the Board, Genoa Design International Ltd.– Leonard is Founder and Chair of the Board of Genoa Design International Ltd. He currently works in business operations as Chief Business Development Officer. Leonard formed Genoa Design International in 1995.
Genoa provides 3D modeling and production engineering to the Shipbuilding and Offshore industries across North America and is a tier one partner in Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy’s non-combat program. With a current employee base of almost 100, and offices in Newfoundland, New Orleans and Vancouver, the company has experienced 5X growth since 2012 and anticipates doubling again by 2020. Genoa is owned by a team of nine employee shareholders, with Pecore Holdings as majority shareholder.
Leonard is active in industry as a member of the Marine Institute of Memorial University’s Industry Advisory Council, a member of the Genesis Centre Selection Committee, a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Leonard has experience as a member of the Oceans Advance Board of Directors, and Program Advisory Council member for both the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Systems Design programs at Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Leonard graduated from Acadia University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts and joined the Canadian Military as a Naval Officer in 1987 where he completed 10 years service. He also possesses a Diploma of Technology in Naval Architecture from the Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, a Masters Certificate in Project Management, and will receive certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors – Directors Education Program in March 2018.
Peter Rawsthorne, Chief Technology Officer, Bluedrop Performance Learning – A 30 year career history as a Technology Professional working in large enterprise environments, a variety of start-ups, and as College and University Faculty. Peter’s professional experience includes considerable time in senior technology and management consulting roles and in managing technology teams and projects to exemplary results.
Accomplished IT Professional in a variety of senior positions such as Chief Technology Officer, Director of IT, Enterprise and Solutions Architect, Team Lead, Senior Project Manager, Database Administrator and Business Analyst, including over 10 years as a successful independent software development consultant and co-founder. A well-deserved reputation for seeing the big picture with a superior understanding of enterprise computing and related security and information privacy issues. Expertise identifying, performing business analysis upon and presenting technology solutions to senior management. Talent for leading technical teams to achieve on time within budget implementations. As a consultant he has worked on many open and international projects with a client list including; Mozilla Foundation, UNESCO, WikiEducator, Continuing Legal Education of BC, and the Commonweath of Learning. Peter’s professional passion is to work at the intersection of technology and education.
Peter has also spent considerable time as an educator with extensive experience developing and delivering technology curriculum to post-secondary students. Proven career history in developing online and international educational initiatives with strong utilization of emerging technologies and pedagogical approaches. A well-deserved reputation for teaching on the leading edge of technology using hands-on experience to enrich and deepen students understanding.
Peter’s interest in NATI is in contributing to the long-term prosperity that a vibrant technology sector can bring to the Newfoundland and Labrador economy. He believes that a comprehensive technology education is part of the foundation for a diverse and resilient provincial economy.
Sarah Stoodley, Director of Digital Channels, Johnson Insurance – Sarah Stoodley leads the Digital team at Johnson Insurance, expanding eCommerce and online account management capabilities for insurance customers across Canada. Prior to that, Sarah lived and worked in the UK where she led online marketing for an online education company and was a digital strategy consultant for a digital strategy agency, UbaGLU.
Originally from Grand Falls-Windsor but currently living in St. John’s, Sarah has a Bachelor of Commerce Co-op and a Master of Arts in Political Science, both from Memorial. Sarah was recently elected as an alumni rep on Memorial University’s Board of Regents for a three year term.
Sarah’s primary motivation for getting involved with NATI is to see the technology sector in NL grow and in turn to help sustain (and even grow!) the NL economy.
Steve Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Radient360 Solutions Inc. – Steven Taylor is a technology ambassador, innovator, thought leader, and executive entrepreneur. He is a founding partner of radient360 Solutions and has a history of predicting future technology trends as well as helping shape advanced technologies.
An Electrical Engineering and Biochemistry graduate of Memorial University, Newfoundland, Steve is an active member in the oil & gas and technology communities and is passionate about shaping the future of the oil & energy sectors through innovative technology.
A year prior to graduation in 2001, Steve and his business partners launched IDBLUE, the world’s first handheld device that combined RFID and Bluetooth. IDBLUE technology is still being used today and is actively sold worldwide through channel partners.
In 2013, Steve and his business partners realized that the oil & gas sector could become more efficient and effective through digital technology, and they launched radient360. radient360 is a provider of digital work performance solutions for the oil & gas sector, optimizing safety and integrity programs with digital applications, resulting in reliable data, improved workflows, better decision making, and increased profitability through access to real-time analytics and dashboards.
Steve is an active member of the technology community, and is involved in a variety of industry groups and associations, including ADIANL, the Canadian Industry Standards Association committee for Auto-ID standards, and was a founding member of the Microsoft Partner Advisory Council for RFID.