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JUDGING PANEL & PROCESS

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The Community and Corporate IT Hero Award winners will be selected from a group of finalists by an independent panel of distinguished judges with intimate knowledge of Canada’s IT sector.

These judges will evaluate the entries using a scoring system. Points will be awarded based on evidence of the following:

  • Innovative and creative application of technology as a tool to make a difference in the lives of Canadians.
  • Initiative and leadership.
  • Positive and measureable impact on multiple stakeholders and on Canadian society.
  • Effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability.

Members of the 2010 Judging Panel:

  • Emma Cochrane, Founder and President, At Large Media Ltd
  • Christian Couturier, Director General, National Research Council Institute for Information Technology (NRC-IIT)
  • Shane Schick, Editor-in-Chief, IT World Canada
  • Arvind Gupta, CEO & Scientific Director, MITACS
  • Luc Lalande, Director, Innovation Transfer Office, Carleton University

 

Emma Cochrane

Emma Cochrane
Founder and President, At Large Media Ltd.

As the founder of At Large Media, Emma has built her career working with government agencies, corporations and non-profit organizations to develop meaningful online communities. She has held senior strategic and management consulting roles with clients including the 2010 Olympic Bid, the London Science Museum, Nike, Marks & Spencer, and CBC Radio, and is currently the VP, Strategy for Tyze Personal Networks Ltd., a social mission business that creates personal, social networks for people with disabilities, the elderly, and others who are facing life challenges.

Emma founded the Wired Woman Society in 1996, and served as the Society's President until 1999. In 2000 Emma turned her passion for women and technology into a best-seller, Technology With Curves, a popular release from Harper Collins highlighting women's success reshaping the digital landscape.

In 1998 Emma was named one of Canada's Top Women in Technology and in 1999 she was honoured as Outstanding Volunteer at the New Media Awards. Emma has been a regular columnist with BBC Online and the Globe and Mail and received the prestigious Women of Distinction Award in recognition of her outstanding achievements in business and technology. Emma holds an honours degree in Media Communications from Queen's University, as well as a Master of Science degree in Technology & Policy from MIT.

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Christian Couturier

Christian Couturier
Director General, National Research Council Institute for Information Technology (NRC-IIT)

Christian Couturier is Director General of the National Research Council Institute for Information Technology (NRC-IIT), which undertakes research in three strategic areas of information and communications technology:

  • Knowledge from data: Making sense of Information.
  • People-oriented systems: so you can use Technology effectively.
  • E-business: any where, any time.

He previously served as Director, New Brunswick Research Programs and as Group Leader for the e-Learning Group of NRC-IIT - e-Business. Prior to coming to NRC, Mr. Couturier held various positions at the Université de Moncton (UdeM), including Director General of IT Services, Professor in MIS and Senior Project Manager for UdeM’s Virtual Learning Environment (IDITAE). He has also been active in the Information Systems consulting field, chiefly at SAP Canada and as a private consultant. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in management information technology from the Université de Moncton and an MBA in Research in Management Information Systems (MIS) from the Université du Québec à Montréal. He is currently working towards his Ph.D. at the G. Wallace F. McCain Institute for Business Leadership at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) under the joint supervision of Dr. John McLaughlin (President of UNB) and Dr. Robert Austin (Professor, Harvard Business School).

Christian’s success was recognized on a national level when he was named one of Canada’s "Top 40 Under 40." He has also received the NRC Outstanding Achievement Award and the KIRA Industry Person of the Year award. His work was recognized throughout the Atlantic region when he became the most-nominated of the Top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada by Atlantic Business Magazine. Christian is very active in the community. He gives talks and workshops on a regular basis to local, regional, national and international audiences on topics ranging from ICT to economic development and leadership. He is concerned with seeking out and developing a new generation of leaders with innovative ideas and perspectives on our collective future. He encourages staff participation in community and industry organizations. His service on major boards and committees includes:

  • CANARIE Inc., member of the Board of Directors
  • Language Technologies Research Centre (LTRC), member of the Board of Directors
  • Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, member of the Board of Directors
  • Next NB and 21 Leaders for the 21st Century
  • UNB Research Advisory Board
  • Ontario Research Network for Electronic Commerce – Scientific and Operating Committee

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Shane Schick

Shane Schick
Editor-in-Chief, IT World Canada

Shane Schick is the Editor-in-Chief of IT World Canada, the country’s premier resource for helping technology professionals succeed in the Canadian market. Shane joined the IT Business Group in 1997 as a staff writer for Computer Dealer News. In 2000, he was appointed the company’s first full-time online editor, launching ITBusiness.ca in 2001 and its daily newsletter, IT Business Update, which serves more than 80,000 subscribers. In 2007 Shane joined IT World Canada and became editor of ComputerWorld Canada before taking on overall editorial strategy for the company.

Shane has a B.A.A. in journalism from Ryerson Polytechnic University. Shane has made a number of appearances on TV and radio, including CBC Newsworld, discussing Canadian technology trends and has been a technology columnist for the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business. In 2006, Shane received the Innovation Award for Excellence in Science and Technology Reporting.

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Arvind Gupta

Arvind Gupta
CEO and Scientific Director, MITACS

Dr. Arvind Gupta became the Scientific Director and CEO of MITACS in 1999. After obtaining his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Toronto in 1991, he joined the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University, where he now holds the rank of Professor. His main interests are in the areas of algorithms, bioinformatics, and optimization and he has published over sixty papers in these fields.

He is the editor of two book series on industrial mathematics. He has organized a large number of national and international events and is currently the President of the 2011 International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics. Previous to joining MITACS, Dr. Gupta helped found the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, where he served as Deputy Director for 3 years. He also helped found the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS), and now serves on its executive. At MITACS, he chairs the MITACS Research Management Committee, and is a member of the MITACS Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

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Luc Lalande

Luc Lalande
Director, Innovation Transfer Office, Carleton University

Luc Lalande is the current Director of the Innovation Transfer Office at Carleton University. Since joining Carleton University in 1996, Luc has initiated and helped implement a number of programs and events aimed at stimulating technological entrepreneurship, including MentorTech, PaceSetters, Startup Day @ Carleton, the Carleton Technology Advancement Fund and the Wesley Nicol Business Plan Competition. His interests in encouraging the next generation of technology company builders has also motivated him to co-found the Technology Venture Challenge, a regional competition supported by Ottawa's leading technology entrepreneurs, angel investors, high tech companies and professional service providers.

Other initiatives include "Startups Central", a web portal he created linking Carleton to Ottawa-based startup technology companies, to help students from across the region seeking jobs and co-op placements. Another project, the Foundry Program, is a community-linked initiative to encourage and nurture innovation and entrepreneurship on campus. He has also worked with the Carleton University Co-op Office in launching the Foundry Ventures Co-op program. To further encourage entrepreneurial activities on campus, he developed and introduced a digital poster of 400 technology companies founded by Carleton alumni and faculty.

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