Mitacs Welcomes Bing Cao, Nabila Mohammed, Karen Shaw, and Paul Smith to Board of Directors

Vancouver, BC — Mitacs welcomes an exciting roster of new leaders to the Mitacs Board of Directors. The four new directors, Bing Cao, Nabila Mohammed, Karen Shaw, and Paul Smith, bring a wealth of innovation expertise to Mitacs with experience ranging from clean energy and the EV industry to executive finance, corporate governance, and advanced manufacturing for critical technologies.

New directors were appointed at Mitacs’s Annual General Meeting on September 26, 2024. During the AGM, Bruce MacDougall, Principal, Burcot Park Inc., was named Board Chair. MacDougall succeeds Philippe Gervais, former Principal, Navigator Ltd.

New directors:

Bing Cao, Founder and CEO, Nanode Battery Technologies Ltd.

Bing Cao is the founder and CEO of Nanode Battery Technologies, a leading Canadian company specializing in the development of advanced battery materials for electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and electronics. Bing is a former Mitacs intern and actively engages Mitacs interns at Nanode Battery Technologies. In her role as CEO and Founder, Bing has been instrumental in steering the company’s growth, spearheading technological innovations, and driving the adoption of clean energy solutions.

Nabila Mohammed, CFO, Cystic Fibrosis

Nabila Mohammed is a financial executive with extensive expertise in finance, operations, and technology. As Chief Financial Officer at Cystic Fibrosis Canada, Nabila is responsible for shaping strategic decisions, driving organizational effectiveness, and spearheading transformative initiatives. Nabila excels in optimizing processes, delivering strategic insights, and leading complex projects that align with and advance Cystic Fibrosis Canada’s objectives.

Karen Shaw, Legal Counsel, Fairstone Financial

Karen Shaw is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer in financial services specializing in corporate governance, investments, fintech, insurance, intellectual property management, and banking.  With experience as corporate secretary on over 45+ boards, an investment fund GP board director, and a member of several board committees, she brings a wealth of governance experience to the role.

Paul Smith, COO, Perimeter Institute

Paul Smith joined Perimeter Institute as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer in 2021. In year prior, Paul was Chair of the Chemical Institute of Canada (2019-2020) and from 2020–2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Paul took on the role of Interim Executive Director. In partnership with the National Research Council of Canada, Paul helped create the Canadian Campus for Advanced Materials Manufacturing, a partnership between government and industry for world-class research and development focused on commercialization of critical technologies.

The four innovation leaders join current board members:

• Bruce MacDougall (Board Chair), Principal, Burcot Park Inc.
• Tony Chahine, CEO and founder, Myant Inc. and Skiin Inc.
• Amiee Chan, President and CEO, Norsat International Inc.
• Len Daniels, Principal, Daniels Management Consulting
• Alex LaPlante, Vice President of Transformation and Chief Operating Officer, RBC
• Wendy Luther, President and CEO, Halifax Partnership
• John Milloy, Former Minister of Research and Innovation and former Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Government of Ontario
• Mario Pinto, Vice-President Research, University of Manitoba

Mitacs is grateful to outgoing board members Philippe Gervais, Iain Klugman, Marie-Hélène Labrie, Doug Mitchell, Karen Mossman, and Gilbert Nolasco for their distinguished service.

Quotes

“As Mitacs continues to work to build strategic partnerships and connect research talent and enterprise to drive productivity, I am thrilled to welcome these four leaders to our Board of Directors.  The innovation expertise they bring to the table is a real win for Mitacs.”

Dr. Stephen Lucas, CEO, Mitacs

“These enterprise leaders bring a wealth of experience and business acumen that will be a tremendous asset to Mitacs. I look forward to collaborating with the new directors as we work together to strengthen the Canadian economy by promoting and supporting innovation across the country.”

Bruce MacDougall, Chair, Mitacs Board of Directors

About Mitacs

As Canada’s innovation organization, Mitacs connects businesses and researchers with unrivalled access to talent, financial support, and the partnerships needed to turn ideas into impactful innovations. Through unique collaborations, Mitacs is driving productivity and positioning Canada as a global innovation leader.

Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.