FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 14, 2022 – St. John’s, NL: Motivated by a year of incredible growth, member success stories, celebrated milestones and innovative initiatives, techNL is excited for what’s to come and pleased to officially announce its 2022 Board of Directors.
Following a robust selection process, two new Directors were added to the techNL Board at the AGM on May 26, 2022: Colette Goodyear, Director of Legal, CoLab Software and Randy Billard, President and CEO, Virtual Marine. Goodyear and Billard are replacing Ellissa Hull, VP Finance, Verafin and Caron Hawco, President, Caron Hawco Group who have both completed two full terms on the board.
Since the AGM, Chair Dan Brake has accepted the position of CTO with PolyUnity, where Vice Chair Jacqueline Lee is the CEO. As the techNL bylaws allow for only one representative from a member company to be represented on the board, Jacqueline Lee will move into the role of Chair, while Dan Brake takes his place as Past Chair (ex officio). Current Past Chair, Craig Rowe, will now step down from the board.
“It is an honour to accept the Chair position on the techNL Board of Directors. I’m surrounded by such a diverse and talented board, who are dedicated to supporting the incredible work of techNL as we move forward with purpose and passion,” said Jacqueline Lee, newly appointed techNL Board Chair. “The progress and achievements of the techNL team over the past year have been astounding.”
At the May 26th AGM held at the Emera Innovation Centre, members celebrated a year of growth and momentum for the sector. Themed “Advocacy in Action”, the event lauded a 140% increase in membership, its inaugural Industry Awards Ceremony, 34 new jobs grants, 115 high school internships, a world-class video and podcast series, 376 digital transformation grants, and officially welcomed techNL’s new CEO, Florian Villaumé.
“Under Florian Villaumé’s leadership, I am confident that the techNL team will continue to provide progressive and meaningful programs to foster a thriving technology sector and ecosystem,” added Lee.
Returning Board members for the 2022 year include: Johanna Brown, Enterprise Software Sales at Verafin; Mark Cumby, Regional Director/Energy at Hatch; Meshari Alwashmi, Chief Scientific Officer at BreatheSuite; Neil Coombs, Director of Human Resources at Fonemed; Sheri Wicks, Partner at McInnes Cooper; Joe Hickey, Founder and Majority Shareholder of ROCK Networks Inc.; and Deirdre Ayre, Head of Canadian Operations for Other Ocean Group Canada Ltd.
“This is an important year for techNL and the technology sector of the province, and I am so proud to be a part of it,” said Florian Villaumé, techNL’s newly appointed CEO. “This organization has made such strides and continues to position the sector to be a leading economic growth segment for Newfoundland and Labrador. I very much look forward to working with our new Board, which consists of strategic thinkers, innovators and dedicated professionals. We will continue to close the talent gap and support our members as we bolster this invaluable sector.”
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ABOUT TECHNL
techNL is a not-for-profit industry association that works closely with members, industry and government to help shape policy and advocate for those issues that matter most to members. As the voice of the $1.6 billion technology sector in NL, techNL’s mission is to help members grow and scale through work on talent development, programming, technology advocacy, digital transformation and strategic partnerships. More information can be found on the website technl.ca.
MEDIA CONTACT
Marlayne Hardy
709-330-7122