Wendy Hurlburt

President & CEO Life Sciences BC 
Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, Science World British Columbia

Wendy Hurlburt is a passionate promoter and advocate for the life sciences and technology sectors, building on years of experience across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia. As President and CEO of Life Sciences BC, she plays a central leadership role in the province’s dynamic life sciences ecosystem, with a critical focus on collaboration between local SMEs, global partners, educational institutions, and multiple levels of government. Wendy is also a prominent spokesperson for the sector - domestically and globally - working to promote awareness, nurture economic development, facilitate investment, and unlock new partnerships that will further fuel the growth of B.C.’s world-class life sciences sector.

Prior to joining Life Sciences BC in 2019, Wendy held multiple leadership roles with Johnson & Johnson in strategic and business planning, finance, partnerships and business development, operational transformation and quality and regulatory compliance. Before J&J, she held Chief Financial Officer roles for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and Lexmark International in its Canadian and South Asian divisions. 

Wendy is passionate about volunteerism and seeks out tangible ways to give back. She is a member of the Government, Budget, and Finance Committee for the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade; the Clinical Trials BC Advisory Council, Michael Smith Health Research BC; the external advisory committee of the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes; and a data governance advisor to the Association of Privacy Professions Vancouver Chapter. She is also a Canadian Chamber of Commerce Life Sciences Strategy Council committee member and a board member with Invest Vancouver and Science World. 

Previously, Wendy served on the Centre for Research and Drug Discovery Board (adMare BioInnovations), chaired CDRD’s Finance & Audit Committee, and co-chaired the International Association of Privacy Professionals Vancouver Chapter.   

Wendy holds an MBA in International Business & Finance from Queen’s University and a B.A. in Finance & Economics from Western University. She also has a certificate in Strategic Leadership from the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business and is a certified Privacy Professional (CIPP).

Wendy and her family reside in North Vancouver, where she regularly enjoys the beauty of nature as an avid hiker, skier and kayaker.

Andrea Johnston

Treasurer, Board of Directors, Science World British Columbia

Andrea is the SVP and CFO of Pinnacle Renewable Energy with responsibility for leading Pinnacle’s overall operations.  Pinnacle is part of Drax Group, the world’s leading sustainable bioenergy generation and supply business. Pinnacle’s products are made from sustainable forests’ residuals and are the green solution to baseload energy generation in the U.K., Europe, Japan, and South Korea.  Andrea enjoys developing teams to advance the use of renewable and sustainable energy sources and technology to help us better manage energy and precious resources.

Prior to joining the Pinnacle team to drive the 2018 initial public offering, Andrea was CFO for the Natural Resources industry group for Dassault Systemes, Europe’s second largest software company.  She was previously CEO of an energy technology start-up that she sold to Areva T&D.

After graduation from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Commerce, Andrea went on to obtain professional designations as a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA), Chartered Business Valuator, and Certified Public Accountant (Delaware).  In 2016 she graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts (Literature). 

Andrea is a Board member of the Bloom Group, a not-for-profit with a vision for strong and resilient communities where all persons have adequate housing and health care, and where everyone is supported to live with a sense of self-worth and self-determination. Andrea currently sits on the CPA Canada Advisory Board for Sustainable Business.  She was named B.C. CFO of the Year for Large Public Companies in 2020.   Andrea’s passion for innovation and sustainable energy are shared with skiing, tennis, and time with her husband and two daughters pursuing careers in engineering.

Jennifer Coulson

Senior Managing Director & Global Head, ESG, BC Investment Management (BCI)
Secretary, Board of Directors, Science World British Columbia

Jennifer Coulson has worked in the financial services industry for more than 20 years. She began her career in the mutual fund business working for a national firm that specializes in responsible investing solutions. At BCI, she oversees a team of 20 multidisciplinary professionals integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) across all asset classes; engaging with companies to manage ESG risk; developing public policy submissions on ESG matters of broad relevance to the investment industry; and overseeing the proxy voting program for Public Markets.

Jennifer has an undergraduate degree in Environment & Resource Management from the University of Western Ontario as well as a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University. She has attained the Institute of Corporate Directors designation (ICD.D) and is Chair of the Vancouver Island Chapter of ICD. She also chairs the Investor Group of the 30% Club of Canada which promotes diversity across corporate Canada. Jennifer volunteers her time mentoring young professionals as part of the Investment Advisory Committee for the University of Victoria Student Investment Fund and is a member of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation Investment Committee and Finance Committee.

Cybele Negris, ICD.D

President, CEO & Co-Founder, Webnames.ca

Cybele is a serial entrepreneur, seasoned board member, speaker, mentor, and columnist. She is CEO & Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s original .CA Registrar and provider of hundreds of domain extensions, webhosting & email solutions and Webnamescorporate.com an innovative leader in corporate domain management and security solutions. Webnames’ clients include some of the country’s largest corporations, government, law-firms, and global Fortune 500 brands.

Cybele serves as an ICD.D accredited director on a diverse portfolio of corporate boards. In addition to her role on the Science World Board of Directors, she also serves as Vice-Chair of the permanent BC Small Business Roundtable with its Chair, the Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation and as Vice-Chair of the Royal Canadian Mint. She is also on the board of Webnames.ca Inc., AGF Management (TSX: AGF B) (Nominating & Corporate Governance and HR & Compensation Committees), the Royal Canadian Mint (Audit Committee; HR, Health & Safety Committee), BCAA (Chair, Risk Committee; Audit & Conduct Review Committees) and Telus Vancouver & Coastal Community board. She chairs the Departmental Audit Committee for Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada and serves on a number of other advisory boards and councils. As a Founding Visionary of the Prosperity Project, Cybele is actively involved in work to help mitigate the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on Canadian women and co-chairs their Rosie the Riveter Program (mentorship for women in STEM & skilled trades).

Former board appointments include BlueShore Financial, Damon Motorcycles, the Board of Governors of Capilano University, as Vice-chair of Small Business BC, BC Premier’s Technology Council, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Vancouver Economic Commission and Wired Women.

A Hall of Fame Inductee and four-time winner of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women and nine-time winner of PROFIT W100, some of Cybele’s other recognitions include Women’s Executive Network, Canadian Equity Diversity & Inclusion Award in the Corporate Board Directors category (2023), BMO Celebrating Women on Boards Award (2023), BIV500-BC’s top business leaders (2021 & 2022), Canada’s Marketing, Advertising, PR and Communications Hall of Fame Inductee (2021), BC Business Most Influential Women in Business (2018, 2017, 2015), and Business In Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business (2010) and Top 40 Under 40 (2003).

She is a columnist for Business in Vancouver and speaks at dozens of events each year including TEDx and Level Up Conference along with former Prime Ministers Chretien and Harper.

Robin Dhir

President, Twin Brook Developments Ltd.

Mr. Robin Dhir is a seasoned Sales, Marketing, and Communications Executive and an Entrepreneur who has a passion for challenge and community service. Mr. Dhir is President of Twin Brook Developments Ltd. which focuses on the development, construction, and management of real estate. Established in 1999, Twin Brook has holdings and business ventures in Canada, India, and the United States. Additionally, since 2013, Mr. Dhir has also been a Strategic Advisor at Fasken, BC’s largest Business Law Firm. He is Chair of the Advisory Board for ATL Senior Living which specializes in housing for seniors. Prior to these roles, Mr. Dhir spent 10 years working in positions of increasing responsibility with large multinational corporations including Duracell Canada, Beamscope Canada, and Kodak Canada. In December 2008, Mr. Dhir was appointed to the Board of Directors of Canada Place Corporation until 2013 when the Board wound down and merged into the Port Metro Vancouver Board.

Mr. Dhir has been honoured to represent and act as a spokesperson for many organizations and causes within the political and philanthropic sectors. He has been able to do this within the mainstream media and additionally within the South Asian Media where he has used his fluency in Punjabi to further the causes of many groups. Since his teenage years, Mr. Dhir has had the opportunity to advise politicians at all levels and to assist many non-profit and social organizations in enhancing their mandates.

In 1995, Mr. Dhir earned his BBA from Simon Fraser University (SFU). He was an elected Student Senator from 1991-1996. Since 2010, he has served as a member of the SFU President’s India Advisory Council. In 2013, Mr. Dhir was also asked to join the SFU Beedie Advisory Board on which he still serves today. Since 2012, Mr. Dhir has been a member of the Vancouver Club and a member of the Sir John A. Macdonald Historical Society.

Mr. Dhir plays an active role in Metro Vancouver’s business community and South Asian Community. He has volunteered his time with the Advisory Board of Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration, and held positions as: Co-Chair of India Club’s CareerFest; Miracle Maker Panellist – BC Children’s Hospital’s ‘A World of Smiles’ Telethon; and Organizing Committee member for the 2010 Commonwealth Games Fundraising Celebration. In 2012, Mr. Dhir became a member of TiE – The Indus Entrepreneurs. Since 2016, Mr. Dhir has been Co-Chair of the BC Advisory group for Canada-India Business Council. In 2017, he was a member of the Bid Committee and the Playmaker (Advisor/Ambassador) Committee which worked to bring the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship to Vancouver/Victoria.

On the charitable side, Mr. Dhir’s has committed much of his time to fundraising for children’s charities. In 2009, he was asked to be the Founding Chair of the ‘A Night of Miracles’ (ANOM) Gala Dinner Cabinet – a gala benefitting the BC Children’s Hospital. Since 2009, this gala raised $5.4M and has become the go-to, black tie event within the South Asian Community. In 2012, Mr. Dhir was appointed as a Governor of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and in 2015, he was elected to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation Board of Directors. Mr. Dhir has also been involved with Junior Achievement of BC, holding positions as Co-Chair of the Fundraising Committee as well as Founding Cabinet Member for the Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame Cabinet which began in 2005. This gala has raised over $7M since inception.

In 2015, Mr. Dhir was elected to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Board of Directors and since 2017 has been Chair of the World Trade Centre Vancouver Advisory Committee. In 2016, he was asked to join the United Way of the Lower Mainland Board and in 2017 he took on the role as Chair of its Governance & Nominations Committee. Mr. Dhir was appointed by the Minister of International Trade to the BC Government Crown Corporation called Forestry Innovation Investment where he served from 2017-19. Since 2017, Mr. Dhir has also served as Board member of the Abbotsford Airport Authority.

In March 2008, Mr. Dhir was named one of B.C.’s 100 Most Influential Indo-Canadians by the Vancouver Sun. In December 2011, Mr. Dhir was recognized by Business in Vancouver as one of BC’s Top Forty Under 40. In 2013, Darpan Magazine’s Extraordinary Achievement Awards Gala selected Mr. Dhir for the Advancing Philanthropy Category. In the same year, The Goel Family Charitable Foundation and UBC recognized Mr. Dhir’s community and fundraising efforts and awarded him the Nehru Humanitarian Award.

Mr. Dhir enjoys spending time with his three children, wife, and extended family. In his spare time,

Mr. Dhir enjoys coaching his son’s soccer team and takes an active role in public affairs.

Joseph Garcia

Partner, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP 

Joseph Garcia is a Partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. Joseph is a leading life sciences transactional lawyer in Canada. Joseph’s practice focuses on corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. He advises public and private companies, investment dealers, venture capital and private equity funds and acts as independent counsel to boards of directors. Joseph has extensive experience advising on all types of mergers and acquisition and corporate finance transactions including public and private equity and debt financings, take-over and issuer bids, share and asset acquisitions and divestitures, and regulatory and stock exchange compliance work. 

Joseph has lectured extensively on corporate governance and advanced securities law topics. He has chaired The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia Corporate Governance courses six times and participated in the advanced securities law courses on seven occasions. 

Joseph is a director emeritus of Life Sciences BC. He is a former director of the Canadian Glycomics Network and Genome BC and a member of the BIOTECanada Legal Affairs Advisory Board. Joseph has won numerous awards including the Visionary Leadership – BIOTECanada Gold Leaf Awards 2015 and is featured as a leading lawyer in numerous publications including Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Life Sciences, Corporate and Commercial – Band 1). 

Prior to his career in law, Joseph worked in corporate finance with a national investment bank and in clinical research with a multinational pharmaceutical company. 

Hillary Hyland

Field Programs Manager at Tsleil-Waututh Nation

Hillary Hyland (Te-awk Tenaw) comes from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) in North Vancouver. The passion and love for the environment and how we interact with it shown to her by her Elders led her to making a personal goal to work for her Nation to help bring back the health of her homelands and water. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Geography, minoring in Biology and since then, she’s returned to work with TWN’s Treaty, Lands and Resource Department and currently holds the position of Senior Environmental Specialist.

Her work includes a diverse portfolio that provides opportunities to blend western and indigenous science and traditional knowledge, applying a unique holistic lens to projects in the Metro Vancouver region that pushes for innovative processes that can address the complex needs of the residents of Vancouver and First Nations. 

Through her work, she has contributed to federal and provincial scale environmental assessments, provided technical advice, guidance and field work on restoration and offsetting projects to enhance habitats in Burrard Inlet, managed relationships with partners in the region and implements proactive and preventative plans for environmental protection and incident response.  Complimentary to her technical work, Hillary prioritizes education by sharing her experiences as an indigenous scientist with governments, academia and her community’s school.  

Hillary’s experience at government tables and in the field has only strengthened her passion for protecting the environment and has given her an opportunity to bring her closer to her Coast Salish roots as she learns more about the history of the Tsleil-Waututh people in Burrard Inlet.  

Outside of work, Hillary is also active in her community and participates with the Youth Leadership Committee and other community discussions. She has also participated on other boards of directors in the area to provide her expertise and vision for her territory.  In her free time, Hillary can be found hiking through the forests of the North Shore Mountains, swimming in the local rivers and paddling up and down Indian Arm.  

Matt Ilich

Co-Founder, First Track Investments and Development

Matt Ilich is co-founder of First Track Investment and Development – a Vancouver based real estate development and investment company with projects throughout Greater Vancouver.  

Prior to First Track Investment and Development, he was a portfolio manager with one of Canada’s largest independent wealth management firms.   

Matt served as a Board Director with the Richmond Hospital Foundation for over a decade and held several roles, including Chair of the Finance, Investment, and Audit Committee and Vice Chair of the Board.  

While at Richmond Hospital Foundation, Matt played a key role in securing government support for Richmond Hospital’s new Acute Care Tower project and led several fundraising and public outreach campaigns.  

Matt also served on the Future Leaders Committee with St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation where he served as spokesperson for the Future Leaders’ “Pixel Moments” campaign – which raised funds and awareness for mental health programs offered through St. Paul’s Hospital.  

Matt has been active in municipal, provincial, and federal politics by serving as a volunteer in various election and leadership campaigns.   

Matt holds a BA (Political Science) from UBC and is an inactive CFA Charter holder.  

Matt and his wife live in Richmond with their two young daughters.  

Gail Murphy

Vice President, Research and Innovation, University of British Columbia

Gail C. Murphy is a Professor of Computer Science and Vice-President Research and Innovation at the University of British Columbia. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), as well as co-founder, board member and former Chief Scientist at Tasktop Technologies Incorporated.

After completing her B.Sc. at the University of Alberta in 1987, she worked for five years as a software engineer in the Lower Mainland. She later pursued graduate studies in computer science at the University of Washington, earning first a M.Sc. (1994) and then a Ph.D. (1996) before joining UBC.

Dr. Murphy’s research focuses on improving the productivity of software developers and knowledge workers by providing the necessary tools to identify, manage and coordinate the information that matters most for their work. She also maintains an active research group with post-doctoral and graduate students.

Anna Stukas

VP Business Development, Carbon Engineering Ltd.

Anna Stukas is a Vice President Business Development at Carbon Engineering Ltd. (CE), a Canadian climate solutions company. CE is focused on the deployment of large-scale Direct Air Capture technology that captures carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere so it can be stored deep underground or turned into low carbon fuels or products. With its partners, CE is working to deploy large-scale, commercial Direct Air Capture facilities in multiple markets around the globe.

Anna is a professional engineer with nearly two decades experience bridging the gap between technology and business to overcome barriers to clean technology commercialization. Anna previously worked with Angstrom Power and BIC developing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. She currently leads a variety of CE’s partnering and strategic business development efforts. Anna also serves on the Board of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. Anna’s work has been recognized by the Minerva Foundation’s Women In™ Energy Award for Philanthropy and Business in Vancouver’s Forty Under 40 Award.

Anna is a Past President of the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology, and a passionate advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEAM and leadership. Anna holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Victoria, and lives in Vancouver with her husband and two daughters, Jura and Audra.

Christopher Usih

Superintendent of Schools, Richmond School District

Christopher Usih is Superintendent/CEO of the Richmond School District in Richmond, B.C.  Prior to joining Richmond in August 2023, he served as Chief Superintendent of the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) for 4 ½ years. During his tenure there, he worked with staff and partners to improve academic achievement and created an environment where every student had the opportunity to thrive.

Before joining the CBE, Christopher spent 27 years with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) serving in various roles such as high school math teacher, principal, superintendent of student success, and deputy superintendent. He started his teaching career in a First Nations community in northern Manitoba before joining the TDSB.

Christopher is an award-winning educator who holds a master’s degree in education and undergraduate credentials in mathematics and computer science. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in mathematics education at the University of Toronto. An outdoor enthusiast, Christopher and his family live in the Vancouver area.

Sarah Clark, P.Eng.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Fraser River Pile and Dredge (FRPD)

Sarah Clark is the President and CEO of Fraser River Pile & Dredge (FRPD), which has grown to become Canada's largest marine and land foundations firm.

Prior to joining the FRPD team, Sarah was President & CEO of Partnerships British Columbia Inc., a provincial crown agency with a mandate for supporting the delivery of public-private partnership and other complex project procurements. Prior to joining Partnerships BC, Sarah worked for Bombardier Transportation, both locally and internationally where she was involved in transit projects, including Metro Vancouver's Millennium Line Extension.

A professional engineer, Sarah previously served on the board of Covenant House and a term with the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships. Sarah was awarded the National P3 Champion award by the Canadian Council of Public-Private Partnerships to recognize her contribution to this innovative means of infrastructure delivery.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Queen's University and is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia.  On top of being an accomplished executive, Clark is also a working mother. Clark and her husband have two children and live in the Lower Mainland.

Sheila Eddin

President, Tranmotion Services

Sheila Eddin brings over 20 years of expertise in planning, designing, and executing business transformation across various sectors. As the founder and President of Tranmotion Services for the last ten years, she has led her firm in providing specialized advisory services on capital projects, strategic initiatives, and change management to a diverse array of public and private sector organizations. Additionally, she serves as an adjunct professor at UBC Sauder School of Business, where she teaches courses on CIO Strategies and Governance.

Previously, Sheila played a pivotal role as the Executive Sponsor of Business Transformation at ICBC, where she was responsible for the largest business renewal initiative in the company's history. Her leadership covered all aspects of strategic planning, design, governance setup, and the successful execution of substantial transformational projects involving over 500 personnel. Before her work at ICBC, Sheila held senior executive roles at Bell and EY.

Educationally, Sheila graduated with an Electrical and Computer Engineering degree from McGill University and furthered her studies with a postgraduate degree in Network Engineering from the University of Toronto. She is a graduate of the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program and holds the ICD.D designation.

Sheila is an active participant in the academic and business communities. She has been a member of the advisory board for the UBC Sauder School of Business for eight years and served on the Board of Directors at BC Assessment for six years. A passionate advocate for diversity in the Tech sector, Sheila co-founded Van-WIT (Vancouver Women in Technology), a non-profit society that supports women in Vancouver’s technology community through mentorship, networking, and education.

Ted McGurk

Managing Director, Head of Vancouver Investment Banking – TD Securities

Ted McGurk joined TD Securities in March 2007 and has over 30 years of experience executing numerous debt and equity financings and merger & acquisition advisory assignments for BC based clients.

Ted's notable assignments include advising Goldcorp, Teck Resources, Newmont Corporation, Ballard Power, Nano One, Xantrex, Finning, Columbia Basin Trust, Columbia Power Corporation, and the Province of British Columbia.

Ted holds a B.Sc magna cum laude, in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa and MBA from the University of British Columbia