Cybele Negris, ICD.D

President, CEO & Co-Founder, Webnames.ca
Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, Science World British Columbia

Cybele Negris is a serial entrepreneur, seasoned board member, speaker, mentor, and columnist. Cybele is CEO & Co-Founder of  Webnames.ca, Canada’s original .CA Registrar and provider of hundreds of domain extensions, webhosting, email, security products, and other online solutions. Webnames’ clients include some of the country’s largest corporations, government, law-firms, and global Fortune 500 brands.

Cybele is on the board, audit, and HR committees of the Royal Canadian Mint, the board of BCAA, and the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. She is Vice-Chair of the Small Business Roundtable of BC, and is appointed by the Minister of Job, Trade, and Technology to the three-member Small Business Task Force of BC. She also serves on the Technical Advisory Board for the Riverview Lands Redevelopment in Coquitlam, the advisory council of Science World, SFU Innovates, and other organizations.

A Hall of Fame Inductee of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women and nine time winner of PROFIT W100, some of Cybele’s other recognitions include 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 for 2003. 

Launi Skinner

CEO, First West Credit Union 
Past Chair, Board of Directors, Science World British Columbia

Launi is the Chief Executive Officer of First West Credit Union, one of Canada’s leading credit unions with $10 billion in assets under administration, 240,000 members and 1,700 employees. Launi leads visioning and strategic direction for First West.

Before joining First West, Launi served as president of Starbucks U.S., where she oversaw 7,000 company-owned stores and 3,400 licensed stores, and managed an extensive management team with operational responsibility for 130,000 employees.

Known for inspiring change and achieving results, Launi has been recognized as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women and as one of Fortune Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women’s feature “Four Women to Watch”.

Launi is currently a board member for Qtrade Financial Group, Rocky Mountaineer and Science World.

In the community she serves as a leader for the Minerva Foundation for BC Women as well as past event chair for the Vancouver YWCA Women of Distinction Awards.

Jade Bourelle

Entrepreneur; founder, The Bourelle Family Giving Fund

Jade Bourelle has a passion for entrepreneurship and building the next generation of leaders and has focused on building organizations and talent for over 30 years.  Jade lives in Surrey, British Columbia with his wife Tammy and their children, Cole and Morgan. 

Jade has recently joined the Board at Science World to support igniting the youth of British Columbia to follow careers in Science and Technology.

Jade and Tammy support youth related programs with their time and through The Bourelle Family Giving Fund including Camp Grafton, Options Community Services, La Jornada and various student scholarship programs. 

Prior, Jade served as the Chair of the YPO Edison Innovation Awards, Co-Founder of the Simon Fraser University Venture Connection program, Chair of the EO Global Student Entrepreneur awards, Co-Founder of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Awards and Executive Director of ACE (now Enactus), a national organization focused on encouraging student entrepreneurship.  

Jade is the founder of Inception Ventures, a private equity company focused on creating and operating original ventures.  He is currently the Co-Founder and Chairman of Visual CV an online career resource service that works with over three million members.  In addition, Jade is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Mindfield Group, a recruiting company that has placed over 100,000 job seekers with hourly employers throughout Canada.

In 1999 Jade founded Talemetry, a software company focused on marketing job opportunities for global companies. Over 20 years Talemetry has enabled leading companies attract and hire millions of employees.   In 2018, Talementry was sold to K1, a private equity company and Jade continues to serve as an advisor.

Jade is a long-standing member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).

Ivor Luk, ACA (UK)

Partner, Deloitte LLP
Treasurer, Board of Directors, Science World British Columbia

Ivor is a Senior Partner at Deloitte responsible for some of the firm's most important client relationships. He also currently serves as a Director on the firm's Board of Directors repsonsible for the governance of Deloitte Canada and Chile.

Ivor's global experience includes 8 years with Deloitte's UK London practice (from 1997 to 2005), focusing on providing assurance, M&A and IPO advisory services to high growth private and listed companies in the UK, Europe, and the Americas. Since 2005, Ivor has resided in Canada, initially leading Deloitte's Toronto M&A practice as national leader of our UK IPO Services team. While in Toronto, he provided service to entrepreneurs and high growth through acquisitions, and completing public financings for companies focused on resources, manufacturing and technology. 

Working directly with C-Suite and Boards of Directors in Vancouver and Western Canada, Ivor provides business advisory, financial due diligence, financial oversight and control assessment and counsel to our most complex high growth clients.

Wendi Campbell

Managing Director, Clients & Markets Strategy, KPMG Canada

Wendi is the Managing Director, Clients & Markets Strategy for KPMG Canada. At KPMG Wendi develops and leads strategic market initiatives and formulates the operational plans to execute them.

Wendi has enjoyed a +30-year career working in a wide variety of leadership roles. As a Chartered Professional Accountant, she served Audit and Tax clients, led internal teams in Human Resources and Marketing, before turning to a national Strategy and Markets focus over the last 10 years with KPMG.

Wendi is recognized as a strong relationship builder connecting people and ideas across the organization and for her ability to turn strategic imperatives into actions that drive value.

Wendi’s community outreach includes being a past board member of the BC/Yukon Region of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the Vancouver International Marathon Society. As a mother of two, she is enthusiastic about STEAM education and cultivating the next generation of innovators. In her spare time, she enjoys combining her love of running and biking with travel, made even better when joined by family and friends.

Nolan Charles

Councillor, Musqueam Indian Band

Mr. Charles is privileged to serve as a Council Member for the Musqueam Indian Band for the last 22 years and has played an active role on council committees dealing with substantive treaty, lands and finance issues. He is currently employed with BC Hydro and also serves as a director for the Musqueam Capital Corporation, the Fraser River Discovery Center and previously the Fraser Basin Council. He has been involved in policy analysis and negotiations for the private sector that has resulted in joint venture projects with first nation communities. Mr. Charles also rounds out his expertise as a member of the Board of Trustees for the $20.M – Musqueam 2010 Olympic Legacy Trust, on behalf of the Musqueam Indian Band. He has accumulated enough credits at The Justice Institute of British Columbia in Conflict Resolution Specializing in Negotiation to qualify for Certification and will continue his pursuit of Professional Development at JIBC; Nolan has also placed 3rd out of 50 contestants at Yuk Yuk’s Vancouver’s Search for New Talent in Stand-Up Comedy.

Jesse Houston

CEO & Co-Founder, Phoenix Labs
Secretary, Board of Directors, Science World British Columbia

Jesse Houston is the CEO & Co-Founder of Phoenix Labs, a leading video game studio in Vancouver, BC, and developer behind the popular free-to-play title, Dauntless. Since its founding in 2014, Jesse has grown Phoenix Labs from a three-person startup to an international powerhouse with studios in Vancouver, Montreal, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Prior to founding Phoenix Labs, he held key leadership roles at both Riot Games and BioWare.

A lifetime proponent of science, technology, and education, Jesse is a regular guest speaker at the USC Annenberg School of Communications, where he talks to students about game development. He is also a former Secretary of the Royal Astronomy Society of Canada.

Jesse lived and worked in Montreal, Edmonton, and Los Angeles before returning home to British Columbia in 2014. He now resides in Vancouver with his wife, Erica, and their two daughters.

Wendy Hurlburt

President & CEO Life Sciences BC

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 BC’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.

In addition to her role at Life Sciences BC, Wendy serves on the Michael Smith Health Research BC Clinical Trials Advisory Board, the External Advisory Committee of the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Science and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s Government, Budget and Finance Committee. 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, International Business & Finance from Queen’s University and a BA 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.

Hillary Hyland

Senior Environmental Specialist, 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.  

Andrea Johnston

SVP and CFO, Pinnacle Renewable Energy

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.

Dr. Shimi Kang

Clinical Associate Professor, University of British Columbia; CEO, Spark Mindset

Dr. Shimi K Kang, MD, is an award-winning, Harvard-trained psychiatrist, researcher, media expert, and international keynote speaker. She is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia and #1 best-selling author of The Dolphin Parent and The Tech Solution: Creating Healthy Habits for Growing up in A Digital World. Dr. Kang is passionate about providing science-based tools that optimize the power of the human mind. She is the founder of Dolphin Kids: Future-Ready Leaders, CEO of Spark Mindset, and host of the YouTube show Mental Wealth with Dr. Shimi Kang. She has received numerous honours including the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry and YWCA Woman of Distinction Awards. Dr. Kang is most proud of receiving the Diamond Jubilee Medal for her years of outstanding community service and of being the mother of three awesome but exhausting children.

Kenndal McArdle

Principal, Pender Ventures

Kenndal McArdle is currently a Principal at Pender Ventures, a brand of PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. In this role, Kenndal has over 6 years of professional investing experience, with a predominate focus on early-stage technology companies. In addition to his work as an investor, Kenndal aides in operationalizing systems and processes for PenderFund Capital Ltd.

Kenndal is a board observer for Clarius Mobile Health and Checkfront Technologies, and is a strategic advisor to numerous start-up companies providing guidance on capital raising and governance. Other private market transactions include Jane Software and Librestream Technologies. Previously, he was a professional athlete and enjoyed a successful career in the NHL, most notably on the left wing for the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers. He earned his CFA Charter in 2018 and is actively involved with the CFA Vancouver Society.

Dr. Rosalin Miles, Ed.D.

Indigenous Scholar and Research Associate, the University of British Columbia

Dr. Rosalin Miles is Nlaka’pamux and an active member of Lytton First Nation. She currently resides on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the Musqueam people. Dr. Miles is dedicated to her work in the community. She founded the non-profit organization, the Indigenous Physical Activity and Cultural Circle (IPACC), to create a cultural space for Indigenous peoples to be involved in physical activity. IPACC routinely hosts community events and initiatives, and annual national conferences. Nominated by Elder, and past-Chief Elder Sparrow, Dr. Miles was awarded the Vancouver Quadra’s Hidden Hero Award in 2019 by the House of Commons for her volunteer work in the Musqueam community as the founder and Executive Director of IPACC. She is also a Certified Aboriginal Professional Administrator, through the Aboriginal Finance Officers Association, and has previously served as Band Administrator for the Lytton First Nation community.  

As an Indigenous Scholar, Research Associate, and First Nations Community Advisor, Dr. Miles contributes greatly to the Indigenous Health and Physical Activity Program at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Dr. Miles is also an instructor within the UBC Early Child Education Program. She is passionate about health research and has been a member of the Peer Review Committee for Canadian Institutes of Health Research for over 10 years. Her work and expertise within the UBC Indigenous Health and Physical Activity Program and IPACC illustrates her experiences with promoting and advocating in the areas of education, science, physical culture, social and ecological sustainability.   

Dr. Miles’ education includes a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction, with a major in Exercise Science from the University of Central Florida. Dr. Miles has also obtained her Graduate Certificate in Non-Profit Management at the University of Central Florida. She received her Master’s degree in Human Kinetics at UBC, where she specialized in Coaching Science.  Dr. Miles has a lifelong passion for learning and strongly believes in the importance of continuing her education. In 2019, Dr. Miles completed the Leading People and Investing to Build Sustainable Communities Program within the Harvard Business School at Harvard University.   

Due to the effects of climate change on her Lytton First Nation community and the Village of Lytton, Dr. Miles was inspired to become a member of the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre, and currently serves as a Board of Director for the non-profit SAFERhome Society.   

Finally, Dr. Miles is a proud mother to her 7-year-old daughter Ava, who is an active and strong Dididaht First Nation girl, and together with her husband Peter Miles, they believe that education needs to be grounded in community experiences.  Dr. Miles’ passions include advocating for access to culturally safe and relevant education that creates a sense of belonging within Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education. 

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.

Doug Sheppard

Superintendent of Schools, Delta School District No. 37

Doug Sheppard is currently the Superintendent of Schools for the Delta School District.  With a BSc in Zoology from UBC and a Masters of Educational Leadership from SFU, Doug has over 25 years in public education beginning as a Secondary School teacher of Math and Science followed by various school and district administrative positions in the Richmond, Coquitlam and the Delta School District.  Doug was named one of Canada’s Outstanding Principals by the Learning Partnership in 2009. 

As Superintendent in Delta, Doug is focused on achieving the District’s vision of becoming a “Leading District in Innovative Teaching and Learner Success”.  The district’s focus on questioning and inquiry as methods of investigating both student learning and educator practice is central to the achievement of this work. 

Doug lives in Delta with his wife and three children and remains deeply curious about the natural world close to home and globally.  

Keith Spencer

Partner, Fasken

Keith Spencer is a leading information technology lawyer in British Columbia. As Co-Leader of the firm’s Start-Up & Emerging Company Services group, he provides expert advice to start-up and mature private technology companies. Keith is the recipient of the BC Technology Industry Association’s Bill Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award for his exemplary efforts and his passion for entrepreneurs.

Keith’s passion for the technology sector was cultivated early in his legal career, having worked as in-house counsel for the Vancouver-based Wireless Data Group of Motorola, and to D-Wave Systems.

A member of various boards and advisory committees, Keith plays a significant role in number of early stage and emerging technology companies and technology industry associations.

Lecturing on technology and intellectual property law is another passion of Keith’s and he can be found at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia, and at various CLE BC and IT industry conferences. He also authors articles in the areas of computer and information technology, outsourcing, e-commerce and intellectual property law.

Kirsten Sutton, ICD.D

Chief Technology & Information Officer, Vancity

Kirsten Sutton is an unconventional tech leader. With a background as a professionally trained chef, she navigated a significant career pivot to become one of Vancouver’s most celebrated tech execs. As Chief Technology & Information Officer at Vancity, Kirsten drives the organization’s digital strategy, linking community members through technology.

Her experience in the tech sector spans 25 years, previously at SAP across a variety of roles and most recently the Managing Director for SAP Labs Canada, the 3000-strong development organization across the country. But that only tells part of Kirsten’s story. 

Regarded as an energetic and authentic leader, Kirsten is a highly engaged in the community. Holding roles of leadership as: member of the Government of BC’s Presidents Group which champions accessible and inclusive workplaces, Senior Vice-Chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, and board director of BC Tech and Science World.

Kirsten has been recognized as a YWCA Woman of Distinction and received a Business in Vancouver Influential Women In Business award. She is also an in-demand speaker with more than 35 engagements a year.

Before pursuing a career in technology Kirsten explored 24 different jobs early in her career. The most interesting? You’ll have to ask her, but private investigator is up there.

Ali Tehrani

Amplitude Venture Capital, Partner

Dr. Tehrani is a venture partner at Amplitude VC which is a Canadian Venture Capital investment firm with offices in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Dr. Tehrani is a co-founder of Zymeworks and served as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of the Board of Directors, from the company’s inception in September 2003 to January 2022.

He led the company through many key corporate achievements including the development of multiple protein engineering platforms, initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2017, establishing 9 partnerships with major Pharma and Biotech companies, advancing two internal multi-specific antibody therapeutics into clinical trials and the initiation of a global Phase 3 study for the lead program.

Dr. Tehrani holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science degrees in biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts, and has a Doctoral degree in microbiology and Immunology from the University of British Columbia.

In 2021 and 2022 he was named as one of British Columbia’s Top 500 Influential Business Leaders by Business in Vancouver.

Dr. Tehrani is a member of the board of directors at Creatus Biosciences Inc. , Nanology labs, and BIOTECanada and has served as a board director for the Student Biotechnology Network, CQDM, LifeSciences British Columbia, and on the MITACS Industrial Advisory Board. He was also a member of British Columbia’s Premier’s Technology Council from 2016 to 2018.

Martin Thibodeau

Regional President, British Columbia, RBC Royal Bank

As Regional President, British Columbia, RBC Royal Bank, Martin Thibodeau leads a team of over 4,000 employees in BC; dedicated to providing financial advice and services to over 1.5 million personal, small business and commercial clients.

Martin joined RBC 30 years ago, and has held a number of senior management positions that led him to travel across the country, notably as Regional President, Quebec; Regional Vice-President, Eastern New Brunswick and P.E.I.; Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Quebec Headquarters; Regional Vice-President, Commercial Financial Services, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Ontario; and Vice-President, Canadian Banking, Toronto.

An energetic, inspiring and authentic leader, Martin is very committed to his community and has dedicated his time and skills in service of a number of organizations. Martin is a Governor of the BC Business Council, a Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cancer Research Society, he sits on the Board of Directors for BC Children’s Hospital and is part of the CABGU Board for BC & Alberta. At RBC, Martin is the CoChair for the Diversity Leadership Council and he has head the Centraide/United Way campaign for financial institutions for many years.

During his career, Martin has received several distinctions and recognition from his peers, including the Alter-Ego Award presented by the Association des femmes en finance du Québec, Global Citizen’s Award, presented by RBC, Pytagore Award from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Performance Award from ESG-UQAM, and Personality of the Year, Financial Institutions from Finance & Investment.

In his spare time, Martin can be found golfing and skiing the local mountains with his wife, Caroline, with whom he has three children. A graduate of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières; Martin holds an MBA from the School of Management at the Université du Québec à Montréal (ESG-UQAM)