Feds announce chairs of Economic Strategy Tables

The federal government has appointed the chairs of four of the six Economic Strategy Tables that were announced in the last federal Budget as part of its new Innovation and Skills Plan. The industry leaders represent six high-growth sectors singled out by the government as having the best prospects for achieving innovative economic growth and global advantage — advanced manufacturing, agri-food, clean technology, digital industries, health/bio-sciences and clean resources. The tables are being touted as a new model for industry-government collaboration and are part of Innovation Canada, a newly established branch within Innovation, Science and Economic Development. The most recent appointment is Karimah Es Sabar, CEO and partner of Quark Ventures Inc as chair of the health/bio-sciences table and previously president and CEO at the Centre for Drug Research and Development. Previous appointments are: Charles Deguire (advanced manufacturing), co-founder and CEO of Kinova Robotics; Murad Al-Katib (agri-food), president and CEO of AGT Food and Ingredients; and, Audrey Mascarenhas (clean tech), president and CEO of Questor Technology.