The Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) is pleased to announce a new chair and 10 new or renewed members for its Excellence, Impact and Engagement Committee (EIEC).
The EIEC was originally developed to provide guidance on OFI’s research focus, funding allocations and strategic direction.
“Six years into its mission, OFI is at a critical point: there is an urgent need to mobilize industry, government, science, and philanthropy on the most critical ocean-related issues,” says Anya Waite, OFI’s chief executive officer and scientific director.
This new iteration of the EIEC, chaired by business leader and philanthropist John Risley, will provide international thought leadership and direction as the Institute grows in both the scale and depth of its thought leadership and scientific expertise.
"I’m honoured to be serving as the Chair of the EIEC at such a critical time for the Ocean Frontier Institute,” says John Risley, chair of the committee. “With the groundwork laid over the past six years, OFI is poised to be a global leader in transformational ocean research and I look forward to supporting those grand ambitions which will directly influence policy and industry."
The committee’s first meeting was held on October 24, 2022. The chair and members have signed on for two-or four-year terms, which may be renewed.
OFI would like to extend its utmost gratitude for the feedback and support of former EIEC members and looks forward to seeing this committee, under the leadership of Risley, help bring OFI to the international stage.
“The newly formed EIEC affords us diverse and unparalleled connectivity, experience, and passion that is needed to make a major impact on the ocean and humanity,” says Waite.
List of members
John Risley (chair)
- Chair and Chief Executive Officer, CFFI Ventures
- Chair, Northern Private Capital
- Chair, MDA Corporation
- Chair, World Energy
- Chair, Canada's Ocean Supercluster
- Director, Futurpreneur Canada
Peter de Menocal
- President and Director, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Marc D’Iorio
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Heide Hackmann
- Interim Director, Future Africa
- Strategic Advisor, Trans disciplinarity and Global Knowledge Networks, University of Pretoria
Ed Hill
- Chief Executive, National Oceanography Centre
Mark Jollymore
- President, Innovasea Systems, Inc.
Katja Matthes
- Professor, Atmospheric Physics, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and Christian-Albrechts Universität zu Kiel
Arran McPherson
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Ecosystems and Oceans Science, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada(observer)
David Paterson
- Professor, University of St Andrews
- Executive Director, Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland
- Chair, Sullom Voe Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group
Jake Rice
- Chief Scientist Emeritus, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Alanna Syliboy
- Community, Education and Engagement Manager, Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, Department of Aquatic Resources and Fisheries Management
- Member of OFI’s Advisory Committee on Indigenous Engagement in Ocean Research
