Tour Canada’s premier innovation centre — a stunning 700,000 sq. ft. complex of heritage and modern architecture, blending state-of-the-art lab, office and conference spaces — and engage with a panel discussion outlining the MaRS model for collaboration as Canada’s competitive advantage. Learn how MaRS is reshaping the 21st century economy by bringing together the world of science and technology, business and capital, and social innovation — all with the goal of building the next generation of innovative companies and seeding a broader culture of collaboration and entrepreneurship.

Hosts:  Linda Quattrin, Charles Plant, Don Duval, Randal Froebelius and Krista Jones

Linda Quattrin joined MaRS from Robarts Research Institute where she managed communications and public affairs and supported the Institute’s resource development through philanthropy and business development. Prior to that, she was assistant city editor, news reporter, feature writer and copy editor at the Winnipeg Free Press. She trained as a reporter-researcher at the Sunday Telegraph in the U.K. as well as at Maclean’s and the Toronto Star. Linda is a member of the Canadian Science Writers Association, National Association of Science Writers and University Research Magazines Association in the U.S. She holds a BSc from the University of Western Ontario in London, and MJourn from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario.

Charles Plant is an unreformed entrepreneur, having acted as CEO or CFO of several successful software companies, including Synamics Inc, a telecommunications software firm that he co-founded. Synamics provided mass calling platforms to telcos such as Bell Canada, Rogers, Cingular, and Verizon, along with such partners as Nortel, Lucent, and Cable and Wireless. As a management consultant, investment banker, auditor and now at MaRS, Charles has worked closely with over 100 companies and brings a multi-disciplinary perspective to solving business and technology problems. Charles is also on the faculty of York University’s Schulich School of Business and is a Chartered Accountant with an MBA in marketing.

Don Duval joined MaRS from Deloitte Consulting, where he served as a Senior Manager in the Strategy and Operations Consulting group based in Toronto. Through his consulting career, Don has worked with numerous clients in the life sciences, health care and consumer business industries. In addition, Don was part of a successful service-oriented start-up company, currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Engineering and is an Executive Board member for the Queen's Players Toronto Theatre Company and JUMP Math. He holds an BScH in Environmental Chemistry from Queen’s University in Kingston and a MASc in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto, Ontario.

Randal Froebelius has broad experience in the management, development and construction of industrial, commercial office, retail, institutional and residential properties. Prior to founding Equity ICI, he was responsible for all property management and leasehold construction activities associated with the Kolter Property Company’s six million square foot portfolio of assets in Toronto and Dallas. Randal holds a BESc from the University of Western Ontario in London and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ontario. He is a licensed professional engineer in Ontario and a member of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). Randal was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of BOMA Toronto.

Prior to joining MaRS, Krista Jones held executive positions in operations, engineering, marketing and business development for companies such as Nortel, MTS Allstream (formerly AT&T Canada), Metronet (the most successful start-up Competitive Local Exchange Carrier in Canada) and Personeta (an Israel based venture backed software startup). She and her husband also own a children’s technology educational franchise that fosters early innovation and creativity in robotics, animation, digital art, and video game design. Krista is a professional engineer with a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick.