Board Appointments Announced for Research & Development Corporation

ST. JOHN'S, NL, July 17, 2014 /CNW/ - The Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development and Minister Responsible for the Research & Development Corporation (RDC), today announced appointments to the RDC Board of Directors. 

"I am pleased to have these exemplary individuals serve on the RDC Board of Directors.  They bring considerable depth of experience and expertise, and will provide invaluable guidance to RDC as it works to strengthen research and development for the long-term economic benefit of our province."
- The Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister Responsible for the Research & Development Corporation

The following individuals were appointed:

• Fraser Edison, President and CEO of Rutter Inc., was appointed as Chair of the Board; 
• Fred Cahill, President of Cahill Group, was appointed as a Director (effective October 31, 2014);
• Bernard (Tanny) Collins, President of PF Collins International Trade Solutions, was appointed as a Director;
• Alan Brown, Retired Vice-President, East Coast Canada, Suncor Energy Inc. (formerly Petro-Canada), has been re-appointed as Vice Chair of the Board;
• Gary Dinn, Vice-President of PanGeo Subsea and past-chair of OceansAdvance, has been re-appointed as a Director;
• Laurier Schramm, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Saskatchewan Research Council has been re-appointed as a director; and
• Terry-Lynn Young, Professor, Memorial University Faculty of Medicine and Laboratory Scientist, Eastern Health, has been re-appointed as a Director.

The biographies of the new and returning board members are noted in the attached backgrounder.

Minister Sullivan also acknowledged the contributions and leadership of outgoing Chair Jackie Sheppard, who has served as RDC's Chair since her appointment in 2009, as well as Hege Rognø, who recently took on a new executive role with Statoil in her home country of Norway.

"I would like to commend and thank Jackie Sheppard and Hege Rognø for their service to RDC, and express the Provincial Government's appreciation for their contributions.  The leadership, global perspective and industry expertise of these individuals has provided immense value to RDC and I wish them well in their new endeavours."
- Minister Sullivan

RDC works with research and development stakeholders including business, academia and government agencies and departments to make strategic investments in people, R&D opportunities, and infrastructure.

QUICK FACTS

• Today appointments to the RDC Board of Directors were announced, including three new appointments.
• The RDC is a provincial Crown corporation responsible for improving Newfoundland and Labrador's research and development performance.
• Additional information on RDC can be found at: www.rdc.org

BACKGROUNDER
RDC Board of Directors

Fraser H. Edison, Chair
Fraser H. Edison, President and CEO of Rutter Inc., has extensive management experience in the finance, construction, oil and gas, and transportation industries. He previously led ConPro Group Limited in a joint venture to build the Gravity Based Structure for the Hibernia Project and subsequently the Terra Nova Floating Production and Offloading System. Mr. Edison has served as President of the St. John's Board of Trade and as the Chair of the Board for the St. John's International Airport Authority.

Fred Cahill, P. Eng
Mr. Cahill is President of The Cahill Group of Companies. The group is involved in multi-disciplinary construction and module fabrication in Atlantic Canada and has participated in a number of projects in major industries including oil and gas, mining, power generation, water treatment and institutional sectors. Mr. Cahill is an active member of the community and has held such positions as Chairperson of the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association, Chairperson of the Construction Labour Relations Association, Chairperson of MUN's Genesis Centre, and Member of the Atlantic Canada Energy Round Table.

Bernard Collins, B.BA
Mr. Collins is the current chairman of PF Collins International Trade Solutions, an internationally-recognized expert in trade and logistics solutions for East Coast oil and gas operations. He possesses extensive knowledge of the petroleum industry, ranging from freight to offshore drilling. Mr. Collins is also an award-winning entrepreneur, having been named Entrepreneur of the Year by Memorial University's Gardiner Centre in 2012; twice named as one of the top 50 Atlantic CEOs by Atlantic Business Magazine; and named the 2005 recipient of NOIA's Outstanding Contribution Award.

Alan Brown, M.Sc., B.Sc., P.Eng., Vice-Chair
Alan Brown retired from the oil and gas business after many years in technical, operational and business leadership roles around the globe. Most recently he has served as Vice-President, East Coast Canada with Suncor Energy Inc. (formerly Petro-Canada). He now lives in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he maintains contact with a number of energy industry players while endeavouring to support RDC and NL efforts to grow globally competitive technical and business capacity.

Gary Dinn, P. Eng.
Gary Dinn is well versed in the area of ocean technology, bringing over 25 years of experience from the private sector in a variety of roles including consultant, engineer, corporate director and manager. Mr. Dinn is currently the Vice President of PanGeo Subsea, a company responsible for leading edge technical advances in subsea acoustics, geotechniques, and enhanced seismic developments.

Laurier L. Schramm, Ph.D., B.Sc.(Hon.), P.Chem., C. Dir., FCIC
Dr. Laurier Schramm is an award winning proponent for best practices in university-industry R&D collaborations. Dr. Schramm has over 30 years of experience in R&D management, having worked in each of the industry, non-profit, university, and government sectors. He is currently the President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Research Council.

Brian Veitch, Dr. Tech., P. Eng.
Dr. Brian Veitch is an internationally-recognized expert on marine transport, offshore safety, and testing and evaluation of advanced ocean technologies. He is currently a professor with the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University. Dr. Veitch is a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers as well as the Royal Institution of Naval Architects.

Terry-Lynn Young, Ph.D., M.Sc., B.Sc. (Hon.)
Dr. Terry-Lynn Young is a molecular geneticist, internationally recognized for gene discovery and translation research into medically important conditions prevalent in Newfoundland and Labrador. She is full professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University, a laboratory scientist with Eastern Health, and a member of Governing Council with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Glenn Janes, M.SC., MBA, B.SC., C.DiR. (Non-voting Director)
Glenn Janes is a Rhodes Scholar and the CEO of the Research & Development Corporation. He has held a range of progressively senior positions with companies involved in research, development and technology commercialization processes, including most recently, Imperial Innovations Group plc in London, England.

Mark Ploughman, B.Eng, MBA (Non-voting Director)
Mark Ploughman has spent over 25 years in the manufacturing sector. He has extensive experience in quality assurance, operations management, human resource management and new product development.  Mr. Ploughman completed both his bachelor's degree in engineering and graduate degree in business administration at Memorial University.  Mr. Ploughman is currently the Assistant Deputy Minister with the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development.

SOURCE: Research & Development Corporation

Media contacts: Jennifer Tulk, Director of Communications, Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development, 709-729-4570, 709-697-4137, [email protected]; Chris Flanagan, Director of Marketing and Communications, Research & Development Corporation (RDC), 709-758-1021, 709-691-1009, [email protected]