Janice Fingler

Janice’s journey began at age 9 with a science project on steel-making blast furnaces, sparking a lifelong fascination with transformations. As a geoscientist, explorer, and entrepreneur, she thrives in change, now supporting the MICA network and fostering network development, network support and partnership in British Columbia and the Yukon. With 30 years of experience as a technical expert, project manager, and career coach, Janice has guided teams through global mineral exploration, resulting in six mines across three countries and successful pivots. A scientist who applies complex system theory and agile methods, Janice’s experience extends to industry volunteering and memberships in groups like Cynefin Centre, Human Systems Dynamics, and The Flow System, all working for a brighter future.

Paul Labbe

Paul brings over 45 years of global management experience in EPCM, research, mining, and manufacturing, spanning North America, Central Asia, Europe, South America, and Africa. Transitioning to research and education after a distinguished career in mine, energy, and manufacturing leadership, he excelled in roles involving mega-projects, energy, chemicals, manufacturing, and leadership, including senior positions at major global companies like WorleyParsons and Vecima. Notably, he led up to 1200 percent growth cycles within five years. Paul initiated his career in the Canadian nickel industry and subsequently ventured into potash operations, where he spent two decades. He expanded his expertise into EPCM, overseeing projects in diverse fields globally. Holding formal training in mechanical engineering technology and general business, Paul specializes in corporate management, project management, engineering, process systems, automation, and digital transformation. He serves as the MICA Regional Program Lead for the Saskatchewan region, contributing his wealth of expertise to this role. Paul has earned numerous awards, recognitions, and patents throughout his career, reflecting his technical prowess and leadership contributions.

Ian Spence

Ian Spence is Senior Manager, Business Development at MaRS. He leads climate, digital and emerging industry partnerships. His work ignites meaningful relationships between Canada’s brightest ventures and the greater, national, and international corporate ecosystem. He is passionate about unlocking the potential of Canadian innovation around the world. His approach to adoption collides industry narratives and re-focuses the power of technology to build better societies and businesses, wherever they may be. Prior to joining MaRS, Ian had a multidisciplinary background with organizations in energy, advanced AR/VR, IT, and consumer technology. Ian has 15 years of experience in sales and marketing and holds an Honours BA Double Major in Biology and Geography, Wilfrid Laurier University.

About MaRS:

MaRS is North America’s largest urban innovation hub. A registered non-profit, MaRS supports high-growth startups and scale-ups tackling key issues in health, cleantech, fintech and other sectors. In addition, MaRS convenes all members of the tech ecosystem to drive breakthrough discoveries, grow the economy and make an impact by solving real problems for real people — in Canada and around the world.

Janelle Skeard

Janelle grew up in rural Newfoundland and has had a keen interest in natural resource development since she was a child. She holds a certificate in Advanced Project Management, Master’s degrees in Economic Geography (MA) and Bio/Medical Ethics (MHE) and is an interdisciplinary doctoral candidate. She has managed and led large interdisciplinary research projects on a variety of topics including: land use planning and management, assessing the implementation of genetic data into the provincial electronic medical record (EMR), and understanding complex child care needs for workers on large construction projects in NL.

Janelle joined CNA in January 2023 as the Mining Network Development Officer for the Atlantic hub of the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) project. In this role, she liaises with partners and helps grow the MICA network through connecting academic, research, non-profit, and industry partners. Janelle is passionate about research and development and loves engaging with industry partners to help eliminate the gap between research and implementation.

Dr. Gary Fisher

Dr Gary Fisher is the Subject Matter Expert – Materials at InnoTech Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. He attended the University of Sheffield (UK) and received his PhD from Cranfield University (UK) in Advanced Materials. His areas of expertise include wear and corrosion-resistant materials and protective coatings for aerospace, petrochemical, energy and mining applications. Dr. Fisher is co-inventor on three US patents for coatings used in the petrochemical industry and is an adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and a Fellow of ASM. His current focus is on developing advanced manufacturing and materials technologies to support the mining sector.

Hacmi Ben Daly

Mr. Ben Daly holds a P.H.D. in Mechanical Engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal, Canada. He has more than 20 years of experience in project management, planning, execution, and control of research projects in the university environment.

By joining MISA, Mr. Ben Daly works closely with all mining partners and research centers to address the challenges of the Quebec mining industry and support its projects aimed at the transition to the autonomous mine. Mr. Ben Daly also has a proven track record in mobilization of stakeholders on specific issues.

Over the last few years, Mr. Ben Daly has held the position of Mining Innovation Project Manager at MISA Group. His expertise has enabled him to collaborate with different partners across Canada, particularly with the MICA network.