Invest Ottawa Expands Board of Directors with Top Level Entrepreneurs

Invest Ottawa announced today the newest members to join its Board of Directors. These entrepreneurs have helped invigorate and grow Ottawa’s business ecosystem by creating exciting new companies. They are now giving back by volunteering their time, to help make Ottawa the most innovative city in Canada. They represent a balance of experience, youth, diversity and energy that will bring fresh insight into the city’s major economic development priorities that constitute the board’s primary focus.

Susan Richards, Virtual CFO and Co-Founder of Givopoly, has 20 years of experience in management accounting and consulting SMEs. She co-founded Givopoly, an Ottawa-based online gift delivery marketplace, and sits as National Treasurer on the Board of Directors for Equal Voice.

Tobias Lütke is CEO and co-founder of Shopify, the marquee shopping cart system of the e-commerce industry. On the heels of being crowned CEO of the year by the Globe & Mail, Shopify has recently filed an IPO, with plans to raise nearly US$100 million in New York and Toronto.

Jason Flick is a serial entrepreneur and Co-founder and President of YOUi Labs, who brings 18 years of technical and business leadership to the board. Prior to this he founded Flick Software; a firm specializing in mobile solutions and products venture whose customers included Intel, Rogers Wireless, U.S. military, and Sybase. In 2002, he was co-founder and CTO at N-able Technologies, where he managed and built the engineering team and was the architect of one of the most scalable IT systems in the world.

David Ross, CEO at Ross Video, has been surrounded by engineering, business, and production switchers his entire life. He joined Ross Video in 1991 and was later promoted to the position of director responsible for all product development in the company. He continued to advance within the corporation until he was appointed CEO in April of 2006. David has seen Ross Video’s sales grow at an average cumulative rate of about 17% per year since he joined in 1991. The company is now a global leader in its space with its products found in more than 100 countries.

Jim Roche was a co-founder of Tundra Semiconductor Corporation where he led the company through double-digit average annual revenue and profit growth. In 2006, Jim founded Stratford Managers Corporation. As President and CEO, Jim provides strategic and sage advice for clients striving to accelerate business growth. He is an Executive-in-Residence at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa and sits on a number of advisory boards including Canarie, Canada’s Advanced Research and Communications Network.

“The contributions, achievements and thought leadership of these new members has been instrumental in establishing Ottawa as the best place to work, play and grow” says Dave Ritonja, Board Co-Chair. “Their combined input and guidance will be a major contributing factor in ensuring Ottawa is the most innovative city in Canada.”

“I’ve enjoyed Ottawa as my home and have found it to be a fantastic place to grow a vibrant business and raise a family”, says David Ross of Ross Video. “We have thrived by being part of the Ottawa community with an average of 17 percent growth every year for 23 straight years, including 10 acquisitions and counting. Ottawa has a tremendous opportunity to become known as the Innovation Capital of Canada and it’s an honour to help.”

“I know firsthand the benefits of Ottawa for building world-class companies that want easy access to global markets”, says Jason Flick of YOUi. “In the past I have worked on many smaller start-up community based initiatives but I see a much bigger opportunity to help foster innovation at Invest Ottawa than I could do anywhere else.”

Invest Ottawa would like to extend its deepest gratitude to departing board members: Chandra Arya (Acleo Inc); Bryan Haralovich (Welch LLP); and Chris Knight (Knight Enterprises). Their guidance has helped Invest Ottawa meet its strategic goals and attain tremendous levels of success in a few short years.

The remaining board directors are:
Jim Watson (Co-chair) Mayor, City of Ottawa
David Ritonja (Co-chair) Vice President, Alcatel-Lucent Canada
Lise Bourgeois, President, La Cité collégiale
Cheryl Jensen, M.Ed, President and CEO, Algonquin College
Dr. Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President and Vice-Chancellor, Carleton University
Allan Rock, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Ottawa
Noel Buckley, President and CEO, Ottawa Tourism
Cyril McKelvie, Senior Vice President, Operations, Coriant
Mark Sutcliffe, CEO, GreatRiver Media Inc.
Jeff Westeinde (Past Chair), Managing Partner, Windmill Development Group

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About Invest Ottawa:

Invest Ottawa delivers economic development programs and initiatives that increase entrepreneurial momentum, wealth and jobs in the City of Ottawa and its surrounding region. Its goal is to make Ottawa the most innovative City in Canada. Invest Ottawa services include start-up incubation and mentorship, acceleration for existing companies, global business attraction and local business retention, targeted sector development, commercialization, and marketing Ottawa’s diversified economy and high quality of life. www.investottawa.ca

For more information please contact:

Ryan Gibson
Communications Manager
rgibson@investottawa.ca
613.828.6274 ext 276
80 Aberdeen Street
Ottawa, ON Canada