Ilse Treurnicht

Ilse Treurnicht

Ilse Treurnicht

Ilse Treurnicht was CEO of MaRS, a 1.5-million-sq.-ft. innovation hub located in Toronto. MaRS works with partners to catalyze, accelerate, scale and diffuse innovation in the areas of health, energy & environment, finance & commerce, and work & learning. MaRS supports innovators and entrepreneurs building high-impact growth businesses, offering specialized infrastructure as well as access to critical talent, capital and customer networks. 
Ilse joined MaRS in 2005 from her role as CEO of Primaxis Technology Ventures, and has been an entrepreneur and executive in a number of emerging technology companies. She is an active member of Canada’s innovation community. She was Chair of the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance in 2010, and serves on the Government of Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) and the Advisory Council on Economic Growth. 
Ilse holds a DPhil in chemistry from Oxford University, which she attended as a Rhodes Scholar.