MaRS Discovery District appoints Barbara Stymiest as chair of its board of directors

Corporate director and governance expert brings more than two decades of experience in financial services, technology and research to guide MaRS’s board into its next chapter.

TORONTO, (October 6, 2026) – MaRS Discovery District today announced the appointment of Barbara Stymiest as chair of its board of directors, effective October 19, 2026. She succeeds Annette Verschuren, who is retiring from the board after 11 years of service, including eight as chair.

Barbara brings more than 20 years of senior executive experience in Canadian financial services, including as CEO of TMX Group, executive vice president and CFO of BMO Capital Markets and a member of the group executive at the Royal Bank of Canada. She currently serves as a corporate director of George Weston Limited and Resolution Re Limited and is vice chair of AGE-WELL Inc., as well as a director of Health Data Research Network Canada. Barbara is the lead author of the 2022 TMX/ICD report Charting the Future of Canadian Corporate Governance and was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2021. She previously served for many years on the board of University Health Network, Canada’s largest research hospital, where her oversight included technology and finance.

“Barbara is one of the most respected governance minds in the country, and she’s joining MaRS at an important moment,” says Grace Lee Reynolds, CEO of MaRS Discovery District. “Technology is reshaping the global economy at an accelerated pace, and opening new possibilities for better health, climate solutions and Canada’s productivity. Our challenge is to turn more of Canada’s science and ideas into companies that grow here and compete globally. Closing that gap takes strong partnerships and strong governance. Barbara brings deep experience in both, and I’m looking forward to working with her to turn more Canadian innovation into economic impact.”

“What struck me about MaRS is the real, tangible impact it has: technologies have made it from the lab into the market, and companies that started here are now competing on the world stage,” says Stymiest. “Getting more companies there takes focus. Good governance is about making disciplined choices about where an organization can make the biggest difference, and it gives partners across government, industry and philanthropy confidence that impact will follow. I’m honoured to build on the strong foundation Annette has laid, and help guide MaRS into its next chapter.”

MaRS extends its sincere gratitude to Annette Verschuren, who joined the board in 2015 and has served as chair since 2018. Under her leadership, MaRS expanded to the Toronto waterfront, strengthened its support for scaling Canadian ventures, formed international partnerships and built new national platforms in climate and health innovation, including Women in Cleantech, Mission from MaRS and the Mobility Unlimited Hub. Her entrepreneurial leadership and steadfast commitment to Canadian innovation has left a lasting mark on MaRS and the ecosystem it serves.

MaRS board of directors
The MaRS board provides governance and strategic direction to help the organization strengthen Canada’s innovation economy, from health and cleantech to AI and emerging technologies. Its members bring together expertise in entrepreneurship, technology and cybersecurity, life sciences research, health system leadership, public service and finance, giving MaRS a board built for a new era of innovation.

Effective October 19, 2026, the MaRS board of directors will include:
Barbara Stymiest (chair), Corporate Director
Helen Angus
Andrew Chisholm
Andrew Joyner
Diane Kazarian
Stefan Larson
Allen Lau
Claudette McGowan
Prashant Pathak
Taki Sarantakis
Molly Shoichet
Melanie Woodin

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About MaRS Discovery District
MaRS Discovery District is a charitable organization and one of North America’s largest urban innovation hubs, helping Canadian science and technology companies commercialize and scale. Building on a 25-year legacy of supporting founders, MaRS connects ventures with capital, customers, talent and expertise, through venture programming and partnerships, MaRS IAF (one of Canada’s most active seed-stage venture funds), MaRS Connect (a live digital marketplace linking commercially ready ventures with buyers, partners and sources of capital), and more than 1.5 million square feet of world-class lab, office and event space across the MaRS Centre and MaRS Waterfront in downtown Toronto. Since 2010, MaRS-supported ventures have generated $11.5 billion in cumulative revenue, raised $19 billion in funding and created and maintained more than 33,000 jobs.

For more information or to schedule and interview:
MaRS Discovery District
Wendy Bairos, Communication Director
wbairos@marsdd.com