MaRS appoints new board members Diane Kazarian and Taki Sarantakis

Ms. Kazarian is a corporate director and former-Managing Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Mr. Sarantakis is President of the Canada School of Public Service

TORONTO, July 10, 2023 – MaRS Discovery District is pleased to announce the board of directors appointments of Diane Kazarian and Taki Sarantakis.

As PwC’s first female Managing Partner in the GTA, leading the largest Canadian market and the third-largest market in North America.

Diane was the co-sponsor of PwC’s award-winning Women in Leadership (WiL) program and is a founding visionary of the Prosperity Project, an organization dedicated to working towards elevating women impacted by COVID.

As President of the Canada School of Public Service, Taki has modernized learning for public servants, starting the adjustment of the public service to the world of digital and data informed delivery. He has also served as Associate Secretary of the Treasury Board at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Assistant Deputy Minister of Policy and Communications with Infrastructure Canada. Taki was awarded Canada’s Public Service Award of Excellence in Public Policy for 2011 and was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013.

“I am thrilled to welcome Diane Kazarian and Taki Sarantakis to the MaRS board of directors,” said Yung Wu, CEO of MaRS Discovery District. “Diane comes to us with more than 30 years experience in the professional and financial services industries in both the U.S. and Canada. Taki has spent decades working at the highest levels of the federal government and public service. Together they will supercharge the MaRS board for future success.”

“Diane and Taki join us at a pivotal moment as we sit poised to help Canada grow its GDP and productivity through the support of some of Canada’s most promising startups to commercialize and scale,” said Annette Verschuren, MaRS board chair. “Their experience will be invaluable”

“The opportunity to have both economic and social impact as a MaRS board member is incredible,” said Kazarian. “When we support our top entrepreneurs bridge the gap from IP creation to economic success we can help create a more resilient country for all Canadians.”

“From my many years in government I know just how vital it is that Canada becomes a major player in the innovation economy,” said Sarantakis. “Nearly half of the world’s 50 largest corporations today are in technology and healthcare, collectively worth over $9.5 trillion, and MaRS is positioned to lead our growth in these sectors.”

Diane Kazarian

Diane Kazarian is a PwC Canada alumni managing partner where she was the first female GTA Managing Partner and a member of the Extended Leadership Team. She led PwC’s largest Canadian market, managing more than 4,000 professionals across all key industries. With more than 30 years of experience in the professional services industry, in financial services working with C-suites and Boards in the US and Canada in the banking sector, Diane has been recognized as a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants (FCPA) of Ontario and is a recipient of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 award. Diane was the co-sponsor of PwC’s award-winning Women in Leadership (WiL) program and is a founding visionary of the Prosperity Project, an organization dedicated to working towards elevating women being impacted COVID. She is the Chair of the Board of St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation and a corporate director of Gibson Energy Inc, OMERS Administration Corporation and Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust and a trustee of Bryant University. Diane is a sought-after speaker and is an active participant and advocate of women’s career advancement as well as diversity and inclusion.

Taki Sarantakis

Taki Sarantakis has been the President of the Canada School of Public Service since July 2018, having previously served as Associate Secretary of the Treasury Board at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Mr. Sarantakis spent most of his career at Infrastructure Canada, including as Assistant Deputy Minister of Policy and Communications.

In 2011 Mr. Sarantakis was awarded Canada’s Public Service Award of Excellence in Public Policy, and in 2013 he was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Prior to joining the federal government, Mr. Sarantakis was a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. from York University in Toronto, as well as an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He is a graduate of the Rotman School of Management’s Institute of Corporate Directors Education Program, holding the ICD.D designation.

MaRS board of directors

The board of directors provides MaRS with governance and strategic advice to steer the organization’s operations and ensure fiscal responsibility.

The MaRS board includes:

Annette Verschuren (chair), Chair and CEO at NRStor Inc.
Allen Lau, CEO and Co-founder at Wattpad
Andrew Chisholm, Corporate Director at Royal Bank of Canada
Elaine Campbell, Corporate Director
Claudette McGowan, CEO for Protexxa
Derek Evans, President, CEO and Director at MEG Energy
Meric Gertler, President of the University of Toronto
Diane Kazarian, former-Managing Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers
Stefan Larson, Partner at Sectoral Asset Management
Catherine Luelo, Deputy Minister, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Canada’s Chief Information Officer
Geoffrey Matus, President of Mandukwe Inc.
Prashant Pathak, CEO at Ekagrata Inc.; Principal of In Colour Capital Inc.
Taki Sarantakis, President of the Canada School of Public Service
Molly Shoichet, Professor at the University of Toronto
Yung Wu, CEO at MaRS

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.

Media contact
media@marsdd.com