MaRS Discovery District announces two new board members

Molly Shoichet and Prashant Pathak join North America’s largest urban innovation hub

Toronto, ON (September 26, 2019) – MaRS Discovery District (MaRS) today announced the appointment of two new members to its board of directors, Molly Shoichet and Prashant Pathak. They are both dedicated supporters of Canada’s science, technology and entrepreneurial community, with experience and leadership that will strengthen the MaRS mission to support meaningful innovation.

“As we look to the next phase of growth for MaRS, which is at the centre of Canada’s economic transition, Prashant and Molly will bring their unique insights and expertise to the board’s deliberations,” said Annette Verschuren, MaRS board chair.

“Prashant has proven success in leading transformational businesses, while Molly brings extensive experience in scientific research and commercialization,” said Richard Ivey, MaRS board vice chair.

Shoichet holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in tissue engineering at the University of Toronto. She has published more than 650 papers, patents and abstracts, and serves on all three of Canada’s National Academies of Science, Engineering and Health Sciences. In 2011, she was awarded the Order of Ontario. She is co-founder of three spin-off companies, including AmacaThera (a MaRS-supported company), and is also actively engaged in translational research and science outreach. She holds a BSc degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Pathak is CEO of Ekagrata and a Principal of In Colour Capital Inc., a Canadian principal investment firm. In addition to his oversight roles at public and private companies, he serves on the boards of several public and community institutions. He has also held senior roles at BDC, where he served on the credit & risk and the pensions committees, and also chaired the venture capital and investments committee. Previously, he was a partner of McKinsey & Company. He holds an MBA with distinction from INSEAD, as well as a bachelor of technology degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.

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
  • Richard Ivey (vice chair), chairman at Ivest Properties Limited
  • Gordon M. Nixon, former CEO at Royal Bank of Canada
  • Elyse Allan, former CEO at GE Canada
  • Elaine Campbell, corporate director
  • Derek Evans, president and CEO at MEG Energy
  • Meric Gertler, president of the University of Toronto
  • Stefan Larson, partner at Sectoral Asset Management
  • Geoffrey Matus, president of Mandukwe Inc.
  • Prashant Pathak, CEO at Ekagrata Inc.; Principal of In Colour Capital
  • Michael Serbinis, CEO at League
  • Molly Shoichet, professor at the University of Toronto
  • Martha Tory, retired partner at Ernst & Young LLP
  • 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 the 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

Corey Black
Communications Manager, MaRS
media@marsdd.com
416-903-4181