Climate

Tyler Hamilton is Senior Director of Climate at MaRS and guides all climate-related activities for ventures, corporate partners and investors, including the flagship Mission from MaRS program. He is also on the board of the Ontario Clean Technology Industry Association (OCTIA) and a member of the XPRIZE Brain Trust. Previous to joining MaRS, Tyler spent two decades as a journalist and wrote extensively about Canada’s clean technology sector and global cleantech trends. Most recently he was editor-in-chief of business and sustainability magazine Corporate Knights. He also spent 13 years at the Toronto Star, where he reported on Canada’s energy sector and wrote a popular weekly column on clean energy technologies and trends. In 2011, Tyler authored Mad Like Tesla, a book that examines the various barriers to clean energy innovation and surveys the landscape of some potentially world-changing clean technologies. A recipient of the Cleantech Group’s “Pioneer” award for his early writings on the sector, Tyler was also recognized in 2016 on Canada’s “Clean50” list for his thought leadership on clean energy and climate issues.

Ana is the Senior Manager, Climate and Cities at MaRS, where she leads the implementation of CAANZero, a pilot program seeking to unlock finance and increase capacity for small and medium municipalities advancing climate solutions. Prior to her role, she led an Innovation Fund across six countries through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Partnership for Municipal Innovation in Local Economic Development. Ana also worked closely with local-level actors through the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, supporting over 340 local governments in their efforts to act on climate across Canada. In 2017, Ana co-founded Youth Climate Lab, where she oversaw the operations, programs, and co-led the vision and strategy of the organization. She is the Vice-Chair of the Tamarack Institute’s Board of Directors, and served as an advisor to Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy. Ana holds an MSc Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment as a Linbury Trust Scholar from the University of Oxford.

Jasmine Lu is the associate for the MaRS AdapTech Accelerator program, which supports ventures developing solutions that can help prevent, prepare, recover and respond to the impacts of climate change. Prior to joining MaRS, she supported CreateTO’s asset management team, conducted ESG reporting and sustainability strategy for Waterfront Toronto, led the Region of Peel’s extreme heat resiliency climate framework and contributed to the rollout of Rocky Mountain Institute’s City Climate Intelligence software. Lu holds a BSc with honours in physiology, urban studies, and environment and energy from the University of Toronto.

Ria leads Mission from MaRS: Better Buildings and Public Procurement and supports a number of other Mission from MaRS projects and communications. She has spent several years working on environmental and policy issues in the built environment, and is driven by the need to create a more sustainable future. Ria earned an M.Sc. in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Ottawa in 2023, and previously graduated with high distinction from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in Architecture.

Niyat is the Senior Associate, Cleantech and Climate at MaRS Discovery District where she works on engagement opportunities for ventures and investors, and leads Mission from MaRS programming dedicated to accelerating the commercialization and adoption of Canadian carbon removal solutions. She holds a B.A. with Honours in Environmental Studies and Cognitive Science.

Katherine Festeryga holds nearly a decade of experience in both the public and private sectors, helping to shape policy and advocate for policy priorities in Canada. Katherine recently launched agricultural technology startup, Edie Farming, building Ontario’s first commercial rooftop greenhouses at scale which won the City of Toronto’s Women4Climate award in 2024. Previously, Katherine was on the policy and communications team at Sidewalk Labs - a landmark Google company that applied forward-thinking urban design and cutting edge technology to the world’s biggest challenges. Prior to Sidewalk Labs, Katherine led legislative and strategic policy communications for NAFTA negotiations and Buy American tariffs for the Province of Ontario at the Ministry of Economic Development and Growth. Katherine holds her Master’s of Public Policy, specializing in climate impacts on food supply at Northwestern University and is a University of Western Ontario graduate with a BA in History and double major in Political Science, as well, she currently sits on the board of North York Harvest Food Bank.

Sophie is the Associate, Climate Programs at MaRS, where she supports programming to advance a more sustainable, competitive and resilient agri-food system in Canada. Prior to joining MaRS, she was a venture capital analyst at BDC, supporting founders scaling low-carbon solutions. She previously consulted on agri-food carbon insetting programs at FoodBridge, designed corporate ESG strategies at SLR Consulting, and supported the development of The Carbon Guild at Viresco Solutions, a digital platform designed to improve producer access to verified carbon markets. Sophie holds a BComm from Queen’s University, where she focused on sustainable finance and systems change.

Olivia is the Climate Programs Coordinator at MaRS where she helps advance the Mission from MaRS: Better Buildings program working with ventures to scale decarbonization solutions in Canada’s building sector. Prior to joining MaRS, Olivia worked with cleantech innovators at Intelligent City, coordinated sustainability engagement programs in partnership with the City of Vancouver, and led a business consultant team on sustainability strategies for Racing to Zero. Olivia holds a Masters of Business Management from the University of British Columbia as well as a BA in Human Geography where she focused on sustainability, urban planning and global affairs.

Mick Malowany is the Senior Manager, Climate with MaRS’s Corporate Innovation team. He focuses on facilitating discourse and fostering relationships between large corporate partners and the Canadian cleantech innovation ecosystem. The overarching purpose of his work is to accelerate adoption of cleantech solutions and advance the transition to a sustainable economy. Towards this purpose, Mick brings capabilities in scenario analysis, adaptive pathways, interdisciplinary collaboration, systems thinking, and institutional dynamics, as well as subject matter expertise in green infrastructure and urban sustainability. Prior to joining MaRS, Mick spent three years leading innovation strategy and human-centred design research projects with Deloitte’s D.Studio and Doblin consulting practices; and five years leading large technical implementations with IBM and Loblaw Digital. Mick holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Harvard University and an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge.

Ian Spence is a Senior Manager in Business Development at MaRS. His work ignites meaningful relationships between Canada’s brightest climate tech ventures and the greater, national, and international corporate ecosystem. He is passionate about unlocking the potential of Canadian innovation around the world. His approach to adoption collides industry narratives and re-focuses the power of technology to build better societies and businesses, wherever they may be. Prior to joining MaRS, Ian had a multidisciplinary background with organizations in energy, advanced AR/VR, IT, and consumer technology. Ian has 15 years of experience in sales and marketing and holds a BA Double Honours in Biology and Geography, Wilfrid Laurier University.

Jon is an experienced founder, executive, and board member of private and public entities in energy, mobility, and alternative fuels. He was formerly the Senior Vice President of Venture Services at MaRS. Prior to leading the Venture Services Team, he was the Managing Director of the Cleantech Practice. He is also the founder of the MaRS Advanced Energy Centre.

Prior to joining MaRS, he led business development for Hydrogenics Corporation (now Cummins) through the launch of the company’s fuel cell and hydrogen generation divisions. He also co-founded Sustainable Energy Technologies (now Eguana Technologies), a leading Canadian provider of power electronics for the solar power industry. He has also served on the Energy Transformation Network of Ontario, on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Clean Water Agency, and on the investment committee for Arctern Ventures fund 2.

Alex Zakreski is the senior manager of the MaRS cleantech ecosystem, helping to accelerate the growth of Canadian cleantech ventures by connecting them to capital providers, potential customers and MaRS network partners. Zakreski has nearly a decade of experience in climate innovation, holding numerous venture, corporate and investor-facing roles. She spent nearly four years in London, U.K. — most recently on the innovation team at DS Smith, the world’s largest manufacturer of fibre-based packaging, where she sourced and scaled partnerships to bring new products and services to market. Zakreski also managed the European and Asian partner networks at Cleantech Group. She holds a BA in art history and international development from McGill University and a MSc in international public policy from University College London (UCL), where her research focused on climate finance.

Sebastian Chavez is a Manager in the Corporate Innovation team at MaRS Discovery District, focusing on Climate. In his role, Sebastian advises corporate partners from across the Americas, Asia and Europe on innovation-driven decarbonization and climate strategy to accelerate the adoption of Canadian climate technology, particularly in industrial sectors such as cement, steel, and mining. He helps a wide range of companies navigate decarbonization pathways and emerging climate technology, and facilitates connections across ecosystem stakeholders to help them achieve their climate innovation ambitions. In collaboration with the Climate team, Sebastian also leads the Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Buyers Education Program under the MaRS Carbon Management Mission, and the Corporate Adopter Accelerator under the MaRS Food & Agriculture Mission.

Prior to MaRS, Sebastian held roles in Product Management and Data Strategy at RBC's Data & Analytics function. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (HBA) from the Ivey School of Business at Western University.

Scale-up experience:

• COO and Acting CEO, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)
• Oversaw operations, strategy and ecosystem partnerships for a national $20-million organization funding Canada’s leading cleantech ventures.
• Led corporate transformation and stakeholder engagement across government and industry to advance sustainable innovation.
• EVP, Operations and Engineering, Iogen Corporation
• Led the commercialization and scale-up of cellulosic ethanol technology through a U.S.$105-million industrial facility with Raízen (Brazil).

• Directed $190–200 million annually in cleantech investments, approving more than $800 million into 200+ projects driving environmental and economic impact as VP Investments at SDTC.
• 25+ years of experience in cleantech innovation, impact investment and technology commercialization.

• Scaling cleantech ventures and technology commercialization
• Impact investment strategy and portfolio management
• Public-private partnerships and sustainable innovation policy
• Organizational leadership, governance and stakeholder relations