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.

Leah is the Senior Manager, Cleantech at MaRS Discovery District where she works closely with the MaRS cleantech portfolio through all stages of growth, primarily when they are raising capital. Managing MaRS’ Climate investor relationships and leading the MaRS Cleantech VC Syndicate, Leah supports in the preparation of venture investment rounds and connects the MaRS Cleantech portfolio to the capital they require to grow. Leah also leads the RBC Women in Cleantech Accelerator, a two-year cohort program at MaRS aimed to accelerate women-led cleantech ventures. Prior to MaRS, Leah worked at Export Development Canada (EDC), where she spent nearly seven years helping SMEs along their growth journey, including several years on EDC’s Cleantech Team. Leah holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University, is a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP), and was recognized as one of Corporate Knights' Top 30 under 30 Sustainability Leaders in Canada.

Andy is the Senior Manager of Climate Programs and leads Mission from MaRS, a series of initiatives that aims to tackle the climate crisis through accelerating the adoption of innovations. With Mission from MaRS, Andy is focused on several important topics including unlocking public sector procurement of cleantech, supporting the development of the Canadian carbon markets, and embedding climate innovation within the real estate sector. In 2022, Andy was recognized by Corporate Knights for its Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders.

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.

Ria Perrault is the Climate Programs Associate at MaRS, where she works on 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 Coordinator, Cleantech at MaRS Discovery District where she supports climate program activities and engagement opportunities for ventures, investors, and partners. Striving towards just, inclusive and sustainable business practices, she previously worked on environmental policy management and community engagement. She holds a B.A. with Honours in Environmental Studies and Cognitive Science.

Deveney is the Associate, Climate and Cities at MaRS, where she supports the implementation of CAANZero, a pilot program seeking to unlock finance and increase capacity for small and medium municipalities advancing climate solutions. Prior to joining MaRS, she worked as the director of international programs for a Canadian sustainable development charity. Deveney also holds an MPA from the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London, where she completed research on community-driven and inclusive policy solutions for achieving net-zero.

Ian McCarter is the Director, Corporate Innovation, focused on creating meaningful, economic relationships between Canadian ventures and globally significant early adopters of innovation. In particular, Ian has been helping energy, transportation, real estate, mining, construction, and heavy industry partners inject Canadian innovation into their net-zero journey.

Prior to joining MaRS, Ian worked for 7 years as a technology consultant at Deloitte, working on large-scale, technology implementation projects in both the public and private sectors, acting as the Google translator between business objectives/outcomes and technical solutions. Ian holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Ottawa and an MBA from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.

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.

With twenty years of experience in data analytics, evaluation, research, design, development, and innovation, Sue is an expert in the end to end innovation process. While at MaRS, Sue has been the lead designer and project manager on complex projects and programs in the areas of social and municipal procurement innovation, systemic design, experiential futures, and social innovation. She is currently leading the design, strategy, and product development of an innovation ecosystem impact accelerator, and supporting the public procurement – net zero mission. Sue is also the Co-Founder and Director of Operations for Creative Reuse Toronto.

Harvey has been advising cleantech ventures at MaRS for more than 10 years, with a more recent focus on climate change prevention and adaptation. He has 40 years of experience in the IT industry. During his career he ran Global Sales Support and Marketing Strategy for the Olivetti Group and was Managing Director of the Acorn Group PLC, a computer manufacturer and fledgling designer of the ARM chipset. In Canada, he was the CEO of Olivetti, Dell, and EVP of GEAC, a multiproduct global software company. Throughout his career he also founded and held senior roles in several start-ups. His main focus as Senior Advisor at MaRS has been helping ventures establish their Product Market Mix and Go to Market Strategies, as well as helping them take this through to repeatable scalable sales.

Rick is a leader in the Canadian cleantech sector, a serial entrepreneur, and angel investor. He serves as a Senior Advisor to the cleantech sector at MaRS Discovery District. Rick is also a Director of Aclarus Ozone Water Systems, a Director of Sentry Water Monitoring Technologies, an Advisory Board member for the Canada Water Portal, a partner with Toronto based private equity investment group 1440 Capital, and past Chair of the Board of WaterTAP Ontario, the province of Ontario’s water technology accelerator.

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.