Late last week, it was announced that Jeff Westeinde and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson will co-chair the 14-person board of Invest Ottawa. Westeinde is a well known entrepreneur in the area and will take on the leadership of the board that is responsible for economic development in Ottawa.
According to Invest Ottawa, the collective “delivers expert-oriented economic development programs and initiatives that increase entrepreneurial momentum, wealth and jobs in the City of Ottawa and its surrounding region. Its goal is to make Ottawa the best place in Canada to start and grow a knowledge-based business.” The private-public partnership uses its experience to pinpoint areas that need improvement and then provides guidance on how to reach goals and measure results. The board of Invest Ottawa is a mixed group that includes people from the private-sector and also includes the presidents of two large universities and two community colleges located in Ottawa.
Mayor Watson explained the makeup of the organization by stating that, “Invest Ottawa brings together a dynamic, talented team that’s broadly representative of our city’s economic eco-system. Its challenge is to get all of the major players in that eco-system to work together on a number of economic development initiatives that focus on business investment and job creation. This is all about sustainable economic growth—the kind that benefits everyone in our community.”
The board is supported by three working groups that focus on innovation, investment & trade as well as creative industries. The innovation teams supervise services and programs that deal with entrepreneurs and start-ups They aim to help and promote these budding companies by using their knowledge and skills. Foreign investment, expansion of business and trade is handled by the Investment and Trade group. The creative industries working group manages agendas that help in the expansion of the film, television and digital media segments.
Westeinde explained how the organization works together by stating that, “Invest Ottawa is founded on collaboration and partnership. When you look at our board and working groups you see a balance of experience, youth, diversity and energy. Our governance structure reflects our city’s major economic sectors, and the colleges and universities that develop much of the talent that fuels those sectors. That’s not just a formula for success, it’s a formula for excellence.”
New Invest Ottawa Board of Directors will now include:
• Chandrakanth Arya, CFO, D-TA Systems Inc.
• Lise Bourgeois, President, La Cité collégiale
• Noel Buckley, President and CEO, Ottawa Tourism
• Bryan Haralovich, Partner, Welch LLP
• Chris Knight, President, Knight Enterprises
• Kent MacDonald, President, Algonquin College
Source: InvestOttawa
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