BlackBerry was known as Research In Motion until the starting of this year when the company launched its brand new BlackBerry 10 platform and devices. In the past the Canadian smartphone manufacturer has successfully recruited some of the most talented employees working in the countries technology and corporate sector. However, with the rise of Apple, Samsung and Google in the mobile sector, BlackBerry has fallen behind and has only recently shown signs of fighting back. With large downsizing and flight of talent the company reduced its head count and lost some talented individuals that moved on to bigger and better roles. One former BlackBerry Chief Executive Officer that has made a big move recently is Jim Balsillie who has been announced as the chair for Sustainable Development Technology Canada.
The news was released by the Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver who stated that Balsillie would now be in charge of running the federal department that drives clean growth for technology firms in the country. Balisillie will hold the appointment for five years and will be taking the helm from the previous chair Juergen Peutter. Along with being chair Sustainable Development Technology Canada, he will also be president of Aeolis Wind Power Corporation. According to Techvibes, “He will also be supporting projects that develop new technologies that promote sustainable development.”
Talking to the Globe and Mail, Balsillie said that, “Clean technologies are making the extraction and use of our natural resources more efficient, our transportation better, our buildings more livable and our communities healthier, more cost-effective places to live and work.”
Minister Oliver said that Balisillie was a “Canadian visionary” that had the experience and expertise to match the new positions. e went on to say that, “Jim Balsillie is an extraordinarily successful entrepreneur and businessman with a history in innovation and technology. The objective here is to move to commercialization, from clean tech ideas to commercialization. And that’s a process he understands and he has been intimately involved in.”
The Canadian government is focusing on diversity in the energy market and does not want the economy to rely on the the countries large oil reserves. They are looking to help companies get a foot hold in the growing market while improving the “environmental performance of the energy sector introducing advancements in pipeline safety and reducing water usage.”
Federal policy director for Pembina Institute, Clare Demerse, says that, “In the same way that smartphones have changed the way we operate day to day, we see clean technology not as a niche but as an indispensable part of a low-carbon future. I’m hoping that Jim Ballsillie’s background will be a significant asset in helping Canada’s clean technology sector tap into the trillion-dollar global clean technology market.”
Source: TechVibes
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