The Digital Research Alliance of Canada Board of Directors is starting the process to recruit the organization’s next CEO, with George Ross’s term as CEO coming to an end later in 2025.
As part of the Board’s succession planning process, executive recruitment firm Boyden has been engaged to help lead a comprehensive and consultative search.
“The Board is energized and excited to recruit the organization’s next leader,” says Jeffrey Taylor, Board Director and Chair of the CEO Search Committee. “This is a pivotal moment for the Alliance, and for Canada, as the organization advances the next phase of the nation’s digital research infrastructure (DRI) strategy to fuel Canadian research, innovation and economic growth.”
In addition to funding for ongoing national operations, the Alliance is set to receive $85 million from the federally funded $2-billion Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy between 2025 and 2027. These federal investments will enable the Alliance to bolster Canada’s supercomputing infrastructure and support the growing needs of researchers, government and industry.
Convening partners from coast to coast to coast, the organization will continue to set Canada’s DRI strategy, grow a high-calibre technical workforce and champion critical DRI solutions that drive technological and innovation advancements.
“As we search for our next leader, George will maintain the momentum into 2025 and through the CEO transition process, with the full support of the Board,” says Dr. Taylor.
“The Alliance is proud to support and action the federal government’s commitment to Canada’s national digital research infrastructure, which is vital to driving discovery and innovation across the country,” said George Ross, CEO of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. The search for our next CEO comes at an exciting time, as we prepare to enhance Canada’s computing capacity, empower researchers and bolster Canada’s AI leadership and knowledge economy for years to come.”
In addition to Dr. Taylor, the CEO Search Committee of the Board is composed of directors Philippe Beaudoin, Connie Bonello, Donna Bourne-Tyson, Guillaume Bourque, Feridun Hamdullahpur (Board Chair), Chris Lumb, Roya Rezaie, Luc Vinet, and Amol Verma (Alliance Researcher Council Chair).
Consultations with internal and external stakeholders are underway to inform the candidate profile and job posting. All stakeholders are invited to share general input on the ideal candidate profile at hr-rh@alliancecan.ca.
The job posting for CEO will be published soon through all Alliance communications channels.