The CFI welcomes Dr. Kevin P. D. Smith as its new Chair

June 25, 2010

OTTAWA, Ontario - June 22, 2010 — The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) welcomes the appointment of Dr. Kevin P. D. Smith as the new Chair of its Board of Directors. Dr. Smith succeeds interim Chair Dr. Elizabeth Cannon who replaced Dr. William C. Leggett in January 2010.

Dr. Kevin Smith was appointed as a CFI Board director in December 2007. Dr. Smith is President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer of St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener and an Associate Professor at the McMaster University School of Medicine.

He earned his Doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Sussex in England and completed the Chief Executive Officer Program for Healthcare Leadership at the Wharton School of Business. In 2003, he was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, which recognizes Canadians who have made outstanding and exemplary contributions to their communities or to Canada.

“The CFI would also like to thank Dr. Elizabeth Cannon for her service on the CFI Board, and wish her much success in her new position as President of the University of Calgary,” said Dr. Phillipson. “The CFI is also thankful for Dr. Leggett’s visionary contribution as Chair from 2007 to 2010. His expert guidance helped transform Canada’s research environment into a vibrant and collaborative enterprise focused on global leadership.”

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is an independent corporation created by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure. The CFI’s mandate is to strengthen the capacity of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians. Since its creation in 1997, the CFI has committed $5.3 billion in support of 6,800 projects at 130 research institutions in 65 municipalities across Canada.

The CFI practices have been recently called “world’s best” by a panel of international experts, based on a third-party performance evaluation and value-for-money audit. For the complete evaluation, audit and panel report, visit our website here.

Yves Melanson
Coordinator, Media Relations
Canada Foundation for Innovation
Tel.: 613-996-3160
Cell: 613-447-1723
Yves.melanson@innovation.ca