Executive Team

Kathryn Anthonisen was appointed CANARIE’s President and CEO in July 2023, after having served as Vice President, External Relations with the organization for 11 years. Since joining CANARIE as Director of Communications in 2010, Kathryn led the team responsible for marketing and communications, stakeholder engagement, international relations, in addition to leading the strategic development of CANARIE’s mandate renewal.  

During her tenure as Vice President, External Relations, Kathryn worked to promote the impact of digital research infrastructure on Canada’s innovation capacity. Kathryn successfully reshaped the perception of the CANARIE brand from that of solely a network operator to an organization focussed on delivering a range of relevant and impactful digital infrastructure tools and services, and worked with partners in Canada’s National Research and Education Network to increase the visibility of this mission-critical infrastructure. 

Prior to joining CANARIE, Kathryn held a variety of senior roles in marketing, communications, and client management in the academic and private sectors, including at the Institute of Canadian Bankers, Humber College, and Canadian travel management pioneer, Rider Travel. At Humber College, Kathryn was an instructor and program administrator in the School of Business, and led or participated in several international projects, including a small business development project for women in Bangladesh, a lifelong learning project in China, and a capacity-building project for the educational sector in Guyana. During her time at Rider Travel, Kathryn held progressively senior roles in marketing communications, sales support, and client management.  

Kathryn earned her BA in English and History at McGill University and her MBA, with a focus on Marketing and International Business, from Schulich School of Business at York University, and spent a year studying French language and culture at the Sorbonne in Paris. Kathryn’s favourite place is outside, so she takes advantage of Ottawa’s extensive bike paths to commute to work until the snow flies, when she switches to skates and glides to the office and home again on the Rideau Canal.  

Contact Kathryn: (613) 943-5374 | kathryn.anthonisen [at] canarie.ca

Nancy Carter was appointed Vice President, Legal and Corporate Governance in 2022, having served as Chief Financial Officer of CANARIE since 2007, and in additional roles within the organization since 1997. In her new role, Nancy is responsible for legal matters, governance, risk management, compliance, and global projects, as well as aligning CANARIE’s equity, diversity, and inclusion goals with business outcomes. 

Throughout her career at CANARIE, Nancy’s deep institutional knowledge, understanding of the stakeholder community, and appetite to adopt new technologies have helped drive the evolution of the organization and enhance the impact of CANARIE initiatives. Her expertise in not-for-profit governance continues to strengthen the impact of CANARIE’s Board and advisory committees, and her appetite for lifelong learning (she earned a law degree at the University of Ottawa while CFO) is a model for her peers within and outside CANARIE. 

Nancy serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) and is the former Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Internet Society, Canada Chapter. Nancy actively supports cancer research initiatives, and her Run for the Cure team has raised over $140,000 for breast cancer research. 

Contact Nancy: 613-943-5437 | nancy.carter [at] canarie.ca

Tracy Murray was appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2022, having served in progressive roles as Director, Finance and Senior Director, Finance and Operations since joining CANARIE in 2011. As CFO, Tracy is responsible for CANARIE’s financial integrity, and the reliability of financial and operating results. She’s also responsible for Human Resources, Information Technology, and Program Operations functions. 

As CFO, Tracy draws upon over twenty years of senior financial positions in Ottawa’s high technology and at CANARIE, where her drive for operational excellence led to modernizations of the organization’s financial management systems, procurement, and HR policies. Tracy is a CPA, CGA and has extensively trained in human resources management. 

With a commitment to life-long learning, Tracy recently trained as a pastry chef and is passionate about creating and collecting art. In the summer months, Tracy and her husband can be found cycling across the province, setting new distance goals each year.  

Contact Tracy: 613-943-5431 | tracy.murray [at] canarie.ca

Tim Stupich was appointed CANARIE’s Vice President, Business Development in 2022, having joined CANARIE the previous year as Senior Director, Business Development. 

In his role, Tim is responsible for advancing existing partnerships and pursuing new opportunities that strengthen CANARIE’s ability to anticipate and meet evolving community needs. He is engaged in exploring opportunities to improve the successful development and execution of business strategies and programs, particularly in private sector innovation and cybersecurity.  

Tim came to CANARIE from Mitacs, where he developed strategies to strengthen business-driven research internships in key priority areas, including Indigenous initiatives, aerospace and defence, optical satellite communications technology for improved broadband in rural and remote communities as well as collaborations with the National Research Council. Tim also has an extensive career in the federal government, where he served as Director for the development of the Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy and led strategic contributions to research organizations including Canada Foundation for Innovation, Genome Canada, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Institute for Quantum Computing, Council of Canadian Academies, and many others.  

Tim is a Professional Engineer and holds a Mechanical Engineering degree and an MBA from the University of Manitoba. A sports enthusiast, Tim can often be found playing hockey and hiking with his family and golden retriever. 

Contact Tim: tim.stupich [at] canarie.ca

Peter Wilenius was appointed CANARIE’s Vice President, Cybersecurity Programs and Services in 2022, after serving eight years as Vice President, Business Development. 

Peter draws on more than 30 years of experience in leadership roles in Canada’s information technology sector, where he has led initiatives in corporate strategy, product line management global marketing, and mergers and acquisitions, and has extensive experience guiding emerging technology companies in business planning and go to market strategies. In his current role, Peter is focused on advancing the overall cybersecurity capabilities of Canada’s research and education sector by evolving existing cybersecurity services and the research and development of new services. 

During his tenure at CANARIE, Peter led the development of the Cybersecurity Initiatives Program, evolved the Digital Accelerator for Innovation and Research (DAIR) Cloud Program, and created and evolved relationships with partners in the private and not-for-profit sectors. Peter was also central to the launch of the Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN), where he was a Board member for seven years.  

Peter holds a BA Honours (Economics) from Carleton University and an MBA from Queen’s University. A former competitive triathlete, in his off hours Peter can be found on the rink or on the green, depending on the season.  

Contact Peter: (613) 943-5455 | peter.wilenius [at] canarie.ca

Mark Wolff was appointed Chief Technology Officer of CANARIE in 2013, after joining the team as Senior Director of Technology Innovation in 2011.

As CTO, Mark is responsible for ensuring CANARIE continues to drive the transformation and evolution of digital research infrastructure to serve Canada’s research, education, and innovation communities. Mark’s collaborative approach, coupled with his expansive technical knowledge, has supported the evolution and impact of CANARIE’s portfolio of programs and services. Responsible for CANARIE teams in network operations, research software, research data management, identity and access management, cloud technology, and security, Mark’s leadership supports the cross-pollination of best practices and the strategic deployment of innovative technologies, with a clear focus on the needs of end users.

Prior to joining CANARIE, Mark held innovation, development, and leadership positions at Newbridge Networks, Alcatel, and Meriton Networks. Mark holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a BSc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan and holds several patents in telecommunications. In his spare time, you can typically find Mark with a guitar in hand.

Contact Mark: (613) 943-0460 | mark.wolff [at] canarie.ca

Ela Yazdani was appointed Vice President, External Relations in 2022, having previously served in progressive roles as Senior Director, Communications, and Communications Manager, since joining CANARIE in 2013. Ela leads the team responsible for promoting the impact and adoption of CANARIE’s programs and services, and building relationships with national and global stakeholders, partners, and funders.

In this role, Ela draws upon nearly 20 years of experience in non-profits, the private sector, and community-based organizations, where she focused on developing and executing marketing and communications strategies that elevate the user experience. Before joining CANARIE, Ela worked at Ottawa-based technology startups, most notably at Bridgewater Systems.

Ela earned an Honours Bachelor of Commerce with specializations in International Management and Marketing from the University of Ottawa and Copenhagen Business School. In her spare time, Ela can be found with her family and friends, around tables of food and flowers.

Contact Ela: (613) 943-5432 | ela.yazdani [at] canarie.ca