Posted by: Kathryn Anthonisen, President and CEO, CANARIE
For me, the announcement came with the expected emotions and congratulations, but also a deep sense of gratitude and renewed clarity of purpose: gratitude for the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the betterment of Canada, and clarity of purpose on how we got here and what we need to do to move ahead.
CANARIE is a unique creation in the Canadian landscape. Designed to be agile and responsive to changing federal priorities, its evolution over the past 30 years has encompassed the creation of Canada’s National Research and Education Network (NREN), initiatives to spur digital innovation in business and education, the creation of national programs supporting the development of research software and data management tools, the development of the first Canadian cloud, and the evolution of global research and education services like eduroam and federated identity management.
And most recently, CANARIE’s evolution included the co-development of a cybersecurity strategy with and for the research and education sector, an extraordinary challenge that the community has met with determination and focus.
And none of this would have been possible without the extraordinary efforts and collaborations among our provincial and territorial partners in the NREN, dedicated and engaged leaders across the higher education landscape, partners and builders in the private sector, our funding partners in the Government of Canada, and of course the talented and dedicated CANARIE team.
My predecessor, Jim Ghadbane, President and CEO at CANARIE since November 2012, strengthened and expanded partnerships across the ecosystem and inspired the CANARIE team to embrace new approaches and opportunities to better serve our stakeholders. Jim’s legacy is the rock-solid foundation of services, infrastructures, and relationships that the CANARIE team and our partners will continue to build upon, because these services, infrastructures, and relationships are the building blocks of a secure, productive, and prosperous future for Canada.
My focus as we enter the next chapter of CANARIE’s evolution is to advance Jim’s extraordinary legacy and to evolve partnerships and collaborations that make a meaningful difference to Canada’s research, education, and innovation capacity.
We are building a better future for all who call Canada home, and I cannot think of a more inspiring and engaging mission to work towards.
I look forward to working with all our valued partners on this journey!