B.C.’s Most Influential Women 2018: Stem Stars

Along with our panellists and profile subjects, these women have made vital contributions to science, technology, engineering and math in B.C.

Norma Biln
Co-founder and CEO, Augurex Life Sciences Corp.,  Vancouver biotechnology company developing biomarker blood tests to help patients achieve better disease outcomes; director, New Ventures BC

Judy Bishop
Managing partner, Innovex BC, catalyst initiative of the BC Innovation Council that seeks to capitalize on business opportunities by matching top talent with innovation; former executive in residence, Accelerate Okanagan tech incubator

Lara Boyd
Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, and director, Brain Behaviour Laboratory, UBC; Canada Research Chair in Neurobiology of Motor Learning; researches therapies that improve brain activity after a stroke

Jordan Brighton and Lee Brighton
Co-founders (CEO and chief strategy officer), Virtro Entertainment Inc., virtual, augmented and mixed reality gaming studio in Vancouver

Nat Cartwright
Co-founder and COO, Finn.ai, Vancouver developer of a digital personal financial management assistant for the banking sector

Karen Cheung
Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UBC; researches biomedical and emerging micro- and nano-technologies

Darlene Higbee Clarkin
Founder and CEO, WholeLife HealthTech Inc., health platform whose offerings include online nutrition business MyWholeLife.ca; based in Vancouver

Catherine Dahl
Co-founder and CEO, Beanworks Solutions Inc., Vancouver developer of accounts payable automation software

Natalie Dakers
Founding president and CEO, Accel-Rx, Canada’s first health sciences accelerator, based in Vancouver; adjunct professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC

Tasha Da Silva
Founder and co-CEO, Infuse I.T. Inc., Kelowna developer of point-of-sale and business management solutions for shops, restaurants and wineries

Lesley Esford
President, LifeSciences British Columbia, non-profit industry association in Vancouver; former industrial technology adviser to the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP); member of Kauffman Fellows, a Silicon Valley–based international leadership program

Alexandra Fedorova
Associate professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UBC; recipient of 2012 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship; research focuses on computer performance, usability and energy efficiency

Bonnie Foley-Wong
Founder, Pique Ventures, Vancouver-based impact investment and management firm that allocates to technology companies; founding investor, Pique Fund

Agnes Garaba
Head of human resources, SAP Canada Inc., developer of enterprise application software, Vancouver 

Jennifer Gardy
Assistant professor, School of Population and Public Health, UBC; associate member, Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Canada Research Chair in Public Health Genomics; research interests include genomic epidemiology, molecular evolution and tuberculosis

Prem Gill
CEO, Creative BC, Vancouver-based government agency tasked with uniting, sustaining and growing the province’s creative sector

Diane Gromala
Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology, and founder and director, Pain Studies Lab, SFU; Canada Research Chair in Computational Technologies for Transforming Pain; research interests include using virtual reality for pain management

Cindy Gu
Founder and CEO, Vitali Wear, Vancouver developer of a smart bra that tracks breathing, posture and heart rate variability

Mina Hoorfar
Professor and director, School of Engineering, UBC Okanagan; head of the Advanced Thermo-Fluidic Laboratory, whose research includes lab-on-chip devices and drug and disease detection; developer of breath analyzer to test for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis

Joy Johnson
Vice-president, research and international, SFU; a leader of the SFU Innovates strategy, which aims to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship at the university

Kathy Kinloch
President, British Columbia Institute of Technology; director, Business Council of British Columbia, Polytechnics Canada and Telus Corp.

Jeannette Kopak
Faculty member and former associate director, master of digital media program, and director of business development and operations, Centre for Digital Media, Vancouver; led effort to digitize the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.’s radio and television archives and spearheaded the CBC’s original website

Annalea Krebs
Founder and CEO, Social Nature, Vancouver-based online community that sends members free samples of natural products

Eunice Kuatsjah
Co-founder, Orello Hearing Technologies Inc., Vancouver developer of affordable, high-quality hearing aids

Nadja Kunz
Assistant professor, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering, UBC; research focus is mine water management and water governance in mining regions

Amielle Lake
Founder, Tagga Media Inc., Vancouver-based online customer data platform acquired by Campaign Monitor in 2012; entrepreneur in residence, UBC; co-founder, Women’s Equity Lab, Canada’s first all-female angel investor club

Bobbi Leach
CEO, FuturePay Inc., Victoria-based  digital payment platform for mobile shoppers; CEO, RevenueWire Inc., online performance marketing, partner management and payment processing platform for advertisers

Véronique Lecault
Co-founder, AbCellera Biologics Inc., Vancouver developer of antibody discovery and immune profiling platform

Nancy Lee
Interdisciplinary media artist; VP, board of directors, Vancouver Arts and Leisure Society; co-producer of Current: A Pacific Northwest Feminist Electronic Art Symposium

Angelica Lim
Assistant professor of professional practice, School of Computing Science, and head, ROSIE (Robots With Social Intelligence and Empathy) Lab, SFU; research interests include human-robot interaction and developmental robotics, which draws on cognitive development in children

Ragi Mahil
Director of marketing, Telus, Vancouver; former VP, marketing, CounterPath Corp., developer of voice-over-IP (VoIP) software for operators and enterprises

Elicia Maine
Professor, technology and operations management; academic director, Graduate Certificate in Science and Technology Commercialization; and founding academic director, Invention to Innovation graduate program, Beedie School of Business, SFU

Ann Makosinski
Inventor, Makotronics Enterprises Inc., Victoria; English literature student, UBC; developed the Hollow Flashlight, which is powered by heat from the hand and won a global Google Science Fair award

Amanda Mallow
Chief human resources officer, Absolute Software Corp., Vancouver developer of security and IT asset management software

Michelle Malpass
Director of community performance, Traction on Demand, Salesforce consulting and application development firm based in Burnaby; partner, Social Venture Partners Vancouver

AJung Moon
Founder and director, Open Roboethics Institute (ORI), Vancouver-based international think tank investigating ways that robotics technology stakeholders can collaborate to influence how robots shape the future; CEO and technology analyst, Generation R Consulting Inc., ORI division providing ethics road maps for organizations using artificial intelligence/machine learning and robotics

Sarah Morgan
Founder and CEO, Nano-Lit Technologies, Vancouver developer of the Smart Diffuser, a lighting retrofit using quantum dot technology that reduces energy consumption and improves health and well-being

Chloe Morrow
Senior vice-president, product management, Vision Critical Communications Inc., Vancouver customer intelligence software provider

Lois Nahirney
President and CEO, dnaPower Inc., North Vancouver–based developer of a DNA lab test examining genetic markers associated with aging skin; and SkinDNA Canada Inc., the test’s Canadian distributor

Cybele Negris
Co-founder, president, CEO and director, Webnames.ca, Canada’s original web domain registrar, based in Vancouver; member, Premier’s Technology Council

Kirsten Newlands
Senior VP, Vancouver, DHX Media Ltd., Halifax-based developer of video content and brands for children

Lisa Payne
CFO, MineSense Technologies Ltd., Vancouver cleantech firm that makes ore extraction and metal recovery more sustainable

Grace Quan
CEO, Hydrogen in Motion Inc., Vancouver developer of mobile storage tanks for hydrogen fuel equipment and vehicles

Amy Rae
Principal, Vanedge Capital, based in Vancouver and focused on investing in software-as-a-service businesses and digital media technologies

Lauren Robinson
COO, Highline BETA, Vancouver startup co-creation and new venture development firm; executive director, Female Funders

Shannon Rogers
President and general counsel, Global Relay Communications Inc., Vancouver developer of cloud-based message archiving and compliance services

Catherine Roome
President and CEO, Technical Safety BC, independent, self-funded organization overseeing safe installation of technical systems and equipment, based in New Westminster

Julia Rubin
Assistant professor, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, associate faculty member, Department of Computer Science, and director, ReSeSS (Reliable, Secure and Sustainable Software) Lab, UBC; research focus is software integrity and robustness

Meena Sandhu
VP, marketing, Predictable Revenue Inc., Vancouver provider of outbound sales training; director, annual SAAS North Conference for software-as-a-service founders, investors and executives; adjunct professor of digital marketing, Sauder School of Business, and social media, Graduate School of Journalism, UBC

Laurie Schultz
President and CEO, ACL Services Ltd., Vancouver-based developer of governance, risk management and compliance software; chair, BC Tech Association

Merideth Schutter
Realtor; founder and CEO, PROtect, Vancouver developer of an app that alerts contacts when the user is in danger and provides safety monitoring for employees

Lesley Shannon
Associate professor, School of Engineering Science, and director, Reconfigurable Computing Lab, SFU; National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, B.C. and Yukon; research focuses on non-traditional computer system design

Christine Sommers
Co-founder and CEO, ePact Network, North Vancouver developer of emergency information software for organizations

Sheryl Staub-French
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, and director, BIM TOPiCS (Building Information Modelling from the perspectives of Technology Organization Process in Context and across Stages) Lab, UBC; research includes virtual design and construction

Kristine Steuart
Co-founder and CEO, Allocadia Software Inc., marketing performance management; member, Premier’s Technology Council

Kirsten Sutton
Vice-president and managing director, SAP Labs Canada, research and development division of enterprise application software developer SAP Canada; global head, SAP Jam Engineering; director, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade

Janice Taylor
Founder and CEO, Mazu, app that uses features such as group chat and user-generated content engage children aged 13 and under with their families; based in Kelowna

Jennifer Thompson
Founder and investor, Hardware.City, portfolio of B.C.-based hardware startups; executive in residence, Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre, not-for-profit supporting small and medium-sized business developing and commercializing clean technology; mentor-in-residence, SFU Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection

Louise Turner
CEO, Innovation Boulevard, partnership between City of Surrey and SFU to help commercialize health technology; former president, Premier’s Technology Council

Sandra Wear
VP, marketing, ActiveState Software Inc., Vancouver provider of open-source software application development and management solutions; co-founder, DocSpace Co. Inc., developer of online file sharing network acquired by Critical Path Inc. for US$568 million in 1999

Denise Williams
Executive director, First Nations Technology Council, which seeks to ensure that all First Nations people benefit from advancement of digital technologies; based in North Vancouver; member, Premier’s Technology Council

Penny Wilson
Chief marketing officer, Hootsuite, Vancouver developer of social media management software

Catherine Winckler
Founder and CEO, Mindful Garden Digital Health Inc., online platform that aims to lower anxiety in dementia patients; co-founder and CEO, Switch United, digital design and interactive media firm; Vancouver-based

Jenny Yang
Founder and CEO, Aida Software Corp., Vancouver developer of AI-based customer support; partner, Panda Angel Partners

Jessica Yip
Co-founder and COO, A&K Robotics, Vancouver builder of intelligent navigation systems for light industrial work