Board of Directors

Joined CANARIE Board in 2025

Iris Almeida-Côté is Chief Executive Officer of INNOVACONNECT Inc., where she provides strategic management services in digital modernization, governance, cybersecurity, risk management, ESG investing, finance, and audit to corporations, academic institutions, and Indigenous organizations. A certified corporate director and a jurist by training, Iris completed executive education in Cybersecurity and Risk Management at Harvard University. 

Previously, Iris held senior leadership roles including CEO of Trigone International and the Royal Society of Canada, President of the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute, and President of Canada World Youth. She has established private–public partnerships in over 80 countries and is twice recognized as one of WXN’s Top 100: Canada’s Most Powerful Women.  

Joined CANARIE Board in 2024 

Imraan is a Partner and the National Public Sector Cyber Leader at KPMG in Canada. With 20+ years of experience in the field, Imraan is well-versed in multiple areas of cyber security, including governance, strategy, incident management, cloud security, risk management, digital identity and more.

Prior to joining KPMG, Imraan was the Government of Canada’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), directing the policy, strategy, implementation, and oversight of the federal government’s enterprise-wide cyber initiatives, including leadership of key programs such as cloud security and digital identity. In this role, Imraan was exposed to a wide range of cyber security challenges from departments of varying complexity, which positions him well to provide tailored advice to organizations of all sizes.

Imraan prides himself on providing pragmatic security guidance whilst managing cyber risk appropriately, with a focus on enabling a safe and positive user experience in the digital world. Imraan’s work in this space has been recognized globally for its success, as he was named one of the world’s top 100 most influential people in digital government by Apolitical in 2019.

Joined CANARIE Board in 2023

Dr. Barb Carra was appointed President and CEO of Cybera, Alberta’s Research and Education Network in 2019. She is a respected leader and collaborative partner within Canada’s National Research and Education Network (NREN) landscape.

Barb is a champion for the digital needs of Canadians, and frequently meets with all levels of government to ensure that Albertans have access to a connected, secure, and equitable digital future. Provincially, Barb works to strengthen how Alberta’s public sector organizations collaborate with each other through trusted partnerships to collectively increase impact, relevancy, and value. Barb also spearheaded the development of Cybera’s policy, strategic and operational initiatives, including programs that are strengthening the cybersecurity posture of Alberta’s education sector.

Barb currently sits on the Boards for The Calgary Zoo and Wilder Institute, the Saskatchewan Research & Education Network (SRNet), and recently received a Governor in Council appointment to The Canada Revenue Agency Board of Management. Barb earned her Master’s of Science at the University of Calgary and her Doctorate from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Joined CANARIE Board in 2023; appointed as Vice-Chair in 2025 

Art Exner presently serves the University of Regina in the role of Associate Vice-President, Information Services, through which he is responsible for charting the strategic information technology plans for the University to achieve improved business outcomes in an increasingly client centric service model.

Committed to community service, Art serves in many capacities for a number of organizations including: founding member and current Board member of the Canadian University Council of Chief Information Officers (CUCCIO); Chair of SRNET the Digital Research Alliance of Canada’s Cybersecurity Steering and Advisory Committee, and CANARIE’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee; co-Chair of the Saskatchewan Post-Secondary Cybersecurity Committee; and, CIO liaison for CUCCIO’s Cybersecurity Special Interest Group. Art also previously fulfilled the role of Assistant Vice-President for Information Technology at the 2015 Canada Summer Games.

Joined CANARIE Board in 2024 

Jean-Charles (JC) Fahmy has over 30 years of global leadership experience in tech, creating value and accelerating business performance with not-for-profit organizations, large public companies, VC-funded startups, and private equity backed businesses. A strategic thinker, JC has demonstrated success in leading organizations to harness innovation, achieve differentiation, create value for customers, and accelerate business performance.

A champion of Canadian tech, JC works in collaboration with government, industry, startups and ecosystem partners on driving the growth and global competitiveness of Canadian research and innovation toward achieving Canada’s economic, environmental and social goals. Most recently JC was President and CEO of CENGN, where he drove the delivery of the organization’s mission to enable the innovation and adoption of advanced networking technologies in Canada.

JC holds an MBA from McGill University and a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ottawa.

Joined CANARIE Board in 2024 

Kevin Hall is a professor at the University of Victoria. He is an innovative academic leader and civil engineer known for his strong commitment to sustainability, innovation, community engagement, and unwavering belief in equitable access to education, and equity, diversity and inclusion.

A civil engineer who has made global impact, Hall has put research into practice by delivering knowledge to industry and community. Kevin has worked with the United Nations to establish 2 CIFAL centres at Newcastle, Australia and Victoria, Canada. His academic interests are focused on water quality modelling, environmental monitoring and pathogen detection systems, and water and health in marginalized communities. Kevin has served on over 30 not-for-profit and corporate boards in Australia and Canada, is an avid arts enthusiast, and has a lifelong commitment to fitness.

Joined the CANARIE Board in 2022; elected as Secretary-Treasurer in 2023 

Gitta has served in several senior leadership roles in Canada’s post-secondary education, healthcare, and high-tech sectors. Before joining Dalhousie in 2020, Gitta was Vice President, Finance and Administration at the University of Alberta. Prior to that, she spent 12 years as Vice President, Resources and Operations at Western University, and has served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, the South East Health Care Corporation in Moncton, and the Calgary General Hospital. 

Until her retirement in 2025, Gitta served  as Dalhousie’s Vice President, Finance and Administration, where she played a key role in the development, management, and planning of Dalhousie’s infrastructure, human resources, information technology services, ancillary services, environmental health and safety, athletics and recreation, sustainability, and financial services. 

Gitta also serves on the boards of CURIE, Interuniversity Services Inc. and the Baycrest Academy for Research & Education. 

Gitta earned a Commerce Degree (Cum Laude) in Accounting, Finance, and Mathematics from Laurentian University and an MBA (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Ottawa. She also holds the Chartered Professional Accountant designation. 

Joined CANARIE Board in 2025 

Kanisha Lala is an emerging leader in global governance and research, focused on advancing innovation, equity, and sustainable development. She has represented Canada at key multilateral forums, including the 2025 UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). At HLPF, she engaged in dialogues on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), collaborating with UN agencies and civil society on inclusive economies and youth participation. 

Her leadership includes roles as a Generation SDG Ambassador with the United Nations Association in Canada, a delegate at the World Bank Youth Summit, and an Ambassador with UNITE 2030. Kanisha is completing a Bachelor of Science at the University of Alberta and was a visiting research scholar at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, contributing to NIH-funded studies on neurodegeneration. Her experience in bridging research and governance aligns with CANARIE’s mission to advance Canada’s research and education landscape. As an incoming intern with the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation, Kanisha is dedicated to creating a lasting global impact. 

Joined CANARIE Board in 2021

Dejan Mancic has spent over 20 years in the industry as a senior leader with roles in product development, sales, technology, and engineering.

Dejan joined Bell in 2005 and is currently leading teams accountable for the network engineering and deployment of Bell’s extensive fibre network to homes and businesses.

Dejan holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Belgrade, and an MBA from the Rotman School of Business.

Joined CANARIE Board in 2017; served as Vice-Chair from 2021-2023; served as Chair from 2023-2025; appointed as Past-Chair in 2025 

Dr. Rosia’s career in education spans more than 35 years, as an Instructor, Program Chair, Revenue Generating Coordinator, Marketing Manager and Dean. He has more than 20 years of leadership experience in educational administration and has served in advisory roles to community, provincial and municipal committees. He has served and is serving as a Director or Board Member for several Regional, National, and International organizations, including the Business/Higher Education Roundtable (BHER), the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, Canadian Homebuilder’s Association, the Community Colleges for International Development (CCID), the International Mineral Innovation Institute (IMII), Polytechnics Canada (past Chair), Post-Secondary International Network (PIN), Skills Canada Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Post-Secondary International Education Council, the Saskatchewan Labour Market Task Force (LMTF), the Chair Academy, the University of Regina Senate, and the World Federation of Colleges & Polytechnics (WFCP).

Dr. Rosia is an alumnus of the University of Alberta and SAIT Polytechnic and a lifelong learner. He has a background in telecommunications engineering, adult education and educational policy and administration, and in 2006 completed his PhD in academic leadership at the University of Calgary. He completed the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard University and he earned the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) Designation. Notable recognition includes the SAIT Board of Governor Award for Business and Industry Partnerships, the Conference Board of Canada Award for Business and Industry Partnerships, the Chair Academy International Exemplary Leadership Award, the Saskatchewan Men of Influence Award, and the Paul A. Elsner Excellence in Leadership Award.

Dr. Rosia is a well-respected ambassador for the post-secondary community. He authored a book titled “The Successful College President.”

Joined CANARIE Board in 2025

Dr. Srini Sampalli is a Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University and the Principal Investigator of the NSERC CREATE program in cybersecurity, titled “A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Research, Education and Training in Cybersecurity for Emerging Technologies.” He brings over 30 years of teaching and research experience and currently focuses in IoT, post-quantum cryptography, and emerging wireless technologies.

Dr. Sampalli has taught several thousand students and supervised over 200 graduate theses. He is deeply passionate about education and mentorship and is the recipient of multiple national, regional, and institutional teaching awards, including the Dalhousie Alumni Award for Teaching Excellence, the IEEE Outstanding Educator Award, the Digital Nova Scotia Thinking Forward Award, and the 3M National Teaching Fellowship, Canada’s most prestigious teaching acknowledgement. His students have honoured him with a named “Srini Award for Teaching Excellence.”

He has delivered numerous keynotes globally, including a TEDx Talk rated among the top in cybersecurity. His outreach work was recently featured on Bloomberg TV’s Advancements.

Dr. Sampalli has co-founded two wireless and security-focused startups and collaborates actively with industry and government to bridge research, innovation, and national talent development.

Joined CANARIE Board in 2021; served as Vice-Chair from 2023-2025; elected as Chair in 2025 

Sherry Shannon-Vanstone has made a significant contribution to the spectrum of digital industries from cryptography to telecommunications to electronic commerce, while also making a major contribution to the advancement of all women.

Sherry has been involved in three start-up ventures with successful exits — Cylink, Certicom, and TrustPoint Innovation— and in 2018 launched Profound Impact.

Sherry was recently named Rogers Woman of the Year in STEAM for the Waterloo Region and in 2020 was the recipient of the prestigious Leadership Excellence Award in Entrepreneurship from Women in Communications and Technology. In June 2019, Sherry received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws (LLD) from Western University and in 2015, she was named the Waterloo Region’s Female Innovator of the Year.

She is also the co-chair of the Emmy Noether Council at Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics.

Sherry holds a Master of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Tennessee and was a cryptologic mathematician with the US Government.

Joined CANARIE Board in 2021

Dhruva Suthar is Partner, Cyber Security, IBM Canada. Dhruva leads a team that is passionate about delivering value to clients and helping organizations, large and small, use market leading technology to protect their business from cyber threats.

Most recently Dhruva was the Chief of Staff to the General Manager of IBM Americas, where she gained a broader view of the IBM business, its clients, and the marketplace.

Dhruva has led teams across IBM in Canada, the United States, and Latin America throughout her 20+ year career.  She has managed Sales Account Teams, Operations, and Finance units.

Dhruva holds a Finance degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University and completed a financial analysis and business management program at the Harvard Business School.

Joined CANARIE Board in 2022 

Niek Van Dierdonck is a business leader with decades of experience in the logistics, manufacturing, and technology sectors, including as founder and CEO of two technology start-ups. He is currently CEO of RedLore, a company focused on helping manufacturers, distributors, logistics providers, and healthcare organizations improve efficiencies in their supply chains and distribution networks through on-site asset tracking and touchless process solutions.

Before founding RedLore, Niek was the Director of Innovation at Fremach, an automotive manufacturing multinational, where he was also the General Manager of the German and French subsidiaries. Prior to that, Niek was the founder-CEO of high-tech start-up Ubiwave, an early IoT leader that was successfully acquired by a semiconductor manufacturer. Niek has also served on the boards of several organizations, including Belgium-based tech startups, VILOC and Ubiwave.

Joined CANARIE Board in 2025 

Paula is Vice-President of Research and Innovation at the University of Northern British Columbia, where she is currently leading the development of an innovation and commercialization system with community partners to establish the northernmost health research hub in British Columbia. 

Prior to her current role, Paula served in a variety of senior positions, including as Interim Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of Graduate Studies at Concordia University, where she launched major research institutes, secured record funding, and expanded graduate education. 

Paula brings significant governance experience, having served as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors of John Abbott College and as a founding director of the National Cybersecurity Consortium, where she played a key role in the formation and launch of a $76M initiative to advance cybersecurity research and talent development across Canada. As a Professor of Engineering, Paula is also a well-known researcher in applied materials science.