Research

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Michael brings 30 plus years of experience in international business development, small business lending, international franchise management, strategic planning, public/private partnerships, entrepreneurship, and economic development.  Michael also served as CEO of Canada’s largest and longest serving economic development agency supporting business owned by persons of African descent.  

Michael’s demonstrated success working with private sector organizations, NGOs, government departments and the Office of the Premier provide him with an in-depth understanding of how political and bureaucratic engines intertwine to create business development policy, strategy, and funding frameworks.

With a master’s degree in education, Michael’s enthusiasm for international development led him to earn an MBA with a double major in Corporate Social Responsibility and human resource training and development.

He has demonstrated success working with international development agencies, serving clients from over 45-countries to design and launch regional and national entrepreneurship, business, and economic development initiatives.

His accomplishments include being the lead entrepreneurship specialist in the design of Ghana’s national post-secondary entrepreneurship curriculum, the development of a community engagement strategy for a gold mining concession in Suriname; co-developing a national youth-at-risk strategy for The Bahamas and leading International Operations for 18 business development centers in Canada, Sweden, and South Africa. As well, Michael was a co-developer of an award-winning youth ‘Transition from Prison’ program delivered in five-prisons in Portugal.

Inspired by his loving wife of 24 years, who is also a successful entrepreneur, Michael enjoys modeling and implementing outcomes-based innovations that nurture a continuous improvement work-place culture. He is also keen on leading solution-finding processes that advance efficiency, transparency, and forward-thinking corporate trajectories.  

The Honourable Peter MacKay, PC, QC, served in the Parliament of Canada for over 18 years as a Member of Parliament, including as Cabinet Minister in the Harper Government for 10 years, as well as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Minister of National Defence, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Mr. MacKay chaired the Government National Security Committee for almost 10 years and served on numerous other inter-parliamentary committees. Prior to politics he served as a Crown Attorney. He is now a Strategic Advisor with Deloitte Canada and Counsel with McInnes Cooper, an Atlantic Canadian law firm. He works nationally and internationally in areas such as aerospace and defence, procurement, infrastructure, and justice reform. Mr. MacKay serves as a board member for Cielo Waste Solutions Corp. and on numerous volunteer boards, including Wounded Warriors, Boost Child & Youth Advocacy, the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and the Canada–United States Law Institute. He is a loving husband to Nazanin and father to their three children Kian, Valentia, and Caledon. He lives by the sea in Kings Head, NS, with two dogs and two cats.

Cornelis Steenken brings a wealth of experience as a retired Captain and specialist in Leadership, Command, and Disaster Recovery (LCDR & DDR). With a distinguished career in both military and civilian roles, Cornelis has developed a deep expertise in crisis management, strategic planning, and organizational leadership. His dedication to excellence and commitment to service have earned him recognition as a trusted leader in complex and challenging environments. He brings a unique field perspective to prototype development, drawing on a distinguished career in both military and civilian roles.

As a Director, Cornelis leverages his background to provide strategic guidance and support, ensuring the highest standards of preparedness and resilience across all operations.

John has over 15 years of experience developing pyrolysis technology and co-products. He has extensive experience in raising capital, negotiating strategic partnerships and implementation of integrated technologies. Under his leadership, Genesis was awarded CIG grant from USDA. His 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry, including a decade in Sony Pictures Studios, gives him unique capabilities and relationships for marketing and sales for Nova Graphene.  

Paul has experience in building plants and managing international business, including Ocean Nutrition and Hercules SLR.  He is currently President & CEO of Precision Biologics. ​A mature and experienced leader, Paul’s major strengths include operational leadership, change management, strong business acumen, effective communication skills, relationship development, and strong interpersonal skills. ​Paul is certified in DiSC, 360 Evaluations, Leadership Development, Disciplines of Business Execution and Certified Professional Coach. He has years of cross-functional Senior and Executive Management roles with a track record of working in organizations going through high growth and change, always focusing on Employee Engagement and Leadership Development as a management tool. ​He has developed successful programs that directly contribute to the growth and profitability of organizations, always focusing on fiscal responsibility.   Paul played influential roles negotiating with foreign companies and governments to establish supply chain opportunities. He is comfortable in the boardroom, as well as on the plant floor, and has the ability to bridge the gap in employee engagement and trust with senior management that challenge today’s organizations.