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2025 Speakers
Include
Johanne Belisle
Co-chair, FORPIQ; Former Senior Policy Advisor, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); Former CEO, Canadian Intellectual Property Office
Johanne Bélisle is Co-chair of FORPIQ. She previously served as Senior Policy Advisor at the World Intellectual Property Organization and as CEO of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
The Honourable Peter MacKay
Former Minister of National Defence, Justice and Global Affairs
The Honourable Peter MacKay is a former Minister of National Defence, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada. Over an 18-year career in Parliament, he served in several senior cabinet roles and was a key figure in the creation of the Conservative Party of Canada. Today, he is a Strategic Advisor at Deloitte Canada and Senior Counsel at McInnes Cooper, contributing his expertise on justice, security, defence, and international affairs.
Zafer Sonmez
Lead Research Associate, The Conference Board of Canada
Zafer Sonmez is a Lead Research Associate at the Conference Board of Canada. He specializes in regional and national economic analysis with a focus on the geography of innovation. His research includes national innovation performance measurement and the impact of automation on the workforce. He is the main author of the Conference Board’s Innovation Report Card.
Martin Vezina
Tax Partner and National Leader, Global Investment and Innovation Incentives (Gi3) Practice
Martin Vézina is a Tax Partner and the National Leader for the Global Investment and Innovation Incentives (Gi3) practice. He helps Canadian companies innovate and expand globally by optimizing tax and non-tax incentives. With over 20 years of experience, he advises private and public organizations on tax planning, intellectual property management, and innovation-driven growth.
Karn Manhas
Founder and CEO, Miraterra; Founder, Terramera
Karn Manhas is a founder, scientist, and innovation leader focused on advancing sustainable agriculture and soil intelligence. He is the founder of Terramera, where he built a portfolio of more than 300 patents, including breakthrough Raman spectroscopy technology that transforms soil and plant signals into actionable insights. He later launched Miraterra to apply AI and science to soil health, helping farmers improve productivity, profitability, and climate resilience. A frequent speaker at global forums, Karn is known for translating bold scientific ideas into practical solutions that support regenerative agriculture and healthier ecosystems.
John Ruffolo
Founder & Managing Partner, Maverix Private Equity
John Ruffolo is the Founder and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity, where he leads strategy and investments in technology-enabled growth. He previously founded OMERS Ventures and co-founded the Council of Canadian Innovators.
At OMERS Ventures, he oversaw over USD $500M in investments in leading tech companies such as Shopify, Hootsuite, Wave, and Hopper. Earlier in his career, John was a Partner at Deloitte, guiding national and global work in the technology sector.
He has served on numerous corporate and non-profit boards and has been recognized with several honours, including the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
Philippe Boivin
Vice-president, Corporate Affairs INO
Philippe Boivin has served as INO’s Vice-President, Corporate Affairs since 2009. He oversees legal affairs, intellectual property management, technology transfer negotiations, communications, and quality/document management. Before joining INO, he spent 15 years at McCarthy Tétrault as a partner specializing in intellectual property and technology law. He has published and lectured widely and sits on several advisory committees and boards. Philippe holds a law degree from Université Laval, is a member of the Quebec Bar, and is a certified corporate director (ASC).
Jean-Pierre Pelletier
​Co-founder, VP of Product & Customer Success at Qohash
Jean-Pierre Pelletier is the Co-founder and VP of Product & Customer Success at Qohash, where he leads product strategy and customer deployment for solutions that identify, classify, and secure sensitive data at the source. With deep expertise in data protection and AI-driven security, he helps organizations unlock AI adoption while maintaining strong governance and compliance.
Bernard Lebel
Co-Founder - Vendel
Bernard Lebel is the Co-Founder of Vendel, specializing in strengthening the cybersecurity of operational technologies (OT) and IoT systems. His work spans software, firmware, and hardware penetration testing, secure-by-design development, and device hardening. Bernard also identifies and mitigates risks related to cyber-physical attacks, helping organizations protect critical infrastructures and connected devices.
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Kathleen Reid
Principal and Founder at Playbook
Kathleen Reid is the Principal and Founder of Playbook, recognized for helping emerging technology companies strengthen their growth and resilience. She previously founded Switchboard Public Relations, leading it to a successful exit in 2023, and later served as Head of Corporate Communication at AbCellera during its expansion into drug development. With deep expertise in strategic communications and strong industry, government, and media relationships, Kathleen builds strategic partnerships and drives client success across Canada’s innovation ecosystem.
Darren Baccus
Senior Global Investment and Business Executive
Darren Baccus is the Executive Vice-President of Agri-food Alliances at Farm Credit Canada (FCC), where he leads national initiatives that strengthen Canada’s agri-food sector through strategic partnerships, investment, and industry collaboration. A seasoned global business and investment executive, Darren brings extensive experience in corporate leadership, growth strategy, and enterprise-level decision-making across international markets.
FORPIQ 2025
*In light of evolving national priorities and recognition by our NATO allies of the importance of emerging technologies for defence and security, the conference will highlight IP’s critical role in spurring economic growth and securing our innovation pipeline at both national and international levels.
*We will examine the strategic use of intellectual property (IP), IP policy, and IP-related financial incentives around the theme IP in the defence sector.
*Featuring: a diverse range of specialists, including representatives from the defence, trade, IP, and innovation sectors who will ground the discussion with real examples of Canada’s vulnerabilities, opportunities for Canadian IP to address them, and concrete approaches to realizing potential.
Past presenters include:
