Our first mission, the Climate Impact Challenge, identified and scaled the adoption of 10 Canadian climate tech solutions with the highest potential to reduce GHG emissions, while economically meeting industry needs. Watch the kickoff event here.

We are now launching a series of action-oriented missions to further address the barriers of adopting and implementing climate tech solutions.

Our Public Procurement mission focuses on facilitating the adoption of clean and circular innovations at scale at every level of government.

The Carbon Management mission accelerates carbon dioxide removal venture commercialization and supports emerging carbon markets.

Our Team

Meet the team behind these missions.

Tyler Hamilton

Tyler Hamilton

Senior Director, Climate

Tyler Hamilton is Senior Director of Climate at MaRS and guides all climate-related activities for ventures, corporate partners and investors, including the flagship Mission from MaRS program. He is also on the board of the Ontario Clean Technology Industry Association (OCTIA) and a member of the XPRIZE Brain Trust. Previous to joining MaRS, Tyler spent two decades as a journalist and wrote extensively about Canada’s clean technology sector and global cleantech trends. Most recently he was editor-in-chief of business and sustainability magazine Corporate Knights. He also spent 13 years at the Toronto Star, where he reported on Canada’s energy sector and wrote a popular weekly column on clean energy technologies and trends. In 2011, Tyler authored Mad Like Tesla, a book that examines the various barriers to clean energy innovation and surveys the landscape of some potentially world-changing clean technologies. A recipient of the Cleantech Group’s “Pioneer” award for his early writings on the sector, Tyler was also recognized in 2016 on Canada’s “Clean50” list for his thought leadership on clean energy and climate issues.

Andy Lam

Andy Lam

Senior Manager, Climate Programs

Andy is the Senior Manager of Climate Programs and leads Mission from MaRS, a series of initiatives that aims to tackle the climate crisis through accelerating the adoption of innovations. With Mission from MaRS, Andy is focused on several important topics including unlocking public sector procurement of cleantech, supporting the development of the Canadian carbon markets, and embedding climate innovation within the real estate sector. In 2022, Andy was recognized by Corporate Knights for its Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders.

Ria Perrault

Ria Perrault

Associate, Climate Programs

Ria is the Climate Programs Associate at MaRS, where she works on Mission from MaRS projects and communications. She has spent several years working on environmental and policy issues in the built environment, and is driven by the need to create a more sustainable future. Ria earned an M.Sc. in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Ottawa in 2023, and previously graduated with high distinction from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in Architecture.

Niyat Gebreab

Niyat Gebreab

Coordinator, Cleantech

Niyat is the Coordinator, Cleantech at MaRS Discovery District where she supports climate program activities for ventures, corporate partners, and investors. Driven by the need to create a more just and inclusive transition towards a sustainable future, she has previously worked on environmental policy management and community engagement. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Cognitive Science.

Sue Talusan

Sue Talusan

Director, Climate and Cities, Innovation Ecosystem

With twenty years of experience in data analytics, evaluation, research, design, development, and innovation, Sue is an expert in the end to end innovation process. While at MaRS, Sue has been the lead designer and project manager on complex projects and programs in the areas of social and municipal procurement innovation, systemic design, experiential futures, and social innovation. She is currently leading the design, strategy, and product development of an innovation ecosystem impact accelerator, and supporting the public procurement – net zero mission. Sue is also the Co-Founder and Director of Operations for Creative Reuse Toronto.

Ana Gonzalez Guerrero

Ana Gonzalez Guerrero

Senior Manager, Climate and Cities

Ana is the Senior Manager, Climate and Cities at MaRS, where she leads the implementation of CAANZero, a pilot program seeking to unlock finance and increase capacity for small and medium municipalities advancing climate solutions. Prior to her role, she led an Innovation Fund across six countries through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Partnership for Municipal Innovation in Local Economic Development. Ana also worked closely with local-level actors through the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, supporting over 340 local governments in their efforts to act on climate across Canada. In 2017, Ana co-founded Youth Climate Lab, where she oversaw the operations, programs, and co-led the vision and strategy of the organization. She is the Vice-Chair of the Tamarack Institute’s Board of Directors, and served as an advisor to Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy. Ana holds an MSc Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment as a Linbury Trust Scholar from the University of Oxford.

Leah Perry

Leah Perry

Senior Manager, Cleantech

Leah is the Senior Manager, Cleantech at MaRS Discovery District where she works closely with the MaRS cleantech portfolio through all stages of growth, primarily when they are raising capital. Managing MaRS’ Climate investor relationships and leading the MaRS Cleantech VC Syndicate, Leah supports in the preparation of venture investment rounds and connects the MaRS Cleantech portfolio to the capital they require to grow. Leah also leads the RBC Women in Cleantech Accelerator, a two-year cohort program at MaRS aimed to accelerate women-led cleantech ventures. Prior to MaRS, Leah worked at Export Development Canada (EDC), where she spent nearly seven years helping SMEs along their growth journey, including several years on EDC’s Cleantech Team. Leah holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University, is a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP), and was recognized as one of Corporate Knights' Top 30 under 30 Sustainability Leaders in Canada.

Ian McCarter

Ian McCarter

Director, Corporate Innovation

Ian McCarter is the Director, Corporate Innovation, focused on creating meaningful, economic relationships between Canadian ventures and globally significant early adopters of innovation. In particular, Ian has been helping energy, transportation, real estate, mining, construction, and heavy industry partners inject Canadian innovation into their net-zero journey. Prior to joining MaRS, Ian worked for 7 years as a technology consultant at Deloitte, working on large-scale, technology implementation projects in both the public and private sectors, acting as the Google translator between business objectives/outcomes and technical solutions. Ian holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Ottawa and an MBA from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.

Ian Spence

Ian Spence

Senior Manager, Business Development

Ian Spence is a Senior Manager in Business Development at MaRS. His work ignites meaningful relationships between Canada’s brightest climate tech ventures and the greater, national, and international corporate ecosystem. He is passionate about unlocking the potential of Canadian innovation around the world. His approach to adoption collides industry narratives and re-focuses the power of technology to build better societies and businesses, wherever they may be. Prior to joining MaRS, Ian had a multidisciplinary background with organizations in energy, advanced AR/VR, IT, and consumer technology. Ian has 15 years of experience in sales and marketing and holds a BA Double Honours in Biology and Geography, Wilfrid Laurier University.

Christine Bomé

Christine Bomé

VP, Public Affairs

Christine currently leads government affairs for the MaRS Discovery District and is responsible for managing government relationships and driving public policy initiatives. Christine brings extensive experience managing complex public policy issues across the charitable, government and corporate sectors and is recognized for developing public policy responses to pressing environmental and social issues including food waste reduction, product and packaging stewardship, and food insecurity. Christine served as Director, Strategic Business Initiatives with Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization. Her work there led to the release of The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste, a ground-breaking report that identified the scope and scale of food waste in Canada. Christine was also Senior Director of Public Affairs with Walmart Canada, where she led government affairs and sustainability and community involvement activities. Her accomplishments in that role include identifying strategies to reduce food waste across the company’s supply chain. Christine’s record of public service includes serving as a founding director of the Board of Canadian Stewardship Services and recently served as a Director on the Resource Productivity Recovery Authority.

Josée Thibault

Josée Thibault

Director, Philanthropy

Josee is the Director of Philanthropy at MaRS Discovery District, connecting visionary philanthropists and grantors with innovation projects that have significant impact in climate, health, and responsible tech. She has a background in the corporate sector, leading a team of Account Managers and supporting Fortune 500 companies to develop and manage customer experience metrics. She also served as Executive Director for ONE TO ONE Literacy Society, a childhood literacy program in British Columbia, and as a fundraiser for the UBC Faculty of Medicine and community outreach initiatives including The UBC Learning Exchange. Here at MaRS, Josée was an early builder of Opportunity for All Youth (Now MyStartr), an initiative that aims to transform the workforce development sector so that it works better for underserved youth. Josée sat on a number of non-profit boards including the Calgary Birth Control Association (now the Centre for Sexuality), the Chicago Neighbourhood Parent Network, and Vancouver’s CircusWest and is presently a member of Imagine Canada's Caring Companies steering committee. She holds Masters of Communication Management from McMaster University. Her capstone research focused on purpose-driven leadership and communications.

Michelle Khelawan

Michelle Khelawan

Senior Associate, Philanthropy

Michelle is the Senior Associate, Philanthropy at MaRS, supporting the growth of MaRS Climate programs, including Mission from MaRS. Originally from Guyana, Michelle brings a systems-based understanding of the need for socially and environmentally responsible innovation and business practices and is driven to creating a sustainable and equitable economy. Michelle has several years of experience working within the non-profit sector and holds a Masters in Environment and Business from the University of Waterloo.

Deveney Bazinet

Deveney Bazinet

Associate, Climate and Cities

Deveney is the Associate, Climate and Cities at MaRS, where she supports the implementation of CAANZero, a pilot program seeking to unlock finance and increase capacity for small and medium municipalities advancing climate solutions. Prior to joining MaRS, she worked as the director of international programs for a Canadian sustainable development charity. Deveney also holds an MPA from the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London, where she completed research on community-driven and inclusive policy solutions for achieving net-zero.

Key funders

Thank you to our partners