John is the Deputy Minister of the Department of Science, Technology, Energy and Mines in the Province of Manitoba.He has over 20 years of senior executive experience in the public and health care sectors.He leads the governments initiatives related to energy, mineral resources, petroleum, climate change, innovation, research, science and technology related business development, community connectivity, service transformation and information technology.Under his leadership, the government has been recognized as a leader in climate change initiatives, became one of the fastest growing biotechnology regions in the country, released an aggressive strategy that links together environmentally sustainable practices with economic growth, adopted an aggressive innovation framework, and is transforming the way government operates through the use of technology.
Specific accomplishments have included:
·Creating the Innovation Framework – the Province of Manitoba’s approach to increasing economic development through innovation.
·Transforming the provinces approach to addressing climate change impacts including the development of a detailed plan and supporting legislation:
·Creating and leading successful trade and economic development missions to various US states, New Zealand, and Australia:
·Simplifying the way government operates including successfully transitioning the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing responsibilities from the Department of Highways and Transportation to the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation;
·Leading the development of a new accountability framework for departments and implemented it in the Department of Science, Technology, Energy and Mines
·Restructuring of the provinces approach to information and communications technology into one department and supported the change in function with the creation of a comprehensive service transformation function;
·negotiating comprehensive approaches to update government’s Enterprise Resource Programs, desktop initiatives, network communications systems and hosting services.
