John R. McDougall to serve as Chair for Learning Experiences Offered by Business Schools in Canada

The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) is pleased to announce John R. McDougall, FCAE, President, DALCOR Innoventures Ltd., and former President of the National Research Council of Canada, as Chair of the newly appointed Workshop Steering Committee for Learning Experiences Offered by Business Schools in Canada.

“Professor McDougall has extensive experience in a wide range of fields where innovation management is critical, including natural resources, manufacturing, and IT, as well as in R&D and academia,” said Eric M. Meslin, PhD, FCAHS, President and CEO of the CCA. “We are delighted he has accepted the role of Chair and look forward to the results of the workshop and the final report of the Steering Committee.”

The six-member Workshop Steering Committee will design the workshop, conduct the necessary background research, assist in assembling the Workshop Participants, and write the workshop summary report. The other Steering Committee members are: Deborah Ancona, Seley Distinguished Professor of Management, Professor of Organization Studies, and Director, MIT Leadership Center at MIT Sloan School of Management; Colleen Collins,Vice-President, Canada West Foundation; Robert G. Cooper, Professor Emeritus, McMaster University and ISBM Distinguished Research Fellow, Pennsylvania State University; C. Brooke Dobni, Professor of Management, Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan; and Laurent Simon, Full Professor, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department, HEC Montréal.

The CCA, under the guidance of its Scientific Advisory Committee and Member Academies, and in collaboration with the Workshop Steering Committee, is now assembling a multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral group of 15 experts to participate in the two-day workshop. The expertise, insights, and experience of the participants, along with the documentary evidence, will inform the workshop and the final report. The CCA’s Member Academies — the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences — are a key source of membership for experts. 

The workshop results will be published in a final summary report in 2018.

“I am honoured and excited to be taking on this project with the CCA,” said Professor McDougall. “As Chair, I look forward to guiding the Steering Committee and hearing from the expert participants to develop an evidence base on how to best teach innovation management skills in Canada. I hope the findings of our work will inform business school and other innovation-related curriculum and contribute to Canadian innovation policy debate.” 

Professor McDougall was President of the National Research Council from 2010 to 2016 and CEO of the Alberta Research Council from 1997 to 2009. He initiated Innoventures Canada Inc. to bring together Canada’s leading research and technology organizations, was the inaugural Chair in Management for Engineers at the University of Alberta, and has been a major force in the development of the Canada School of Innovation. Read his full bio.

For additional details on the assessment, please visit the assessment page