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Advisory Board

John “Jack” E. Smith, MSc

John “Jack” E. Smith, MSc is Adjunct Professor of Technology and Strategy at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa where along with Professor Jonathan Calof, he is Co-Director of the Telfer Foresight Leaders Forum, located within the Executive MBA Facility at the World Exchange Plaza. He is also director of the Proteus Canada Institute.
 
In March 2010, Jack completed 33 years of federal government service spanning several departments and agencies.

  • From 2008–2010 he served as Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff Defense R&D Canada, focused on federal S&T strategies and foresight development.
  • From 2004–2008 he served as Director of Science & Technology Foresight for the Office of the National Science Advisor, Government of Canada.
  • From 1989–2003 he was Leader of the NRC Corporate Office of Technology Foresight, Senior Corporate Strategist, and Manager Planning and Assessment for the National Research Council of Canada.
Jack brings over 20 years of federal government policy, technology and innovation program development experience to his futures and foresight work. Since founding the Office of Technology Foresight at the NRC in 2002, he has led or been an advisor to collaborative foresight projects in several emerging S&T domains such as: bio-systemics; nano-bio-info convergence; bio-products; future fuels for APEC economies; animal health; bio-health innovation and stewardship, and future professional readiness for physicians and veterinarians.
 
Jack is Chair of the Foresight Synergy Network (FSN) of Canada, a member of the International Advisory Board for the APEC Centre for Technology Foresight in Bangkok, and a member of the Technical Committee for the European Commission’s Future Technology Assessment Conference. He earned his BA (Honors) from Queen’s University and his MSc from Cornell University.
 
He also is or has been a member of: the Canadian Association for the Club of Rome, the Association of Professional Futurists, the International Institute of Forecasters (IIF), the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP), and the Canadian Association of Business Economists (CABE), and he is the author of articles for Frontline, R&D Management, Foresight, Futures, Science and Public Policy, Policy Options, Technology Forecasting and Social Change, and the Innovation Journal on technology futures, security, and strategic management. He coauthored Proteus: US-CAN Security Foresight Partnership.