Peter Haubrich, Founder and President ORIC

In August 2005 Peter established a new independent, non-profit Research and Innovation Centre in British Columbia, Canada. The Centre's Headquarters is co-located with the National Research Council of Canada's Radio Astronomy Observatory.
 
Before moving to Canada, Peter was Director Technology Management and Director European Research & Development Laboratories of SONY in Stuttgart and Berlin, Germany. He directed four R&D labs in the areas of Advanced TV, Mobile Multimedia, Home Networking and Human Machine Interface. He expanded the labs from 8 to 60 engineers and scientists within 5 years and successfully negotiated R&D projects and budgets over 10 million Euro per year. SONY's business units successfully implemented the results from several R&D projects. To secure SONY's position in the European competitive landscape and to add essential patents to the portfolio, several national and international collaborative projects with major industry players and universities were started and successfully completed. Those projects received funding from the German Government as well as from the European Commission.
Under Peter's leadership more than 100 patents in the areas of digital radio DAB and DRM, (wireless) home networking, 3rd generation mobile communication (UMTS), speech recognition and improved picture processing for TV were filed.

As Director Technology Management of SONY's Venture Capital group Peter was engaged in the exploration of new (disruptive) technologies and business models of startup companies as a preparation for a board decision on strategic investment and technology cooperation with the relevant business groups. SONY's European VC group had a fund of 150 million Euro. The investment domains were Mobile Applications, Wireless Communication, Human Machine Interface Technologies and Home Networking.

Before working for SONY, Peter had management functions at Grundig in Germany and Royal Philips Electronics in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Japan. Peter participated in several senior executive management programs at IMD in Switzerland and INSEAD in France.

Peter is currently Board member of the Okanagan Science & Technology Council (OSTEC), the Okanagan Partnership and he is a founding member of the Okanagan Innovation Fund (OIF) and sits on its Investment Review Committee.
 

Martin Yuill, Director ORIC Kelowna Innovation Centre

Born and raised in South Africa, Martin is a graduate of the University of South Africa and has an MBA degree with specializations in advanced strategic management, services marketing and change management. A strong conceptualizer, strategic thinker, marketer, business development and growth agent, Martin has solid general management accomplishments and varied international work experience.

Martin joined ORIC as Director of its Kelowna Innovation Centre in December 2008, fresh from his success as a member of the team that launched "The Innovation Hub" in Pretoria, South Africa, as a unique 60-hectare high-tech services precinct, technology cluster and the first internationally-accredited Science Park in Africa. Considered a "state-of-the-art science park" by the Intelligent Community Forum, The Innovation Hub was designed specifically to create and to link an information technology infrastructure to an overall vision for a knowledge-based economy. The facility incorporates a fully convergent broadband infrastructure of VoIP, multi-media and "plug-and-play" capabilities. It was a finalist for the prestigious "Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year" award in 2005. As a key member of the Hub management team, Martin created an entrepreneurial "Value-Added Services" division as a critical market differentiator for this $200+ million precinct; managed the strategic marketing, sales and business development functions; re-launched what is currently South Africa's most successful high-tech business incubator; and created the country's largest virtual technology community.

Martin later joined a private international investment holding company with responsibility for all group marketing and business development functions. As General Manager of the Group's hardwood flooring, decking and timber trading division, he managed a full divisional turnaround; and more recently, managed the Group's veterinary pharmaceutical and natural human health division, with full multi-million dollar P&L responsibility.

Martin currently serves as an Advisory Board Director of the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission.

Mark Payne, Programs Director ORIC

Besides his role as Business Coach for the Okanagan Technology Mentorship Community (a joint program between OSTEC and ORIC), Mark supports ORIC in developing the Programs and Services for ORIC's internal and external clients.

Mark has more than 25 years experience in leadership, sales, marketing, emerging technologies and business development. He specializes in working with companies going through significant change, ranging from driving early stage acceleration and revenue growth to reorganization and business turnaround.

Roles have included CEO, Managing Director, main board and non-executive director, consultant and investor. Experienced in international organizations, early stage companies and start ups, Mark has worked in the private and public sectors in Europe, The Far East and North America.

At APMoller/Maersk Group, a fortune 500 company, Mark was a member of the UK and European senior management teams with leadership positions in Sales and Marketing, Business Development and Supply Chain Management. During this period the organization achieved considerable growth involving several acquisitions and mergers; establishing itself as the number one shipping and logistics company in the world.

As Managing Director at Clear Thinking, a online and creative services group Mark led the company though a period of significant expansion securing and working on projects with a number of international organizations including KPMG, Clear Channel, The European Commission and Save the Children. At AlphaGalileo Foundation Mark was CEO, leading a team that established the company as Europe's leading scientific news and media service. Taking the service from a government program to a fully independent, self sustaining organization, with representation in multiple countries and revenues of over $1.5m, inside 2 years.

He moved to BC in 2008 and divides his time between Vancouver and the Okanagan Valley - where he is helping OSTEC and ORIC to establish mentorship, incubation and acceleration programs for technology companies

Mark has been an investor in early stage companies, specifically in digital media and emerging technologies for the past ten years. He is actively looking for opportunities in Canada and has recently agreed his first BC investment in an Okanagan start up.

Mark is also passionate about live music, sports, changing the world, mountains, good food and red wine.........