2023 Winner: Innovation of the Year Award
Winner: RUNWITHIT Synthetics (Myrna Bittner, CEO; Dean Bittner, CTO); Edmonton Global (Malcolm Bruce, CEO); Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board (Karen Wichuk, CEO)
Presenter: Darren Fast – Associate Vice President, Innovation, Knowledge Mobilization & Partnerships – University of Alberta
Initiative: SEEITAL – The Synthetic Edmonton Environment Intelligent Advanced Laboratory a Digital Twin
Finalist: Early Adopter of Innovation, Indigenoys-Led Entrepreneurship and Contribution to Knowledge
Malcolm Bruce is a visionary executive with a progressive career in leadership and the first CEO of Edmonton Global. By drawing on his proven ability as a strategic planner and team builder, Malcolm is promoting the Edmonton region as the business location of choice for global investment. Malcolm brings a 30-year military career with an extensive background in strategic planning, organizational change, financial management, issues management, and stakeholder engagement.
With over a decade of experience in executive leadership positions in the public and post-secondary sectors, Karen Wichuk has led and championed complex initiatives, guided organizations through transition and change, and built long-lasting local, national and international relationships rooted in authentic multi-stakeholder engagement. As the CEO of EMRB, Karen works with a diverse, committed and regionally-focused Board and dedicated team of professionals to implement a vision and strategy that recognizes the Edmonton Metropolitan Region’s collective strengths, capitalizes on regional opportunities, tackles joint challenges and enables the EMRB’s thirteen member municipalities to plan together for shared growth.
Myrna and Dean Bittner started their first tech company together in 1992, developing commercial internet groupware produced and used by NASA and US West for real-time remote communications, followed by co-founding a 3D neural net visualization research company, NeuralVR. In 2019, RUNWITHIT Co-founders, Myrna, Dean and their team created their first Synthetic City for utility earthquake response in Silicon Valley. Today, RUNWITHIT’s Synthetic City platform connects 28 global cities and their communities with the insight they need to design improved futures for people and their planet. RUNWITHIT’s platform continues to win international awards, including the 2021 United Nations Global Call Award for Decarbonization. As a women-led, Certified Indigenous Business, Myrna and Dean passionately live and promote the imperative for inclusion, diversity and representation to lead the future of people, the planet and our galaxy.
