Chief Technology and AI Officer (AI-CTO) Program – University of Waterloo

Al Hounsell leads AI innovation at Gowling WLG, leveraging his unique background in law, entrepreneurship, and full-stack development to transform legal service delivery. Named Innovative Leader of the Year (2024) by the International Legal Technology Association.

Al Hounsell leads AI innovation at Gowling WLG, leveraging his unique background in law, entrepreneurship, and full-stack development to transform legal service delivery. Named Innovative Leader of the Year (2024) by the International Legal Technology Association. Read More

Manish Singh is a technology and business transformation leader with over two decades of experience spanning telecom, cloud, and AI-driven enterprise modernization. LinkedIn Top Voice in Strategy, Sales Operations, and Management Consulting, he has held global strategic leadership roles at Ericsson, IBM, and Capgemini.

Manish Singh is a technology and business transformation leader with over two decades of experience spanning telecom, cloud, and AI-driven enterprise modernization. LinkedIn Top Voice in Strategy, Sales Operations, and Management Consulting, he has held global strategic leadership roles at Ericsson, IBM, and Capgemini. Read More

Michael Page leads AI commercialization at Unity Health Toronto to improve patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency. With over 15 years of experience in corporate strategy for innovation, social impact, and R&D, he previously held senior roles at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the University of Toronto.

Endorsement: "This program embodies the rigor, practical application, and real-world alignment that today's CTO leadership demands. More than that, it strategically positions CTOs to shape the narrative of AI's next era—equipping them not just to adopt emerging technologies, but to define how AI drives transformational growth within their organizations."

Michael Page leads AI commercialization at Unity Health Toronto to improve patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency. With over 15 years of experience in corporate strategy for innovation, social impact, and R&D, he previously held senior roles at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the University of Toronto.

Endorsement: "This program embodies the rigor, practical application, and real-world alignment that today's CTO leadership demands. More than that, it strategically positions CTOs to shape the narrative of AI's next era—equipping them not just to adopt emerging technologies, but to define how AI drives transformational growth within their organizations." Read More

Dr. Bahar Sateli leads AI and Advanced Analytics at PwC Canada and co-developed PwC's award-winning Global Responsible AI Toolkit. Recognized by Forbes as a "Woman in AI to Watch" (2020) and one of the "Top 30 Influential Women Advancing AI" (2019).

Dr. Bahar Sateli leads AI and Advanced Analytics at PwC Canada and co-developed PwC's award-winning Global Responsible AI Toolkit. Recognized by Forbes as a "Woman in AI to Watch" (2020) and one of the "Top 30 Influential Women Advancing AI" (2019). Read More

John Weigelt leads Microsoft Canada's strategic policy and technology efforts, helping individuals and organizations innovate responsibly while avoiding unintended consequences. His extensive experience in technology, business, and policy provides a unique perspective on our technology-enabled economy.

Endorsement: "The intensive WatSPEED AI-CTO program provides technology leaders with the practical tools to drive organizational change, build AI culture and deliver business results. Going beyond the technology, this curriculum ties to business transformation through engagement with industry experts, hands-on tabletop exercises and real-world experience."

John Weigelt leads Microsoft Canada's strategic policy and technology efforts, helping individuals and organizations innovate responsibly while avoiding unintended consequences. His extensive experience in technology, business, and policy provides a unique perspective on our technology-enabled economy.

Endorsement: "The intensive WatSPEED AI-CTO program provides technology leaders with the practical tools to drive organizational change, build AI culture and deliver business results. Going beyond the technology, this curriculum ties to business transformation through engagement with industry experts, hands-on tabletop exercises and real-world experience." Read More

Rob Barton is a Cisco Distinguished AI Engineer with expertise in networking, cybersecurity, and AI. Author of four books including "Demystifying Generative AI," he holds over 400 patents and leads Cisco's AI research collaboration program with top universities.

Rob Barton is a Cisco Distinguished AI Engineer with expertise in networking, cybersecurity, and AI. Author of four books including "Demystifying Generative AI," he holds over 400 patents and leads Cisco's AI research collaboration program with top universities. Read More

Dr. Peter Carr is an associate professor in the Department of Management Science and Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where his work focuses on how technology can be used to improve business performance and social outcomes. He works at the intersection of digital transformation, operations, project management, and technical entrepreneurship, helping organisations and students navigate the opportunities and risks of rapidly changing technologies.

Dr. Carr teaches a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, including operations and supply chain management, project management, the strategic management of technology, the impact of information systems on society, and technology innovation and entrepreneurship. He has created multiple online simulations in project management and digital transformation and leads WatSPEED and extended learning offerings that support managers and professionals in leading technology enabled change.

He completed his PhD at Cranfield University in the United Kingdom, where he studied the lean transformation of traditional manufacturing organisations. Before joining Waterloo, Dr. Carr served as executive director of the Centre for Innovative Management at Athabasca University and accumulated substantial industry experience, informing his practice-oriented approach to teaching, curriculum design, and advising organisations on aligning technological innovation with human and organisational change.

Dr. Peter Carr is an associate professor in the Department of Management Science and Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where his work focuses on how technology can be used to improve business performance and social outcomes. He works at the intersection of digital transformation, operations, project management, and technical entrepreneurship, helping organisations and students navigate the opportunities and risks of rapidly changing technologies.

Dr. Carr teaches a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, including operations and supply chain management, project management, the strategic management of technology, the impact of information systems on society, and technology innovation and entrepreneurship. He has created multiple online simulations in project management and digital transformation and leads WatSPEED and extended learning offerings that support managers and professionals in leading technology enabled change.

He completed his PhD at Cranfield University in the United Kingdom, where he studied the lean transformation of traditional manufacturing organisations. Before joining Waterloo, Dr. Carr served as executive director of the Centre for Innovative Management at Athabasca University and accumulated substantial industry experience, informing his practice-oriented approach to teaching, curriculum design, and advising organisations on aligning technological innovation with human and organisational change. Read More

Dr. Victor Cui studies how emerging technologies and shifting geopolitics are reshaping the future of work, strategy, and globalization. His research is published in leading academic journals and has been featured in BNN Bloomberg, Fortune, CBC, and The Globe and Mail.

A global thought leader on geopolitics and the evolving logic of globalization, Professor Cui serves on the International Science Council (ISC)’s Global Roster of Experts advising the United Nations. He is a Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA) Fellow, an affiliate of the Waterloo Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute, editor for four leading international journals, and Chair of Canada’s SSHRC Insight Development Grant (IDG) competition.

Dr. Cui works closely with partners across government, industry, and academia to tackle complex challenges—turning research insights into real-world impact.

Dr. Victor Cui studies how emerging technologies and shifting geopolitics are reshaping the future of work, strategy, and globalization. His research is published in leading academic journals and has been featured in BNN Bloomberg, Fortune, CBC, and The Globe and Mail.

A global thought leader on geopolitics and the evolving logic of globalization, Professor Cui serves on the International Science Council (ISC)’s Global Roster of Experts advising the United Nations. He is a Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA) Fellow, an affiliate of the Waterloo Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute, editor for four leading international journals, and Chair of Canada’s SSHRC Insight Development Grant (IDG) competition.

Dr. Cui works closely with partners across government, industry, and academia to tackle complex challenges—turning research insights into real-world impact. Read More

Dr. J. Mark Weber is special advisor to the Provost on Leadership Strategy and Development at the University of Waterloo. Prior to his current role, he was the Eyton director of the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at Waterloo, the inaugural director of Waterloo's Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation, and a former faculty member at the Rotman School of Management and UTM at the University of Toronto. He also taught courses at Northwestern University, INSEAD, and the Ross School of Business at University of Michigan.

Dr. Weber is an award-winning teacher and researcher, and his research focuses on leadership, cooperation, negotiations, decision-making, and trust. He consults extensively and has provided training to executives and professionals in the automotive, education, healthcare, pharmaceutical, broadcast media, entertainment, telecommunications, professional services, and financial services industries, and in government at all levels.

Dr. J. Mark Weber is special advisor to the Provost on Leadership Strategy and Development at the University of Waterloo. Prior to his current role, he was the Eyton director of the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at Waterloo, the inaugural director of Waterloo's Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation, and a former faculty member at the Rotman School of Management and UTM at the University of Toronto. He also taught courses at Northwestern University, INSEAD, and the Ross School of Business at University of Michigan.

Dr. Weber is an award-winning teacher and researcher, and his research focuses on leadership, cooperation, negotiations, decision-making, and trust. He consults extensively and has provided training to executives and professionals in the automotive, education, healthcare, pharmaceutical, broadcast media, entertainment, telecommunications, professional services, and financial services industries, and in government at all levels. Read More

Dr. Amir-Hossein Karimi is an award-winning researcher and educator, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Cheriton School of Computer Science (cross-appointed) at the University of Waterloo, and a Vector Institute Faculty Affiliate. He leads the Collaborative Human-AI Reasoning Machines (✨CHARM✨) Lab, dedicated to advancing safe and trustworthy human-AI collaborations.

Prior to joining Waterloo, Dr. Karimi accumulated over 15 years of experience in leading technology and research roles at BlackBerry (2013), Meta (Facebook) (2014–2016), Google Brain (2021), and Google DeepMind (2022), and has consulted for startups and incubators including NEXT AI. His contributions have earned him multiple accolades, such as the UofToronto Spirit of Engineering Science Award (2015), the UWaterloo Alumni Gold Medal Award (2018), the NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctorate (2018), the Google PhD Fellowship (2021), the ETH Zurich Medal (2024), the NSERC Discovery Grants and Supplements (2024), the Igor Ivkovic Teaching Excellence Award.

Dr. Amir-Hossein Karimi is an award-winning researcher and educator, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Cheriton School of Computer Science (cross-appointed) at the University of Waterloo, and a Vector Institute Faculty Affiliate. He leads the Collaborative Human-AI Reasoning Machines (✨CHARM✨) Lab, dedicated to advancing safe and trustworthy human-AI collaborations.

Prior to joining Waterloo, Dr. Karimi accumulated over 15 years of experience in leading technology and research roles at BlackBerry (2013), Meta (Facebook) (2014–2016), Google Brain (2021), and Google DeepMind (2022), and has consulted for startups and incubators including NEXT AI. His contributions have earned him multiple accolades, such as the UofToronto Spirit of Engineering Science Award (2015), the UWaterloo Alumni Gold Medal Award (2018), the NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctorate (2018), the Google PhD Fellowship (2021), the ETH Zurich Medal (2024), the NSERC Discovery Grants and Supplements (2024), the Igor Ivkovic Teaching Excellence Award. Read More

Dr. Maura R. Grossman is a research professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, and an affiliate faculty member of the Vector Institute, all in Ontario, Canada, as well as an eDiscovery attorney and consultant in Buffalo, New York.  Previously, she was of counsel at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, and Katz, where for 17 years, she represented Fortune 100 companies and major financial institutions in civil litigation and white-collar criminal and regulatory investigations, and advised the firm’s lawyers and clients on legal, technical, and strategic issues involving eDiscovery and information governance, both domestically and abroad. 

Dr. Maura R. Grossman is a research professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, and an affiliate faculty member of the Vector Institute, all in Ontario, Canada, as well as an eDiscovery attorney and consultant in Buffalo, New York.  Previously, she was of counsel at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, and Katz, where for 17 years, she represented Fortune 100 companies and major financial institutions in civil litigation and white-collar criminal and regulatory investigations, and advised the firm’s lawyers and clients on legal, technical, and strategic issues involving eDiscovery and information governance, both domestically and abroad.  Read More

Rob Barton is a Distinguished AI Engineer and former CTO of Cisco Canada. A graduate of the University of British Columbia in Engineering Physics, Rob is a recognized technology innovator and a published author of four books, with his latest publication on Demystifying Generative AI. He has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed research papers and holds over 400 patents in key technology areas, including AI/Machine Learning. Leading Cisco’s AI research collaborations with prominent universities, Rob actively fosters innovation and knowledge exchange between industry and academia, shaping the future of AI and networking technologies. Rob's current research and development efforts focus on agentic systems, AI model optimization, and advanced AI security frameworks. 

Rob Barton is a Distinguished AI Engineer and former CTO of Cisco Canada. A graduate of the University of British Columbia in Engineering Physics, Rob is a recognized technology innovator and a published author of four books, with his latest publication on Demystifying Generative AI. He has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed research papers and holds over 400 patents in key technology areas, including AI/Machine Learning. Leading Cisco’s AI research collaborations with prominent universities, Rob actively fosters innovation and knowledge exchange between industry and academia, shaping the future of AI and networking technologies. Rob's current research and development efforts focus on agentic systems, AI model optimization, and advanced AI security frameworks.  Read More

Shavin Malhotra is Professor of Strategy and Conrad Research Excellence Chairat the University of Waterloo’s Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, Faculty of Engineering, where he also serves as Associate Director of Research and Doctoral Studies. He is the incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences. Before his academic career, he worked in business development at CMC Limited, part of Tata Consultancy Services, and at one of India’s early internet ventures. That experience has helped his thinking around how executives navigate high-stakes decisions under pressure.

Shavin has spent over two decades studying mergers and acquisitions and strategic partnerships. His research examines why high-stakes transactions succeed or fail, with particular attention to how CEO traits and cognitive styles shape the deals leaders pursue and the risks they accept. This work has appeared in the world’s leading academic journals in strategy and management, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Review, and Strategic Management Journal, and has been featured in the Harvard Business Review and the Wall Street Journal. He has received multiple university research awards for distinguished performance and secured more than $400,000 in competitive federal research grants as Principal Investigator

Shavin Malhotra is Professor of Strategy and Conrad Research Excellence Chairat the University of Waterloo’s Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, Faculty of Engineering, where he also serves as Associate Director of Research and Doctoral Studies. He is the incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences. Before his academic career, he worked in business development at CMC Limited, part of Tata Consultancy Services, and at one of India’s early internet ventures. That experience has helped his thinking around how executives navigate high-stakes decisions under pressure.

Shavin has spent over two decades studying mergers and acquisitions and strategic partnerships. His research examines why high-stakes transactions succeed or fail, with particular attention to how CEO traits and cognitive styles shape the deals leaders pursue and the risks they accept. This work has appeared in the world’s leading academic journals in strategy and management, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Review, and Strategic Management Journal, and has been featured in the Harvard Business Review and the Wall Street Journal. He has received multiple university research awards for distinguished performance and secured more than $400,000 in competitive federal research grants as Principal Investigator Read More

Andrew Martinko is the Associate Director for Venture Creation and Growth at Velocity. Companies he has worked with have raised more than $100M in funding and generated millions in early-stage revenue. He has created programs at Velocity that have tripled the amount of companies Velocity is able to support each year.

Prior to mentoring at Velocity, he was a Velocity Founder. He founded SPOTMYUV, a colour-changing sticker that tells users when to reapply sunscreen. He scaled it to a multi-million in sales business it was sold in 2024.

Martinko graduated from Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo and later completed his MBET degree.

Andrew Martinko is the Associate Director for Venture Creation and Growth at Velocity. Companies he has worked with have raised more than $100M in funding and generated millions in early-stage revenue. He has created programs at Velocity that have tripled the amount of companies Velocity is able to support each year.

Prior to mentoring at Velocity, he was a Velocity Founder. He founded SPOTMYUV, a colour-changing sticker that tells users when to reapply sunscreen. He scaled it to a multi-million in sales business it was sold in 2024.

Martinko graduated from Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo and later completed his MBET degree. Read More

Moazam Khan is the Managing Director of Venture Scale and Strategy at Velocity, the University of Waterloo’s flagship entrepreneurship program, which has launched over 500 technology companies with a combined valuation exceeding $40 billion.

In 2022, he founded Velocity Health, an ecosystem that has supported the creation and scale of more than 165 health and life sciences innovations across Southern Ontario. Prior to Velocity, he co-founded AI-driven health technology startup focused on improving patient safety, leading them through regulatory approvals, clinical trials, and venture financing. He is also a Limited Partner at the Velocity Fund, a Board Member at GTAN, and a Venture Partner at One Degree VC in Abu Dhabi, advising on AI-enabled digital health ventures.

A proud University of Waterloo alumnus, Khan is a recipient of the Waterloo Alumni Achievement Award for his contributions to health and technology innovation.

Moazam Khan is the Managing Director of Venture Scale and Strategy at Velocity, the University of Waterloo’s flagship entrepreneurship program, which has launched over 500 technology companies with a combined valuation exceeding $40 billion.

In 2022, he founded Velocity Health, an ecosystem that has supported the creation and scale of more than 165 health and life sciences innovations across Southern Ontario. Prior to Velocity, he co-founded AI-driven health technology startup focused on improving patient safety, leading them through regulatory approvals, clinical trials, and venture financing. He is also a Limited Partner at the Velocity Fund, a Board Member at GTAN, and a Venture Partner at One Degree VC in Abu Dhabi, advising on AI-enabled digital health ventures.

A proud University of Waterloo alumnus, Khan is a recipient of the Waterloo Alumni Achievement Award for his contributions to health and technology innovation. Read More

Dr. Nada Basir is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the University of Waterloo's Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Waterloo, a Master of Science in Biotechnology with a Business Specialization from McGill University, and a PhD in Strategic Management from the Schulich School of Business, York University.

Her research sits at the intersection of strategy, organizational theory, and entrepreneurship, with a focus on how organizations and the people within them navigate fundamental change, including how professional identities shift when the structures around work are disrupted. Her work has been published in top management journals, including the Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Research Policy, Organization Studies, and Harvard Business Review. Prior to academia, she held roles in strategy, market analysis, and business development in the pharmaceutical industry.

As part of the AI-CTO program, she’ll bring an organizational and human perspective to AI transformation, focusing on what it takes to lead people through change.

Dr. Nada Basir is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the University of Waterloo's Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Waterloo, a Master of Science in Biotechnology with a Business Specialization from McGill University, and a PhD in Strategic Management from the Schulich School of Business, York University.

Her research sits at the intersection of strategy, organizational theory, and entrepreneurship, with a focus on how organizations and the people within them navigate fundamental change, including how professional identities shift when the structures around work are disrupted. Her work has been published in top management journals, including the Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Research Policy, Organization Studies, and Harvard Business Review. Prior to academia, she held roles in strategy, market analysis, and business development in the pharmaceutical industry.

As part of the AI-CTO program, she’ll bring an organizational and human perspective to AI transformation, focusing on what it takes to lead people through change. Read More