SFU’s Sarah Lubik among experts to consult with Canadians on digital and data innovation

Sarah Lubik, SFU’s Director of Entrepreneurship, who is among experts who will consult Canadians to shape federal government policy around digital and data transformation.

SFU Director of Entrepreneurship Sarah Lubik has been named one of six innovation experts who will lead the Government of Canada’s recently launched national consultation on digital and data transformation.

The experts will host roundtable discussions across the country that will inform the federal government on how Canadians want to drive innovation in a data economy, prepare for the future of work and ensure that citizens have trust and confidence in how their data is used.

From early August to mid-September, the leaders will host roundtable discussions in cities across Canada with individuals involved in business, academia and industry. Roundtables will be held in cities across Canada including Victoria and Vancouver, as well as Silicon Valley.

“Working on this important initiative is a great honour, and I believe recognizes the nationally leading work that SFU has done to build an entrepreneurial culture and critical mass of empowered, aligned leaders and partners both internally and with our local and international communities,” says Lubik.

“Ironically, getting ready and being competitive in a more tech and data-heavy future probably requires us to better tap into our humanity, ensuring that we have the necessary skills and mindsets to confidently use these transformative innovations to solve significant challenges and reshape systems to create both economic and social value.”

At SFU, Lubik develops, aligns and accelerates the University’s innovation ecosystem from K-12 partnerships to entrepreneurial education across disciplines, through to early stage incubation and commercialization.

A lecturer in entrepreneurship and innovation at SFU’s Beedie School of Business, Lubik is also co-director of the Tech Entrepreneurship@SFU program, and a member of the advisory boards of SFU’s social innovation lab and incubator RADIUS, and the  boards of entrepreneurial education charities Powerplay and Youth Entrepreneur Leadership Launchpad (YELL). She is also a co-founder and marketing director of high-tech startup Lungfish Dive Systems, which develops and sells an innovative re-breather system for recreational divers.

Lubik’s appointment follows her involvement as one of Canada’s 10 Innovation Leaders during the Innovation Agenda consultations in 2016 that supported the development of the government’s Innovation and Skills Plan.

“Unlocking the economic opportunities from digital transformation will help Canada’s competitiveness, attract investment and create middle-class jobs from coast to coast to coast,” says The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. “I thank these strong leaders for the key role they will play in engaging with Canadians on how we can leverage data to drive innovation while respecting the privacy of Canadians.”