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BILL THOMPSON AWARD Sponsored by BCTIA
Acknowledging an individual who has demonstrated the highest level of leadership in BC’s technology industry throughout his or her business career
WINNER
Mark Betteridge
Tireless Passion for BC’s Technology Industry
F
“Angel Investor, Board Member, and Tireless Advocate for the BC Technology Community”
design that has been copied by other technology parks and creating a new standard for green buildings in BC with DiscoveryGreen, Western Canada’s first LEED-platinum office building. Most recently, Mark led the creation of The Generator, an innovative partnership with the City of Vancouver that redefined the cities requirement for public amenities by establishing a program to support technology start-ups by providing one year of rent-free space. This 5,000 square foot facility is currently home to eight enterprising start-ups. An urban planner by training, Mark has more than 30 years of experience in municipal government and real estate development. Before joining Discovery Parks, he was the first president of the University of British Columbia Real Estate Corporation (now UBC Properties Trust). Mark was also a founding director and Chair of Covenant House Vancouver.
2011 TECHNOLOGY IMPACT AWARDS
ew people display as much passion for BC’s technology community as Mark Betteridge. Mark has been a tireless advocate of BC’s broad technology community for over 20 years, as an angel investor, board member and the Executive Director and CEO of Discovery Parks Trust and its charitable arm, the Discovery Foundation. Mark’s leadership began in 1991 at Discovery Parks and since that time they have created over 2 million square feet of space; providing a home to more than 150 BC technology companies; contributed over $16 million for research at BC universities, and provided capacity-building support at many local organizations through the Discovery Foundation. Organizations that have benefited from the contributions of the Discovery Foundation include the Wavefront Accelerator Centre, BCTIA , Life Sciences BC, BCIT, SFU Time Centre, DigiBC, the Vancouver Economic Development Commission and ACETECH. Recognizing the importance of building our own tech talent, Mark was the first contributor to the BC Tech Scholarship Fund, leading a spontaneous challenge to industry that added another $50,000 to the fund during its inaugural launch. Around the scholarship judging table Mark is a notable advocate for championing candidates with a strong combination of financial need and academic achievement. Under Mark’s direction, Discovery Parks has been recognized as an innovator, developing a unique, flexible building
Mark Betteridge, Executive Director and CEO Discovery Parks Trust and Discovery Foundation
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