CENGN is pleased to announce that three new directors have been added to the board to provide governance and strategic guidance as CENGN rolls out its living lab initiative throughout Canada.

The CENGN Living Labs initiative is set to create authentic testing environments where small and medium-sized Canadian technology companies can validate and refine their solutions in real-world conditions to boost market adoption. The initiative will strengthen Canada’s traditional and technology sectors by improving tech adoption rates and accelerating tech growth.

CENGN is excited to introduce these new board directors, whose specialized knowledge and leadership experience is crucial in driving the success of our living labs initiative.

Patrick Lopez

Patrick is a senior executive & technology thought leader, Founder & CEO of the telco & cloud consultancy company Core Analysis, after earlier roles including Global VP Products at NEC and Global VP Networks at Telefonica Group.

Patrick has extensive experience in corporate strategy, corporate development (M&A, due diligence, debt/equity funding, partnerships, JVs, etc), board governance, and is a board member of CENGN (Canada’s Center of Excellence for Next Generation Networks). Patrick sat on the board of directors of NEC Advanced Networks, the Open Networking Foundation (ONF), Meta’s Telecom Infra Project (TIP) and 5Tonic (an open 5G laboratory).

From chipsets, to smartphones, to packet core, edge computing, traffic optimization, OSS, (open, virtual, AI) RAN, High Altitude Platforms, cloud and AI, Patrick has led teams in the most exciting telco / cloud environment.

His latest achievements include:

• Pioneered programmable networks and Software Defined Networking (SDN)

• Over 30 international awards for new product/technology introduction and execution.

• World’s first Open RAN (virtualized Radio Access Network) commercial deployments in greenfield and brownfield networks.

• World’s first multi-access (mobile, fixed, enterprise, residential) edge computing deployment (software-defined Central Office re-architected as a data center project with transport aggregation, access virtualization, edge computing).

• Multi 100´s million-dollar joint venture with Facebook and development banks to connect the unconnected. Includes SDN, NFV, open source virtualized ENodeB, EPC, satellite backhaul, Facebook, TIP, Google Loon…

• Pioneered Lean Telco innovation framework for telecom operators.

• Over 100 international clients at Core Analysis (Akamai, Amdocs, Bain&Co., Bell Canada, Citrix, Deloitte, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, HP, Huawei, InterDigital, META, McKinsey & Company, NEC, Red Hat, Telus, Telefonica …)

Patrick has collaborated with various industry and financial institutions including Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse First Boston, and has written several articles in collaboration with The Wall Street Journal, Wireless Week, Fierce wireless, RCR Wireless News, CNN and CNBC.

Patrick currently resides in Toronto, Canada and has worked in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Ireland, Spain and France. He holds an MBA in Corporate Management.

“CENGN plays a critical role in developing the Canadian small and medium enterprises’ digital transformation. I am truly honoured to join its board of directors and contribute my experience in incubating, growing and launching innovative telecom and cloud services.”

Victoria Brydon

Victoria Brydon, MBA, is an experienced Board Chair and Director with 20+ years of strategic HR and business executive experience with leading-edge, global technology companies. Throughout her career, most recently as the Chief People Officer of D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) and now as a Fractional Strategic HR Consultant, Victoria works cross-functionally, providing executive oversight of people and business strategy. Victoria has global experience with private and public companies, including taking a company public, CEO and executive performance, compensation and transition, total rewards, strategic planning, leadership development, international acquisitions, offshoring, and culture integration.

With 10+ years of Board experience, Victoria is a director and member of the Nominating Committee of March of Dimes Canada. Victoria was previously Board Chair and HR Committee Chair of BC Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) and director and Chair of the HR Committee of Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver.

Victoria holds an MBA, a Graduate Executive Coaching Certificate from Royal Roads University, and a Bachelor of Commerce from Queens University. Victoria regularly participates in governance education, including Boardroom Financial Essentials (ICD), Chair with Intention (Watson) and participation in the Chairs Forum (Women Get on Board).

“Through their Living Lab Initiative, CENGN provides Canadian startups and scaleups access to test and prove their market readiness. This is important for the growth of Canada’s tech sector, and I’m excited to be a part of this organization as a member of the Board.”

Michael Castro

Michael Castro is a distinguished IT executive and cybersecurity leader with over 25 years of experience building and steering enterprise-level information security, cyber risk, and compliance programs. Holding various degrees including an LLM degree from Osgoode Law School, an MBA from Athabasca University and the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation from the Director’s college, Michael combines deep legal and governance expertise with technical acumen to deliver robust security solutions across a range of industries, including Oil & Gas, Finance, Healthcare, and Retail.

Michael’s career highlights include serving as Head of Information Security and Risk Management at Loblaw Companies Limited, as well as holding senior cybersecurity roles in several Fortune 500 organizations. He is widely respected for his strategic approach to security architecture, risk management, and cybersecurity education.

Today, Michael provides governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) guidance and consulting to numerous companies, and acts as a Risk Executive Advisor to various Boards. He is recognized for his engaging and insightful approach to cybersecurity, blending professional expertise with a passion for mentoring leaders and shaping the future of the industry.

“I am truly honoured to join CENGN’s Board of Directors and contribute to its vital mission of empowering Canadian small and medium-sized businesses through technology enablement. CENGN’s leadership in building a collaborative and innovative ecosystem is instrumental to Canada’s productivity and digital advancement. I look forward to leveraging my experience, learning from my esteemed colleagues, and supporting CENGN as it continues to drive growth and innovation across the country.”

About the Author

Being the Content Marketing Lead at CENGN, Richard researches and shares information on emerging technologies such as 5G, IoT, and Artificial Intelligence.

Through his experience in writing and support for technological growth, he’s always interested in sharing how new technologies are shaping the lives of fellow Canadians.

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