CENGN, Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks, is pleased to announce the appointment of Sandra Cutrona as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective November 3, 2025.

“We are thrilled to have Ms. Cutrona as CENGN’s President and CEO.  Sandra was selected as a business leader with demonstrated ability to lead complex organizations, build ecosystems, and foster innovation.  We are confident that Ms. Cutrona’s deep Canadian and global experience in the market will be a key asset to CENGN’s success and grow the organization’s impact on innovation in Canada,” said Jim Ghadbane, Chair of the CENGN Board of Directors. “Additionally, on behalf of the Board, we send our appreciation and thanks to Boris Mimeur, our Senior Vice President of Technology and Engineering Operations, for acting as Interim President and CEO during this transition to our next CEO”.

CENGN drives innovation and adoption of applied AI, IoT, robotics, drones, and advanced networking technologies through the organization’s national programs, technical expertise, and partner ecosystem. By providing access to real end-user environments, value-added services, and expertise that accelerate the validation, demonstration, commercialization, and adoption of innovative solutions nationwide, CENGN enables the technological transformation and competitiveness of Canadian industry.

Since its inception, CENGN has grown its ecosystem, leadership, company size, mandate, and, most importantly, our impact on the advancement of Canada’s technology sector. CENGN has completed over 230 technology commercialization and innovation projects, trained 2338 personnel in network technology skills, and provided 310 internships. These accomplishments and other CENGN initiatives have created over 11 thousand jobs, 1100 product introductions, and contributed $1.15 billion to GDP.

In 2024, CENGN received a $45 million investment from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) to develop eight (8) Living Labs across Canada to support over 100 Canadian startups and scaleups in accelerating the commercialization of innovative dual use technologies.

These Living Labs provide pre-commercial controlled environments as well as real-world industrial settings, offering startups access to enterprise-grade infrastructure, sector-specific feedback, and data-driven insights that help refine product-market fit, ensure operational scalability, and reduce investment risk. The initiative spans key sectors such as AI, robotics, uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), transportation, public safety, advanced manufacturing, smart buildings, energy, and smart agriculture.

With nearly 30 years of leadership in telecom and emerging technologies, Cutrona brings a unique blend of operational excellence, strategic partnership growth, and people-focused leadership that aligns directly with CENGN’s mission to accelerate Canadian innovation.

“I am eager to bring my expertise in strategic execution, partnership development, and stakeholder engagement to CENGN to ensure Canadian technology companies thrive in a competitive global landscape,” said Cutrona. “I look forward to the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to Canada’s innovation ecosystem as CENGN’s next President and CEO.”

Cutrona enters the organization with over 10 years of executive-level experience at leading R&D telecom companies.  She has held senior roles spanning sales, operations, engineering, and enterprise IT, including positions at Ericsson as the VP of Enterprise Sales.

The new President and CEO will bring this wealth of experience to the table as she looks to increase CENGN’s impact in the short term and strategically position CENGN for growth in the long term.

About the Author

• 

Rick is a proud member of the Canadian research and technology community, having an extensive background in tech commercialization and industry adoption of innovative technologies. Through his experience with start-up businesses and not-for-profit organizations, Rick is an outspoken advocate for the integration of technology to improve both industry outputs and society.

Over the past 5 years, Rick has managed the public relations and communications for CENGN, Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks. At the centre of an organization that facilitates collaboration between tech businesses, industry leaders, academia and government, Rick champions the message that talent development and commercial growth in advanced networking technology is crucial to a thriving economy.

More by Rick Penwarden