External Advisory Board

The External Advisory Board (EAB) plays a valuable role in advising the Dean on matters relating to the activities and future directions of the Faculty of Applied Sciences. The Council consists of external members, including senior leaders from industry, government and professional organizations; in addition, members from SFU include the Associate Deans and School Directors. Read more about the EAB mandate and duties.

Tim Botham

Member since 2014, Chair since 2019

Managing Partner
Aqua Mergers + Acquisitions

Tim Botham has over 20 years of experience starting and building tech businesses within startups, mid-size, and large technology firms. Currently, he is a Managing Partner at Aqua Mergers + Acquisitions, an M&A advisory firm specializing in early stage high-tech and life-science companies with disruptive intellectual property.

Caroline Andrews

Member since 2022

President & CEO
Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - British Colubmia

Caroline Andrewes is the President and CEO of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - British Columbia. A registered Professional Engineer and Chartered Professional Accountant, she is a Past President of Engineers & Geoscientists BC and has broad technical and administrative experience across industries and organizations including start-up, not-for-profit, and multi-national, public companies.

Igor Faletski

Member since 2015

Vice President of Product Management
Salesforce

Igor Faletski is a VP of Product Management at Salesforce and co-founder of Mobify. Igor successfully scaled Mobify from a Vancouver start-up to a global leader in digital commerce, leading to the Salesforce acquisition in 2020. Igor is passionate about making everyday computing simpler, faster, and truly personal. He is an advocate for growing tech entrepreneurship opportunities for students and immigrants in Canada.

Victor Goncalves

Member since 2014

Chief Technology Officer
Alpha Technologies

Victor Goncalves has over 30 years of leading R&D teams that conceptualize, design and develop technology products for the power supply industry. In his current position as Chief Technology Officer, Victor is responsible for establishing the company’s technical vision and leading all aspects of the company’s technology strategy.

Lori Guetre

Member since 2020

Vice President of Business Developement
Carbon Engineering

Lori Guetre is a VP, Business Development at Carbon Engineering where she is working on commercializing Direct Air Capture, an exciting new technology that will become one of the keys to solving global climate change. Lori previously spent 26 years in engineering, project management, corporate finance, strategy & business development in the aerospace sector. Lori holds a Bachelor in Computer Engineering and a Master's in Electrical Engineering.

Donna Jones

Member since 2016

General Manager of Investment and Intergovernmental Relations
City of Surrey

Donna Jones is the General Manager of Investment and Intergovernmental Relations for the City of Surrey. Donna oversees the work of the Economic Development Division and the Intergovernmental Relations Division. She is also a member of the City’s Senior Management Team, which provides overall corporate leadership to the organization.

Ron Klopfer

Member since 2019

Chief Executive Officer
Etalim

Ron Klopfer is an experienced technology entrepreneur, having co-founded, financed and managed four technology startups over the past 15 years, three of which have attained exits with strong returns to investors. Ron has also consulted to various technology companies on market strategy, sales, mergers and operations. Ron holds an MBA in technology marketing from Queen’s University, and a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from the University of B.C.

Shanna Knights

Member since 2011

Research Director
Ballard Power Systems

Shanna Knights is the Director of Research at Ballard Power Systems. Her fuel cell research areas since joining Ballard in 1995 include durability, reliability, performance, and operational behavior, and span several fuel cell applications, including bus, light duty automotive, materials handling, back-up power, stationary power generation and cogeneration.

Simon Mok

Member since 2011

Senior Business Consultant
Appnovation

Simon Mok has over 20 years of experience working in a wide range of industries, businesses, and community organizations. He focuses on connective strategies, people, and technology to create innovative solutions. That includes managing the professional services division with new business models and KPIs.

Tom Nyberg

Member since 2011

Performance Solutions Leader and GM
Finning Digital

Tom Nyberg has established, built, transformed and led international cross-functional organizations that build products, services and solutions. At Finning Digital, he is leading a Performance Solutions team that is creating and bringing to market the latest technology in many areas, such as connectivity, condition monitoring, autonomy, and drone technologies.

Colin Quon

Member since 2015

Chief Executive Officer
Connected Displays Inc.

Colin Quon is currently leading Connected Displays Inc., a product development consultancy and developer of the chatnels chat messaging platform. Prior to his latest start-up, Colin was Head of Mobile & Corporate Advisor at Global Relay Communications, Founder & Founding CEO of EQO Communications.

Bill Tam

Member since 2014

Co-Chair, Digital Technology Supercluster
Former President and CEO, BC Tech Association

Bill Tam is the former President & CEO of the BC Tech Association. He has been guiding the success of entrepreneurial companies for over 20 years. He was the CEO of EQO Communications and a Partner at SpringBank TechVentures, where he led investments in software and wireless.