Orion Summit

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Previous Summits:

2006, June 5 - 6
2005, June 13 -14
2004, June 14 -15

Monday, June 4th at 11:15 am
Speaker, CANARIE National Showcase

Christian Couturier
Director General
National Research Council Institute for Information Technology (NRC-IIT)

Christian Couturier is Director General of the National Research Council Institute for Information Technology (NRC-IIT). The NRC-IIT undertakes research in three strategic areas of information and communications technology: knowledge from data, people-oriented systems, and e-business.

He previously served as Director, New Brunswick Research Programs and as Group Leader for the e-Learning Group of NRC-IIT - e-Business. Prior to coming to NRC, Mr. Couturier held various positions at the Université de Moncton (UdeM), including Director General of IT Services, Professor in Management Information Systems (MIS) and Senior Project Manager for UdeM’s Virtual Learning Environment (IDITAE). He has also been active in the Information Systems consulting field, chiefly at SAP Canada and as a private consultant.

He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Technology from the Université de Moncton and an MBA in Research in Management Information Systems from the Université du Québec à Montréal. He is currently working towards his Ph.D. at the G. Wallace F. McCain Institute for Business Leadership at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) under the joint supervision of Dr. John McLaughlin (President of UNB) and Dr. Robert Austin (Professor, Harvard Business School).

Christian’s success was recognized on a national level when he was named one of Canada’s "Top 40 Under 40." He has also received the NRC Outstanding Achievement Award and the KIRA Industry Person of the Year award. His work was recognized throughout the Atlantic region when he became the most-nominated of the Top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada by Atlantic Business Magazine.

Christian is very active in the community, giving talks and workshops on a regular basis to local, regional, national and international audiences on topics ranging from ICT to economic development and leadership. He is concerned with seeking out and developing a new generation of leaders with innovative ideas and perspectives on our collective future. He is a member of the Board of Directors of CANARIE Inc., Language Technologies Research Centre (LTRC), and Fredericton Chamber of Commerce; a member of the UnB Research Advisory Board; and a member of the Scientific and Operating Committee, Ontario Research Network for Electronic Commerce.