Darin Graham became ORION's new President and CEO on August 1. He replaced Phil Baker, who has retired after 10 years at the helm. In this interview, we ask ORION's new leader about his background and his impressions of the role and contribution of the network organization in supporting research and education, and of ORION's place in the innovation landscape. We also ask him about his plans and priorities for the first few months.

What are you looking forward to the most as you settle into your role at ORION?

On the surface, ORION might appear to be just a straightforward telecommunications network but actually it is a complex organization that operates in a dynamic environment. It takes more than just experience in being a technology company to be effective - it requires experience in creating innovation, supporting research and academia, knowing what our partner companies need, and providing guidance to government.

My background includes helping take leading edge technology to market, running small companies, building and implementing innovation strategies, working directly with academia and government, and helping others live their dream through their research and creating ideas. I'm really looking forward to taking all of that knowledge and experience, integrating it together, building on the strong foundation that ORION already has, and creating some exciting and bold strategies that help to move our Ontario-wide user base ahead of all the rest.

What is the most important thing for ORION to focus on in the next few years?

I've always said that, "it's not just about the technology, but actually it's about the people!" For ORION, there are over 1.7 million people in Ontario - researchers, students, teachers, innovators, management, innovation and business partners - connected to us, and through us they are connected to the world. They are the most important part of what we do. As such, you'll see that ORION becomes more focused on being an external organization that reaches out, engages with, and enables all of our users.

A couple of important things will evolve over the next few years to directly support the "people" mantra. ORION has already launched some basic services such as O3, our multi-site collaboration tool, and data back-up services. As we move forward, we are going to work closely with all of our users and see what other services can be brought to the table to support them. These won't be the generic type services that others might be able to provide, but real value-add capabilities that add to the uniqueness of the Ontario-wide network infrastructure that we have.

ORION already has some 100 research and educational organizations that tie to the network. Yet, that is only a drop in the bucket of all those involved in the innovation landscape. Of particular interest are those small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that work and fund research with our users, and provide the conduit for over 90% of the ideas to reach the marketplace. If we can help engage those companies, through our partners and the broad ORION user community, it will be a clear win for everyone - our current and future users, the companies themselves, and Ontario as a whole.

As they say, "watch this space!"

How has your previous experience prepared you for your role at ORION?

I really enjoyed my time as president of CITO (Communications and Information Technology Ontario), one of the Ontario Centres of Excellence. Together with my great team we created some exciting programs such as the Champions of Innovation for leading academic researchers, the College partnerships program to support the unique role of Colleges in the innovation scene, and the Accelerator program that helped researchers throughout Ontario to successfully create their own companies.

I just got back from three years in New Zealand, heading the creation of the country's first national ICT Innovation Institute - NZi3. This was an exciting project that was literally built from the ground up. The foundation was an advanced facility that provided an open, collaborative environment that enabled academics, students and companies from a variety of disciplines to work together in developing next generation ideas, products and services. NZi3 was a leading-edge facility that provided some of the most advanced and open ICT infrastructure, video telepresence, and high-performance computing capabilities in Australasia to our teams - and, while being the first educational 5-Star Green facility in New Zealand. But more important than the building was what happened inside the four glass walls. It was a challenging exercise to bring together the technology and people - from industry, government and academia - to set the stage for moving New Zealand's innovation strategy forward.

So, having worked directly in the innovation landscape in Ontario, and having international experience in the same arena, I can help understand and support our users move ORION forward and help with the strategic innovation agenda of Ontario at a global level.

How do you see ORION's role in supporting innovation in Ontario?

Simply put, ORION is literally the "backbone" of the innovation landscape in Ontario. We link all the major players throughout Ontario together and provide the connectivity for them to the rest of Canada and the world. Ontario has some of the brightest minds in our researchers, the lifeblood of our future in the next generation of students, the agencies that represent the vital organs of innovation, and the strongest muscle of building valuable products. Yet, without the backbone of ORION's infrastructure to provide the flow of electronic impulses that capture and contain those ideas and data, very little can be accomplished effectively or efficiently.

That's why it's really important over the next two years that - together with the help of the Ontario Government as a crucial part of their Innovation Agenda - ORION evolves the network from 10 Gbps to 100 Gbps, and expands to reach more geographical areas and innovation clusters. Only then can we keep our users and Ontario as leaders of the world in ideas, creativity and accomplishments.

One of my priorities will be to raise awareness of ORION's critical support role as the enabling, critical infrastructure in Ontario's innovation agenda. It's easy to take a success story like ORION for granted, but it's really important for us to realize that Ontario has a distinct competitive advantage in being able to rely on a network of the reach and scope of ORION, that stretches into every region of Ontario, and can enable and support new and exciting innovation and economic development opportunities, especially as we move towards a greater digital economy.

What are your plans for the first few months, as you take on the leadership role at ORION?

The first few months of any job is always challenging, no matter how familiar you might be with an organization. For me, it's all about listening first. ORION has a wonderful staff and a good Board of Directors. The first weeks have been a real learning experience for me to better understand their thoughts and directions.

As part of my "outward" approach to externally focusing on the users and customers of the network, I've scheduled a busy time visiting people across Ontario over the coming months. My goal is to hear what they think are the strengths of ORION, how we can improve, and how we can help be the "glue" that creates collaborative research and educational services for them.

Of course, I'll need to work closely with the Ontario government in our joint efforts to secure commitment for building the next generation of the network to keep Ontario at the forefront of the world. There is no doubt in my mind that ORION is a critical element of their innovation strategy going forward and we need to be continually engaged with them to support that vision.

I hope to use all of that input to lay some exciting plans for the next couple of years. The support of our users will help ensure that ORION remains relevant to all of our stakeholders and be embedded as the backbone of innovation in Ontario going forward.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I am a strong proponent of work-life balance. For me, I love to fly. I've been a pilot for about 10 years now and I have owned my own planes. I have flown coast-to-coast in Canada, through the Rocky Mountains and above the Arctic Circle. It is always enjoyable to rent a plane when in some other country, so I've also flown in Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., and even Scotland. It is a great way to get a different perspective on the world we live in and see how beautiful Canada is from a few thousand feet in the air.

For those who have been to New Zealand, they will know that it is a place of adventure sports and great for adrenaline junkies. I've done my fair share while there too - bungee jumping, skydiving, scuba diving, jet boating and paragliding. It also has wonderful downhill skiing - and, much to my surprise I did see the Canadian Olympic team practicing on the slopes given that the seasons are backwards to that of Canada. On a more regular basis, I like to relax by biking about 100km or swimming a couple of kilometres a week.

And, as the staff of ORION already knows from firsthand experience, I love to bake cheesecakes. We might need to create an in-house exercise program as a result!