Meagan Kay-Fowlow, a veteran manager from the worlds of academia and health, will lead Newfoundland and Labrador industry group TechNL’s new, $9.6 million Innovation Centre for Remote Operations as its president.

Kay-Fowlow, a political scientist by training, has held leadership roles at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, where she was a program manager at the Centre for Ethical, Social, and Cultural Risk, and McMaster University, where she was the assistant director of operations at the Institute on Ethics & Policy for Innovation. In a statement, TechNL said her past experience has included leading global, innovation-related initiatives, spearheading strategic planning and overseeing research programmes.

“TechNL is excited for the next phase of the Innovation Centre for remote operations under Meagan’s leadership,” said CEO Florian Villaumé.

“Meagan’s extensive international experience in global innovation, establishing collaborative international programming and fund development combined with a strong dedication to impact positively Newfoundland and Labrador makes her the ideal candidate to establish a world-class innovation centre.”

The Centre for Remote Operations is intended to act as a hub for Newfoundland’s sometimes isolated startup founders and innovation ecosystem players. TechNL is creating the centre in response to a pair of reports issued by the provincial government and management consulting giant McKinsey & Company that both recommended the creation of new initiatives to address a lack of communication and collaboration opportunities for entrepreneurs in the the region — particularly those from rural communities.

The project is funded jointly by the federal government via the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency with $2.5 million over the next three years and the provincial government providing $7.1 million over the next six years. Construction began last month.