2012 Award Winners

Canada Medal - Sandy Marshall

President and Managing Director for LANXESS in Canada, Marshall has worked with government, agriculture and industry to bring the bio-based and traditional chemistry sectors together to build an effective Biohybrid-Chemistry cluster in Canada. For the last year or more, Sandy has been the leading industry CEO in a team of players working to bring new investment to the Sarnia cluster, the first fruits of which effort is the announcement by BioAmber of an $80 million first phase investment in a bio-based succinic acid plant in Sarnia, to be commissioned in 2013.

Purvis Memorial Award - Richard Berry

Richard Berry is Chief Technology Officer for CelluForce, a recently established joint venture between FPInnovations and Domtar Inc., which is focused on the manufacturing and commercialization of nanocrystalline cellulose – a recyclable, non-toxic and renewable nano-material extracted from trees. Prior to joining CelluForce, Dr. Berry was the manager of the Chemical Pulping Program and coordinator of the nanotechnology initiative at FPInnovations. While at Paprican, which he joined in 1981, he developed significant pulping technology and was able to oversee the industrial application of his inventions.

LeSueur Memorial Award - Robert Pelton

Canada Research Chair in Interfacial Technologies in the Department of Chemical Engineering at McMaster University, Pelton invented poly-NIPAM microgels, which are now being studied by his and many other research groups in a wide range of applications, including glucose sensing, controlled drug release and bioactive papers. More recently, Dr. Pelton has been doing research on the development of specialty polymers for nanoparticle flotation, wet adhesion to cellulose and as fillers for high-quality papers.

Kalev Pugi Award - Theo van de Ven

Paprican/FP Innovations NSERC Industrial Chair at Mc Gill and Director of the NSERC Green Fibre Network and the FQRNT Centre for Self Assembled Chemical Structures, van der Ven is widely recognized as a world expert in the application of colloid chemistry to papermaking, leading to many enhancements in the technology and economic returns of the industry. His many years of research as a Paprican Research Professor at McGill, and more recently as an NSERC chaired professor, have allowed him to maximize his contribution to both academic and industrial communities, while demonstrating a flair for managing large teams and research programs.

International Award - John van Leeuwen

John van Leeuwen is the co-founder (1996), Chairman and CEO of EcoSynthetix, a green chemicals company specializing in bio-materials, which is based in Canada with a Centre of Innovation that opened in Burlington just this year. EcoSynthetix, with production in Europe and USA, is well known for its innovative, high performance, low cost bio-latex binders for the paper industry, with an active pipeline of further green products and plans to manufacture in Canada. The company completed a $100 million IPO in August 2011.