New Executive Director, Jamie (Keeley) Petten, Announced for Kanata North Business Association   

KANATA, ONTARIO  April 19, 2018   The Kanata North Business Association (KNBA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Jamie (Keeley) Petten as the Association’s new President and Executive Director. Jamie will officially assume her new role on May 22, 2018.

Jamie was selected as the result of an extensive search which drew the interest of candidates from across the country. Jamie steps into the role that Jenna Sudds, past President and Executive Director, has held since 2013. As KNBA turns five this year, Jenna leaves a strong legacy and a mandate of continued growth in its programming and assistance offered to the growing Kanata North business community. As Canada’s largest technology cluster, Kanata North Tech Park is home to over 500 companies with over 21,000 people working in the park every day.

“Jamie is a well-known and established member of the KNBA business community with a reputation as a community builder and thought leader,” said Amy MacLeod, Chair, KNBA Board of Directors. “On behalf of the KNBA Board and our 500+ member companies, I am thrilled to welcome Jamie to KNBA. She has a clear vision and strategy for Kanata North and I am excited to see where she leads us as we continue to build our vibrant local community and Canada’s largest technology park.”

With a wealth of experience in brand building, strategy development, marketing and sales combined with a strong network of local, national and international business relationships, Jamie is uniquely positioned for this role. As a founding member of Canadian SaaS Accelerator, L-SPARK, Jamie was head of marketing since its launch in 2014, and is passionate about developing Canada’s technology companies into globally competitive firms. Jamie has since supported 36 portfolio companies in raising over $24 Million in angel and venture capital funding to date, all while building a national community of 10,000+ entrepreneurs, investors and partners. Jamie is also a co-founder of SAAS NORTH, known as Canada’s first conference connecting 1000+ software as a service founders, investors and executives, hosted over two days in Ottawa.

Jamie has served as a member of the board of Women in Communications and Technology and is a strong advocate for women in technology. She enjoys mentoring young women through the Technovation program. Every year, Technovation invites teams of girls from all over the world to learn and apply the skills needed to solve real-world problems through technology and is fostering a generation of future leaders in tech. Jamie also serves as a Board of Trustee Member with the Jim Watson Women in Technology Scholarship Fund, an initiative undertaken to recruit new talent into the growing sector of cybersecurity. Jamie is responsible for contributing annually to the awarding of six scholarships to qualified recipients over a three-year period.

“I am thrilled with the Board of Directors’ decision to appoint Jamie Petten as the new Executive Director for the Kanata North Business Association,” said Jenna Sudds, Past President and Executive Director, Kanata North Business Association. “I sincerely can think of no one better to guide the Association forward in the coming months and years. Jamie is a proven and demonstrated leader with the ability to bring community together and rally around a vision. Her energy and passion for our community will undoubtedly serve us well in the months and years to come.”

“As a lifelong Kanata resident, I have spent over ten years of my career in the local business community which, has made me extremely passionate about ensuring there is a supportive ecosystem for businesses and their members to live, work and thrive,” said Jamie Petten, Director of Marketing at L-SPARK / Co-founder of SAAS North. “I believe in the existing track record and future potential of the businesses in Kanata North to be globally dominant players in their respective markets. Jenna and the KNBA team have set in place an incredible foundation and I look forward to cultivating further opportunities to gain national and international recognition for the region and businesses within it.”

“The future is bright for Kanata North and I am honoured for the opportunity to represent this diverse and innovative community,” added Petten.

“Jamie has been with L-SPARK since we started and has been an integral part of our growth,” said Leo Lax, Executive Managing Director. “Her drive, focus and leadership has been a key part of L-SPARK becoming the leading SaaS accelerator in Canada. She will be sorely missed. However, I am even more pleased to see her reach higher as she takes on this prime leadership role. I look forward to hearing even more of her successes as she leads Kanata North BA to new heights.”

“Jamie is a champion of the Kanata North tech sector and understands the kind of support that companies like Martello need to grow,” said Tracy King, Director of Marketing, Martello Technologies. “I’m thrilled to see the KNBA continue its tradition of smart, community building women in leadership.”

About Kanata North Business Association (KNBA) 
The Kanata North Business Association is committed to representing and advocating for the best interests of the over 500 member companies located in Canada’s largest technology park. As a critical part of Ottawa’s economic development future and a renowned hub of technology and innovation, the Kanata North Tech Park is a robust and vibrant ecosystem. KNBA fosters success for its constituent companies by having a strong voice within the city of Ottawa and supports an integrated multi-partner promotions strategy to build awareness about Kanata North as a centre for innovation and a destination for business that supports growth, collaborations and talent for member businesses. For more information visit www.kanatanorthbia.ca

Source: Kanata North Business Association

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