Don Duval

Chief Executive Officer NORCAT

  • Toronto ON

Experienced, dynamic, and engaging speaker on an array of topics related to innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship

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NORCAT

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Biography

Don has spent more than two decades leading, growing and transforming organizations and businesses. A career innovator, he consistently identifies opportunities and addresses challenges to achieve meaningful and tangible results. Among Canada’s foremost thinkers on innovation, work and learning, and entrepreneurship, he works with multinational companies, tech start-ups, academic/research institutions governments and clients the world over.

Currently, Don defines the strategy and directs operations of NORCAT, a global, multi-faceted enterprise dedicated to advancing the dynamic and evolving needs of the new world of work and the innovation economy. In his role, he has transformed NORCAT to become a global leader for training and development, transformed NORCAT’s underground operating mine into the global one-stop shop for all that is the future of mining technology and innovation, pioneered the “Platform Effect” business model to support sustainable innovation in small to mid-sized cities, and continues to define the future of learning with NORCAT’s integrated experiential and simulation learning technologies. These achievements have generated community engagement and business partnerships, accelerated start-up tech firms and improved the operations of major clients across a myriad of industries.

Previously, Don served as VP of Strategy/Operations for the MaRS Discovery District, the world’s pre-eminent urban innovation hub that supports the growth of tech ventures in Canada. Prior to that, he was Senior Manager, Strategy & Operations Consulting, at Deloitte.

A former tech entrepreneur and engineering adjunct professor, Don is an active angel investor, serves on the board of several organizations and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization. He was a Top 40 under 40 recipient, two-time TEDx speaker, and founding member of a non-profit theatre company in Toronto.

He holds an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Queen’s University and a Master of Applied Science and Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Industry Expertise

VC and Private Equity
Education/Learning
Cleantech
Health Care - Services
Construction - Commercial
Management Consulting
Mining and Metals
Information Technology and Services
Training and Development

Areas of Expertise

Regional Competitiveness and Economic Development
Mentorship
Leadership
Strategy
Technology
Turnaround Strategies
Entrepreneurship
Academic
Research
Commercialization
Innovation
Innovation Strategy and Policy
Education
Mining
Economic Development

Accomplishments

Governor General of Canada's Young Innovator Award

2003-09-01

The Young Innovator Awards Program was established by the National Centres of Excellence in 2004 to celebrate outstanding work by scientists who, while still in the early days of their careers, are already making waves. Award recipients are selected by a panel of judges on the basis of the overall excellence, leadership and vision of the nominee.

Education

Queen's University

BScH

Chemistry

1998

University of Toronto

MASc

Civil Engineering

2005

Affiliations

  • Young Presidents Organization
  • University of Ontario Institute of Technology
  • Queen's University Alumni Association

Testimonials

Conference Producer

Strategy Institute, Cultivating and Sustaining Your Creative Economy Summit 2012

Don Duval spoke at our Cultivating and Sustaining Your Creative Economy Summit that took place on Feb 28-29 in Toronto. His presentation was insightful, lively, and clearly delivered. Don’s depth of industry knowledge provided extensive value to the conference and directly contributed to the success of the event.

Event Appearances

Becoming the World's Leading Urban Innovation Centre - The MaRS Discovery District Experiment

MIT Conference - Innovation Centre Mentorship Strategy  Cambridge, Massachusetts

2011-10-26

Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Greater Toronto Area

Civic Action and Emerging Leaders Network - Toronto Homecoming  Toronto, Ontario

2011-06-10

Driving Commercial Outcomes from Research and Academic Institutions

BIOConnect Mexico - International Conference in Life Sciences and IT  Mexico City, Mexico

2011-11-29

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Sample Talks

Community Innovation - Leveraging your Regional Assets to Drive Economic Growth

As the keynote speaker, this presentation highlighted the importance of understanding and engaging your regional assets, from both the public and private sectors, to drive regional competitiveness and economic growth.

Leveraging the Community to Expedite Job and Wealth Creation

This presentation and workshop focused on the importance of place in supporting and driving the growth of entrepreneurial communities and commercial outcomes from research and academic institutions. In this interactive session, we explored how place, company culture and values, and community engagement are integral components to get aligned and integrated to be maximize success.

Why is Innovation So Profitable? Because it's Hard to Do!

This keynote presentation at the OIPMAC Conference focused on creative strategies that companies can deploy to create a culture of innovation and intra-preneurship. A handful of examples were provided to demonstrate new models in collaboration and how technology can be leveraged as a platform to share ideas more quickly, engage a broader audience, and ultimately expedite the process to translate interesting ideas into practice while gathering continuous feedback to make incremental improvements.

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Style

Availability

  • Keynote
  • Moderator
  • Panelist
  • Workshop Leader
  • Host/MC

Fees

$500 to $5000*Will consider certain engagements for no fee
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