Dr. Ron Dembo

Founder and CEO | Zerofootprint Software Inc.

Toronto, ON, CANADA

Easily filling even the biggest shoes and still leaving no mark, the CEO of Zerofootprint developed software to reduce environmental impacts

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Biography

Dr. Ron Dembo is the Founder and CEO of Zerofootprint, an organization dedicated to a mass reduction in our collective environmental impact. Zerofootprint provides software and services to individuals, governments and corporations that measures and manages carbon footprint, and engages employees and citizens worldwide in combating climate change.

Dr. Dembo is also the founder and former CEO and President of Algorithmics Incorporated, growing it from a start-up to the largest enterprise risk-management software company in the world, with offices in fifteen countries, over 70% of the world’s top 100 banks as clients, and consistent recognition as one of Canada’s top 50 best-managed companies. Prior to this, he had a distinguished ten-year career at Yale University, where he was cross-appointed in Computer Sciences and Operations Research.

In 2007, Dr. Dembo was made a lifetime Fields Institute Fellow. This fellowship is awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Fields Institute, its programs, and to the Canadian mathematical community. He has authored over sixty technical papers on finance and mathematical optimization and three books, and holds a number of patents in Computational Finance and Software for Climate Change.

He currently sits on a number of boards, and is a member of the Climate Change Adaptation Advisory Committee Canada and the UN HABITAT World Urban Campaign.

Industry Expertise (8)

IT Services/Consulting

Cleantech

Information Technology and Services

Energy

Computer Software

Renewables and Environmental

Corporate Leadership

Environmental Services

Areas of Expertise (7)

Energy Management

Carbon Measurement and Management

Renewable Energy

Green Buildings

Enterprise Risk Management

Smart Grid Electricity Management

Urban Connectivity and Sustainability

Accomplishments (8)

Recipient - University of Waterloo Lifetime Achievement Award (professional)

In 2007, Dr. Dembo recieved a Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Waterloo.

Award of Excellence - Green Toronto Leadership Award (professional)

In 2009, Dr. Dembo received a Green Toronto Leadership Award of Excellence. The City of Toronto's environmental awards of excellence honour and celebrate the individuals, organizations and companies that are helping lead the way to a cleaner, greener and more liveable Toronto. The Leadership Award rewards an individual or company's effort that goes above and beyond the norm.

Advisory Board Member - The Laboratory School at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study (Natural Curiosity) (professional)

Established in 1925, the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study is part of the Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology (HDAP) and the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. It is dedicated to improving the lives of children through its tripartite mission, which includes: Pre-service teacher education; Ongoing and innovative educational research; Exemplary evidence-based education for children.

Recipient - University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering Alumni Achievement Medal (professional)

In 2007, Dr. Dembo received the Faculty of Engineering Alumni Achievement Medal in recognition of his exemplary business leadership in the area of risk management and environmental protection, and for his academic achievements while teaching and researching at distinguished universities across North America. The medal recognizes professional achievements, community service, or academic excellence, and is the highest honour that the Faculty of Engineering bestows on its graduates.

Fields Institute Fellow (professional)

In 2007, Dr. Dembo was made a lifetime Fields Institute Fellow. The Fields Institute designates a number of people as Fields Institute Fellows in recognition of outstanding contributions to the Fields Institute and its activities. It is a lifetime appointment. Each year, new appointments may be made to recognize others who have contributed in a significant way to activities at the Fields Institute and within the Canadian mathematical community.

Founder and CEO - TALKINGplug (professional)

Talking plugs communicate so that the energy usage can be measured, compared and changed. TALKINGplug fits into standard electrical sockets, allowing users to monitor and reduce their energy footprint. TALKINGplug’s innovative technology regulates energy use between generation and consumption. TALKINGplug identifies devices plugged into it, measures their power draw, and wirelessly communicates that data to the internet. It's easy-to-use system allows “talking”, or two-way communication.

Founder & CEO - Zerofootprint Software (professional)

Zerofootprint is a cleantech software and services company that makes environmental impact measurable, visible and manageable for corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. Our solutions mitigate environmental risk and drive cost reductions through behavioural change.

Board of Directors – NSERC Business Intelligence Network (professional)

The goal of the NSERC Business Intelligence Network is to create an innovation platform for pre-competitive research in Business Intelligence in Canada. NSERC BIN aims to enhance Canadian business competitiveness through the development of intelligent data management and decision-making solutions. The vision of this network is to investigate technological issues that will lead to the development of the next generation of BI tools.

Education (3)

Technion-Machon Technologi Le' Israel : Master of Science, Chemical Engineering 1972

University of Waterloo : Ph.D., Management Sciences 1975

University of the Witwatersrand : Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering 1969

Links (12)

Event Appearances (16)

KEYNOTE SPEECH

UJA's Community Connect Event Series Toronto, Ontario

KEYNOTE SPEECH

IEEE Toronto 2007 Annual General Meeting and Awards Dinner Toronto, Ontario

2007-10-27

Soft Architecture

Digifest Toronto, Ontario

2011-10-27

'Negawatts' for energy efficiency

TED Global Conference Edinburgh, Scotland

2011-07-13

Zerofootprint

TEDxKids @TheHill Ottawa, Canada

2010-11-09

Socially Conscious Consumerism: A Tautology?

Network for Business Sustainability Knowledge Forum on Socially Conscious Consumerism Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario

2008-11-21

KEYNOTE SPEECH

Green Up To The Bottom Line Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario

2009-10-15

Zerofootprint Building Re-skinning Awards

Ontario Centres of Excellence Discovery 2010 Toronto, Ontario

KEYNOTE SPEECH

Walter G. Booth School of Engineering Practice Speaker Series McMaster University Walter G. Booth School of Engineering Practice

2011-09-19

KEYNOTE SPEECH

Our Schools for Earthlings Toronto, Ontario

2010-10-05

Climate Change and What You Can Do About It

Climate Change and Canadian Public Policy: Adaptation and Action Toronto, Ontario

2008-10-28

Climate Change: Debate, Dilemma, Death?

President's Dialogue Speaker Series University of Guelph

2012-06-14

Everything You Wanted to Know About Carbon Offsets But Were Afraid to Ask

The Business of Green Speaker Series Toronto, Ontario

2007-09-12

KEYNOTE SPEECH: Sustainability

International Meeting of University Administrators Vancouver, British Columbia

2008-08-19

Paths to Consumer Engagement

SmartGrid Canada 2012 MaRS Discovery District, Toronto

2012-10-15

New Tools for Social Engagement – How to Better Engage the Public on Policy and Planning Issues

Meeting of the Minds 2012 San Francisco, California

2012-10-10

Sample Talks (3)

Riskthinking, Innovation and Life in the Green Zone

Being an entrepreneur in an emerging field requires "riskthinking" - the ability to separate out what is truly uncertain from what is known with certainty - because these need to be managed differently. It requires leadership and the ability to innovate. Dr. Dembo will discuss his experiences with Algorithmics Incorporated and Zerofootprint and how riskthinking has guided him over the years and how it is guiding the evolution of Zerofootprint in its effort to make a mark on the green economy.

Soft Architecture

When we think about architecture, we think about the physical structures around us but there’s a whole other architecture we don’t see: soft architecture. Soft architecture is the energy, air quality, and light that we don’t measure or even know very much about. This talk will explore how soft architecture makes the hidden world visible and how it can be used to change behaviour.

Paths to Consumer Engagement

What factors motivate consumers to change the way they use electricity? Is it price, concerns about the environment, or just keeping up with the Joneses? Dr. Ron Dembo will explore different perspectives on how best to engage consumers; pricing incentives, intuitive technologies, social networks and green communities.

Availability

Keynote
Moderator
Panelist
Workshop Leader
Host/MC
Corporate Training

Fees

^*Will consider certain engagements for no fee