Krista Jones
Managing Director, Work & Learning | MaRS Discovery District
Toronto, ON, CANADA
Bridging the gaps between people, technology and automation.
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Biography
Krista is the Managing Director of the Work & Learning Sector at MaRS serving entrepreneurs in Business Intelligence, Enterprise Software, HR and Workforce and Education and Training. Krista has been a passionate innovator and builder of technology-based businesses for over 25 years and has personally advised and been actively involved in over 200 startups.
For the past four years, Krista has been the driving force behind MaRS’ globally leading Work & Learning Sector. She works with the entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, investors and technologists who are applying innovation and leading-edge technologies to create solutions that are advancing the competitiveness of global workers and workplaces.
Krista has experience working in both large public companies and in startups. She is an engineer, entrepreneur, mentor and an expert at solving ambiguous problems. She has a unique combination of strategic, technical, operational and marketing expertise. She is known for her comprehensive knowledge of existing and emerging Information & Communications Technology (ICT) technologies and architectures as well as innovation practices. Krista and her husband owned a children’s technology educational franchise that fostered early innovation and creativity in robotics, animation, digital art and video game design.
Krista brings deep technical, operational and marketing expertise in technology-based businesses. Over the years she has held executive positions in operations, engineering, marketing and business development for companies such as Nortel, MTS Allstream (formerly AT&T Canada), Metronet (the most successful start-up Competitive Local Exchange Carrier in Canada) and Personeta (an Israel-based venture-backed software startup).
Krista is a engineer who holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick.
Industry Expertise (11)
Information Technology and Services
Computer Software
Corporate Training
Education/Learning
Employment Services
Human Resources
Training and Development
Talent Management
Professional Training and Coaching
IT Services/Consulting
Telecommunications
Areas of Expertise (15)
Future of Work
Future of Learning & Technology
Saas (Software as A Service)
Product Marketing
Technology Commercialization
Technology Strategy Development
Enterprise Software
Education
Training & Development
Workforce Planning
Operations & Training
Business Development and Marketing
Technological Change and Innovation
Strategy & Market Planning
Next Generation Business Model
Accomplishments (9)
Managing Director, Work & Learning Sector, MaRS (professional)
MaRS Work & Learning is dedicated to helping high-impact startups revolutionize both how we acquire knowledge and how we put it to good use.
Head of Work & Learning Cluster, MaRS (professional)
2017-03-01
The Work & Learning Cluster is the evolution of the EdTech Cluster due to the intersection of work and learning.
Lead, EdTech Cluster, MaRS (professional)
2015-11-23
Education Technology Cluster helping entrepreneurs in the commercialization of technology in K-12, higher ed and corporate training and development.
Co-founder – JOLT Accelerator (professional)
JOLT is a technology accelerator dedicated to building high-growth web and mobile companies that promise to transform the way consumers and enterprises interact with technologies.
Advisor and Practice Lead: IT, Communications and Entertainment, MaRS (professional)
MaRS is where science, technology and social entrepreneurs get the help they need. Where all kinds of people meet to spark new ideas. We stimulate, identify and harness great ideas, nurture their development and guide the transformation of those ideas into reality.
Entrepreneurship Mentor – The Next 36 (professional)
The goal of The Next 36 is to help launch the careers of Canada’s most promising and innovative undergraduates.
Vice President, Strategic Marketing & Technologies, MTS-Allstream (professional)
Personeta, Business Development, North America (professional)
Director – Children's Technology Workshop (personal)
Children’s Technology Workshop (CTWorkshop) was founded in 1997 by Darryl Reiter, a school teacher, technology enthusiast and father. CTWorkshop is now a global company focused on the development and delivery of hands-on, applied-technology curriculum.
Education (1)
University of New Brunswick: BSc, Electrical Engineering
Affiliations (1)
- MaRS Discovery District
Media Appearances (7)
#FutureofWork: Artificial Intelligence in Finance & Commerce (Video of Panel)
MaRS Discovery District online
2017-02-22
Change inevitably brings uncertainty. It is an economic necessity for Canada that we adapt to the emerging models of work that AI and robotics are initiating. What does all of this mean for the #FutureofWork in Finance & Commerce?
Your relationship with artificial intelligence will soon determine whether you’ll be a have or a have-not
Financial Post online
2017-02-28
"The warnings are dire: artificial intelligence is poised to blow through all sectors of the economy, not just manufacturing, destroying jobs and shaking the very foundations of the workforce. A whopping 40 per cent of banking jobs in the United States could be lost to digital automation, cautions an executive with investment firm Citibank. An even more dramatic scenario is posed by online travel company The Priceline Group, which suggest some 80 per cent of its future customer contacts could actually involve no human interaction." by Louise Brown, Special to Financial Post
Automation and AI - is your job next?
DMZ - Ryerson University online
2016-12-27
"As new technology makes the world smarter, gadgets and apps continue to optimize our personal and professional lives. As more and more intelligent machines enter the workplace, many are divided over the effects of increasing automation- the replacement of workers with technology and computerization." by Michelle Song
Human spirit still uncloneable: MaRS forum aims to quell fears of job loss to AI
Financial Post online
2016-11-28
"If your job is boring — marked by the same old repetitive tasks — there will soon be a robot to do it." by Louise Brown, Special to Financial Post
Continuous skills training the key to closing the employment gap
Toronto Star online
2016-10-04
In today’s economy, the best companies understand that education never stops, and provide venues for employees to take advantage of learning opportunities.
Skill up, early and often: Retooling employees is the new corporate challenge
MaRS Discovery District online
2016-09-06
Retooling employees has become a real challenge, not only for corporations, but for educators who must train current employees, as well as those of the future, to stay ahead of the technology curve. The pace of change is now measured in weeks and months, and the traditional systems of learning can’t keep pace, which is why both corporations and higher education must embrace continuous learning.
What millennials really want from employers
Financial Post online
2015-12-03
The “gig” economy of freelance and part-time workers — the ramifications of which are just starting to be understood— started long before the term “uberization of everything” was popularized.
Event Appearances (4)
#FutureofWork: AI & Robotics in Finance & Commerce
MaRS Toronto, Ontario
2017-02-22
#FutureofWork: AI & Robotics
MaRS Toronto, Ontario
2016-11-24
Future Talent Today
MaRS Work & Learning Toronto, Ontario
2016-05-16
Workshift: The Emerging Workforce
MaRS Work & Learning Toronto, Ontario
2016-02-16
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Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
- Host/MC
- Corporate Training
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