Order of Canada to MaRS directors Gordon Nixon and John Manley

Toronto, June 30, 2010 – Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean has announced or inducted two MaRS directors – Gordon Nixon and the Honourable John Manley – into the Order of Canada this month.

Gov. Gen. Micahelle Jean announced the appointment of Mr. Nixon, President and CEO of RBC and Chair of the Board at MaRS, as a Member of the Order of Canada in late June. Mr. Nixon will be honoured for his contributions to banking in Canada through his leadership of one of Canada’s largest banks and for his personal voluntarism and philanthropy.

Two weeks prior, the Honourable John Manley, former Deputy Prime Minister and member of the MaRS Board of Directors, was inducted as an Officer of the Order of Canada at Rideau Hall. Mr. Manley, who is President and Chief Executive of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, was recognized for his contributions to Canadian politics as well as his work as a business and community leader who has played an important role in the promotion of international aid and co-operation.

In addition to chairing the MaRS Board, Mr. Nixon co-chairs the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. He is a director and past chairman of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and is on the Board of Directors of The Hospital for Sick Children and The International Monetary Conference. Mr. Nixon has served as a director of a number of organizations in the arts, health care and education and has chaired numerous events and fundraising campaigns including the United Way of Greater Toronto and is currently chairing the Queen’s University Capital Campaign.

After a 16-year career in politics, Mr. Manley returned to the private sector in 2004. From 2004 to 2009 he served as Counsel to McCarthy Tétrault LLP, a leading Canadian law firm. In that capacity he provided strategic advice in matters relating to public affairs, including trade, telecommunications, security and finance. Mr. Manley is also a passionate volunteer, not only with MaRS but also with organizations such as CARE Canada, the University of Waterloo, the Institute for Research on Public Policy and the National Arts Centre Foundation.

About MaRS
MaRS Discovery District (www.marsdd.com) is a large scale, mission driven innovation centre located in Toronto and networked across Ontario, focused on building Canada’s next generation of technology companies. MaRS works closely with entrepreneurs to grow and scale their ventures into global market leaders in life sciences and health care, information, communications and digital media technologies, cleantech, advanced materials and engineering, as well as innovative social purpose business.