Dr. Richard Florizone is IISD’s new President and CEO. Part scientist, part strategist, he comes to this organization with a strong track record of bringing the public and private sectors together to achieve complex goals. With a reputation for collaborative leadership, Richard is a firm believer in the power of partnership to build institutions and communities that are intelligent, inspiring and inclusive.
As President and Vice-Chancellor of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, from 2013 to 2018, Richard championed CAD 500 million in innovation investment to Atlantic Canada through joint initiatives such as the Ocean Frontier Institute, a transnational research hub dedicated to finding solutions for a healthy marine ecosystem, and the Ocean Supercluster, which focuses on creating a sustainable ocean economy. He also ushered in record-breaking levels of research income, student enrolment and fundraising, while measurably advancing diversity and inclusion.
Richard has held senior leadership roles at the University of Saskatchewan, Bombardier Aerospace, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) at the World Bank Group, Boston Consulting Group and the Quantum Valley Ideas Lab. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is a Senior Executive Fellow at the Waterloo Institute of Sustainable Energy and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
All Publications
- Tomorrow Needs Us Today: IISD’s 2020-2025 Strategic Direction
Report - July 15, 2020
We are guided by five core priorities—Climate, Resources, Economies, Act Together and Engage—which form our CREATE strategy, presented in this document. - In Ensuring a Resilient Recovery, Will Canada Lead, Follow, or Be Left Behind?
Blog - June 2, 2020
Canada must do more to fund a resilient recovery. IISD’s research into stimulus packages in Europe and Asia shows four areas of opportunity. - Building Back Better Is the Right Thing to Do. It Also Makes Good Economic Sense.
Blog - May 5, 2020
Canada must focus on building back better in order to set us on a path toward net-zero emissions and even greater economic growth. - Three Ways the Coronavirus is Shaping Sustainable Development
Blog - March 31, 2020
This pandemic and the global recovery from it will impact the future of sustainable development. Here are three key themes that are emerging. - Help Canada’s workers now—but don’t lock us into a high-carbon future
Commentary - March 26, 2020
Instead of a bailout for Canada's oil and gas sector, government and industry should pursue investments that will help develop new energy solutions and markets: IISD's Richard Florizone in The Hill Times.