Ilse Treurnicht

Ilse Treurnicht is a South African-born Canadian venture capitalist, innovation executive, and policy adviser. She served as CEO of MaRS Discovery District in Toronto from 2005 to 2017, making her one of the longest-serving leaders of a major North American innovation hub. She was appointed to the Order of Ontario in 2017.

Early life and education Treurnicht was born in South Africa, where she was a middle-distance runner and anti-apartheid student activist. She attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, completing a DPhil in chemistry.

Career

Venture capital After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Western Ontario, Treurnicht held senior management roles in emerging technology companies, including work in green chemistry and medical device commercialization. The Government of Ontario ultimately committed $309 million in public funds. In a 2017 interview, Treurnicht described managing the crisis as the defining challenge of her tenure. By the time of her departure in June 2017, the tower was fully leased and MaRS had completed $290 million in private financing to repay the provincial loans ahead of schedule

Treurnicht's compensation as CEO drew public criticism. Her salary on Ontario's Sunshine list rose from $436,625 in 2009 to $532,500 by 2013, attracting scrutiny given MaRS's public funding. Treurnicht was succeeded as CEO by Yung Wu in 2017.

Post-MaRS career After leaving MaRS, Treurnicht became a general partner at North South Ventures, a cross-border health impact venture fund, and executive chairperson of Triphase Accelerator Corporation, a cancer drug development company.

Honours and recognition Order of Ontario (2017) Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Toronto (2018) Honorary Doctor of Laws, Ontario Tech University (2014) Named one of Toronto's 50 Most Influential, Toronto Life (2012)