Rory Francis recipient of Purvis Memorial Award from Society of Chemical Industry

On Tuesday, April 18, the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) held the annual SCI Canada Awards Dinner, bringing together key members of the chemical and industrial community in Canada. The Awards dinner is a prestigious networking event that is pivotal in bringing science and business together by enhancing connections between industry, chemical science and engineering professionals across the board.
CEO of the PEI BioAlliance Rory Francis received the Purvis Memorial Award, which is presented to an individual for significant strategy development and successful implementation within the Canadian chemical industry. Congratulations to Rory on this recognition!
Rory is a native of Prince Edward Island. He earned a BSc in geology and chemistry from Mount Allison University, as well as an MSc in Hydrogeology from the University of Waterloo.
Since 2004 he has been CEO of the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance, a not-for-profit partnership of bioscience businesses, academic and research organizations, and government agencies that includes 60 companies earning over $600 million in annual sales, making the bio sector the second largest industry in the province. He is a founder of the Emergence Bioscience Business Incubator, Natural Products Canada, a national natural products ecosystem and business accelerator, and the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL).
Prior to the award presentations, a panel discussion took place around the theme of ‘Unlocking the potential of Science Talent enabling impact on Canada’s economic growth.’ This seminar explored specific Canadian government programmes, the policies that help promote Canada’s science talent development and how these enable economic growth, whilst also positioning Canada as a global leader in technology and innovation.
Panellists included Rory Francis, CEO, PEI BioAlliance (Purvis Memorial Award winner, 2023); Dr. Alison Ewart, Dean of Centre for Research & Innovation at Fanshawe College; Professor Howard Alper, Distinguished Professor at University of Ottawa; and Dr. Fiona Hess, Process Chemist and Member of the SCI Canada Committee.
2023 Award Winners:
- Canada Medal: Dr Paul Smith, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
- Purvis Memorial Award: Rory Francis, PEI BioAlliance
- LeSueur Memorial Award: Dr Rupert Spence, DuPont Canada
- International Award: Dr Vaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan OC, Process Research ORTECH Inc
- Julia Levy Award: Prof. Pieter Cullis, The University of British Columbia
- Kalev Pugi Award: Prof. Francesca Kerton, Memorial University
- Outreach Award: Grenfell Campus, Memorial University – Prof. Geoffrey Rayner-Canham, Chaim Christiana Andersen, and Rosalina Naqitarvik