Bio coming soon.

Martin Fortier completed his Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography at Université Laval in 1999. From 1999 to 2003, he was the scientific coordinator of the International North Water Polynya Study (NOW) and of the Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study (CASES) International Arctic Research Networks, involving more than 120 leading experts in Arctic science from 10 Canadian universities, 4 federal departments, and 9 foreign countries.

In 2002, Dr. Fortier was heavily involved in the implementation of the refit and modification of the CCGS Amundsen into a state-of–the–art research icebreaker. Dr. Fortier has since served as chief scientist on 7 expeditions onboard the CCGS Amundsen, including its inaugural voyage in 2003.

Dr. Fortier was appointed as Executive Director of the ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE) in the fall of 2003. As the world’s largest national Arctic research network, ArcticNet brings together over 1000 researchers, students and staff in the natural, human health and social sciences from 30 Canadian Universities with their partners in Inuit organizations, northern communities, government and industry to help Canadians face the impacts and opportunities of climate change and globalization in the Arctic.

In 2012, Dr. Fortier led the development of the Arctic Inspiration Prize together with the Prize’s founders. The $1 million CAD Prize is awarded annually and is made possible through the generous endowment of the S. and A. Inspiration Foundation, the commitment of ArcticNet to voluntarily manage the Prize, as well as the contribution of numerous volunteers. The Prize recognizes and promotes the extraordinary contribution made by teams in the gathering of Arctic knowledge and their plans to implement this knowledge into real world applications for the benefit of the Canadian Arctic and its Peoples. Dr. Fortier serves as the Executive Director for the Prize.

Dr. Fortier currently serves on numerous national and international boards and committees, including that of the Canadian Research Icebreaker Amundsen, the Norwegian Arctic Frontiers Conference, the Northern Contaminant Program, the Canadian High Arctic Research Station and the Polar Continental Shelf Program, which he chairs. In November 2010, he was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Polar Commission.

Erin Freeland Ballantyne was born and raised in So`mba K’è / Yellowknife on Akaitcho territory and was the first Rhodes Scholar from the Canadian North. Erin holds a BA Honors in International Development Studies at McGill University and Msc in Environmental Policy from Oxford. Her PhD (Oxford) investigated the disjuncture between climate change and its effect on human security and health amidst a regional focus on oil and gas extraction in the arctic. Working with a participatory video research team of youth the research identified critical gaps in approaches to educational as barriers to healthy and sustainable communities. Driven by these findings, Erin began to mobilize support around the decades old concept of a northern university and founded Dechinta Bush University Centre for Research and Learning. Now delivering its third year of programming, Dechinta offers land -based university semesters, intensive field courses and executive training on critical northern issues. Erin has worked as a community organizer for the Arctic Indigenous Alliance, participatory video trainer in communities across the arctic and as a researcher in South America, Africa and Asia. Committed to transformational education rooted in service and intergenerational-equity, Erin is a proud mother, documentary filmmaker, adventure traveler, and steering committee member of Canada’s Three Oceans Northwest Passage research team.

Dr. Peter Harrison is Professor, Stauffer-Dunning Chair and Director of the School of Policy Studies (SPS) at Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario). From 2008-2009 he was the Skelton-Clark Fellow in the School.

Dr. Harrison’s career as a senior member of the Public Service of Canada lasted nearly 30 years. During this time he served as the Deputy Minister (Permanent Secretary) of a number of federal Departments including Natural Resources Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Leadership Network, the National Research Council of Canada (Senior Research Fellow, Oceans) and Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada.

Dr. Harrison was responsible for shepherding the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) by the Government of Canada in 2003; the investment of $150 million in the International Polar Year; and, as Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, the development of the Government’s current Northern Strategy, the commitment to a new “High Arctic research Station”, and the Canada-UK Memorandum of Understanding regarding Arctic Research.

Dr. Harrison has also served as Associate and Assistant Deputy Minister in a variety of Departments, including: the Department of Finance, Human Resources Development Canada, and Revenue Canada. From 1989-1992 he was Secretary to the Priorities and Planning, Operations, and Expenditure Review Committees of the federal Cabinet in the Privy Council Office. Dr. Harrison is a Geographer by profession. He holds a B.A. Hon. (1st cl.) from the London School of Economics and Political Science; an M.A. from the University of Victoria (British Columbia), and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington (Seattle). From 1973-1981 he was a Professor in the Department of Geography and Regional Planning at the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Harrison’s research, writing and teaching focus on ocean and coastal management with particular reference to the Arctic Ocean and Arctic policy. He is a Fellow, Governor and Vice President of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and was awarded the Gold Medal celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to Public Service. Dr. Harrison is also a recipient of the J.B. Nicholls award for his lifetime contributions to ocean and coastal management in Canada and around the world.

The Rt. Hon. Michaëlle Jean was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. After fleeing the brutal regime of Dictator Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, she arrived in Canada, with her family, as a refugee in 1968. Excelling in school, she pursued undergraduate and graduate studies in Italian and Hispanic languages, literature and comparative literature at the University of Montreal, where she taught at the Faculty of Italian Studies.

During her studies, Ms. Jean worked for 10 years with shelters for battered women, helping to establish a network of emergency shelters across Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. She later became an award-winning journalist and anchor of news programs at Radio-Canada and CBC. Ms. Jean also took part in several documentary films produced by her husband, filmmaker Jean-Daniel Lafond.

In 2005, Mme Jean became Canada’s 27th Governor General and Commander-in-Chief. Throughout her mandate, she promoted dialogue and community engagement among citizens, with particular emphasis on empowering youth. A fervent practitioner of cultural diplomacy, she led forty missions and State visits in Afghanistan, China, as well as across Africa, the Americas and Europe. She is fluent in five languages—French, English, Italian, Spanish, Creole—and fluently reads Portuguese.

Mme Jean is now Co-President of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation, UNESCO Special Envoy for Haiti, Grand Témoin de la Francophonie for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Chancellor of the University of Ottawa.

Kyla Kakfwi Scott believes in the importance of culture and the value of all forms of knowledge. The child of an aboriginal and non-aboriginal parent, it has been her constant goal to achieve balance between her two cultures, to learn as much as possible, and to carry that knowledge proudly. Kyla sees a need to increase opportunities for dialogue and cultural understanding in order to live respectfully amongst each other. To that end, she has worked since 2009 as the Program Manager for Dechinta: Bush University & Centre for Research and Learning. This land-based, university accredited program covers critical Northern issues, from a Northern perspective, taught by elders and academic experts.

Kyla was born and raised in Denendeh. She has travelled extensively throughout Northern and Southern Canada with her parents; former NWT Premier Stephen Kakfwi, and Commissioner Marie Wilson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Kyla attended the Pearson Seminar on Youth Leadership at Lester B. Pearson College and studied Media, Information and Technoculture at The University of Western Ontario. Since returning to Denendeh, Kyla has served on the Design Team of Back to the Future 2002, a national symposium re-visioning the North for the 21st century, and as one of the organizers of Crossroads: A Cross-Cultural Women’s Sharing Circle. She has fifteen years of customer service experience and managed a local business prior to joining the Dechinta team. She currently resides in Yellowknife with her husband and their two daughters.

Kyla has lived most of her life in Yellowknife. Her father’s family is from Fort Good Hope, and Kyla lived there as an infant and returned often as a child. Her mother was born and raised in southwestern Ontario. Kyla chose to attend The University of Western Ontario to be closer to that side of her family. She credits this time spent living away from the North for her appreciation of the importance of being surrounded by family, Dene culture, and the beautiful land she calls home.

Kyla was one of the inaugural Jane Glassco Arctic Fellows, examining the integration of culture and Indigenous knowledge in the school system. She also sits on the Board of The United Way NWT.

Peter Mansbridge is the chief correspondent of CBC News. He anchors CBC's flagship nightly news program, The National, and all CBC News specials. He is also host of CBC News Network's Mansbridge: One on One.

Mansbridge began his career in 1968 in Churchill, Man., where he helped develop CBC Radio's news service to Northern Canada. In 1971, he moved to Winnipeg as a reporter for CBC Radio, and in 1972, joined CBC Television. He became The National's reporter in Saskatchewan in 1975, and, in 1976, was named one of the program's parliamentary correspondents in Ottawa. He became chief correspondent and anchor of The National in 1988.

In more than 40 years with CBC News, Mansbridge has provided comprehensive coverage of the most significant stories in Canada and around the world. In the past few years, Mansbridge has been the only Canadian journalist to interview two of the major new international leaders-U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009, and in 2010, British Prime Minister David Cameron.

During a decorated career, Mansbridge has received 12 Gemini Awards for excellence in broadcast journalism. He has also received eight honorary degrees from universities across the country and he has also been recognized by leading universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2008 Mansbridge was made an officer of the Order of Canada by Gov. Gen., Michaëlle Jean. In 2009, he was named Chancellor of Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.

Peter Mansbridge was born in London, England in 1948 and now resides in Stratford, Ont.

Born in Labrador, Canada, Tom has more than 20 years of experience building and operating projects in the north. He is currently the President and CEO of Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation and is focused on the Mary River iron ore project in northern Nunavut. This multi-billion dollar project will include the construction and operation of the world’s most northerly railway, a new deep water port located 400 kilometres above the Arctic Circle, development of the world’s largest ice-breaking bulk carriers, as well as a fly-in/fly-out camp and the mine that it will support.

Prior to joining Baffinland in 2011, Tom was the General Manager of Vale Newfoundland and Labrador, operator of the Voisey’s Bay project in northern Labrador. Over the course of 15 years, Tom went from establishing local relationships with the Labrador Innu and Inuit that were to become critical to the company’s success in the region, to negotiating separate Impacts and Benefits Agreements with each group. Further, he became responsible for implementing those IBAs and turning the commitments in them into reality. Tom later became General Manager with responsibility for overseeing all operational and production aspects of the business.

The Voisey’s Bay project is now recognized across the country as having raised the bar on employment, business and corporate responsibility for resource developments occurring on aboriginal lands. Tom is quick to point out that the key to success was a strong committed team and a full understanding of the need to collaborate on shared goals with local stakeholders. Baffinland Iron Mines is taking the same approach in Nunavut.

Geraldine Van Bibber (née Kelly), public servant, businesswoman and commissioner of Yukon. Ms. Van Bibber was born and raised in Dawson, YT, and is of Gwich'in and Irish descent. She worked in the Yukon Department of Finance (1976-90) and was administrator for the territory (2001-05).

Since 1986, when she became a business partner of a family tourism company, Ms. Van Bibber has played a pivotal role in the development of the Yukon travel industry. She was instrumental to the formation of the Yukon First Nation Tourism Association (1992) and has been a member of a number of territorial and national tourism- and small business-related boards including the Canadian Tourism Commission, the Yukon Tourism Education Council and the government of Yukon's Business Development Fund Board. She has been a guest speaker at northern tourism symposiums in Canada, the US, Sweden and Finland.

Other boards and initiatives she has been active in include the Yukon Human Rights Commission, the Yukon Advisory Council on Women's Issues and the Gathering of Traditions Potlatch Society.

Ms. Van Bibber has acted as an ambassador for Yukon and First Nations people, and was the first native-born Yukoner to welcome Prince Charles on his visit to the region in April 2001.

In December 2005, she became commissioner of the Yukon, a position similar to that of a Lieutenant-Governor. Her term ended in 2010, and she was succeeded by Douglas Phillips later that year, in December.

Ms. Van Bibber was named Chancellor of Yukon College in late 2012.

A Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Sheila Watt-Cloutier is in the business of changing public opinion into public policy. Experienced in working with global decision makers for over a decade, Watt-Cloutier offers a new model for 21st Century leadership. She treats the issues of our day -- the environment, the economy, foreign policy, global health, and sustainability -- not as separate concerns, but as a deeply interconnected whole. Every decision, whether environmental, political or economic, has a profound effect on those far from the corridors of power; to understand this connection is vital to building a sustainable world. This is Watt-Cloutier's message. At a time when people are seeking solutions, direction, and a sense of hope, this global leader provides a big picture of where we are and where we are headed.

In 2007, Sheila Watt-Cloutier was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy work in showing the impact of global climate change on human rights -- especially in the Arctic, where it is felt more immediately, and more dramatically, than anywhere else in the world. (The Arctic is the planet's health barometer; what happens in the world happens there first.) By making a human connection -- by telling the human stories -- she helped a generation see the issue in a newly urgent way. Her advocacy work -- not just environmental but all-encompassing -- is grounded in human rights, in our shared humanity.

Based in Nunavut, Watt-Cloutier is an Officer of the Order of Canada. She is also the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Aboriginal Achievement Award, the UN Champion of the Earth Award, and the prestigious Norwegian Sophie Prize. From 1995 - 2002, she was elected the Canadian President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC). At the ICC, she was a hugely influential voice in the successful negotiations of the Stockholm Convention, the landmark treaty banning Persistent Organic Pollutants. (POPs end up in the Arctic and have been an alarming health issue for Inuit). She was later elected in 2002 to become the International Chair of the ICC, representing the 155,000 Inuit from Canada, Greenland, Alaska and Russia; she held this post until 2006. Under her leadership, she and 62 fellow Inuit from Canada and Alaska launched the world's first international legal action on climate change, with a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. She is the main signatory to the petition. Displaying calm, clear and reflective leadership on various big issues, Watt-Cloutier is a much requested speaker worldwide.

Arnold Witzig, together with his partner Sima Sharifi, is the founder of the Arctic Inspiration Prize and the S. and A. Inspiration Foundation. For several years, they studied and supported projects in the fields of education and gender equality in the developing world. In 2011 they decided to focus the work of the foundation in Canada, their homeland of choice.

Born in 1949 in Switzerland, Witzig was raised in modest circumstances on a small family farm. He graduated as an architect and gradually realized he could implement a more effective planning and implementation process for architectural projects. He understood that economic, environmental, architectural, technical and social needs had to be integrated in order to succeed, especially for complex industrial projects. After becoming the head of a small architectural firm at 31, Witzig started to carry out his vision to create a unique and comprehensive service by bringing together all the necessary specialists from different areas of expertise into a new business unit that focused on the print and media industry. Over a period of 18 years, the company that emerged, the IE Engineering Group, implemented the same business strategy in the plastics, food, life science and later high-tech industries. From its base in Zurich, IE grew rapidly and expanded to Munich, Geneva, Leipzig and later Frankfurt.

As Arnold Witzig approached 50, IE had become the market leader and was full of young talent. With his business goals achieved, it was time for a change. In 1998 he handed over the IE Group to its team members, representing three different language and cultural regions. Today every employee is an owner, no one person has majority control, and the same business model has been successfully maintained. In 1999, he said goodbye to his two grown up children, family, friends and his life as entrepreneur in Europe and flew to Vancouver, not knowing that it would soon become his new home. The same year, Arnold met his dream partner, friend, lover and wife Sima, who originally came from Iran.

Since moving to Canada, Arnold has explored the world intensively, on land while climbing and traveling, in the air, flying aerobatics and in the water, scuba-diving. He was the third Canadian who has climbed each of the highest summits of the seven continents, incl. Everest. He traveled in Alaska, the Yukon, NWT and Nunavut, skied across Greenland, to the South Pole and to the North Pole. Together with a very diverse team of Northerners and Southerners, mirroring the spirit of the Arctic Inspiration Prize, he is presently preparing for the Taggak Uigu scientific and outreach expedition from the North Pole to Ellesmere Island. With the goal to practice once more, that diversity is not a threat, but a chance to inspire each other to grow.