Marc Lijour is the Vice-President leading Capacity and Innovation Readiness initiatives at the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC). Certified educator with experience in several continents, he worked as Education Officer at the Ontario Ministry of Education, advising on policies such as the revision of the Technological Education curriculum (2009) and the first RFP framework to procure Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) government-wide. Marc was instrumental on administrating key programs such as the launch of the Ontario e-learning Strategy and Ontario’s equity and inclusive education strategy.
Ten years ago, Marc made the jump to private consulting at Cisco to accelerate the digital transformation of the education sector, and later all other sectors, as digital technology became the driver of disruptive innovation and a major driver of competitiveness and job creation. He joined ICTC to develop research-informed and evidence-based capacity building programs to help Canadians enjoy a rewarding career in the digital economy. The iAdvance framework has been highlighted in a recent OECD report as a best workforce development practice to upskill and reskill for jobs in AI, Blockchain, IoT, Robotics, 5G, and other emerging fields.
For the last 6 years, Marc has particularly focused on blockchain/Web3 technologies. He contributed to building the consulting arm at ConsenSys, launching the first college program for Blockchain Developers in Canada, founding DeFi Toronto, and heading IEEE Blockchain in Canada. He contributes to several industry program advisory committees (PACs) for leading postsecondary institutions in Canada.
Marc holds degrees in Mathematics, Computer Science, and the Management of Technology and Innovation (MBA). He serves on the board of multiple not-for-profit organizations in the Tech industry, such as La French Tech Toronto and TechConnex.