Henry (Hank) David Venema

Strongly committed to sustainable development leadership, innovation and implementation, Hank holds a Ph.D in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo, with a diverse technical and management background spanning climate change, renewable energy, water resources, urban planning, agriculture, operations research, public health and environmental economics.

Throughout his professional career, Hank held various research and leadership positions at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), including Director, Chief Scientist and Vice President for Science and Innovation. He led the creation and management of many of IISD’s signature programs, such as the Water Innovation Centre focused on the Lake Winnipeg Basin, saving and reviving the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) research program, and most recently, the creation of the Prairie Climate Centre with the University of Winnipeg. It is with the Prairie Climate Centre that Hank pioneered research on design and investment principles for climate-resilient natural infrastructure based on the concept that ecosystem management is both climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Hank has over a decade of experience consulting to the Province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada on wide variety of surface water management, including Lake Winnipeg Basin management, watershed management, water quality trading, ecosystem services and bioeconomic development.

Hank’s international engagements include work with the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, The World Bank, The World Health Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, United Nations Environment Program, the Global Water Systems Project, and The Energy and Resources Institute.

As SCC’s Chief Technology Officer, Hank uses an interdisciplinary approach to design natural infrastructure systems. His ability to link quantitative and qualitative techniques link new models like big data and artificial intelligence (AI), reflect Hank’s extraordinary creativity, intellectual rigour and skill in bringing new partnerships together to advance sustainability.