2002 Award Winner
Ottawa, July 1, 2002 -- John Reid, President of the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) and Andy Wells, Mayor of St. John's, Newfoundland, announced today that the first Sara Kirke Award for Canada's Leading Woman High Tech Entrepreneur has been presented to Mona El-Tahan, President and CEO of CORETEC Inc. CORETEC develops software products for use in the marine industry.
"We are obviously pleased that a local citizen has won the first of the Sara Kirke Awards," said Mayor Wells. "It is heartening that the innovative excellence in our community has been recognized, and we are very happy for Mona. We are also delighted that CORETEC's outstanding work has been recognized. Mona has been pivotal in creating marine navigational aids to improve the safety and cost-effectiveness of marine transportation. These are unique developments."
CORETEC's products include a Ship Protector System and its successor, the Advanced Ship Autopilot System. They use artificial intelligence technology combined with standard ship maneuvering theory to combine inputs such as ship heading, wind speed and rudder angle, to predict the position and orientation of a ship at a future time. This information is used to assist the master of the ship in bringing the ship safely to port or to operate more safely in confined waters.
"In the past 25 years," said Mr. Reid, "Ms. El-Tahan's research has launched the development of the forecasting models used in iceberg and environmental analysis, key to meeting many of the challenges in establishing the offshore oil industry in northern waters. She has created a unique Canadian capability, and advanced our industrial capacity."
Mona El-Tahan was born and lived in Egypt until she immigrated to Canada in 1975. On arriving in Canada she completed her Master's Degree in Ocean Engineering at Memorial University in 1980, and obtained her P.Eng. status in 1982. In a progression of positions at Lavalin-Fenco (NF) Ltd., she rose to become Senior Research Engineer. Expanding on her research and development of mathematical models, she left a research position at Memorial University in 1995 and devoted herself to her company, CORETEC.
"We are delighted that the first Award should go to someone who so closely mirrored the startling career of the original Sara Kirke," commented Mayor Wells. "We are very pleased to recognize leaders like Mona in our community."
About the Sara Kirke Award
The Sara Kirke Award is a national competition, created by Mayor Wells at the TechAction Town Hall Meeting in St. John's in 2001. A panel of judges from across Canada reviewed the entries. The Sara Kirke Award is accompanied by a $5,000 donation in the recipient's name to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, from the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance. Mayor Wells created The Sara Kirke Award as part of CATAAlliance's TechAction Town Hall program, launch in St. John's in September.
"Sara Kirke is considered by many to be North America's first entrepreneur," said Mayor Wells. "She arrived in Avalon in 1638 with her husband David Kirke, who became governor of all of Newfoundland. Sir David chose to establish himself at Ferryland, Newfoundland's first capital. Sometime not long after the Kirke's arrival, the name Avalon disappeared and the settlement began to be referred to as the Pool Plantation. Sir David Kirke was an unrepentant Royalist, and after the Civil War he was called to England to account for his activities in Newfoundland, lost this round of litigation and died in prison.
"Sara Kirke paid no heed to this judgment, however, and continued to reside at Ferryland and conduct business as usual from the Pool Plantation. Lady Kirke was a remarkable individual as she managed affairs at the Pool Plantation and became one of the most successful merchants on the English Shore."
The idea for the Award came during CATAAlliance's first Tech Action Town Hall, held on September 26th in St. John's Newfoundland. At the venue, Town Hall participants, led by Mayor Wells, created an understanding and appreciation of the deep roots of entrepreneurship in the province of Newfoundland -- roots that reach back to the Kirke family in the sixteenth century. CATAAlliance is encouraging all TechAction leaders to raise the profile of advanced technology; CATA itself has its own Innovation & Leadership Awards tradition.
The plaque on the Award reads: -
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Presented to Mona El-Tahan, for outstanding technological innovation and corporate leadership -- leadership that has significantly expanded the frontiers of Canada's advanced technology industry. Mona El-Tahan has demonstrated consistent innovation and leadership skills, resulting in the creation and international acceptance of significant world-class products and the establishment and development of a major advanced technology company that has withstood the test of time.
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For further information please contact:
Barry Gander, Senior Advocate, Public Policy, CATAAlliance
bgander@cata.ca
Elizabeth Lawrence, Economic Development Office, City of St. John's
ELawrence@city.st-johns.nf.ca
CORETEC Inc.
http://www.coretec.nf.net
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