Meredith McLaren named CEO of CGEn
The Board of Directors and Executive Committee of CGEn, Canada’s national platform for genome sequencing and analysis, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Meredith McLaren as Chief Executive Officer effective September, 2024. Meredith has been an integral part of the CGEn team since December 2021, initially serving as Director of Programs & Partnerships. In this capacity, Meredith worked to advance CGEn’s strategic initiatives, develop and manage programs, and oversee operational activities across CGEn’s three institutional nodes.
“I am delighted and honoured to assume the role of CEO at CGEn. As we move forward, I am committed to working with CGEn’s scientific leadership, talented staff and dedicated partners to enhance our national capacity and capabilities in genomic science. These advances will support critical Canadian research and continue to position our country as an important contributor to global initiatives.”, shared Meredith.
From January – September 2024, Meredith was the Interim CEO at CGEn, taking on leadership roles within CGEn’s governance, strategy development, and overall team management. Meredith obtained a PhD in molecular genetics from the University of Toronto and held positions in the life sciences innovation space at Spindle Strategy and Ontario Genomics, helping Canadian researchers, initiatives, and companies to formulate plans and secure funding. She has also led partnership- and strategy-focused work at academic-affiliated not-for-profit organizations SOSCIP and Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst.
Meredith assumes the role previously held by Dr. Naveed Aziz, who served as the CEO at CGEn from June 2021 to January 2024. Dr. Aziz is the Vice President of Research & Innovation at Genome Canada.
About CGEn
CGEn is a federally funded national platform for genome sequencing and analysis. Established in 2014, CGEn employs over 200 staff, funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) through its Major Science Initiatives Fund, leveraging investments from Genome Canada and other stakeholders. CGEn operates as an integrated national platform with nodes in Toronto (The Centre for Applied Genomics at The Hospital for Sick Children), Montréal, (McGill Genome Centre at McGill University), and Vancouver (Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre), providing genomic services, including genome sequencing and analysis, that enable research in agriculture, forestry, fishery, the environment, health sciences, and many other disciplines of interest to Canadians.