Sara Diamond

Dr. Sara Diamond is a member of the expert panel of the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation (CCPC) and a Senior Advisor  with Navigator based out of Toronto. Sara is a global strategist focused on creating an innovative and inclusive future with extensive experience in design thinking and strategic foresight.  Sara’s  breadth of experiences in leadership, innovation and service will drive the work that she does with CCPC.

She  has  served as president of OCAD University in Toronto, Canada for fifteen years and is now President Emerita.  Sara holds an ICD.D (Directors Designation) Institute of Corporate Directors and Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, a PhD in Computing, IT and Engineering from the University of East London, a Masters in New Media Arts from the University of Arts, London, and a Bachelor of Arts, Honours, History and Communication, Simon Fraser University.

Sara  founded and led the Banff New Media Institute, a global digital think tank, research centre and incubator as a senior administrator at The Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada, and has created and supported start-up incubators including the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre, OCAD U’s Imagination Catalyst and OCADU CO.  She leads institutional transformation within digital media/ICT and diverse industry sectors, arts, and post-secondary institutions.

Sara  brings over three decades of service on university, not-for-profit, and start-up boards; as chair of juries, associations and association executives, and advisory committees. She consults with governments, industry, boards and institutions on digital media and economies, AI adoption, design, public art, cultural sector, and inclusion policy. She is passionately committed to equity and respect for Indigenous knowledge and cultures. She is an inventor and lateral thinker; an internationally recognized artist, turned research and policy leader. She continues research in data analytics, and visualization and the relationships of human practices, culture, and technologies. Sara has been recognized for her service initiatives through several awards, for example, she was appointed to the Order of Canada C.M. and the Order of Ontario and received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for Service to Canada. She has received two digital media “pioneer” awards, an Inspiring 50 award for the Advancement of Diversity in STEM fields (Government of Netherlands and Senate of Canada); and was designated a Canada 150 leader, champion and luminary and one of Toronto Life’s 50 Most influential in 2014.