Nova Scotia Business Inc. Chair Named

Dan Potter, an education and information-technology entrepreneur, has been named chair of the board of directors of Nova Scotia Business Inc. The appointment is effective immediately.

Mr. Potter is chair and CEO of Knowledge House Inc., a Halifax-based company that provides learning programs and software to education markets.

The announcement of Mr. Potter as chair marks another step in establishing Nova Scotia Business Inc., which officially came into being April 1. The private-sector-led Crown corporation will focus on pursuing economic opportunities for the province. It will also provide a link between government and the business community.

"Nova Scotia Business Inc. was created with the recognition that considerable expertise in economic development lies with our business leaders," said Economic Development Minister Gordon Balser. "Dan Potter brings the best of that private sector expertise to the table. We look forward to working with him and the new corporation to achieve a common goal: a stronger provincial economy."

Mr. Potter was among the 12 business leaders from across the province named to the corporation’s board in March. The board members, who will serve for terms between two and four years, held their first meeting earlier this month. The chair’s term is for three years.

"Being named the first chair of Nova Scotia Business Inc. is both a privilege and a challenge," said Mr. Potter. “My fellow board members and I know that we have some very important decisions to make in the months and years ahead. As the first board of directors, we understand that these decisions will set the direction for those who follow. We’re also mindful that our decisions will affect how the economy develops and have an impact on the lives of Nova Scotians."

Nova Scotia Business Inc. will take over many of the lines of business currently carried out by government staff at Nova Scotia Economic Development. These front-line business development functions include investment attraction, trade development and business financing. Focus will be on growth areas identified in the province’s growth strategy, Opportunities for Prosperity: the digital economy, the energy sector, advanced manufacturing, the learning industry and the life sciences sector.

Once the restructuring is complete later this spring, Nova Scotia Economic Development will emerge as a smaller department, focused on public policy development. Its mandate will include working to improve the business climate in the province to allow all Nova Scotians to prosper.

Mr. Potter, a native of Digby County, holds a bachelor of arts from Acadia University and a law degree from Dalhousie University; he began his career as a practising lawyer. Prior to joining Knowledge House in 1998, he was chair and CEO of ITI Education Corp., where he was instrumental in developing and implementing that learning company’s expansion strategy. He lives in Halifax with his wife, Fiona Imrie, and their five school-age children.