John M. Rafferty joined Ontario Genomics in 2025 as the President & CEO. With an impressive background spanning over 25 years, John is recognized for his dynamic leadership and commitment to driving innovation in the nonprofit and private sectors. Prior to joining Ontario Genomics, he served as the eighth President & CEO of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), where he initiated extraordinary change and modernization within one of Canada’s oldest charities. Under John’s leadership, CNIB has expanded by more than 90% and unified its service offerings across the country, making it more accessible and available nationwide. He also spearheaded the landmark trifurcation of CNIB into three separate organizations, each providing vital and distinct services to Canadians who are blind, partially sighted, or Deafblind. At the same time, John was a driving force behind the implementation of many of CNIB’s most groundbreaking programs – including CNIB Guide Dogs and Come to Work – as well as a wide range of virtual programs. Prior to his tenure at CNIB, John held senior executive roles with Dun and Bradstreet Canada, Verizon Information Services (Canada, China, Poland), as well as British Telecom (UK). John is a former member of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Health Policy Council, served on the Board of Directors for Accessible Media Inc., and chaired Vision 2020 Canada. In 2012, he earned the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, which honours significant contributions and achievements by Canadians to their community. At Ontario Genomics, John is committed to leveraging his extensive experience to accelerate the commercialization of biotechnologies and he is looking forward to fostering robust partnerships between researchers, industry, non-profits, and government. He is focused on advancing “made-in-Ontario” solutions that address significant global challenges, including food security, climate change and acute and chronic disease. As he leads Ontario Genomics into its next era of innovation and impact, John aims to unlock the full economic and societal potential of the bio-revolution in Ontario and beyond.