Healthtech Entrepreneur Patrice Gilbert Joins Board of the Council of Canadian Innovators

Toronto, ON — The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), Canada’s 21st century business association, is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrice Gilbert, founder and CEO of Petal, to its Board of Directors.

A respected entrepreneur and seasoned technology executive, Patrice brings more than two decades of leadership experience in Canada’s innovation economy, with a particular focus on digital health. Based in Québec City, Petal is a leading Canadian healthtech company that provides AI-powered solutions to streamline care delivery and optimize the medical workforce. Under Patrice’s leadership, Petal has become a cornerstone of Canada’s digital health infrastructure, serving healthcare institutions across the country.

“We are approaching the 10-year anniversary of when the council was founded, and over that time CCI has grown and evolved into an essential voice for Canadian scale-up innovators,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-Founder and Chair of CCI. “We’re thrilled to welcome Patrice to the Board, as we make plans to continue building for the next decade. His experience and voice will ensure CCI continues to reflect the strength and potential of innovators in Québec and across the country.”

Patrice began his career as a product engineer at Thales Canada and Domosys, before joining Taleo, where he led product development teams. He returned to Québec in 2009 to found Petal, which has grown into the undisputed leader in real-time care orchestration in Canada. For his entrepreneurial vision, Patrice was recognized in 2010 as Quebec’s Young Business Person of the Year in Technology and Research.

“I’ve been proud to be a part of CCI’s work since the council was founded in 2015 and the Québec bureau was set up in 2018, and I’ve always been a strong believer in the mission to help shape national policy that empowers innovators to scale, compete globally, and improve outcomes for Canadians,” said Patrice Gilbert. "I’m excited to dive further into CCI's work and help guide the organization at a pivotal moment for Canada’s economy."

Through his board role at CCI, Patrice will support advocacy efforts aimed at strengthening Canada’s innovation policy landscape, particularly around digital transformation in public services, procurement reform, and the commercialization of homegrown intellectual property.

“Patrice is one of Canada’s foremost voices in digital health, and an important leader in the thriving Québec technology ecosystem,” said Benjamin Bergen, President of CCI. “His experience scaling a Canadian company in a highly complex and regulated environment will be invaluable as we advocate for smarter, innovation-friendly policies—especially around government procurement and health care modernization.”

Patrice joins a board composed of Canada’s leading scale-up CEOs and tech entrepreneurs, all committed to ensuring Canadian innovators have access to the talent, capital, customers, and regulatory conditions they need to grow and compete globally.

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Media Contact:
James McLeod
Director of Communications
jmcleod@canadianinnovators.org