 Jim Skippen is Chief Executive Officer of WiLAN and Chairman of WiLAN’s Board of Directors. He is responsible for all operations at WiLAN, including the development and implementation of the company’s strategic and operating plans. Since assuming this position in June 2006, Jim has assembled a world-class technology licensing team, strengthened WiLAN’s financial position by raising over $100 million in five separate capital market transactions and overseen a greater than 30 fold increase in the size of WiLAN’s patent portfolio as well as the broadening of the portfolio's technology and geographic coverage. In addition, Jim has led WiLAN’s licensing efforts, which have generated record revenues and patent licensing agreements with almost 200 companies, including agreements with technology leaders Samsung, Nokia, Fujitsu, Panasonic and RIM.
A seasoned licensing executive, Jim has managed several large and complex patent licensing negotiations and litigations. Prior to joining WiLAN in June 2006, he held a number of senior management positions, including Senior VP Patent Licensing and General Counsel at MOSAID Technologies. While leading the patent licensing program at MOSAID, Jim closed deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Jim is a member of the Board of Directors of Icron Technologies, the Governing Council of the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance, and the Young Presidents' Organization. He is a former Vice-Chairman of the Canadian Diabetes Association. Jim is a frequent speaker at conferences and has delivered numerous papers and articles concerning topics such as management of intellectual property, patent licensing and technology law.
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 Mr. Bramson is a leading licensing executive and a highly respected patent attorney. Since 1995, Mr. Bramson has practiced with Bramson & Pressman of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, a law firm that supports its clients by assessing, strategizing and realizing the value of patents and technologies by sale or licensing particularly in the computer hardware and software, Internet, electronics and telecommunications industries.
From 1995 to 2004, Mr. Bramson was President of VAI Patent Management Corp. Prior to 1995, Mr. Bramson held positions as Chief Executive Officer of InterDigital Patents Corporation, Vice President and General Patent and Technology Counsel of Unisys Corporation, Head of the Computer and Technology Law Group of Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis LLP and Licensing Counsel for Abbott Laboratories.
For twenty five years, Mr. Bramson was an Adjunct Professor, teaching courses in Patent Law, Computer Law and Licensing Law at Temple Law School, Rutgers Law School and Villanova Law School. During his career, Mr. Bramson has also served as a patent examiner with the United States Patent Office.
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In addition to co-founding WiLAN in 1992 with Dr. Zaghloul, Michel co-founded Cell-Loc, focused on licensing and selling wireless location technology and services. An industry authority in digital wireless communication technology, he is a tenured professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Calgary where he has taught and conducted research since 1986. He also holds multiple patents in the U.S. and Canada.
Michel has spoken at several industry events and is a member of Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta (APPEGA). He was named Ernst & Young’s Prairie Entrepreneur of the Year in the Communications and Technology category in 2002. He is also on the Board of Directors of PsiNaptic. Michel holds an MSc and PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto (1982 and 1986).
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A successful entrepreneur, John was the founder and President of Bayfield Capital Group, a corporate finance advisory firm providing expertise in areas of mergers, acquisitions, asset based lending solutions, capital acquisition and other growth strategies which may take advantage of non-traditional or equity financing. He is Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer at COREWORX Inc. He has held a variety of senior roles, including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Software Innovation, President & CEO of Radiant Energy Corporation, Chief Financial Officer of Skulogix Canada, and President of BTE Technologies.
John sits on several Boards of both public and private corporations, and is active in local and community non-profit organizations. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.
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Bill Jenkins, (1,3), Chairman of the Governance and Nominating Committee
Bill is a Partner with the law firm of Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, and has advised corporations, investment dealers and banks on public securities offerings, equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions as well as other corporate finance transactions. Currently national co-chairman of FMC's M&A Group, Bill also serves on its National Partnership Board. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Income Funds and a past chairman of the Securities Law section of the Canadian Bar Association in Southern Alberta. A frequent contributor to seminars on corporate finance, he holds a BA (Economics) and an LLB from the University of Western Ontario.
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Rick Shorkey, (1,2), Chairman of the Audit Committee, Lead Independent Director
Rick is a Chartered Accountant with more than 30 years of industry experience holding senior financial and general management roles. He has provided part-time and interim CFO services to several technology companies since September 2002. Prior to this, he was CFO of ATMOS Corporation (semiconductor embedded memory IP) from November 2000 to August 2002.
His experience also includes: Chief Financial Officer of Bytec-Comterm Inc., manufacturer of IBM compatible computer products ($28 million public offering); President of Solartronics Limited, one of the top ten manufacturers of solar equipment in Canada; and senior financial positions with Bowmar Canada Ltd. and Leigh Instruments Limited. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
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