The following piece is from our sister publication, Spud Smart.
Darrell Petras has been appointed the new CEO of the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN), a July 11 news release said.
“I am excited to be joining such an excellent team. From a personal perspective, this opportunity lines up perfectly with my interests and experience. From an industry perspective, I know CAAIN to be the right organization in the right place at the right time,” Petras said in the release.
Petras is joining CAAIN following his work as vice-president of programs and business development with Edmonton Unlimited, the release said. He has worked as a founder, business owner, and business coach in sectors such as agriculture, energy, both human and animal health, and technology business development.
Petras mandate as CEO will be to:
- Support research and innovation projects through funding opportunities
- Create a nationwide system of commodity-specific Smart Farm Networks to validate emerging technology and encourage its adoption by the agriculture community
- Build a nationwide network of stakeholders
- Support educating the agriculture workforce of tomorrow
He will assume his responsibilities as CEO starting on Aug. 1.