Alberta Innovates welcomes new VP, Intellectual Property

Alberta is home to world-class research and innovation with a growing opportunity to ensure more of the intellectual property created here is owned, developed and commercialized in Alberta.

Alberta Innovates is pleased to welcome our new VP, Intellectual Property (IP), Erin Pisko, who will be joining the organization on August 4, 2026.

Erin has spearheaded numerous initiatives that advocate for the importance of IP Strategy across the innovation ecosystem. She brings over 20 years of experience helping organizations and innovation partners strengthen ecosystem coordination, commercialization and intellectual property.

Erin will be joining Alberta Innovates from Innovation Asset Collective (IAC), where she led the development of the IP Maturity Framework and currently serves as the Vice President of IP Strategy – helping companies advance their strategic capability and make better commercialization decisions. Prior to that, she built and operationalized innovation governance, IP processes and strategic risk frameworks at Cenovus Energy – to capture value from their R&D activities and strengthen their approach to innovation. Having worked at major Canadian law firms and as an in-house IP strategist in Canadian startups, she brings considerable experience developing tactical internal processes to help companies from different industries enhance their commercialization strategies.

The Alberta IP Office will be a province‑wide IP hub to support IP awareness, protection, strategy, and commercialization. It will provide leadership, expertise, and coordination across the full IP lifecycle, from early IP awareness through to commercialization and adoption. 

Establishing this IP office will also advance the objectives of the Government of Alberta’s Alberta Technology & Innovation Strategy (ATIS) and help the province’s brightest minds own what they create.

Erin’s subject matter expertise and strong leadership capabilities are great assets she will draw upon to build and lead this important function.

“The Alberta IP office will help ensure that Alberta’s IP is protected and commercialized in the province. Erin’s professional accomplishments and skills make her an ideal fit to lead this important initiative.” – Mike Mahon, CEO

She is a registered patent agent in both Canada and the United States and holds two engineering degrees in civil and environmental, one of them a Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Calgary. She is also a board member of DIGITAL – Canada’s innovation cluster for digital technologies.