In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Kendra MacDonald, CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, discusses her leadership in advancing ocean innovation and positioning Canada as a global leader in the sustainable blue economy. With over 30 years of experience, Kendra shares how collaboration, technology, and strategic growth are helping small businesses thrive in the evolving ocean sectors.
Interview By Sk Uddin
Kendra MacDonald is CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, one of the most significant organizations in the country. An award-winning CEO recently inaugurated into the Top 50 CEO Hall of Fame.
Kendra was previously a partner in Deloitte’s Atlantic Risk Advisory practice and the Chief Audit Executive of Deloitte Global. Based in St. John’s, NL, Kendra joined Deloitte in 1993 and built a wealth of national and international experience. Kendra was the lead partner for a number of Deloitte’s Atlantic Canada clients as well as member of Deloitte’ National Innovation Council.
Ocean industries have historically been seen as resistant to technological change. How can small businesses operating in these legacy sectors embrace digital transformation without overwhelming their resources or losing their essence?
Ocean industries like fisheries and shipping have operated globally for centuries and have adopted transformative tools before from satellite navigation to automated vessel tracking. But scaling innovation in these sectors is challenging because of safety standards, international regulation, and fragmented markets. At Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC), we’ve seen how small businesses can overcome these barriers by collaborating: pooling expertise, sharing customer relationships, and leveraging each other’s distribution channels. This collaboration reduces cost and risk while creating access to markets that no single SME could reach alone.
At the same time, pressure is mounting: regulators like the International Maritime Organization are setting ambitious decarbonization targets, and customers are demanding more sustainable practices and products including lower-emission shipping, responsibly sourced seafood, or technologies that reduce impacts on the marine environment. That combination, in addition to a push for productivity gains, is driving a surge in demand for digital solutions, from predictive analytics to advanced environmental monitoring systems that give operators better data for decision-making.
For small businesses, the key is to embrace change strategically, choosing the right partnerships and practical solutions, so they can modernize, maximize impact with limited resources, and stay agile in a complex global market.
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster thrives on bringing together diverse organizations—from startups to Indigenous partners and large corporations. What practical lessons have you learned about building innovation ecosystems that genuinely work for everyone involved, especially smaller players?
Collaboration is hard. It requires patience, trust, and alignment. At Canada’s Ocean Supercluster we have seen the expression “you can go faster alone, but farther together” play out many times, but it takes real work to build that trust and alignment. Collaboration is also uneven: not every company is ready to participate. The real breakthroughs come when business and community objectives align whether that’s a SME partnering with an industry leader, or Indigenous organizations shaping projects that reflect their knowledge and priorities.
Scale depends on diversity. While 97% of our projects are SME-led, we know that large corporations and investors are critical participants. They bring capital, global reach, and credibility as first customers. Just as importantly, they benefit from the speed, talent, and creativity that SMEs bring to the table. This two-way dynamic makes the ecosystem stronger than the sum of its parts.
Finally, safeguards matter. At OSC, we’ve developed IP guidance and consortium models that keep ownership with innovators, so SMEs don’t lose control as they scale. Done right, ecosystems allow SMEs to lead projects and drive innovation, while large partners provide the platforms and resources to bring those solutions to the world.
Can you share a recent example where an emerging technology or collaborative project within the Supercluster has delivered a tangible benefit to Canada’s ocean economy or to a small business specifically?
With nearly 150 projects worth more than $500 million, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster has many examples of innovation translating into tangible benefits for SMEs and for Canada’s ocean economy. We are excited to see new companies and existing companies pivot their solutions to the ocean.
GIT Coatings, a small startup that developed graphene-based coatings reducing fuel use and emissions for vessels. Today, they export to more than 50 countries, proving that Canadian ocean technology can compete globally.
Dartmouth Ocean Technologies (DOT) participated in our Ocean Aware project. By advancing eDNA testing technologies, they’ve become leaders in monitoring biodiversity and fisheries health. Their tool is in high demand worldwide. Corsphere, meanwhile, is applying artificial intelligence to corrosion in shipping, tackling one of the sector’s costliest and most persistent problems. Finally, Teem Fish, in collaboration with On Deck Fisheries, is developing AI-enabled monitoring that makes fisheries management more scalable, transparent, and efficient.
These successes demonstrate what happens when collaboration lowers barriers for SMEs: companies scale faster, reach international markets, and drive sustainable practices in traditional sectors. Each success contributes to the broader vision of Ambition 2035: a five-fold expansion of Canada’s ocean economy to $220 billion by 2035, powered by innovation.
Small business leaders often face challenging regulatory and operational environments when innovating in ocean sectors. What advice would you give entrepreneurs who are determined to innovate but feel daunted by these complexities.
My advice to entrepreneurs comes down to three things: start early, collaborate, and think globally.
First, start early. Regulation moves slowly, and changing it can take years. Engaging with regulators and associations early allows you to understand the landscape and, in some cases, influence it. But don’t build a business model that depends entirely on regulatory change, consider your path to move forward even if reform takes longer than expected.
Second, I will repeat the importance of collaboration. The ocean is an unforgiving environment: salinity, pressure, storms, and intermittent communications all create risks that can sink even great ideas. Working with partners who know these conditions, and taking advantage of Canada’s world-class testing facilities, helps refine technologies before they hit the water. Collaboration accelerates learning and reduces costly mistakes.
Third, think globally. Regulation differs across jurisdictions. Many Canadian SMEs have piloted their products abroad while keeping operations and jobs at home. Increasingly, global buyers are asking suppliers to demonstrate sustainability, so even if Canadian regulation lags, customer expectations are already creating markets for sustainable ocean products and services. This international credibility can strengthen your position once Canada is ready to adopt.
Reflecting on your own journey from Deloitte to leading a transformative national cluster, what final piece of advice or encouragement would you share with small and medium-sized business leaders looking to make a meaningful impact in their industries?
Stay rooted in your purpose and remember that change is hard.
Stay rooted in your purpose but flexible in your path. As a leader, clarity of purpose gives you and your team an anchor in times of uncertainty. When I became CEO, my goal was to grow Canada’s ocean economy and positively impact the planet. In our second year, we faced a global pandemic, and today we are navigating unprecedented technological change alongside economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Holding fast to purpose has allowed me to adapt with confidence, even when the path kept shifting.
Second, remember that change is hard, not just for organizations, but for people. As leaders, how we show up in moments of rapid change sets the tone. If we resist, so will our teams. If we stay curious, open, and adaptable, we give others permission to do the same. By embracing change personally, you create resilience in your organization and give your people confidence to take risks. In a world where technology is evolving faster than ever, leadership is less about having all the answers and more about modeling how to learn, adapt, and move forward.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. The information provided is intended for educational and inspirational purposes, supporting the magazine’s mission to empower and inform Canada’s small and medium-sized business community.
