John Coburn

Managing Director
XPV Capital
Panelist: Water is Our Future

Prior to joining XPV in January 2006, Mr. Coburn was a private investor focused on the water industry. He was one of the earliest employees of ZENON Environmental, and as President and Chief Operating Officer, he helped grow the company from start up to over $146M in revenue with a market capitalization of $700M. Upon leaving ZENON in 2002, he was awarded the "Architect of ZENON Award" to recognize his efforts in building the company from start up to a world leader in water treatment. ZENON was subsequently acquired by GE in 2006. Mr. Coburn’s water expertise began during the first 10 years of his career with Environment Canada, where he held various technical and senior management roles. He published over 20 scientific research papers and journal articles related to water treatment and its impact on the environment. To honour his service and commitment to excellence during his tenure at Environment Canada, he was awarded the prestigious "Government of Canada Merit Award".

He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of EnviroTower Inc and Director of Aptwater, Inc. He is a member of the Sustainable Development Technology Canada Investment Committee, a $1 billion program that finances and supports the development and demonstration of clean technologies. John is the Sector Practice Lead, Water and Waste Water, for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s (DFAIT) Cleantech Strategy, and is also a founding member of the National Angel Capital Organization.

Mr. Coburn holds a B.Sc. with Honours in Chemistry from the University of Waterloo and a C. Dir. (Chartered Director) from the McMaster University DeGroote School of Business Director’s College program.