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The Forge Announces Leadership Transition: Acting Director Gay Yuyitung Appointed Interim CEO of McMaster Innovation Park, Leigh Wilson to Serve as Interim Director of The Forge

October 25, 2024

Hamilton, Ontario – October 25, 2024

The Forge, McMaster University’s startup incubator, is announcing a temporary leadership transition as Gay Yuyitung takes on a new role as interim CEO of McMaster Innovation Park (MIP) effective November 1, 2024. Yuyitung will lead the search for a permanent CEO, expected to be completed by Spring 2025. MIP is part of McMaster’s broader strategy to align its innovation hubs, ensuring strong collaboration and support for entrepreneurial ventures across the university.

Photo of Gay Yuyitung and Leigh Wilson
Gay Yuyitung (left) appointed Interim CEO of McMaster Innovation Park, Leigh Wilson (right) to serve as Interim Director of The Forge

To ensure a smooth continuation of The Forge’s services and operations during this time, we are pleased to announce Leigh Wilson will serve as Interim Director of The Forge. Leigh is currently the Associate Director of New Ventures in the McMaster Industry Liaison Office (MILO) and brings her extensive knowledge of business acceleration and startup mentorship to The Forge community.

Over her 17-year career at MILO, Leigh has driven the commercialization of McMaster life sciences technologies, including negotiating license agreements and securing commercialization funding in support of emerging McMaster start-ups. Most recently, Leigh has managed the McMaster Seed Fund (MSF) – a start-up, early-stage investment fund initiated to foster research-intensive and innovative start-up companies that will have a significant economic and societal impact in the Greater Hamilton Area. Under Leigh’s leadership, MSF has deployed over $3M to McMaster based companies over the past 3 years. Leigh is an adjunct lecturer and teaches a commercialization and entrepreneurship course to Biochemistry graduate students. Leigh holds a PhD in medical sciences from McMaster University.

Read the press release here

About The Forge: The Forge is an entrepreneurial hub backed by McMaster University, catering to startups in the Hamilton, Greater Toronto, and Niagara Regions. Established in 2015, we actively engage with entrepreneurs, providing them comprehensive support in transforming their business concepts into thriving ventures. Regardless of industry, The Forge offers cohort-based programs to facilitate idea development, validation, and ultimately, sustainable growth.