The experts

We have a whole team of mentors and coaches ready to help you reach your goals.

Our Entrepreneurs in residence. 

Natascha Lukawitski

Patrick Olivier

B.Sc, MBA

Patrick Olivier is a hands-on manager with over 35 years of experience in the forest products industry. He is a leader who knows the importance of people and the power of building effective teams. As an operations manager, his background has trained him to focus on productivity and process improvement, plant safety, and keeping the bottom line firmly in focus. As an Industrial Technology Advisor under the NRC-IRAP Program, he spent six years helping his clients develop new and innovative technologies in Prince George. Through this work, he became a champion for the development of the Northern Interior Science Council and the establishment of the Northern BC Technology Centre, which later became the Innovation Resource Centre.

Patrick formed his own consulting company, GPJ Olivier Management Services Ltd. in 2008. His first assignment was to rebuild and refinance the Moricetown Band’s lumber remanufacturing and finger-joint plant and to provide the management and strategic expertise needed to get the mill up and running again as an independent remanufacturer. Since then, he has taken on numerous consulting assignments to help businesses and First Nations with a wide range of business planning, strategic and operational expertise. Most recently he has played a senior project management role in the completion of a $100 million biomass power generation project in Mackenzie, BC. 

Natascha Lukawitski

Michele Wallcraft

Michele Wallcraft is a senior commercial executive with over 30 years of experience in direct sales, business development, and go-to-market strategies. She has successfully contributed to the growth of both startups and Fortune 500 technology companies across multiple continents, including the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Her expertise spans digital transformation, commercial excellence, international expansion, growth monetization, and strategic partnerships in industries such as mining, oil and gas, agriculture, forestry, and construction.   Michele‘s passion for natural resources stems from her extensive experience working with Northern communities. She continues to provide strategic guidance and mentorship to small businesses in the region, sharing valuable insights and lessons learned to help cultivate the next generation of innovative industry leaders.
Natascha Lukawitski

Michael Daykin

B.A, MDiv

Growing up in a small business family Michael appreciates firsthand the entrepreneurial journey. This has driven him to help small businesses and organizations throughout his career. With a background in software development and systems integration, he has worked in a wide range of industries using these skills over the past 20+ years. Having been involved in web and digital marketing endeavors since the earliest days, Michael brings a long, well-informed perspective on such initiatives. Unlike many who excel at tech, Michael is also a communicator with significant experience in teaching and training. He gets great satisfaction from helping people see what technology can do for them and propel them forward. In 2017 Michael moved to Prince George with his family to start a new season of life. They have fallen in love with the North and want to be a part of making this community better, strong, and more resilient to the changing economic realities. When not helping businesses or teaching classes, you’ll find Michael with his family or making sawdust in his shop. 

Our Values.

What we do is just as important to us as to why we do it. Here are our guiding values at Northern Innovation Network.

Community-focused.

We know that you can’t have a thriving economy without a resilient community. No one succeeds alone, and we are grateful for those whose shoulders we stand on.

Entrepreneurial. 

We are inspired leaders, creators, and self starters. We love what we do and aren’t afraid to fail or try new things.

Tenacious.

We are persistent and will never settle. We get stuff done and we get it done well.

Innovative.

The solutions to yesterday’s problems are not the same as today’s, and today’s certainly won’t be tomorrow’s.

Our Supporters.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without the generous support of our funders.