July 16, 2013

GOV. MALLOY SELECTS MICHAEL CANTOR TO SERVE AS CHAIRPERSON OF CONNECTICUT INNOVATIONS

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he has appointed Michael Cantor of West Hartford to serve as chairperson of Connecticut Innovations (CI), the quasi-public agency charged with growing Connecticut's economy by making strategic capital and other investments that encourage the development of high-tech industries within the state, such as energy, biotechnology, information technology, and photonics.

Cantor currently serves as co-managing partner of Cantor Colburn LLP in Hartford, where he oversees more than 110 attorneys, patent agents, and technical advisors who help a diverse client base of international innovators. In this role, he couples his technical training in chemical and materials engineering with more than 25 years of experience as an intellectual property attorney to help Fortune 50 corporations, universities, high-tech start-ups, and mid-sized companies devise targeted, timely, and cost-effective global strategies and offer services so that they can realize the full value of their intellectual property assets.

"Michael Cantor has years of experience working with high-tech companies, serving as an advisor to help their operations grow and push boundaries. He is an energetic, hands-on leader whose proficiencies, particularly within the engineering field, will serve as a benefit to both CI and the people of Connecticut," Governor Malloy said.

The Governor continued, "It's no secret that I've placed a major emphasis on growing Connecticut's economy by seeking the advanced, 21st Century companies that are developing the high-tech products of tomorrow. Connecticut used to lead the world when it came to innovation - we had more patents, more groundbreaking discoveries than anywhere else in the world. Through our recent investments in the bioscience industry, our energizing Next Generation Connecticut initiative, and other similar investments in high-tech industries, we are putting Connecticut on a path to becoming competitive again."

"I am honored to assist the Governor in realizing his vision of Connecticut as a hub of innovation, and it will be a privilege to serve as chair of CI," Cantor said. "The board and professional staff at CI are enthusiastic, intelligent, forward-thinking individuals who care deeply about the future of Connecticut. We will continue to work energetically to provide strategic support that advances the success of technology, engineering, biotech, and other companies, with the goal of significantly increasing prosperity in the state."

Previously, Cantor was appointed by former Governor M. Jodi Rell to the board of the Connecticut Development Authority, and then was selected by Governor Malloy to serve on the board of CI when the two agencies merged in 2012. The programs of both entities continue in the combined organization. While state law previously designated the commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development as chairperson of CI, a new law enacted last month now requires the Governor to appoint the chairperson.

Created by the General Assembly in 1989 and originally funded through state bond money, CI has relied on returns from its investments to support its operations and new programs since 1995.

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For Immediate Release: July 16, 2013

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