In January 2012, Dr. Adam Chowaniec joined the Startup Canada Governing Board. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of BelAir Networks Corporation, and a Director of Solantro Semiconductor. He is the Past Chair of the Information Technology Association of Canada Board of Directors. He chaired the Ontario Research and Innovation Council from 2006 to 2009. In 2005 he was appointed to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada and currently is a member of the Public Sector Advisory Board. He was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the Export Development Corporation of Canada by the Privy Council of Canada in 2009, and currently serves as the Chair of the Risk Committee.

Adam began his career in 1975 as an Assistant Professor at Acadia University and in 1976 became a member of the scientific staff of Bell Northern Research in Ottawa. From there, he moved into engineering management at Nortel Networks. In 1983 he joined Commodore International, based in Westchester, PA, where he became Vice-President of Technology and was responsible for the development of the Amiga personal computer. In 2010, he was recognized by the California Computer Museum as one of the founding fathers of the personal computer.

In 1986, Adam returned to Ottawa to become President and Chief Executive Officer of the semiconductor firm Calmos Systems. Calmos Systems was acquired by Newbridge Networks Corporation in 1989. Calmos was renamed Newbridge Microsystems. Under this new structure, he served as both its President and as a Vice-President of Newbridge Networks. In December 1995, he was the founding CEO of Tundra Semiconductor Corporation, which was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange until its acquisition by IDT in 2009.

He has served on numerous boards of directors in the United States and Canada, including Amiga and GEAC Computer Corporations, Futurecom, and OSI Technologies. He has served as Chair of the boards of Zarlink Corporation, Liquid Computing, Sibercore and Microbridge Corporations.

Adam is also involved in a number of local business and community initiatives and his commitment and participation has positioned him as a key spokesperson for the high tech community. He is frequently quoted in local and national press and is often a guest on national business TV programs. He was the chair of the Ottawa Economic Development Corporation and member of the Ottawa Partnership from 1999 to 2001. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program and is the vice-chair of the Ottawa Health Research Institute. He is the vice-chair of the Museum of Nature’s national fund raising campaign.

Adam has been recognized for his leadership, business excellence and innovation. In 1998, the Ottawa-Carleton Research Institute honoured him with its prestigious Chairman's Award. Also in 1999, he received the Gold Business Person of the Year Award from the Greater Chamber of Commerce.

He holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Queen's University in Canada, as well as both a Bachelor of Engineering and a PhD from the University of Sheffield in England. His affiliations include the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario.