Lessons for a new world

Education really does change the world.

John Baker, CEO, Desire2Learn

John Baker discovered that when he founded the next-generation learning provider, Desire2Learn, as a University of Waterloo student in 1999.

Today, D2L's 750 employees in Waterloo Region and around the world provide access to world-class education to learners on almost every continent.

Like all entrepreneurs, Baker has overcome significant obstacles - including an early IP battle that threatened to end the company before it really began - to achieve the success that garnered him a place in the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame and earned D2L $80-million in first-round VC funding in 2012.

But for Baker, the success of the company is built on people: The students they help through cloud-based learning solutions, the educators they enable and the D2L staff who make it all possible.

"I’m most proud of the team we have built and the relationships we have with our clients to help transform the way the world learns," Baker says.

That emphasis on people and entrepreneurialism runs strong through Baker's extra-curricular efforts, as well.

Supporting teachers worldwide

Whether it is through his work on the governing council of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, as chair of the board at Communitech, or his numerous other community roles, Baker commits himself to supporting the educators and young entrepreneurs who are using technology to improve society worldwide.

Socially concerned businessman, business-focused citizen: These two tenets will remain at the heart of the company as it transforms into a medium, then large, global education presence.

And throughout, Baker says entrepreneurialism will form the core of D2L: Nearly half of the staff work in research and development, feeding the relentless innovation that is changing lives.

"I want to ensure our culture stays strong and our focus on relentless innovation never diminishes," says Baker.