Ana Serrano, OCAD U President

Ana Serrano, OCAD University President and Vice-Chancellor

Ana Serrano, who assumed the role of President and Vice-Chancellor on July 1, 2020, is an award-winning leader with more than 25 years of experience in transforming organizations, creating award-winning digital products and cultural experiences, and designing cutting-edge programs to strengthen creative sectors and industries. 

President Serrano believes in nurturing the growth and success of the next generation of arts and culture leaders as they tackle some of the most complex challenges of our time.

“From designing for climate resilience to reshaping our relationship with technology, from tackling inequality to preserving democratic practices, we must support these emerging change-makers in working collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams from around the world, bridging north and south, as they co-create equitable, just and sustainable futures for all,” says President Serrano.

As a creative and innovator producer of more than 140 digital projects, President Serrano has produced some of Canada’s critically acclaimed works in digital media, including the award-winning Body/Mind/Change starring David Cronenberg, the first transmedia experience that integrated interactive storytelling, 3D printing and virtual reality. President Serrano also produced the award-winning transmedia experience, Prison Dancer: The Musical, which won five Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards in June 2023. The production ended a run at The Citadel Theatre in Edmonton in May 2023 and a sold-out run at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in November 2023.

The recipient of numerous awards from the digital, media, film and theatre industries in both Canada and United States, President Serrano received the Insignia of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Government of France in 2018.

She is also the recipient of the 2021 Crystal Award for Digital Trailblazer Award from the Women in Film & Television Toronto, the 2015 Digital Media Trailblazer Award from the Academy of Canadian Film & Television and won the 2012 Best Canadian Feature Film Award from the International Reel Asian Film Festival for Prison Dancer: The Musical.

Before joining OCAD University, President Serrano was the Chief Digital Officer of the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and founder of the world-renowned and award-winning CFC Media Lab. At the CFC, she launched several unique and cutting-edge Canadian start-up accelerators, including IDEABOOST, Canada’s first digital entertainment accelerator, with founding partners Corus Entertainment, Google and Shaw Media.

An engaged and active volunteer, Serrano is co-chair of the Open Democracy Project, a former trustee of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and a member of various boards, including the National Film Board, Toronto Arts Council and Atkinson Foundation.

Contact Ana Serrano

Speaking engagement requests

Invite President Serrano to participate in your event. Using the form below, please submit your request at least 45 days prior to the date of the event. We will respond to your request within two weeks of receiving the completed form; however, our ability to respond may be longer during the busier times of the year.

 

Please fill out this form to make a request