About Me

For those of you who are just meeting me…

In 1987 I co-founded SMART Technologies Inc. (along with my husband, David Martin) in Calgary, Canada. From lean times to global market leadership, we created products like the SMART Board interactive whiteboard that changed the way people worked and learned in literally millions of meeting rooms and classrooms all around the world.

Nancy Knowlton

Over a 25 year period, we grew from a two-person start-up to a global company with annual revenues just under $800 million. Whether it was managing growth and rapidly expanding staff, understanding trends and technology directions, creating innovative products, fending off competitors or delivering on customer commitments, I’ve gained insights and formed views.

And we’re doing it again in our new companies.

For those of you who already know me…

I continue to have a deep interest in education issues and opportunities. Rather than just going along for the ride, I am interested in how education can and should evolve to meet rapidly developing needs in individual countries and regions. Technology certainly plays a role but so does sound pedagogy.

I’m intensely interested in people, process and technology applied to group collaboration as companies seek to gain advantage in a more competitive and time-restricted global marketplace.

I have other interests in a variety of areas. Nothing excites me more than working with motivated, capable people who want to follow a trail that we blaze.

At a time when some might look to kick back and wind down, I am interested in revving it up, starting companies and doing something that matters. As Dave and I have often said, somebody somewhere is going to do something important. Why shouldn’t that be us?

Read my latest posts.