Our Team

Andrew Parolin is responsible for all operations at WiLAN, including the development and implementation of WiLAN’s strategy and operations.   He has over 15 years of management experience in all aspects of patent licensing, partnerships, acquisitions, litigation and prosecution.  His previous roles with WiLAN were Senior Vice President, Licensing and Business Unit Leader, which he assumed in 2011; Vice President, Wireless Technologies, which he assumed in November 2007; Vice President, Business Development, which he assumed in May 2007. 

During his tenure, Mr Parolin’s business units have negotiated and signed licence agreements collectively worth hundreds of millions of dollars with more than 150 companies, including global technology leaders Alcatel-Lucent, BlackBerry, Broadcom, Dell, HTC, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, LG, Mediatek, Motorola, Nokia Networks, Panasonic, Sharp, Sony, Samsung and Toshiba. In addition, Mr Parolin’s teams have helped to drive the diversification and growth of Wi-LAN’s business through the signing of patent acquisition/licensing partnership agreements with many corporations, including Airspan, Conexant Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Nokia Solutions, Proxim and SENSIO Technologies.

Before joining WiLAN, Andrew worked at SiGe Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor company specializing in next-generation integrated circuit designs, where he served as Director of Wireless Data Products.

Andrew has a MBA from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Applied Science from Queen’s University, and a Bachelor of Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia / Dalhousie University. 

Sunwoong joined WiLAN in 2019, and is responsible for the licensing of WiLAN’s semiconductor portfolios. He brings a wealth of experience to the role, having successfully been involved with numerous successful licensing programs.

Sunwoong was previously with MOSAID Technologies Incorporated (formally Conversant IP), where he was Senior Vice President of Semiconductor Licensing. Prior to joining MOSAID Technologies Incorporated , he was a Program Manager at Chipworks (now TechInsights Inc.), a globally recognized patent-related technical analysis and services firm. He began his career as a failure analysis and quality control engineer in 1989 at Hynix Semiconductor (now SK hynix) in Korea.

Sunwoong holds a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from Korea University.

Steve joined WiLAN in 2010 and is head of the business development team at WiLAN.  His responsibilities include patent acquisitions, assessments of relevant markets, identification of new business opportunities, and the establishment of partnerships with patent owners. Steve brings to the role over 30 years of experience in management, sales, business development, licensing, and strategic alliances. Steve was instrumental in bringing more than 13,000 patents into WiLAN subsidiaries and is currently tasked with implementing corporate business development strategies that align with WiLAN’s overall goals.

Before joining Wi-LAN, Steve worked at patent licensing company Pachira IP, where he had global responsibility for its business development efforts. Before Pachira, he spent seven years at Chipworks, a globally recognized patent-related technical services firm. At Chipworks, he held the role of Vice President, Patent Intelligence, where he was responsible for the overall operation of the patent business unit, including engineering, sales, marketing and program management.

Steve holds a BA, Economics from Wilfred Laurier University.

Mike McCartney is a senior patent agent and licensing executive.  He is responsible for managing and developing WiLAN’s patent portfolios. Prior to joining WiLAN in 2006, Mike was a Manager of Patent Services at Semiconductor Insights (now Tech Insights) where he managed the Patent Development Services line of the business, as well as oversaw the development of IP Landscape products. Over the last 15 years at WiLAN, Mike has held a variety of roles in the company, including licensing, acquisitions, and patent prosecution. 

Mike holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Carleton University and has written numerous articles on patents and their effect on the development of technology.

Nicholas has overall responsibility of the team licensing Wi-LAN’s wireless, artificial intelligence, digital television and connectivity patent portfolios. 

Since joining Wi-LAN in 2012, his business unit has negotiated and signed licence agreements with global technology leaders such as Apple, Ericsson, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic and Sony. 

Prior to joining Wi-LAN, Nicholas worked at BlackBerry for many years, first as a software developer before joining the legal department in 2005. 

Nicholas has a J.D. from the University of Ottawa and a B.A. in Computer and Information Science with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Guelph. He is a member of the Ontario Bar and is also a registered Canadian Patent Agent.