Dr. Frantisak began his professional career in 1957 as a process engineer and later as a manager of the chemical engineering department at the Research Institute of Inorganic Chemistry in Usti, Czechoslovakia. Following the Soviet invasion of that country in 1968, he and his family emigrated to Canada where he continued a highly successful career as an advocate for corporate responsibility for sustainability and environmental protection. At the Ontario Ministry of the Environment he developed the Air Pollution Index and Hazardous Substances Programs, the first of their kind in Canada. Joining Noranda in 1984, he became Senior VP Environment. His leadership resulted in major reductions in energy use and air and water emissions. He has received numerous awards, including the Order of Canada.