Denis Hains, Doctor Honoris Causa (D.H.C.), is the Founder, President and CEO of H2i (Hains HYDROSPATIAL international inc.). He is a member of The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO, Seabed 2030 Project Strategic Advisory Group and the representative appointed by the United States and Canada Hydrographic Commission (USCHC) on the International Hydrographic Review (IHR) Editorial Board of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). D.H.C. Hains is the only non-European member of the Hydrographic Panel Accreditation Scheme of the International Federation of Hydrographic Society and is also an active member of the Canadian Hydrographic Association, the Association Francophone d’Hydrographie from France, and is an Associate member of the Association of Canada Lands Surveyors.
D.H.C. Hains holds a B.Sc. in Geodetic Science, and a 2025 Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) in Geomatics Sciences from Université Laval in Québec City, Canada. He received the 2024 Sam Masry Award of Excellence from the Canadian Hydrographic Association, and is a.-g.(Retired Québec Land Surveyor) and had a successful 35+ year career with the Public Service of Canada, where he worked for 20 years for Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) in Mont-Joli and Ottawa, including two years with the Canadian Coast Guard. He also spent 15 years with Natural Resources Canada, particularly as the National Executive Director of the Canadian Geodetic Survey (CGS). He retired as Director-General of the CHS and Hydrographer General of Canada in Ottawa, Canada in 2018.