From promoting Canada to the world as a great place to do business, to helping our entrepreneurs and businesses grow and access new markets – Minister Ng is focused on helping Canadians succeed.

First elected the Member of Parliament for Markham–Thornhill in April 2017, Minister Ng was first appointed to Cabinet in July 2018 as Minister for Small Business and Export Promotion. After being successfully re-elected in November 2019, she became Canada’s Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade.

Prior to serving as a Member of Parliament, Minister Ng served as Appointments Director for the Prime Minister, and as Executive Director for the President of Ryerson University where she oversaw the creation of a world-leading business incubator for tech start-ups.

Throughout her 20 years of public service, Minister Ng has been a devoted community leader with a focus on creating jobs, fostering entrepreneurship, and empowering small business to innovate and grow.

Steve Apostolopoulos is Co-Founder of Caary Capital, Managing Partner of Triple Group of Companies and Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer of Triple Properties, a privately-owned real estate investment, development, asset management and leasing company. Steve is also the founder of Six Ventures Inc., a private equity and venture investment company.

Jason Sawyer is the Co-Founder of Caary Capital and a veteran of the alternative investment business. Currently, Jason is the General Manager of Access Alternative Group S.A., a Nassau, Bahamas-based venture investment and advisory firm that has led and maintains investments in early-stage software, fintech, clean energy, natural resource, and health & fitness, and consumer product companies.

Eleanor Pitcher is currently Canadian Market Specialist at Capterra, where she works to support small businesses in their hunt for the digital tools and solutions they need to succeed. Keeping the needs of small businesses as her first priority, her work has helped Capterra grow into a trusted brand in Canada in just over a year. With experience working in startups as well as the charitable sector, Eleanor earned first-hand experience working in small business environments with a range of growth challenges.

Eleanor graduated from Cambridge University with a Bachelor’s degree in Modern and Medieval Languages and speaks Spanish.

Paul Gaspar was appointed director of small business for UPS Canada in 2011. He is responsible for educating and informing small businesses about the customized services, technologies and innovations available to them at UPS. He works with a team of small business ambassadors who help communicate how to better leverage UPS tools to help them grow and expand both domestically and internationally. 

Paul’s career with UPS began in 1991 in operations. Through several roles and responsibilities Paul’s appetite for working with small businesses and educating them on the opportunities available in other markets grew. He soon realized that through his growing network of entrepreneurs, and the focused learnings of SME global supply chains, that he had a wealth of knowledge he can share to improve the success rate of businesses looking to scale and go global.

A successful entrepreneur and business executive, champion fundraiser, and dedicated public servant, Rocco Rossi joined the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) in 2018 as President and CEO. Prior to joining the OCC, Rossi most recently served as President and CEO of Prostate Cancer Canada where he helped to advance the research, advocacy, education and awareness of the most common cancer in men. Mr. Rossi also served as CEO of Heart and Stroke Foundation – one of Canada’s largest non-profit organizations – overseeing consecutive years of record fundraising combining for over $500 million in total and launching many new, life-saving initiatives. Mr. Rossi has held senior positions at the Boston Consulting Group, TORSTAR, Labatt/Interbrew and MGI Software. He is a graduate of McGill and Princeton.

For more than 20 years, Shiraz has held Senior Sales Leadership roles for Call Centres, Inside Sales teams and Direct Sales. With a proven track record of leading others to deliver record-setting performances, his process-orientation methodically takes customers through the process of Calibrating, Calculating and Communicating your message, so you can Outperform, Outpace and Outsell even the whales in your industry.

As a Guest Speaker/Lecturer in both the Academic and Corporate world, Shiraz feels blessed to have been a part of so many ‘lightbulb-moments’ that generated greater influence and more sales for his clients. “We go beyond building successful programs – we believe in building successful people through Skillset and Mindset Development.”

Duncan Sinclair is the Chair of Deloitte Canada and Chile, and a member of the Deloitte Global Board. Throughout his 32-year career, Duncan’s professional activities include serving public and private global businesses in the mining, telecommunication, consumer business, manufacturing, real estate, and construction industries, as well as national and regional governments.



Duncan is passionate about developing those around him and building a better future for Canada and Chile. Duncan currently serves as Chair of the Long Term Investment Organization and sits on The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Board of Directors.

Darian Kovacs is the Indigenous founder of Vancouver based SEO company Jelly Digital Marketing & PR & digital marketing course Jelly Academy. He brings 15 years of marketing experience and a passion for education, and creativity.  He is the host of the TV show Marketing News Canada found on Amazon Prime in US and UK (called Marketing Jam) and all podcast channels. Darian specializes in mixing PR with digital marketing and has worked with numerous internationally renowned brands on developing and executing their digital marketing and PR strategies. Darian lives in Fort Langley, BC with his wife and four children and likes to mountain bike, watercolour and read in his free time. 

When someone is as driven, passionate, and fiercely independent as Adrianne Fekete, owning a business is a natural career choice. Adrianne is one of the first women to venture into running fully licensed, private investigations and security businesses in Canada. She is, certainly, the lady with the longest tenure in the role to date. She has led her agency to success repeatedly as a straight-talking, transparent and compassionate leader committed to ensuring safety and uncovering compelling evidence that reflects the truth. She supports individuals and corporations as they are forced to face their truth and the impact that it brings into their life. Her company, Star Quality Private Investigations, is award-winning. Adrianne credits this recognition to her dedication to helping others, her intense work ethic, and her entire team, which is comprised of former police detectives.

Adrianne began her career as a Public Relations Specialist in the Music and Film Industry. She worked for some of the most creative professionals in the industry and they quickly identified her broader scope of capabilities. They guided her experience and success beyond public relations to executive protection. Rising quickly to the challenge resulted in her working alongside some of the world’s most legendary celebrities.

Sai Huda, is the founder, chairman and CEO of CyberCatch, a cybersecurity software-as-a service (SaaS) solution for small and medium-sized organizations (SMOs). CyberCatch first helps the SMO implement all necessary cybersecurity controls, then the solution automatically and continuously tests the controls to detect security holes and helps remediate so attackers cannot exploit to steal data or install ransomware. Sai is a globally recognized risk and cybersecurity expert and the author of the best-selling book, “Next Level Cybersecurity” and a frequent keynote speaker at industry conferences. He also helped author Canada’s new national Cybersecurity standard, CAN/CIOSC 104, Baseline Cybersecurity Controls for SMOs.

As the founder and managing partner of Williams HR Law LLP and President and CEO of Williams HR Consulting Inc., Laura boasts more than two decades of experience providing strategic advice and legal representation to organizations on a full range of labour and employment law matters. Laura is also regularly engaged as a workplace investigator and has conducted investigations across virtually all industries and sectors. Laura has specific expertise in conducting investigations and organizational reviews related to equity diversity inclusion and systemic discrimination issues.

Laura is passionate about providing her clients with proactive advice designed to minimize workplace law

challenges, maximize employee engagement and boost their bottom line performance. She is widely recognized as a leader in helping organizations leverage innovative strategies to reduce liability and costs derived from ineffective and noncompliant workplace practices.

As a speaker, achieving the Certified Professional Speakers designation conferred by the National Speakers’

Association, Laura frequently chairs, educates and keynotes at legal, association and business conferences, and conducts customized in house corporate training to help organizations identify and address legal risks, implement equity, diversit and inclusion strategies, restore culture and optimize people management strategies.

María Luisa Boyce is Vice President of International Policy for Global Public Affairs, bringing more than 25 years of

experience and leadership in international trade, customs affairs and cross-border trade. In her current role, she is part of the team working on Capitol Hill, Washington D.C., United States, advocating for UPS’ priorities, she supports the company's government affairs efforts in Latin America, advocates for global policy impacting UPS’s Small Business Enterprise (SMEs) customers and leads for the Global Public Affairs team the UPS Women Exporters Program which has trained over 17,000 women and small business owners over the past 3 years.

In her professional career, Maria Luisa has held different positions and functions in both the private and public sectors of the United States, worked in regional committees, and partner with multilateral organizations. This has allowed her to have a solid knowledge of cross-border trade, understanding of logistics and the challenges faced by SMEs around the globe.

María Luisa holds a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and International Relations from

Universidad Externado de Colombia and has a Certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government for Strategic Management for Regulatory and Compliance Agencies.

Ron is a 23-year senior technology executive with a successful track record of building and scaling organizations in Enterprise B2B and SaaS. Ron’s core expertise lies in the area of Business Development, Sales and Marketing as he has personally driven hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from the largest B2B enterprise brands in the world for the companies he has served.

Ron began his career in 1996 working for Carlson Marketing in business development for 4 years and went on to become Co-Founder and President of Carlton One Engagement and Global Reward Solutions. As President of both Ron was focused on Sales and International partnerships and was instrumental in launching the first SaaS technology to the loyalty and incentive industry worldwide in 2007. When Ron exited in 2011, Carlton One was north of 50 MM in top-line revenue. This was achieved all organically and without one dollar in outside investment capital being raised.

After leaving Carlton One Ron went on to launch Accolade International, a tech and SaaS focused company in the global incentive industry, in conjunction with business partners in the UK. Unfortunately, Accolade was not able to commercialize its offer and was shut down in 2012

Graham loves being a creative entrepreneur. The former founder and principal of Toronto based ad agency Urban DNA has over twenty years of experience building and deploying brand strategies for some of Canada’s best known brands including Nike, Fujitsu, City of Toronto, Ontario Ministry of Health and CAMH (and many others). His work in UX strategy extends across a multitude of industries and in 2006, he introduced Canada to mobile proximity marketing.

Fatima Zaidi is the CEO and Founder of Quill Inc. a full service podcasting hosting platform and production agency which supports brands in launching their podcasts. As a member of the National Speakers Bureau, Fatima has spoken at various events around the world on media and tech trends leading her to keynote on world stages alongside speakers like Gary Vaynerchuk. In addition to being a commentator for BNN Bloomberg on the challenges that female and BIPOC founders face in entrepreneurship, she is a frequent contributor to publications including The Globe and Mail, and Huffington Post, and has also been featured in publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur. Over the past few years she has won two Top 30 under 30 awards, the Young Professional of the Year by Notable Life, Veuve Clicquot’s Bold Future Award, The Women in Content Marketing Award, and one of Flare Magazine’s Top 100 Women.

Outside of entrepreneurship Fatima is Co-Chair of the #Tech4SickKids council for SickKids Hospital which is the second-largest pediatric research hospital in the world. She is on track to raise 25 million dollars to build a new emergency wing of the hospital, as well as fund some of the world's biggest data and AI projects. 

Danish Yusuf is the Founder, President, and CEO of Zensurance, a Canadian technology company revolutionizing the small business insurance space. He is a former leader in McKinsey & Company’s Digital Insurance practice, supporting insurance clients globally in defining their digital strategy. Before McKinsey, Danish was a software architect and developer at IBM Canada, covering everything from mainframe development to web development. Danish earned a bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering from the University of Toronto and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Marcelo Souhami, VP of sales, for SAP Customer Experience in Canada. A passionate about Customer Experience. Strong technical background facilitating the establishment of trust and buy-in with business development and sales initiatives that require engineering-level understanding and superior presentation skills. Sought after to facilitate client presentations for other business groups.

Shenela Tavarayan is the Retail Commerce, Senior Manager in charge of the Small Business portfolio at Interac. Her responsibilities include Merchant acceptance and usage, growth of new products and Interchange pricing controls and process.  She is also a co-lead and co-founder of the Women's Employee Resource Group at Interac Corp. Focused on turning inwards and listening to the perspectives of the strong women at Interac, the Women’s Employee Resource Group helps to inform Diversity and Inclusion program development while fostering an inclusive work environment where everyone feels respected and valued.

Miki Velemirovich is a senior executive, consultant, strategic advisor and speaker in the exciting space of B2B Marketing. As former President of Cargo, the award-winning Business-to-Small-Business (B2SB) marketing agency and consultancy, he has helped brands like Lenovo, RBC and SkipTheDishes build stronger and more valuable engagement with their Small Business customers. As Canada’s expert in the world of B2SB, he has shared many valuable insights on physical and virtual stages, and through digital content channels. The undying passion for SMEs started during Miki’s tenure as Head of Product and Marketing of Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vans, where many conversations with customers and dealers uncovered the unique mindsets of this passionate audience, and the need for a different approach. Currently, he is President & Principal of 1919 Strategy Group, a B2B Marketing consultancy and advisory, serving automotive and technology industries. He kicked off his career with IBM Canada, holds an MBA in Strategy and Marketing from the Schulich School of Business as well as the Chartered Marketer (CM) designation.   

He is an active member of the Canadian Marketing Association, currently serves on their B2B Council, and is a judge in the annual CMA Awards.

When not immersed in the world of B2B, he is an avid classic car collector and guitarist. 

Lissa Ricci is currently Head of Sales for Small Business Solutions at Cisco Canada, where she understands that Small Businesses have different needs. She is excited to be leading the charge to bring a new technology portfolio, ‘Cisco Designed’ to the Canadian market, that caters specifically to Small Business and Start Ups. Lissa has over 15 years experience in Sales Leadership roles and lives with her husband Shaun and two kids Preston and Isley in Toronto.

Faye Pang is the Canada Country Manager for Xero, the global small business platform with more than 2.7 million subscribers worldwide that's dedicated to making business beautiful. Prior to joining Xero, Faye helped launch the Uber Eats app in Toronto in December 2015, scaling the business from 80 restaurants on launch day to 20,000 partners by the end of her tenure.

Eric Huang is the Founder and CEO of Advanced Analytics and Research Lab, an affordable hybrid

analytic service’s and solutions provider, consultancy and education shop. The company helps

organizations to fully streamline and utilize data to increase productivity, improve insights and ultimately

achieve their goals. Eric has an undergraduate degree in Honors Business Administration, a Master of

Science in Analytics from Ivey Business School, as well as an Honors Specialization in Economics from

Western University. He has worked in various capacities in consulting, business development, finance,

and academia, and has experiences teaching undergraduate and master level students in fun, engaging,

and practical ways. Eric is a fun and friendly individual who loves to learn about everything in the world,

and is also an avid coffee drinker, barista, photographer and volunteer.

Robert Gauvreau is an award-winning CPA and founding partner of Gauvreau & Associates CPA who specializes in helping entrepreneurs grow, scale, and turns a profit. With upwards of 500 clients including businesses recognized on Fortune 500 and Growth 500 in North America, Robert’s firm not only provides advisory, accounting and taxation services, but also helps entrepreneurs find financial success and generate significant wealth.

Gauvreau is a newly 2020 published best-selling author of “The Wealthy Entrepreneur,” a book dedicated to share the “Vision to Results” framework to lead extraordinary results in any business and create financial clarity for entrepreneurs in their endeavours. The book consults entrepreneurs on clarifying a business roadmap with attainable financial goals, maximizing wealth accumulation, and boost the overall performance of any business. 

Robert was recently recruited by Tony Robbins to join his ‘Global Accounting Advisors’ partnership to provide advice and guidance to his business mastery attendees. As a passion project, Robert is a founding partner of Venture North, a massive 38,000 square foot entrepreneurial business hub that provides business incubation programs, mentorship, financial coaching and business mindset training to entrepreneurs at every stage. He’s also a sought-after speaker and had recently given keynotes at the Toronto Entrepreneurs Conference, the Peterborough Entrepreneurs Conference and the Toronto Power Group.

Anne De Aragon is the Vice President and Country Manager for GoDaddy Canada, the company that empowers everyday entrepreneurs. In this role, she is responsible for all GoDaddy operations in Canada, leading the charge on business strategy and growth in Canada. Anne De Aragon joined GoDaddy in 2015 bringing her expertise in the small business and entrepreneurial landscape in Canada to the team. Throughout her tenure at GoDaddy, she has worked closely with Canadian small businesses to understand their needs to help them reap the benefits of having an online presence. Anne has also been a driving force behind GoDaddy’s partnership with the Toronto Raptors for the past four years, resulting in some of the most successful branding campaigns in the company’s history. This past year, she spearheaded the No Celebrity Necessary campaign, highlighting real Canadian small business owners and Olympian Andre De Grasse.

Shrad Rao is constantly cracking jokes, he’s Zen-level kind, and he’s humble to a fault. He’s also a rising star in Canada’s ultra-competitive tech world. At 40, Shrad is the CEO and Co-Founder of Wagepoint, a small business payroll software company that processes payroll for more than 18,000 small businesses across North America. In September 2020, the fast-growing company, founded in Nova Scotia in 2012, attracted $10 million in new capital to help propel them to the next phase of their growth. 

Shrad’s business acumen is rooted in his collectivist “eastern philosophy.” For Shrad, business is not centered around the individual, it’s based on community — which includes the company itself, their employees, partners, and the bookkeepers, accountants, and small business customers that they serve. His collectivist vision has driven Shrad to build Wagepoint into what he calls “the kind of company I’ve always wanted to work at” — and this approach clearly trickles down. Wagepoint is known for both their user-friendly payroll software and  for being the world’s friendliest team! 

Shrad’s leadership style has been on full display throughout the pandemic. As the economy struggled and concern for employment set in around the country, Shrad was quick to provide what he calls “psychological safety” for his team of over 70 fully remote employees. This meant reassuring all staff that Wagepoint would do everything in its power to keep their whole team employed. Under his leadership, the company has not only stabilized but has grown during the pandemic, hiring 20 new staff. Shrad has encouraged his team to check in on each other regularly and to find creative ways to support one another, fostering a culture of genuine friendship and resiliency. 

When it came to supporting their customers, Shrad led the Wagepoint team in an all-hands-on-deck approach. As many of their small business customers were forced to lay off staff due to the shutdown, Wagepoint worked around the clock to process more than 7,000 Records of Employment (ROEs) in just a few weeks — a 70% increase! To pull off this feat, the company’s sales team became a full-time customer support team, and even Shrad himself began answering tickets to keep up with the flood of requests.

Tony Chapman is the host of Chatter that Matters, a one-hour Radio Show that airs prime time in nine markets, and a popular Podcast. Tony chats with ordinary people who do extraordinary things and uncovers life lessons that inspire us to do more and to be more. Tony is also an advocate for small business owners. Tony is an inductee into the Marketing Hall of Legends and the Canadian Marketing, Advertising and PR Hall of Fame, a testament to a 30-year career where he founded three agencies and crafted award-winning go-to-market strategies. 

Four television documentaries, including one from Australia and one from the UK, have profiled Tony's consumer and customer engagement thinking.

Ten years ago, Tony sold his agencies to speak his mind at conferences and in the media. He has delivered inspirational keynotes in China, Spain, Poland, Scotland, England, Brazil, Mexico, and North America. Tony is a frequent contributor to the conversation on television, radio, and national newspapers. 

Nunzio Presta is a former pro hockey player turned entrepreneur and is currently the Founder & CEO of BuyAndSellABusiness.com, an online marketplace where people can buy, sell and grow businesses or franchises. He is known for his speed, endurance and strong leadership. He has helped build, grow, advise and set the tone for businesses with one main goal: to add value to the world.

Nunzio is equipped with a wealth of knowledge when it comes to identifying, building and funding businesses. He is also a thought leader on product development, leadership, business & marketing strategy, and building culture.

Nunzio sits on the board of multiple startups and is a mentor to many entrepreneurs, small business and franchise owners, and is a regular contributor to Thrive Global, a digital resource for individuals and corporations spearheaded by Arianna Huffington.

Nunzio graduated from the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada with a Bachelor of Commerce.

Carmen Sandor is the founder and CEO of Green Owl Vodka, one of the only female owned and led spirits sold at the LCBO. Green Owl is Ontario's best selling flavoured vodka and is infused with green tea extract from Japan.

Carmen started her career as a reporter for CTV News and TSN. She then switched gears and started working as a portfolio manager for RPIA, a Toronto-based investment management firm and was the youngest person to be promoted to Vice President at the firm. Last May, she honed in on her financial industry expertise, her entrepreneurial spirit and her passion for clean ingredients to launch Green Owl Vodka in May 2021. 

Carmen graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and Sociology, and was a former professional tennis player and captain of the Penn State varsity women’s tennis team. 

Elke Rubach is Principal and Founder of Rubach Wealth, a leading wealth management firm that she founded in 2012. Her mission is to provide tax-efficient financial planning to help clients build multi-generational legacies. Drawing from her personal experience of facing an unexpected financial crisis, Elke has spent her career advising clients on wealth management, estate planning, and investing in ways that align with their values and goals. 

Rubach Wealth is built on her vision that all clients, especially women, need to be financially independent. She believes that conversations around financial planning need to be normalized that it’s essential for clients to be responsible with their money. 

Elke is also a sought-after speaker on wealth management, estate planning and philanthropy. She is the founder of Fashion Heals for SickKids, which has raised more than $450,000 for pediatric cancer care and research since 2015. As part of her philanthropic efforts, Elke gives back with board and volunteer commitments, including the Professional Advisory Council for SickKids Foundation, the Investment Committee at the Office of the Public Guardian, the Advisory Board for Transpod Inc, and the development committee of Ronald McDonald House. 

Elke earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in law, the latter in banking and finance on scholarship at the London School of Economics. Elke is fluent in English, Spanish, French, and German.

With over 15 years in digital consulting, David Nagy made his mark as one Founders at LiveOutThere.com in 2009. By 2012, LiveOutThere was one of Canada’s fastest growing businesses employing over 50 people. David has led projects with notables such Virgin Mobile, HBO Comedy, General Motors, Rocky Mountain Soap Company, Livify and many others.

As a coach, consultant, trainer & keynote speaker, David has worked with organizations such as Canada Post, Global Affairs Canada, Digital Mainstreet, HRIA and more.

eCommerce Canada has grown it’s team in all eCommerce disciplines to support our customers across Canada. We support online retailers from coast-to-coast and help implement the tools and systems you need to become more successful.

As the CEO and Co-Founder of Ownr, Shadi has seen firsthand the value of entrepreneurship

for Canadians to shape their lives, and that lowering the barriers to entrepreneurship is essential

for the Canadian economy, community, and identity. By seeing her immigrant parents shape

their lives in Canada through being small business owners, Shadi can speak intimately about

the importance of entrepreneurship in providing independence and financial freedom.

Throughout her career, Shadi has sought to empower aspiring and existing entrepreneurs by

equipping them with the tools they need to focus on what’s most important — whether that be

scaling their business or finding solutions to today’s global challenges. This has laddered up to

Shadi spearheading Ownr, allowing Canadians with aspirations big and small the opportunity to

realize their full potential through new business creation.



Ownr is Canada’s leading platform for entrepreneurs to incorporate, register, and manage their

business, having helped more than 75,000 Canadians since launch. By simplifying and

automating business formation and everyday compliance work, Ownr helps small businesses

thrive. As a company, Ownr knows that supporting entrepreneurs goes far beyond helping them

start their business — the platform also provides ways to manage the day-to-day business such

as payroll, legal compliance services, and additional resources to help entrepreneurs grow their

business.

KJ Burke - Principal Technology Strategist Hybrid Cloud. IT leader and change agent for over 20 years. Driven by solving problems for organizations by educating, innovating processes, and investing in new technologies.

Chandrashekar (LSP) is a Zoho evangelist committed to creating and spreading awareness of Zoho. He cut his teeth in the software domain with the WebNMS division of Zoho and has journeyed with the company at its crucial pivot points. LSP is based out of Montreal and holds a masters degree in information systems and applications.

Max leads Xero’s partnerships discussions in Canada focusing on banks, credit unions and companies in the financial services space. Prior to joining Xero, Max was an early member of the COR.IQ team at Symcor, where he led the creation of a new line of business focused on detecting and preventing fraud. Max has a background in technology and finance, and a passion for wine.

Award-winning Commercial Payments expert with experience in the conception, development, and implementation of strategies, programs and products.
 
Strong sales and relationship management experience underpinned by product management excellence

Passionate and results-oriented leader with strong communication skills

Specialties: Commercial Payments, Cash Management, Procurement-to-Pay and Order-to-Cash processes.

Tessa Anaya is the Content Analyst at Capterra Canada, where her time is dedicated to method-based investigations to help SMEs of all industries access the insights that can elevate their organizations. Her of-the-moment consumer surveys and market research have earned her features in IT World Canada, Les Affaires, The Financial Post, and the Journal de Montreal.

Tessa graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan. She is based in Barcelona and is fluent in French, Spanish, and Swedish.

Eleonora Andretta has been a personal development coach for over ten years, working with both individual clients and teams.  She has a master’s degree in interpreting and translation and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). After acquiring skills  in Neuro Training® and intentional interviewing, Eleonora started her own coaching business in Italy, supporting both  professionals and companies with personal development sessions and workshops. 

She moved to Canada in 2016, where she became a certified Business and Executive Coach with Certified Coaches Federation® and, as such, an expert user of Hypnolinguistics® and Cognitive Reflex Conditioning® as vital tools for boosting performance and  managing change. 

In 2017, she founded Business Evolution, a personal development coaching business, which focuses on leadership development  and emotional intelligence training for professionals.

With Business Evolution, she has done speaking engagements for McMaster  University W Booth School of Engineering, Hyundai, Mastermind Speakers, Fearless Voices, Brampton Multicultural Community  Centre, among others. 

Alongside her coaching activity, she has worked as an instructor of English for Academic Purposes and business communication  at George Brown College, and as an intercultural workplace communication instructor at Ryerson University’s Chang School of  Continuing Education. 

Throughout her life, Eleonora has lived and studied in Germany, the UK, and the USA. Her book Future Me, Future Team – Using  Positive Evolution to Be the Person Others Want to Succeed With, was released in August 2019.

Shobhit Khandelwal has a decade of experience in data analytics and digital transformation

space, working at notable companies such as Citibank, Jet.com, Walmart and Evernote, which

he used to found two startups — ShyftLabs and Minoan Experience. The two companies were

built to create a streamlined e-commerce and retail experience for both businesses and

consumers.

In an increasingly data-driven space, ShyftLabs builds customized data-driven solutions to help

companies collect and act on the insights driven by the data.ShyftLabs work primarily in retail

domain solving problems in the space of Pricing, Assortment and Marketing, providing real-time

answers to questions such as which products to prioritize, price adjustment needs, and more

through data analysis, helping e-commerce businesses better understand their customers

leveraging the first party data.



Shobhit is also Co-Founder of Minoan Experience, which is creating a native retail platform to

change the way consumers interact and purchase retail products.Minoan raised $5 million in

seed funding earlier this year. The company currently works with Airbnb and Short term rental

hosts, allowing guests who enjoy a particular chair or wall art in their Airbnb to purchase the

product for their own home seamlessly through a QR code. From there, the item is delivered to

the consumer’s home in a few days. Both companies are paving the way for the changing

shopping habits of consumers as e-commerce becomes the norm.

Sylvia Ng is the CEO of ReturnBear, Canada’s first end-to-end ecommerce returns solution.

Sylvia started leading ReturnBear in late 2021 to make returns easier for consumers, more

efficient for merchants, and better for the planet.



Sylvia has held past roles at eBay and Google, and most recently was a General Manager at

Shopify where she worked on products to help early stage ecommerce merchants grow their

businesses. Sylvia currently serves as a General Manager at Koru, a Toronto venture foundry

and early-stage fund founded by the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan. In conjunction with her

current role, Sylvia is also the founder of Amidira, a Toronto-based startup helping patients and

caregivers fight cancer through gift boxes and lifestyle content. Sylvia is an active speaker at

tech industry events such as Women in Product, SMX, and Big Data Toronto, and was named

one of Inspiring Fifty's Most Inspiring Women in Canadian STEM in 2018.

David is an award-winning business leader and former director of the Canadian

Lenders Association. He is passionate about helping Canadian small businesses grow and find

the financing they need to weather ever-changing obstacles. David built Merchant Growth from

humble beginnings in his apartment to offices in both Vancouver and Toronto, becoming the

leader of one of Canada’s largest online small business finance companies. David's been dialed

into the historic inflation numbers, and knows just how challenging that can be for small

businesses and entrepreneurs. Having helped manage millions of assets at UBC when the 2008

global financial crisis took hold, David's experience and career trajectory is a testament to his

dedication to small business ownership in Canada.

As a life and business coach in Montreal, I believe that we all have the power to tap into the greatness within ourselves and that each one of us has the right to happiness and fulfillment in all areas of life. My guiding principle is that a burning desire for self-transformation and an active commitment are the keys to living the new reality you’re seeking.

I have personally experienced that transformation, and I’m still learning and evolving every day!

My Personal Journey Through Self-Transformation

I am grateful for all that I have achieved and received in my life. I am blessed with two smart, beautiful, and healthy boys. I am a wife and senior manager with 10+ years of experience in business life, as well as a:

• Certified Life Coach
• Certified ThetaHealing Practitioner
• EFT & TFT Master Practitioner
• Meditation Specialist

I’m always open to learning new methods that will help others achieve their financial, personal, and spiritual goals. My coaching and healing techniques are varied, but they all serve a single purpose: to empower my clients to unleash the greatness within.

Josh is Goodlawyer's Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel. Josh is committed to empowering entrepreneurs with legal knowledge to fuel their business growth. From his experience working at Canada's largest law firm, Josh understands how legal protections and legal problems can make or break a business. In his role with Goodlawyer, Josh shares his insights and expertise to level the playing field and help founders benefit from the legal strategies large companies use to win. Josh's unique approach to law stems from his belief in the power of teams and helping those around you.

Tom brings more than three decades of software design, network administration, and cybersecurity knowledge to organizaions around the country. During his career, Tom has received multiple software design awards and founded other acclaimed technology businesses. He is an active member of the FBI’s Arkansas InfraGard Chapter and frequently speaks about the latest in security threats. You’ll be hard pressed to find someone more qualified than Tom to operate a cyber security company. 

Nicholas Reichenbach is a seasoned executive and entrepreneur with a robust track record over the last 25 years, founding, investing, and building multiple businesses in the consumer goods (Flow, SimplyProtein), social media (Rabbit), internet/mobile technology (Magmic Games, Bplay), entertainment and hospitality space (GuestDriven).

Nicholas' latest venture, where he holds the role of Founder and CEO, is Flow Water Inc. Flow is a sustainably packaged, alkaline spring water built on the power of mindful positivity. Flow holds a B-Corp certification and has partnered with Tetra Pak to disrupt the water category and build a brand that aligns with consumer values for sustainability, quality, health and wellness.

Tracy Bell is a television reporter, turned corporate exec, turned start-up CEO. 

She believes the story we tell ourselves and others is a potent tool for success in business, and satisfaction in life. 



As a career communicator, Tracy knows first-hand the powerful impact of story. 

She was a journalist for one of Canada’s most-watched newscasts. Then head of public affairs for a provincial health organization.

And five years ago she co-founded an award-winning and category-creating CPG start-up – which was just this month named innovation of the year in over-the-counter-healthcare by the Retail Council of Canada.

Tracy has presented internationally on the topics of innovation and pitching.

She had a successful pitch on the television show Dragons’ Den, and recently closed a funding round that includes private, institutional and venture capital investors. And just before the start of the pandemic, she spent three (3) months in New York City, as one of eight (8) founders selected from around the world as part of the #1 innovation accelerator globally for “food-as-medicine” companies.

Tracy and her husband Rory live in New Brunswick with their two (awesome!) kids.

John is a 25-year veteran of the investment, financial services and technology space. Prior to joining Caary, he held executive roles at PwC and IBM and served as an advisor to National Australia Bank and OMERS.

Corinne Pohlmann is Senior Vice President, National Affairs and Partnerships for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), a not-for-profit organization representing 95,000 small and medium-sized businesses across Canada. Corinne is based in Ottawa and is a member of CFIB’s senior management team and leads CFIB’s strategy on federal issues, as well as oversees CFIB’s Atlantic Canada legislative team. Corinne is also responsible for CFIB’s Partnerships function, which provides CFIB members with savings on services essential to their business.

Ms. Delores Sui has been working for the Government of Canada for over 15 years. She has held various positions in Public Services and Procurement Canada, Industry Canada and Immigration Refugee Citizenship Canada. Ms. Sui is responsible for supplier outreach and engagement for PAC-OR. She also delivers seminars that assist and inform suppliers on how to do business with the Government of Canada, how to navigate the federal procurement system and how to utilize www.buyandsell.gc.ca and canadabuys.canada.ca, the federal procurement websites.

Mr. Tyler Vandonk has been working for the Government of Canada for over 10 years. He has held various procurement positions in both Ontario Region and the National Capital Region with both Public Services and Procurement Canada and the Department of National Defence. Mr. Vandonk is responsible for supplier outreach and engagement for PAC-OR. He also delivers seminars that assist and inform suppliers on how to do business with the Government of Canada, how to navigate the federal procurement system and how to utilize www.buyandsell.gc.ca and canadabuys.canada.ca, the federal procurement websites.

Roni Khalil joined Public Services and Procurement Canada, Ontario Region as a Procurement Specialist in 2022. He has held various positions in both the private and public sectors across multiple industries and fields ranging from Procurement to Project Management. He currently assists small and medium sized businesses navigate the federal procurement system, www.buyandsell.gc.ca and canadabuys.canada.ca, the federal procurement websites.