2007 Highlights

David Kincaid

CEO and President, LEVEL5 Strategic Brand Advisors, Brand Finance Canada

Passionate about brands and the driving force behind the notion of “persistence and thought leadership”, David Kincaid is the founder of LEVEL5 (formerly K Inc.) and is a legendary Canadian marketer.

David established K Inc. Marketing Management in 2002 for clients seeking a competitive edge with innovative branding and marketing solutions. Before taking the leap to setting up the firm, David was Chief Marketing Officer for Corus Entertainment. He was responsible for revitalizing and innovating across the entire family of brands in the Corus stable.

Prior to Corus, David was Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Planning with Labatt Breweries of Canada. Under David’s thirteen-year tenure and leadership, his team was responsible for development and implementation of national marketing programs including over 25-award-winning advertising and promotional campaigns.

David created a number of new product and media innovations, and developed successful initiatives for markets in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. Among these are the pivotal `Out of the Blue` campaign and the creation and Canadian launch of brands such as Alexander Keith’s and Stella Artois.

He has also enjoyed substantial relationships working with financial services and consumer products market leaders including both American Express and General Foods.

David is a provocative leader at the core of the LEVEL5 philosophy and is a pivotal part of the company’s brand offer.

To learn more about David Kincaid, visit www.level5.ca.

Joe Chidley

Editor, Canadian Business

Joe Chidley, editor of Canadian Business, began his career at Maclean’s magazine in 1989, becoming a senior writer and columnist for the weekly in 1996. His work included covering the 1996 Olympics from Atlanta and the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana from London, England. In 1998, Mr. Chidley joined Canadian Business magazine, where he reported on entertainment, media and technology, as well as writing the back-page column. He became technology editor in 2000, and was promoted to editor of the magazine later that same year. Today, Canadian Business, which publishes every two weeks, is Canada’s best-selling business magazine, with a readership in excess of one million. In 2001, it began publishing an annual ranking of Canadian boards of directors—becoming the first publication in Canada to do so. Mr. Chidley holds a BA and MA in English literature from the University of Western Ontario.

Aditya Jha

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Osellus Inc. Chairman, POA Educational Foundation

Aditya co-founded a software company, Isopia Inc., Canada in 1999 after having a successful career at Bell Canada as General Manager, eBusiness and General Manager, Product Marketing at Bell Nexxia. In July 2001, despite the downturn phase of the technology industry, Isopia was one of the major IT acquisition deals in North America when Sun Microsystems Inc., USA acquired Isopia for USD $100 Million. Subsequently, in December 2001, Aditya co-founded another software product company, Osellus Inc., Canada and Osellus Asia Pacific Company Limited, Thailand (www.osellus.com). Aditya started his professional career with Indian Telephone industries after 4½ years of his Ph.D. studies at School of Computer & Systems Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. Subsequently he worked in various capacities at large technology companies in India, Singapore and Canada.

Aditya founded a private charitable foundation named POA Educational Foundation (www.poafoundation.org) in 2001 and is actively involved in projects to nurture entrepreneurship and supporting educational initiative through scholarship and grants at several Canadian universities. He has established a $440,000 endowment fund at the Ryerson University, a $100,000 endowment for Indigenous Studies at Trent University, a $250,000 endowment at the George Brown College, Toronto for Canadian Native youth to support educational and entrepreneurial opportunities in the Hospitality industry as well as endowment of $25,000 at the York University, Toronto to support International Exchange program between Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and York University, Canada.

Aditya is also running a unique initiative (fourth year) in the area of Venture Philanthropy working with the office of the Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation to nurture entrepreneurship within aboriginal community of Canada (www.projectbeyshick.com) as well as working at the federal and provincial level of governments and private equity group so that large private organizations find it profitable to start ventures in Northern Ontario and members of the Canadian Native community engage in wealth creation ventures.

Aditya is Government of Canada’s appointee to the Board of Directors of First Nations Financial Management Board, Government of Ontario appointee to Ontario Investment & Trade Advisory Council (OITAC), is founding member of Canada India Foundation, was Charter Member of TiE, Toronto and was on the Board of Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce (Trade & Investment portfolio for Canada India Corridor 2006-2007) and is also Member of the Faculty of Business Campaign Cabinet ($72 Million) of Ryerson University, Toronto.

He has jointly funded with Ryerson University a $30,000 research on “Economic Value of Indo-Canadians” and $10,000 for the Pathways Education Program for the inner-city kids of Regent Park community in Toronto as well as $18,000 funding to York University for India knowledge portal initiative. Aditya is the Chairperson for $3 Million UNICEF CANADA India HIV/ AIDS campaign (contributed $35,000). He supports Share the Music program of Roy Thomson Hall through $20,000 endowment so that about 150 Canadian aboriginal youth every year can have access to best musical performances in Toronto. He has contributed $50,000 for infrastructural facilities at the Trillium Hospital, Mississauga, Canada. His foundation supports Toronto International Film Festival as Gold Patron ($21,000) and was the sole sponsor of Canadian Film Festival in Nepal (January 2007). He also supports award for the Top 20 under 20 program (Entrepreneurship category) and $15,000 Business Plan Contest award for the First Nation entrepreneur. He has further pledged $25,000 to support building of 50 student residence for kids from landless families in Bihar, India through SEVA as well as offered to support ($30,000) Canadian Museum of Human Rights and Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund ($7,500).

Aditya was the Keynote speaker at the 16th Annual Nishnawbe Aski Nation Business Awards in 2006 and AIM for SEVA annual Gala in 2007. He moderated Canada session during Pravasi Bhartiya Divas event (Delhi, January 2007) organized by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. He also moderated India Business Roundtable (Toronto, October 2006), jointly organized by Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and Department of Foreign Affairs of Canada as well as the roundtable entitled Engaging India: tapping Roots- Seizing Opportunities (Delhi, January 2007) jointly organized with CII, India and ICCC, Canada.

Aditya was awarded CEO award in 1998 from BCE Inc. for his innovative work at Bell Canada; President’s Award at Bell Nexxia in 1999 and was selected as President’s Club member at Bell Canada in 1997. The Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) awarded “2004 Technology Achievement Award” to Aditya for his achievements in the field of Technology in Canada.

He was an Adjunct Faculty at the National University of Singapore (1989-94). He has been invited speaker at the Schulich Business School, York University, Rotman Business School, University of Toronto and University of Ontario Institute of Technology as well as speaker at various international conferences (USA, Paris, Holland, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, India etc.). Aditya has published papers in several international journals, has served as Editorial Review Board member of two prestigious journals. He has been featured in various Television, Radio programs and also in several articles in national/ international newspapers and magazines for his professional achievements.

Prashant Pathak

Managing Partner, ReichmannHauer Capital Partners

Prashant Pathak is Managing Partner of ReichmannHauer Capital Partners. In his role as a principal investor, Prashant is focused on addressing all strategic, operational, financial and organizational aspects of investments to drive superior returns.

Before launching RHCP in partnership with others, Prashant was a Partner of McKinsey & Company Inc. While at McKinsey he was a leader of the North American Telecom Practice, the Financial Services Practices and also a leader of the Canadian Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice. At McKinsey, Prashant advised several global corporations on a range of general management, strategy, M&A and operations issues across North America, Asia, Europe and South America. He also co-led several leading edge pieces of research including Decapitalization – “Creating capital efficient business models”, IP-Transformation – “Creating the Telco of the Future”, and Lean Six sigma – “Creating the Lean Telco”.

Prior to McKinsey, Prashant spent nearly seven years in industry in a range of management and field operations roles at Halliburton and Schlumberger. At Schlumberger Geco-Prakla, Prashant started in the field and progressed through a range of roles to eventually supervise the seismic navigation operations for Asia Pacific. Before Schlumberger he worked with Halliburton India (HLSI) in their upstream exploration business and also led the special projects team. Prashant has extensive international experience during this time across Europe, Middle East Asia and South East Asia. In addition to operations management Prashant has experience in leading product and technology platform development.

Outside of professional interests, Prashant actively contributes to several not for profit institutions and causes. He is on the Board of the North York General Hospital in Toronto, an alumnus of the core team of Vartana, a new type of bank in Canada – a bank that is not only a charity, but is also owned by and dedicated to serving others engaged in charitable activities. He is a Charter Member of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs). Founded in 1992, in Silicon Valley TiE, also known as Talent Ideas and Enterprise is a global, non-profit network dedicated to the advancement of entrepreneurship. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.

Prashant migrated to Canada in 1998. He now lives in Toronto. Prashant has a MBA from INSEAD with Distinction and a B.Tech degree in Electrical Engineering from The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), where he was adjudged the Best All-round Graduating Student of his class. He also has a Diploma in Fuzzy Logic from IIT.

Richard C. Powers

Assistant Dean and Executive Director, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

After receiving his MBA and LLB from Queen’s University, Rick worked as a corporate lawyer for Smith, Lyons, Torrance, Stevenson and Mayer (now Gowlings). He later served as Corporate Counsel for Honda Canada Inc., before joining The University of Toronto in 1992. Rick is currently the Assistant Dean and Executive Director, MBA Programs at The Rotman School of Management. A recipient of numerous teaching awards, Rick’s areas of expertise include corporate governance, ethics, business and corporate law and sports marketing. Rick is an Academic Director of The Directors Education Program and the Governance Essentials Program (in partnership with the Institute of Corporate Directors – ICD). He also teaches in Rotman’s Executive MBA, MBA and Executive Education Programs. In the past he has been extensively involved in both the Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Business Administration programs at The University of Toronto. Rick is currently completing his doctoral studies in Higher Education at The University of Toronto. He is a director of several not-for-profit organizations and frequently comments on legal and governance issues in various media across Canada.

To learn more about Richard C. Powers, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca.

Elliot Noss

President and CEO, Tucows Inc.

As president and CEO of Tucows Inc., Elliot Noss leads the company’s business strategy and vision. He is responsible for overseeing the business operations of the wholesale, retail, and content divisions.

During his tenure, Tucows has grown to become the largest wholesale provider of domain names. Under Elliot’s leadership, the company has rapidly expanded the wholesale service line to include email services, digital certificates, billing software, and enhanced domain name offerings which are sold to a growing international wholesale channel.

Elliot has been a leader in the Internet industry for over a decade. He champions areas of vital interest to the service providers and Internet users including privacy, ICANN reform and registrar matters, and the implications of emerging technologies.

Elliot chairs the University of Toronto’s Department of Computer Science Advisory Board and is a distinguished graduate of the University of Toronto where he earned a BA. He earned an MBA and LLB from the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Jamal Hejazi

Chief Economist, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

Dr. Jamal Hejazi is a senior member of the Gowlings Transfer Pricing and Competent Authority team. Working in conjunction with the Firm’s National Tax Practice Group, Jamal helps organizations optimize their global tax position and reduce exposure to unfavourable audit assessments through proper tax planning and implementation strategies.

Prior to joining Gowlings, Jamal was a senior transfer pricing economist with the Canada Revenue Agency, where he participated in the resolution of a number of transfer pricing issues, including the relief of double taxation on Canadian corporations. He was instrumental in the negotiation of Advanced Pricing Agreements between Canada and foreign tax authorities.

Jamal held a faculty position at the University of Windsor and is currently a lecturer at Carleton University. He also has acted as a consultant for Human Resources Development Canada, where he examined the viability of the Canada Student Loan Program. Jamal has published widely in leading tax journals including International Transfer Pricing Journal (ITPJ), Tax Notes International, BNA Tax Management Transfer Pricing Report, Global Intellectual Property Asset Management Report and Practical US/International Tax Strategies. Jamal serves on the advisory board of Practical US/International Tax Strategies and is currently completing a book on Transfer Pricing through Lexus Nexus Canada.

Jamal received a Ph.D in Economics from Carleton University in 2004, and a master’s degree in Economics from York University in 1997. He also holds a B.Comm (specializing in accounting) from the University of Toronto, and is currently working toward the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation.

Som Seif

Chief Executive Officer & Director, Claymore Investments

Prior to joining Claymore, Som was an investment banker with RBC Capital Markets, where he worked since 1999. Som played a key role in developing the structured products group at RBC Capital Markets in both Canada and the U.S., where he structured and raised capital for both Canadian and U.S. asset managers. Som is a Chartered Financial Analyst and has a Bachelor of Applied Science with an emphasis on Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Jane Allen

Partner, National Leader (Power & Utilities), Deloitte Consulting LLP

Jane is a Partner in the Toronto office of Deloitte. She specializes in strategy and business performance improvement and consults to energy clients in Canada and internationally. Ms. Allen has more than 20 years experience in the energy sector, and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences on major issues facing the sector.

Prior to joining Deloitte, Jane was a senior policy advisor with the Ontario Ministry of Energy responsible for supply and demand planning. She was also Assistant Dean at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Management.

Deloitte is Canada’s leading provider of professional consulting, audit, tax, financial and risk management services.

Jane Gibbens

Vice-President, Talent Management, Direct Energy

Jane is responsible for Talent Management at Direct Energy covering all aspects of the employee life cycle. She and her team are responsible for Attraction and Retention, Learning and Development, Employee and Labour Relations and Total Rewards for North America.

Before joining DE in 2001, Jane was Director Human Resources for Enbridge Home Services. Prior to joining Human Resources, Jane held several positions on the operating side of the business. As Manager Business Effectiveness she was responsible for the development, measurement reporting and continuous improvement of the business processes for all aspects of the delivery of products and services of Enbridge Home Services. Prior to deregulation of Home Services Jane managed service and emergency response for the Metro Toronto Region from 1994 to 1997 and was Manager Retail Sales and Service from 1997 to 1999. She was Manager General Accounting for Enbridge Consumers Gas from 1991 to 1994.

Jane is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and a Certified General Accountant (CGA) and completed the Executive Program at Queens University.

Stephen Marshall

District Manager, Sales and Operations, Staples Business Depot

As District Manager Sales and Operations for Staples Business Depot Stephen leads a team of General Managers to maximize the overall sales and profitability of seventeen retail locations in the Toronto and surrounding area.

Stephen has been recognized by his peers and business leaders as a mentor and developer of Staples future managers and executives. His focus on coaching and development has resulted in the recent promotion of several managers to executive positions. He is the recipient of the Staples Business Depot National Award for people development. Stephen has participated in several strategic committees to shape the future of the company. For two years running Stephen has been the regional Champion in the fundraising efforts to benefit Special Olympics.

Prior to joining Staples Business Depot in 2003, Stephen was District Operations Manager at Shoppers Drug Mart. During his tenure at Shoppers Drug Mart he held several regional management positions in retail Operations and Loss Prevention. He is the past Director of Crime Stoppers Simcoe County.

Stephen has completed the Schulich School of Business Executive Development program/York University and is a graduate of Seneca College.