2023 Speakers
More speakers details coming soon

The Honourable Rechie Valdez
Minister of Small Business

The Honourable Rechie Valdez
Minister of Small Business
Minister Valdez is a Canadian entrepreneur, television personality, and community advocate. She is the first Filipino-Canadian woman elected as a Member of Parliament and appointed to Cabinet, and is committed to ensuring the diverse voices of her community are heard.
Before entering politics, Minister Valdez owned and operated a small business, and dedicated herself to growing her online business avenues. She was also the host of a television show that shares the stories of entrepreneurs, creators, and artists. Prior to that, she worked in corporate banking for 15 years, where she developed her expertise in change management and strategic initiatives. Drawing on her longstanding advocacy, Minister Valdez also sponsored the National Women’s Entrepreneurship Act in 2022.
A sports enthusiast, Minister Valdez has used her love for basketball to raise funds for children’s charities. She has made numerous media appearances, was a public speaker, and is a mentor dedicated to the empowerment of women, girls, youth, and diverse and marginalized groups.
Born and raised in Zambia, Minister Valdez immigrated to Canada with her family in 1989. She is married and the mother of two children.

The Hon. Victor Fedeli
Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

The Hon. Victor Fedeli
Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

The Honourable Filomena Tassi
Filomena Tassi, Minister Responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

The Honourable Filomena Tassi
Filomena Tassi, Minister Responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Paul Gaspar
Director, Small Business, UPS® Canada

Paul Gaspar
Director, Small Business, UPS® Canada

Eric Turner
Vice President, Business Markets, Greater Toronto Region, RBC Canada

Eric Turner
Vice President, Business Markets, Greater Toronto Region, RBC Canada
Eric is a passionate community leader and mentor, in particular in the Indigenous and LGBT communities. In the Indigenous community he is actively involved with the RBC Royal Eagles, RBC’s Indigenous Employee Resource Group having acted as both GTR Co-Chair and Executive Co-Chair and currently acts as a personal advisor/mentor to the national co-chair. He also volunteers with KAIROS Canada to deliver the KAIROS Blanket Exercise, a unique, participatory history lesson that fosters truth, understanding, respect and reconciliation. In the LGBT Community, Eric is the past co-chair of GTA Pride where he successfully negotiated RBC’s first entrance in the Toronto Pride Parade. He is involved in numerous LGBT community groups and initiatives and also sits on the board of Casey House as well as their Foundation Committee. Eric mentors numerous youth through formal mentorship programs and informal mentorship arrangements. In 2018, Eric was the recipient of the RBC Global Citizen Award in recognition of his extensive work and impact to the community at large. Eric holds an MBA from the Schulich School and a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University. He also holds a Personal Financial Planning designation.

Kate Yurincich
Director, Small Business Product at Visa Canada

Kate Yurincich
Director, Small Business Product at Visa Canada
Prior to joining Visa in October 2021, she spent time at Tangerine Bank, Scotiabank and RBC across various roles in Corporate Communications, Community Investment, Digital, Payments & Cards and Business Banking. Most notably while at Scotiabank, she led The Scotiabank Women Initiative and was responsible for the overall strategic direction, development and execution of the bank’s focus on supporting women-owned, women-led businesses in Canada.
Kate holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Corporate Communications from Seneca College.

Nishant Raina
Small Business Lead, Mastercard Canada

Nishant Raina
Small Business Lead, Mastercard Canada
Since joining Mastercard in 2022, Nishant has made a measurable impact on strengthening the Small Business segment within Canada and leading key strategy development projects, supporting partners in product development initiatives, and working with regional and global teams to drive thought leadership.
Prior to Mastercard, Nishant held various progressive roles at RBC. He made significant contributions for shaping the product line strategy and ongoing product management of the Business Cards portfolio at the bank. Nishant also played a critical role in the launch of the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business card in 2019, which was the bank’s first new business credit card in over eight years.
Nishant Holds a Master of Business Administration from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario and Honors Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Matt Busbridge
Country Manager, Amazon Business Canada

Matt Busbridge
Country Manager, Amazon Business Canada
Amazon Business is re-inventing the way businesses shop in Canada. Launched in October of 2019, Amazon Business Canada is applying the same entrepreneurial and innovative approach that delivered the Amazon.ca shopping experience, new technologies, products (like our Amazon Echo, Kindle e-readers, and tablets), and enterprise services (like @amazonwebservices). With our drive to reinvent on behalf of business customers, we are focused on building Amazon Business into the largest and most innovative Business-to-Business (B2B) marketplace in the world. Our customers include individual professionals, small businesses to large institutions (and everything in between) from every industry vertical.
Matt holds an MBA from The Ivey School of Business, sits on the Ivey Alumni Network Board of Directors Executive Committee, volunteers actively as a high-school mentor with iMentor.org, plus loves to ski, play tennis, golf, cycle, and sail!

Liv Thomson
Director, Enterprise Partners, Xero Canada

Liv Thomson
Director, Enterprise Partners, Xero Canada

Shiraz Siddique
Founder, Leverage Consulting

Shiraz Siddique
Founder, Leverage Consulting

Amanda Chadwick
Senior Speaker/Presenter, Peninsula Canada

Amanda Chadwick
Senior Speaker/Presenter, Peninsula Canada

Olivia Cicchini
Digital Events Presenter, Peninsula Canada

Olivia Cicchini
Digital Events Presenter, Peninsula Canada
Olivia joined Peninsula in 2020 as a Legal Claims Consultant where she assisted small to mid-sized business clients as their legal representative. She then transitioned to the role of a Senior Legal Content Specialist where she helped with drafting, editing, and general oversight of the legal content within the Company. Over the years, Olivia has gained significant insight into legal, HR, and employee management challenges faced by Canadian SMBs.
In her current role, Olivia is the face of Peninsula webinars. She utilizes her employment law expertise to create relevant and comprehensive content to help small business owners stay compliant with employment standards and OHS legislation.
As the face of Peninsula Canadas webinars Olivia’s ability to translate complex legal jargon into relatable and accessible content has made her a listener’s choice when it comes to legal issues.
Olivia’s dynamic presence and inclusive commentary regularly feature on webinars, radio shows, websites, and print media. Audiences across Canada have listened to Olivia’s insights on esteemed platforms such as CBC Radio, CTV News, CP24, and the Toronto Sun.

Daryl Ching, CFA
Managing Partner, Vistance Capital Advisory

Daryl Ching, CFA
Managing Partner, Vistance Capital Advisory
I will be building a team based in Toronto to offer the following services to small businesses:
- Capital Raising
- CFO Services
- Mergers & Acquisitions - Buy and Sell
- Succession Planning
Please show your support by following / liking the Vistance Capital Advisory company page, following my blogs and checking out my website at www.vistancecapital.com.

Mostafa Gamal
Professional Services Manager, Haya Solutions Inc.

Mostafa Gamal
Professional Services Manager, Haya Solutions Inc.

Hassan King
Business Analyst, ADP Canada

Hassan King
Business Analyst, ADP Canada

Anderson
Regional Marketer, Zoho Canada

Anderson
Regional Marketer, Zoho Canada

René-Sylvain Bédard
Founder, Indominus Managed Security

René-Sylvain Bédard
Founder, Indominus Managed Security
Over the past few years, he has expanded his expertise to include the critical subject of cybersecurity, merging this with his infrastructure experience into a single vision of how to structure and maintain a properly managed, secure, and scalable environment.
Rene-Sylvain has taken his vast experience in consulting, entrepreneurship, infrastructure and technology and poured it into building the Indominus brand. The consulting arm of Indominus specializes in secure digital transformations as well as high profile cybersecurity work and currently enjoys 100% year-over-year growth. Indominus has become the go-to partner when it comes to ransomware recovery, often getting clients back up on their feet within days of an attack and then helping clients to harden their security posture to better withstand future attacks.
Always looking to innovate, Rene-Sylvain has gathered the resources and expertise necessary to launch a new suite of AI-driven managed security services, including CISO-as-a-service, incident detection & response, and SIEM-as-a-service. His experience in managing virtual workforces has allowed him to hire high-quality talent, regardless of where it is located. This flexibility will make it possible to have a smooth transition to global support as the company grows.
Rene-Sylvain is always on the lookout for talented, driven people with an interest in cybersecurity and infrastructure.

Victor Salinas
CEO & Founder at SmartConcil

Victor Salinas
CEO & Founder at SmartConcil

Nisa Karan
Principal, Cobra Safety

Nisa Karan
Principal, Cobra Safety

Logan Stamp
Director, Implementation Services, Business Cloud Inc

Logan Stamp
Director, Implementation Services, Business Cloud Inc

Luis Ortiz
Founder & CEO, Infinite Harvest Technologies Inc

Luis Ortiz
Founder & CEO, Infinite Harvest Technologies Inc

Imanzi Kayitare
Policy Analyst, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Imanzi Kayitare
Policy Analyst, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Roni Khalil
Procurement Specialist, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)

Roni Khalil
Procurement Specialist, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)

Eric Irwin
Managing Principal, Talent Optimization | Business Strategy

Eric Irwin
Managing Principal, Talent Optimization | Business Strategy
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Formerly a top Executive at Walmart Bank and Shopper’s Drug Mart, Eric’s clients benefit from over 20 years helping leaders, teams and individuals drive growth and results. A career advisor to some of Canada’s top universities, Eric has been a guest lecturer at Queens University Smith School of Business and the Kenneth Levene Graduate School of Business at the University of Regina. Eric is a highly requested corporate presenter, including sessions at the International HR Analytics Conference, Mackay CEO Forums, University of Toronto Rotman School of Management, Buffalo’s “Talent: How to Hire & Train" event, and radio broadcast appearances on Buffalo's WNY @ Work.
KEYNOTE TOPICS
Organizational Effectiveness
Succession Planning
Safety at Work
Talent Optimization
Strategic Planning
Team Development
Performance Amplification
Scientific Sales
Emotional Intelligence

Ari Eslami
Senior Key Account Manager, Shoplazza

Ari Eslami
Senior Key Account Manager, Shoplazza
Ari is also a notable speaker, with his recent workshop on Generative AI in digital commerce at the White Label Expo 2023 in Las Vegas earning praise. He collaborates smoothly with various teams, aiding in successful product launches and refining post-sale processes. His background in B2B sales, enriched with AI insights, bolsters his ability to connect with key decision-makers in the business ecosystem.

Miki Velemirovich
Head of Product, Alexa Translations AI

Miki Velemirovich
Head of Product, Alexa Translations AI
Throughout my career, some of my greatest accomplishments have included redefining product portfolios, transforming consumer perception and positioning companies for unparalleled levels of success. With over 10 years of experience at Mercedes-Benz Canada, I most notably led the passenger car portfolio to capture #1 market share in the luxury segment through bringing new products to market, including the company’s Connected Car platform and a line of commercial vehicles.
As the President of The Cargo Agency, I led the company to become a global B2B leader partnering with Global Fortune 500 brands, including Lenovo, RBC, SkipTheDishes, and Mercedes-Benz. Across my tenure, I redefined the company’s vision, built the Cargo Canada market from scratch, and partnered with C-Suite client executives to achieve exponential growth for the company and our clients.
With a focus on growth and entrepreneurship, I am skilled in envisioning possibilities and opportunities and blending business and financial acumen as well as technical execution to realize this vision. Today, I bring these strengths as Head of Product for Alexa Translations A.I., the leading AI-powered enterprise translation platform, helping most prestigious organizations break language barriers.
Outside of work, I additionally serve in various industry leadership roles, including on the Canadian Marketing Association’s Insights and B2B Councils and as a member of CanadianSME Small Business Magazine Awards Judging Panel.

Cynthia Arscott
Founder & CEO of Goldminds

Cynthia Arscott
Founder & CEO of Goldminds

Alireza Sharifi
Co-Founder and Fractional CTO, NuBinary

Alireza Sharifi
Co-Founder and Fractional CTO, NuBinary
As the co-founder and Fractional CTO of NuBinary, Alireza has been at the forefront of providing cutting-edge solutions to companies' technical and operational needs. His expertise in security consultancy, governance, and machine learning has empowered organizations to achieve regulatory compliance and drive innovation.
In academia, Alireza has served as a Professor and Principal Investigator, leveraging his deep understanding of technology to lead research projects of paramount importance. His published papers have influenced the development of various fields, contributing to advancements in security, privacy, machine learning, and sustainability measurement.
With a solid foundation in security, machine learning, and research, Alireza Sharifi combines extensive knowledge with practical industry experience to shape the future of technology. His exceptional expertise and groundbreaking contributions have earned him a prominent position in the tech industry, making him a sought-after leader in the field.

Craig Cieplinski
Senior Director, Global SMB Sales, Cisco

Craig Cieplinski
Senior Director, Global SMB Sales, Cisco

Oleg Koval
CEO & Founder of ServiceDeck

Oleg Koval
CEO & Founder of ServiceDeck

Karen Semone
Vice President, Innovation, Salesforce

Karen Semone
Vice President, Innovation, Salesforce

Chelsey Davidson
Library Information Officer for the City of Toronto

Chelsey Davidson
Library Information Officer for the City of Toronto

Nunzio Presta
Founder & CEO, BuyAndSellABusiness.com

Nunzio Presta
Founder & CEO, BuyAndSellABusiness.com

Ilene Elkaim
Regional Sales Director , The Public Place Network

Ilene Elkaim
Regional Sales Director , The Public Place Network

Christine Dikonguè
co-founder AfricaHacks

Christine Dikonguè
co-founder AfricaHacks
She leverages her expertise in impact investment, entrepreneurship, and innovation to accelerate growth for startups and the innovation ecosystem by providing global insights, actionable strategies, and access to capital. With over nine years of experience in various industries, from asset management, fintech, and media to government, she has developed a unique and holistic perspective on how to create value and positive impact through innovation and entrepreneurship.
Over the span of her career, she has raised and managed over $7 million dollars to build and implement capacity-building programs and funded creatives, startups, and entrepreneurs across Canada and Africa. She strongly believes in open innovation through building thriving ecosystems, and she is passionate about empowering women, Francophone, and African communities to access opportunities and resources that foster their economic and social development.
In 2020, she was selected as a young leader to meet former US President Barack Obama. In 2019, she was named one of the world’s Most Influential People of African Descent by MIPAD at the United Nations General Assembly. In 2018, she was named one of Canada's top 100 Black women to watch. She serves as a board director at the Francophone Television of Ontario, a university guest lecturer on Entrepreneurship & Innovation in Africa, amongst other roles and honors that reflect her dedication and vision. She is always eager to learn, grow, and collaborate with like-minded individuals and organizations who share her mission and values.
Christine holds an MSc in Management, Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship from Queen's University, a Bachelor's in Economics from Glendon College, York University, and has completed several certifications and courses in product marketing, computer science, project management, and disruptive technology.

Walid Koleilat
VP of Product at Plooto

Walid Koleilat
VP of Product at Plooto

Andre De Lacerda
Vice President & COO, Idealogical Systems Inc.

Andre De Lacerda
Vice President & COO, Idealogical Systems Inc.

Armand Sayeed
Director, SKYHIDEV SOLUTIONS INC.

Armand Sayeed
Director, SKYHIDEV SOLUTIONS INC.

Manraaj Mand
Managing Director of Watchdog Security

Manraaj Mand
Managing Director of Watchdog Security

Kira Tchernikovsky
CMO, Customerization Inc

Kira Tchernikovsky
CMO, Customerization Inc

Henoc Muamba
Professional Football Player

Henoc Muamba
Professional Football Player

Chris Steffler
Sony Music Artist, Platinum Blonde, 2023 Canadian Walk of Fame Inductee

Chris Steffler
Sony Music Artist, Platinum Blonde, 2023 Canadian Walk of Fame Inductee

Anash Parayil
Co-Founder & CEO of Haletale Inc

Anash Parayil
Co-Founder & CEO of Haletale Inc

Rachel Wong and Istiana Bestari
Co-Founder of Monday Girl

Rachel Wong and Istiana Bestari
Co-Founder of Monday Girl
► Joined Uber in its early days to help launch the service in key Canadian markets including Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Toronto.
► Built Monday Girl, a private network and career platform for 30K+ professional women in Canada and have worked with global brands including Google, Scotiabank, and Microsoft
► All-time top grossing SMB rep in Canada (Generating more than $212MM in revenue)
► Nominated as Toronto’s ‘Connector of the Year’ by Notable Magazine (2018) and served on the Notable Life leadership board.
► Uber Eats ‘Achievement Award’ for outstanding sales performance. (2016)
For speaking, collaboration and/or any other inquiries, contact me: [email protected]
Istiana Bestari is the Co-Founder of Monday Girl, a private network and career platform for professional women. Monday Girl members get unlimited access to resources, a vibrant community, and mentorship from leading women at top companies including Google, Shopify, lululemon, Indigo, and more.
Monday Girl currently reaches a combined audience of 70K+, has hosted 25+ sold out events, and has been recognized by Breakfast Television, CBC, Globe & Mail, Global News, Bay Street Bull and more.
Previously a Video Producer and YouTube Creator leading video campaigns for Luxy Hair, Air Canada, Korea Tourism, and Sun Wing, Istiana is a creative at heart reaching a combined audience of 23K across platforms.
Istiana is highly skilled in video production, brand development, social media, public speaking, and event design. She also was featured in Bay Street Bull's 30 under 30 in 2022.

Paula Reile
Manager, Research Program at Niagara College, Research and Innovation

Paula Reile
Manager, Research Program at Niagara College, Research and Innovation

Hao Sheng
Founder of Chatsimple

Hao Sheng
Founder of Chatsimple
Now leading Chatsimple to help businesses convert visitors to customers online.

Sarah Keast
Co-Founder of Crying Out Loud

Sarah Keast
Co-Founder of Crying Out Loud

Christelle Francois
Founder & CEO of Untold & Co Agency

Christelle Francois
Founder & CEO of Untold & Co Agency

Erin Gertner
Vice President, Partner Organization and SMB Sales at Cisco Canada

Erin Gertner
Vice President, Partner Organization and SMB Sales at Cisco Canada
Most recently, Erin was the Director Twilio’s mid market business where she built and executed the sales strategy for the new Canadian business. Prior to this, Erin held several strategic leadership roles during her 15-year tenure at Cisco, including Director of Virtual Sales (Canada, America’s service provider, global enterprise), leader of commercial acceleration, and Regional Sales Manager for central Canada.
Erin holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University and has continued her education through executive leadership programs, further enhancing her strategic thinking and decision-making skills.
Outside of her professional achievements, Erin is a passionate advocate for women in technology and is dedicated to mentoring and developing early-in-career talent.