The following are brief biographies of some of our outstanding students.
2012-13 students
David Adler
David Adler is the Manager of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Compliance for Revlon Canada Inc. where he is responsible for managing the regulatory relationship with authorities in Canada. In this capacity, Adler facilitates successful new product development, product registration, and post-approval activities in the personal care products industry. Adler also facilitates compliance with environmental, good manufacturing practices, safety, and advertising and labelling claims regulation. Previously, Adler facilitated the regulatory development of the nonclincial, clinical, and quality aspects of new chemical entities in the life sciences industry. In this capacity, Adler resolved complex regulatory concerns that facilitated market access of life saving medicines to patients in the U.S.A, European Union, Switzerland, Australia, Middle East and Asia Pacific.
Adler has a Master of Biotechnology degree from the University of Toronto, and completed his Bachelor of Science in Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology at the University of Calgary. He is currently a mentor with the Biotechnology Mentorship Program at the University of Toronto.
Rahim Ali
Rahim Ali was the Vice-President, Strategic Projects Audit for the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, where he planned and reviewed, supervised and managed multiple information technology and project management audits of various domestic and overseas branches, including Washington DC, London, Paris, Egypt, Sudan and Oman. Among other things, he assessed risks, evaluated controls and reviewed compliance with the UAE regulatory requirements, anti-money laundering regulations, and securities and commodities regulations, and conducted pre- and post-implementation reviews of core banking and various financial and investment systems. Prior to that, Ali served as a Team Leader, Risk Services with Ernst & Young Abu Dhabi, and articled in the taxation department of Ernst & Young Pakistan, where he reviewed and commented on financial and taxation bills.
Ali graduated from the University of Karachi, Pakistan with both Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degrees, and holds certifications from accounting and auditing bodies in Pakistan, U.S. and the U.K.
Rubal Bhadu
Rubal Bhadu is an internationally educated litigation and arbitration lawyer from New Delhi, India whose experience includes strategic consulting, corporate and business structures, business plan development, and structuring corporate/commercial transactions. She has represented individuals, corporations and government organizations before various forums, tribunals and courts, including the Supreme Court of India, and her clients have included Fiat Automobiles and Jindal Steels. She is also a specialist in alternative dispute resolution involving arbitration, mediation and conciliation, and has arbitrated disputes in banking and non-banking financial services. Prior to working for DLC, Rubal was a lawyer in the Office of Advocate General for the State of Haryana providing legal advice to, and conducting litigation on behalf of, all government ministries and departments, boards and tribunals. She represented the State in the Supreme Court of India on a broad spectrum of matters encompassing Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Contract Law, Employment Law, and matters related to Land Acquisition and Government Policies.
Rubal holds Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Delhi, and is a lifetime member of the Bar Council of Delhi.
Manpreet Bhangoo
Manpreet Bhangoo is an in-house lawyer with extensive experience in corporate/commercial matters including mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, contract drafting and negotiations for companies in the information technology, consulting, outsourcing and manufacturing industries. She was the Lead Attorney for Microsoft's Enterprise & Partner Group, Small and Medium Size Customers & Partners, Public Sector and Dynamics business segments in India, where her responsibilities included negotiating and closing licensing contracts, and where she closed transactions worth millions of dollars, trained clients on sales deal execution compliance policies, and collaborated with them on strategic projects and deals. In her previous position as Senior Counsel at Hewitt Associates, she handled corporate legal matters including mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, negotiating consulting and outsourcing contracts in the Asia Pacific region.
Bhangoo holds Bachelor and Master of Laws degrees from Kurukshetra University, India, with a specialization in labour and corporate law, and a post-graduate diploma in patents law from NALSAR University.
Linda Chavez
Linda Chavez is an internationally educated lawyer from Mexico, where she was the Director of the Citizens Applications & Social Promotion Department at the Federal Ministry of Health. Prior to that, she was a Law Professor and Ph.D. Coordinator at the University of Colima. She also has been a visiting researcher at the Institute of Juridical Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and collaborated with the Human Rights National Commission.
Linda Chavez has a Doctor of Laws degree (Honourable Mention), a Master of Laws degree (International Law and International Trade) and Bachelor of Law degree (with Honours), all from Mexico.
Hilary Doyle
Hilary Doyle is a business and finance journalist, columnist, field reporter, producer, and actor who works in television, radio, and print media. She has worked for The HOUR with George Stroumbouloploulos (CBC), the Business News Network (CTV), and The Marilyn Denis Show (CTV), and is a personal finance columnist on CBC Radio One. She is currently developing a daily national news and ideas show for CTV NewsChannel. She has written for the Toronto Star, Maisonneuve Magazine, and The GRID Magazine in Canada, and worked as a news reporter and feature writer in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She worked on media relations for the United Nations Development Fund for Women at the 2006 AIDS Conference and was a reporter, editor, and trainer in Accra, Ghana, facilitating coverage of human rights stories and issues, and building reporting/journalism capacity. Her acting experience includes three years with The Second City National Touring Company, as well as film, theatre, and television credits in Toronto and New York. Doyle co-created, wrote, and starred in “Stock & Awe”, a scripted comedy series for BNN and CTV about personal finance and investing.
Doyle received her Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University, and she is the founder of The Marion Project, a multidisciplinary storytelling project for young people around the world.
Ahmed T. Hafez
Ahmed Hafez was legal counsel at Lafarge Group (the first global cement producer) responsible for Middle East and Africa for the last three years. Previously, he was a senior associate at Helmy, Hamza & Partners, a member of the global law firm of Baker & McKenzie.
Hafez holds a Bachelor degree in French Business Law and a Maitrise degree, both from the Faculty of Law, University of Paris 1, Pantheon, Sorbonne.
Amanda Hawkins
Amanda Hawkins is the co-owner of Canerector Inc., an acquisition-focused company containing forty industrial manufacturing and construction firms with $750 million in annual sales. Currently, Amanda oversees a segment of the company's businesses while actively pursuing acquisition opportunities. Her experience includes management of multimillion dollar design, supply, and installation contracts, negotiating commercial contracts, and turnaround management.
Hawkins holds an MBA degree from Columbia University and a Mechanical Engineering degree from Queen's University.
Jason Pierre Hedges
Jason Pierre Hedges is the Director – Canada for Merrill Corporation, a billion dollar global service company with more than 6,000 employees that provides financial technology solutions. Over his ten year career, Jason has specialized in enterprise software and SaaS and has successfully launched two start-ups. His experience includes analyzing and implementing enterprise-wide business process improvements while achieving a positive P&L in a turnaround and a successful international expansion.
Jason is completing an MBA from Cornell University and Queen’s University, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Brock University.
Salmin Jadavji
Salmin Jadavji is the Chief AML Officer at MCAN where his responsibilities include implementing and managing the company’s anti-money laundering & anti-terrorist financing (AML/ATF) program, enterprise risk management program, and the privacy compliance program, developing an inherent AML/ATF risk assessment methodology and comprehensive global AML/ATF policies, procedures and standards. Before that he was Deputy Chief AML Officer at BMO, where he designed an AML independent audit testing program, and assessed the bank’s global AML policies, procedures, reporting processes and risk assessments. Previously he was the Senior Audit Manager at CIBC, and the Senior Compliance Officer with the Office of the Superintendent for Financial Institutions, Canada’s federal bank regulator.
Jadavji received his Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto. He is also holds Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) Designations. He is the author of the best-selling book Way to an A: Student Survival Guide.
Jim Kambossos
Jim Kambossos is the Director of Process Technology for the Minerals and Metals division at Jacobs Engineering in Toronto, a leading engineering and construction firm in the world, and a major player in the provision of engineering, operations and maintenance services. He is responsible for the direction and management of his department technically, administratively and strategically. Jim deals with strategic planing objectives and implementation of corporate directives within his department in collaboration with other Jacobs offices around the world. He also manages, directs, implements, and participates in various national and international technical projects in the Minerals and Metals sector. He has served as Deputy Director of Process Technology at SNC-Lavalin in the Mining and Metallurgy division in Toronto prior to his current appointment. He has also worked in various other companies serving the minerals and metals, as well as, the oil and gas industries.
Jim is a designated professional engineer and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and a Master of Applied Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto.
Jessica Kelly
Jessica Kelly is an internationally educated lawyer who has trained at McConnell Kelly & Co. Solicitors, a law firm specializing in civil litigation and criminal law located in Northern Ireland. She has interned at an Ottawa-based NGO that focused on advocacy research in Afghanistan, where she focused her research on Canada’s humanitarian aid commitment to the Middle East.
Kelly holds a LL.B. degree from Queen’s University, Belfast, a Masters of Conflict Studies degree from the University of Ottawa/Saint Paul University and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Studies from Queen’s University.
Aiman Khair
Aiman Khair is an international lawyer and a licensed Compliance Officer who was working as the General Counsel at the National Finance Company SAOG in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Khair also served as the Corporate Secretary as well as the Compliance Officer. Khair’s legal career began in Sudan as a corporate lawyer for Bin Hamed Company LLC after which he transferred to the Sultanate of Oman joining Oman ORIX Leasing Company SAOG, a leading finance company in the Sultanate, as an in-house legal counsel. In his latest position, Khair established the Legal Department at NFC and developed the company’s compliance manual and corporate governance policy. He advised on corporate governance, Islamic financing, ship repair contracts and corporate law.
Khair completed his LLB and a postgraduate diploma in business administration at the University of Khartoum, as well as his Master Degree in Commercial Law (LLM), at University of Juba. Khair also received his International Diploma in Compliance from the International Compliance Association (ICA) in Birmingham, UK. He is also enrolled in the Internationally Trained Lawyer Program (ITLP).
Allen Kwan
Allen Kwan has over fifteen years of experience in the financial services industry. As Director, Product Development at Northwest & Ethical Investments (NEI), a national investment firm with approximately $5 billion in assets under management, he is a member of the senior management team responsible for setting and overseeing product strategy including research and innovation. Prior to joining NEI, Allen held progressively senior sales and marketing roles with Manulife Financial, HSBC Securities (Canada) and RBC Global Asset Management and throughout his career, he has collaborated with business partners from across North America.
Kwan holds an Executive MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto. He holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Canadian Investment Manager (CIM) designations and has completed Level 1 of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program.
Ali Maqbool
Ali Maqbool is an internationally educated lawyer who is the Supervisor of Court Operations with the Ministry of the Attorney General, Criminal Court, Ontario Court of Justice, where he supervises operations and manages service delivery of 38 staff members. His career with the Ontario Public Service spans 10 years where he has held various positions such as the Supervisor of Operations of Family Court, Ontario Court of Justice. Ali has, also, lectured at the School of Continuing Education, Business Department, at the Centennial College where he now speaks to students about a career with the Court Services Division of the Ministry of the Attorney General. Prior to joining the Ontario Public Service he practiced law with Ahmer Bilal Soofi and Company, a leading corporate law firm in Lahore, Pakistan.
Ali holds an LL.B. degree from the Punjab Law College, Punjab University, Pakistan.
Christine McGirr
Christine McGirr is a corporate analyst who is the Director, Development/Analyst for Mactel Communications Inc., and has founded Catalyst Communications and McGirr Communications, where she has created innovative strategies for multinational corporations to develop business through acquisitions, mergers, brand development, corporate social responsibility programs and repositioning. She has also been a municipal, provincial and federal political candidate.
McGirr holds an MBA degree from Athabasca University, a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario and an ATC Certification in Executive Coaching from the University of Toronto.
Jesus Merino
Jesus Merino was the Competitiveness and Environment Director at the Spanish Trade Association for Information Technologies, Communications, Consumer Electronics and Digital Content (AMETIC) where he was responsible for regulatory and institutional affairs in the fields of Environment, Corporate Sustainability and Intellectual Property Rights. Previously, he was the Director of the Technological Transfer and International Trade Office for ASIMELEC, and before that, he was the Senior Risk Analyst, Medium and Long Term Department at the Spanish Export Credit Agency (CESCE).
Merino holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from University Carlos III of Madrid and is a certified Expert in Project Management and International Research, Development and Innovation Actions.
Dhimiter Pema
Dhimiter Pema is an internationally educated lawyer who is licensed to practice in Italy and the European Union. His experience includes positions at the law firm of De Giorgio - Signorini - Sanso in Pisa and at Bank CR Firenze, Bank of Group Intesa SanPaolo in Florence. Pema also served as a coordinator at Altro Diritto Pisa, an organization that provides free legal counsel to prisoners.
Pema holds Master and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Pisa and an MBA degree from Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa.
Stephen Pepper
Stephen Pepper is an experienced executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in the military, private and corporate sectors. He is currently serving as the Assistant Vice President of Credit and Special Loans at State Bank of India (Canada) where he is responsible for all aspects of the Bank’s higher risk and work-out portfolio including collection litigation and insolvency. Prior to this position, he had had similar executive responsibilities for corporate and commercial banking transactions at Fifth Third Bank and Bank of Montreal where he was responsible for sourcing, negotiation, structuring, underwriting and documenting of a variety of cross border and international financing transactions. In addition to his corporate banking experience, Mr. Pepper is a Licensed Professional Engineer and a current member of Ontario Society of Professional Engineers Energy Task Force and the Army’s Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Association. In 2011, Mr. Pepper was the Director of Engineering at Ozz Solar where he oversaw a team of engineers and technical staff providing due diligence and design engineering services for over 50 large scale commercial rooftop generation projects in Ontario and further participated as a industry task force member investigating the impact of distributed generation on the performance of the electrical grid. He retired as a military engineering officer having served overseas in various military roles. He has been awarded a NATO service medal and a Canadian Forces Decoration (Military).
Pepper holds an MBA degree (Finance Specialty) from the Schulich School of Business, and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from the Royal Military College of Canada.
Stephanie Poon
Stephanie Poon has 13 years of work experience in the banking and financial industry. Over the course of her career to date, she has held progressive roles in prominent Canadian and global banks. As part of her Associate Director role with Scotiabank, Stephanie actively managed the execution and on-boarding process for hedge fund clients, including cross-border Structured Transactions. Prior to Scotia, Stephanie worked at Global Corporate Banking with HSBC Bank Canada, where she structured and executed corporate credit transactions, including acquisition financings. She has also previously worked with the private equity team at Macquarie, as well as completed the generalist rotation program with RBC Capital Markets.
Stephanie earned an MBA degree in Finance from Simon Fraser University, graduating with the Convocation Gold Medal, and a Bachelor of Commerce (Hon.) in Accounting from the University of British Colombia. Stephanie is a CFA charterholder. She serves as a committee member with the Toronto CFA Society’s Awards Committee, and as a mentor with their mentorship program.
Kent Savage
Kent Savage is the Vice President, Law Department, Sun Life Corporate, Sun Life Financial, Toronto. Before that, he was Vice President & General Counsel for Sun Life’s Asia businesses working in its Hong Kong Regional Office. His responsibilities have included oversight of Sun Life Financial’s legal and compliance functions in their subsidiary and joint venture operations as well as management of its regional legal interests in M&A, government relations, corporate governance and commercial matters. Kent has represented SLF interests on numerous material projects, arbitrations and litigation in the UK, US, Canada and Asia. Prior to joining Sun Life Financial in 1997 Kent was a litigation lawyer in private practice for 11 years in Toronto doing corporate/commercial, insurance and other related dispute resolution.
Kent holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Windsor, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto.
Ji Wei Shao
Ji Wei Shao is an Investment Banking Analyst at Macquarie Capital. He currently works in the Leveraged Finance and Sponsor Coverage Group, providing financing solutions and financial advisory to private equity sponsors and companies across sectors. Previously he covered companies in the industrials and agriculture space as part of the Diversified Industries Group, where he was involved in a number of M&A advisory, private and public capital raising mandates, and principal investment opportunities in the CleanTech space. Prior to joining Macquarie Capital, Ji Wei worked as an analyst in the Financial Risk Office in the Funds Management and Banking Department, at the Bank of Canada.
Ji Wei holds a Master of Finance (With Distinction) from the Schulich School of Business at York University, and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Finance and Economics from the Rotman School of Management, at the University of Toronto. Ji Wei is also a Charter Candidate for the CFA designation.
Tisnai Thaitham
Tisnai Thaitham is the Regional Director of the Americas for Singha Corporation Inc., where he is responsible for overseeing the distribution of Singha Beer and its portfolio of food and beverage brands in North and South America. Before that, he was Distribution Development Manager, North American Regions, and before that he was an Account Manager for Proctor and Gamble, Bangkok. His experience includes developing international trade marketing strategies for specific trade channels, financial modeling and data analysis for strategic purposes, key account management, and alcoholic beverages distribution, sales, marketing, and regulatory compliance.
Tisnai (Toy) holds an MBA degree (Finance major) from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (Accounting major) from Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Rocio Villalvazo Sandoval
Rocio Villalvazo Sandoval is an internationally educated lawyer who is licensed to practice law in Mexico. She articled at DIF Zapotiltic Jalisco, Department of Law, where she worked on cases related to tax law and drafted reviews and comments on administrative appeals. Most recently, she worked with Norma Negrete Immigration Office in California.
Villalvazo Sandoval received her Bachelor of Laws with High Distinction from Universidad de Guadalajara Centro Universitario del Sur.
Donald West
Donald West is a corporate lawyer and senior partner at Aird & Berlis LLP, a 130 lawyer Toronto firm that provides a wide range of legal services. West practises in the areas of business law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and technology. He has had extensive experience acting on business purchases and sales, private equity and venture capital transactions, strategic alliances, technology transactions, corporate reorganizations, governance issues, international transactions and advising on various other commercial arrangements. While practicing law, he was also an officer of a mid-size Canadian information technology company for more than 20 years, and has served on the Boards of Directors of several public and private corporations as well as Corporate Governance, Compensation and Audit Committees. West has been recognized in “Best Lawyers in Canada” in the field of Mergers & Acquisitions Law, and is the primary author of a recent book on business acquisition agreements published by Thomson Reuters.
West holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from York University. He is a former instructor of Corporate Law at the Ontario Bar Admission Course.
Simmy Yu
A creative and versatile professional, Simmy has a wealth of knowledge and experience in many fields. Currently, Simmy works at Tkatch & Associates, a personal injury law firm located in the heart of Toronto. Prior to embarking on her legal career, she spent several years working in digital media as a Content Integration Manager at Sympatico/MSN (Bell Canada) where she managed editorial content on Sympatico.MSN.ca and also managed the digital properties at Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP (now Dentons). She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Community Legal Clinic of York Region and volunteers her time to various other causes, including the United Way of York Region. Simmy is also a skilled musician and composer who has performed on various stages in Canada and the US and has also taught piano at her own private studio.
Simmy completed her Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Toronto where she majored in Accounting and also completed studies in Project Management. She went on to complete her Juris Doctor and Postgraduate Certificate in Laws at the City University of Hong Kong.
2011-2012 students
Jack Bensimon
Jack Bensimon is the Managing Director of Risk Diagnostics, an independent securities regulatory compliance consulting firm involved in mitigating regulatory risk including US and Canadian securities/banking compliance. He is dual registered with securities regulators in both Canada/US. He has worked in the securities industry for over 19 years, mainly acting as Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) for banks, investment banking and counselling firms, trust companies, and broker-dealers. He has provided expert testimony in federal court and securities litigation cases. His sector coverage spans energy infrastructure, real-estate, financial services, software, consumer products, utilities, and manufacturing. Recent clients include McKinsey & Company, nagel + associates, Experis, Wellington West Capital Markets, Fidelity Equity Partners, Perry Capital LLC, and TransCanada Pipelines.
Bensimon is also co-host of the Money & Business segment of Radio Shalom (1650 am), a business radio show with studios in Montreal. He is the in-resident expert on banking law and securities law matters. He is chair of the Toronto chapter of the Canadian Technion Society (CTS), in support of the Technion Institute of Technology in Israel. Jack also leads panel discussions in corporate governance for the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
Bensimon is a graduate of the University of Toronto (Math/Economics), and the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (Investment Management). Jack has completed a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Securities Law and an LL.M. in General Law, both from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.
Kathryn J. Daniels
Katie Daniels is a Deputy Director at the Enforcement Branch of the Ontario Securities Commission. Daniels is responsible for leadership and strategic renewal, senior outreach and external engagement, and day-to-day execution of operations. Daniels served as Litigation Counsel and Manager of the Litigation Group at the OSC prior to her current appointment. Daniels has experience in both senior management and litigation combined with a broad understanding of securities and corporate law, public law, and corporate governance. Daniels also served as litigation counsel at Fasken Martineau LLP with a focus on complex corporate/commercial litigation, shareholder disputes, and professional negligence.
Daniels completed her B.A. (Hons.) at McMaster University and received her J.D. from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
Allan Ebedes
Allan Ebedes has over 30 years of professional, business, management, entrepreneurial and teaching experience. Ebedes is President & CEO of the Canada Awards for Excellence program under the Vice-Regal Patronage of the Governor General of Canada and he is President & CEO of Excellence Canada (formerly the National Quality Institute or NQI), a not-for-profit organization that helps organizations improve results through operational excellence, and recognizes them for achieving pre-determined milestones. Ebedes also founded and serves as the CEO and President of Management Mentors International Inc., a company providing training, coaching and mentoring to managers, executives and business leaders. Ebedes is a faculty member at the Schulich Executive Education Centre (SEEC) and York University.
Ebedes is a recent graduate of the Rotman School of Management’s Directors’ Program and received the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Ebedes earned a B.Com degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, an MBA degree from the University of Toronto, and is a qualified CA and member of the Canadian and Ontario Institutes of Chartered Accountants.
Nils Engelstad
Since 2009, Nils Engelstad has acted as corporate counsel to the McEwen Capital Group of companies, a group of publicly traded resource exploration companies with properties in the Americas. Part of a small general management team, Nils provides support and direction for corporate development initiatives, including mergers & acquisitions, financings, and other corporate transactions. He is also responsible for litigation management, oversight of outside counsel and other corporate legal and compliance matters.
Prior to joining McEwen Capital, Nils served as an associate lawyer at Stikeman Elliott LLP in Toronto. He received a BA from the University of Toronto in International Relations and Political Science, and a LL.B from the University of Windsor. He is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
Ricardo Fisher
Ricardo Fisher is a lawyer specializing in international law and business. Currently a member of the Master File Department at Food Services (Ontario) Inc., Fisher works closely with the company’s finance and sales teams, particularly during recent acquisitions of Bimbo Bakeries (USA and Latin America) and the bakery division of Sara Lee (USA). Prior to his move to Canada, Fisher worked in many areas of El Salvador’s government and legal system, including the Ministry of Education, General Attorney’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fifth Criminal Court, and National Institute for Judges.
Fisher completed his law degree at José Simeón Cañas Central American University, and a post-graduate certificate in International Business from Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador. He is also a graduate of the Program for Judges, Constitutional and Human Rights and holds a Diploma in Financial Administration.
Emilija Giovinazzo
Emilija Giovinazzo works in the Strategy Division at Hydro One Networks Inc, a government agency delivering electricity across Ontario. With seven years of experience in the energy industry, Emilija’s contribution to the Transmission Projects Development team helps to shape and develop Hydro One’s strategic plans, and ensures that project plans align with legislative and regulatory requirements. She also worked as a Regulatory Strategies & Standards Analyst at Hydro One, and held other roles in Toronto Hydro and the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).
Emilija graduated from University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Business Administration, and completed an international exchange in University of Amsterdam.
Zuzanna Kusyk
Zuzanna Kusyk is a skilled financial services professional with over ten years of progressive experience in accounting, reporting, management, and treasury operations. She is currently employed at the Bank of Nova Scotia as Director of Special Purpose Vehicles and has held various operational, corporate finance, and audit positions in the past. Through these roles, Kusyk has acquired a strong background in securitization, the CMHC programs, Special Purpose Vehicle management, corporate financing, as well as derivative operations, and has obtained a legal foundation in complex financial and tax structures. In addition, Kusyk has led operational training courses in Latin America, and has assisted with due diligence through mergers and acquisitions special task forces.
Kusyk graduated with distinction from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, earning an Honours BA in Business Administration. She has received her US Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation, completed her Corporate Financier (CF) qualification with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), and is an accomplished polyglot.
Dana Lezau
Dana Lezau practices law in the area of creditors’ rights enforcement at Noik & Associates, a Toronto-based boutique firm. She has participated in many commercial and real-estate transactions, and is involved with different aspects of debtor-creditor law, estate law, and civil litigation for federally-regulated institutions. Lezau’s legal expertise across every province and territory has positioned her to work effectively with local counsel towards achieving the best resolution for clients.
Lezau completed her Certificate with distinction in Criminology and Criminal Justice and her LLB from the University of Windsor, securing several awards and scholarships including the Executive Dean’s List.
Alan Luk
Alan Luk is Director of Legal and Development at Sarku Japan, the largest Japanese quick service restaurant chain in USA. Through this role, Luk has acquired in-house expertise in restaurant leasing and franchising together with experience in corporate legal support including trademarks, franchised business regulations compliance, commercial litigation, and insurance liabilities claims. Luk manages the legal portfolio for over 200 stores, as well as compliance with the franchise disclosure rules of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and some U.S. states. Luk is also working on the expansion of Sarku Japan into Colombia and Vietnam.
Luk received his Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Hong Kong, where he also completed a post-graduate Certificate of Laws. Luk qualified as a Solicitor of Hong Kong and England and Wales in 1996 and 1997 respectively.
Mark Mahoney
Mark Mahoney is a member of Fraser Milner Casgrain’s Business Law Group and practices corporate/commercial and securities law. He provides advice to both public and private corporations in a wide variety of areas, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance transactions, share and asset purchase transactions, amalgamations and corporate restructurings. He also advises public issuers on general corporate law matters including stock exchange listings, continuous disclosure obligations and other regulatory compliance issues. Mahoney is also a member of the Young Professional Council of the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research and coaches the Osgoode Hall Law School Negotiating Team.
Mahoney completed his Bachelor of Business Administration at Wilfrid Laurier University and his Bachelor of Laws from University of Western Ontario, graduating with distinction. While completing his degrees, Mahoney gained experience in human rights law as well as brand management and international sales while working and studying in Spain, India and the Netherlands.
Shrianand Misir
Shrianand Misir has seven years international experience leading comprehensive fund-raising and sales & marketing strategies for businesses and government agencies. He is the founder and president of AM Capital Inc., a boutique investment and consulting firm that focuses on the energy and technology industries. As a Legal Analyst for Merger Law Associates Ltd, a financial consulting practice catering to emerging growth companies, Misir recently contributed to the listing of a major Dubai company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, managing investor relations, contracts and financial analysis.
Misir completed his BA in Marketing from the University of South Florida and his LLB at the University of Stirling in Scotland.
Matt Mortazavi
Matt Mortazavi has over 20 years’ experience in the engineering and construction industry.
In addition, he has worked for well-known consulting firms including Marshall Macklin Monaghan Ltd and Fenco Engineers Inc. In 1999, he established Mortazavi Inc. after his return from Singapore, where he managed the construction of the $65 million dollar Singapore Civil Defense Training Camp.
Mortazavi has extensive experience in project and construction management, including management and restoration of a number of high-rise condominium and apartment buildings. He has assisted investors in creating development projects from land acquisition to marketing, financing, and managing construction. He has now expanded his practice overseas with joint venture partnerships in Singapore, Dubai and Qatar.
Mortazavi completed both his B.A.Sc. and his Masters degree in Civil Engineering, with a specialization in Project and Construction Management at the University of Waterloo.
Peter Ohonsi
Peter Ohonsi is a Global Loans Administrator at the Royal Bank of Canada, where he manages an international syndicated portfolio of loans for corporations ranging from energy, gas, oil, agriculture, insurance, financial, health, government, and other public sector organizations.
He also works as a Senior Principal Consultant for Imperial Trades & Maritime Consultants Ltd, where he advises clients of legal, compliance and regulatory requirements for the global business environment, with a focus on the law of contract, sale of goods and agency law.
Ohonsi completed his BA in Political Science at the Ambrose Alli University in Nigeria and his MBA in Corporate Finance & Strategic Marketing at the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden. He also holds several diplomas in international trade, ship-brokering, and shipping business & logistics from Canada and the United Kingdom.
Ugo Popadic
Ugo Popadic is an international lawyer at Appleton and Associates, a law firm specializing in international trade and investment law. He provides advocacy and strategic legal analysis on investor-state disputes, bilateral investment treaties, state regulation of foreign direct investments and structured investment transactions.
Popadic completed his articles at Papazian Heisey Myers, a small full-service law firm in Toronto. He was awarded the 2009 Ontario Expropriation Association prize for his paper on “Compensatory Standards for Expropriated Property at International Dispute Resolution,” and was an Oralist in the Philip C. Jessup 2009 International Moot Court Competition.
Popadic received his Honours BA in Political Science and History at University of Toronto, graduating with distinction. He completed his Bachelor of Laws at University of Windsor and received a certificate in public international law from The Hague Academy of International Law.
Cynthia Robertson
Cynthia Robertson is Principal with Parkridge Properties Inc., a consultancy specializing in advisory services, organizational change and real estate development specializing in public-private partnerships (PPPs). She has also held management positions with the University of Toronto and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority in Toronto and is the Past President of the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships. She was previously employed as Vice President of Government Relations with Corporate Communications Limited in Halifax. She spent over 13 years with the Government of Nova Scotia in executive positions working in the Management Board, the Department of Agriculture and Marketing and the Department of Business and Consumer Services.
Robertson is a graduate in Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and earned a BA in Political Science and an MBA from Dalhousie University. She has also attended the Executive Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Fateh Salim
Fateh Salim is Counsel for the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General. Fateh practices civil litigation and has worked on a wide variety of subject matters including class actions, administrative law, labour and employment and professional discipline law. Fateh has appeared before various boards of arbitration, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and both the Divisional Court and the Court of Appeal. He has also advised on inter-jurisdictional matters with specific emphasis on disputes under the World Trade Organization agreements and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Fateh recently completed a sabbatical with Zahaf & Partners, a Libyan law firm, advising multinational corporations and other foreign investors on a wide range of business-related matters including foreign investments, taxation, employment, financial transactions, and international dispute resolution. Fateh attended the University of Victoria where he studied Economics and Political Science. He received his LLB from University of Windsor Law School and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1999.
Matthew Scott
Matthew Scott is Vice President, Legal and Chief Litigation Counsel at CI Financial, one of Canada's largest publicly traded fund companies. He manages all litigation matters for CI Financial Corp. and its affiliates.
As a lawyer with Groia & Company and Crawley Meredith Brush LLP, Scott worked on some of Canada's leading securities and corporate litigation cases. Scott has assisted clients with a full range of business litigation needs, including claims for and against stockbrokers; claims against banks, financial institutions and other major public companies; shareholder disputes and remedies; wrongful dismissal claims; breach of contract lawsuits; and defense of white-collar criminal prosecutions.
Scott completed his Bachelor of Commerce in International Business at University of Victoria and his LLB at the University of British Columbia. He also completed his Level 1 CFA with the Association for Investment Management & Research.
Brian Soye
Brian Soye is Vice President, Head of Commercial and Special Situations at Realstar Group, one of Canada’s leading private equity real estate investment and management firms. He is responsible for advising on special situation investments with a current emphasis on manufactured housing. He has also acted as Vice President, Asset Manager for Realstar Capital Corporation.
Soye previously served as President and General Counsel for Madison Press Limited, one of the world’s leading independent book producers. He also worked for Nortel Networks in the Leadership Development Program and as an Associate at Goodmans LLP.
Soye received his LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School and completed his MBA at Ivey School of Business at University of Western Ontario, concentrating on Strategy and Operations.
Stanley Strug
Stanley Strug has spent the last 11 years as President of Parkridge Properties Inc., a real estate and infrastructure investment consulting company. In this role, he has worked with private sector companies in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, as well as provincial governments, the federal government and United States government agencies. He has advised international clients on investment strategies and has led numerous infrastructure projects in both the public and private sectors to successful completion.
Stanley has been licensed as a general contractor in both Quebec and the state of Florida. He is presently a licensed real estate broker in the province of Nova Scotia and owner of Macro Realty Group, a Nova Scotia realty company. He completed his Honours Bachelor of Commerce at Dalhousie University.
Andrew Szonyi
Andrew Szonyi is Principal of Andrew J. Szonyi & Associates Inc., which offers business consultancy in financial management, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, corporate governance, reorganization and privatization. Over the past 21 years, Szonyi has served over 100 clients in the private and public sectors and serves on the boards of several public and private corporations. Szonyi has initiated and arranged debt and/or equity financings in Canada and overseas and has experience with IPOs, RTOs, M&A transactions and financings in excess of $2 billion. He is also a Principal and Executive Vice President of First Nations Equity Inc., an aboriginal investment banking and advisory firm, and an associate of Caldwell Investment Management Ltd.
Szonyi owned and operated several businesses, was Professor of Management and Engineering at the University of Toronto, Program Director of a CIDA-Management Education Program in China, and Professional Development Director of the Association of Canadian Venture Capital Companies. He is senior author, co-author and contributor to several textbooks, including Small Business Management Fundamentals and Principles of Engineering Economic Analysis,both translated into several languages.
Szonyi received his undergraduate engineering education in Hungary and earned his M.A.Sc. and Ph.D degrees in Chemical Engineering as well as an M.B.A., all from the University of Toronto.
Kevin Thomas
For the last 13 years, Kevin Thomas has served as Director of Advocacy for the Maquila Solidarity Network, an international NGO working in the field of labour rights. In this role, Thomas has developed and negotiated policies, codes of conduct and strategies for promoting fair labour practices in global supply chains. He has also provided consulting services to governments and public institutions on procurement and social responsibility. His reports and analyses of trends in corporate social responsibility, global sourcing and working conditions are used and cited by businesses, organizations and academics. Thomas has also acted as Chief Negotiator for the Lubicon Lake Indian Nation, a prominent Canadian First Nation, in land claims, economic development, intergovernmental, financial, land use, and business negotiations.
Thomas completed his Honours BA with High Distinction at the University of Toronto, earning a Specialist in Peace and Conflict Studies and a Major in Environment and Resource Management.
Hilary Thompson
Hilary Thompson is the Niagara Region Technical Services Manager of Enbridge Gas Distribution, where she manages a regional gas distribution network involving pressure regulation, transmission to distribution transfer facilities, commercial and industrial metering, regulatory compliance, and oversight of corrosion and leak survey programs. Previous positions at Enbridge have included field manager and senior project leader for both measurement and regulation and large capital engineering projects. She is a Steering Committee member of the women’s networking initiative at Enbridge, and has done NSERC-funded research in the area of alternative energy development.
Thompson is a Professional Engineer and completed her Honours B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering (Process Control) at Queen’s University where she received both the Engineering Society Prize and the Dean’s Award.
Denise Williams
Denise Williams is an Associate in the Corporate Finance/Securities Group at Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP. Williams recently completed a secondment in the Toronto office of a South African mining company that is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Williams has also worked at Parkdale Community Legal Services in the social assistance, violence and health division advocating for clients with various government offices.
Williams completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Health Science (First Class with Distinction) from York University. She earned her JD from Osgoode Hall Law School, earning numerous awards and scholarships for her academic achievements and community involvement. Williams was one of five lawyers at Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP that was awarded a 2010 Political Pro Bono Zenith Award.
