Geoff Smith
President & CEO of EllisDon, Chair OG100

Geoff Smith is the President & Chief Executive Officer of EllisDon, an employee-owned, $5 billion-a-year construction services and technology company that has grown exponentially beyond its modest origins in London, Ontario. EllisDon is determined to lead the coming disruption in the construction sector, having recently created pioneering initiatives in Energy Management, Smart Buildings Software and Data Analytics. Geoff is also the Chair of the Ontario Global 100 (OG100) Board, an initiative to enable Canada’s fastest growing companies to become exporters to the world. Additionally, Geoff has earned recognition as the recipient of the Ontario General Contractors Association’s Jock Tindale Award for Integrity in 2011 and EY’s Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2013.

Osagie Imosagie
Co-founder of PIPV Capital and an Adjunct Professor at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Osagie Imasogie has over 35 years of experience in the fields of law, finance and business management, healthcare, and the pharmaceutical industry. Osagie is a co-founder of PIPV Capital, a Private Equity Firm that is focused on the Life Sciencesvertical and has invested over $1 Billion in institutional money. Prior to co-founding PIPV Capital, he conceptualized and established GlaxoSmithKline Ventures and was its founding Vice President. He has also held senior commercial and R&D positions within pharmaceutical companies such as GSK, SmithKline, DuPont Merck and Endo. Osagie also serves on the Board of a number of financial institutions such as FS-KKR Capital Corp, and is a current and active member of the Executive Committee of the University.

Bruce Archibald
Associative Director, OG100

Bruce Archibald is currently Associate Director for OG100 as well as Strategic Advisor for McMaster University. Bruce was Executive Director of Ontario Global 100 from June 2017 – July 2022. In this role, Bruce had overall responsibility for implementing and executing the policies, programs, and goals of OG100. Prior to joining OG100, Bruce was President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (2013-2016). While in that role, he was also the Deputy Minister Champion of the Science and Technology Community, and Chair of the Deputy Minister Committee on Science and Technology. Between 2009-2013, Bruce was the first President of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. In the past, he has also served in the Ontario Public Service as the Deputy Minister of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Deputy Minister of the Ontario Ministry of International Trade and Investment, and the Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade. In 2012, Bruce was presented with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for Public Service to Canadians and is also the recipient of the Biotechnology Initiative Public Service Award.

John Kelly
Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs

John Kelly was appointed Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in August 2020. John brings more than 25 years of leadership in the agricultural, food and life sciences industries, spanning private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Prior to joining OMAFRA, John was Chief Innovation Officer at Bioenterprise Corporation, where he was responsible for leading the acceleration of agri-tech business ventures. John has also held senior-level roles in organizations such as DNAstack Inc., Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association and MaRS Landing.

Maud Murray
Deputy Minister, Ministry of Red Tape Reduction

Maud Murray became the Deputy Minister of Red Tape Reduction in June 2022. She previously served as the interim Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade (MEDJCT), from March 2022 to June 2022. Prior to this appointment, she served as the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Office of Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Division at MEDJCT. In this role, Maud led the development of cross-cutting policies and strategies for regulatory innovation, compliance modernization and regulatory reform to reduce burdens on Ontario businesses. She also led partnerships with other ministries and levels of government to develop policies, strategies and solutions to support small and medium-sized businesses, and management of Ontario’s network of Small Business Enterprise Centers.

Stephen Rhodes 
Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation &Trade

Stephen Rhodes became Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade in June 2022 and Deputy Minister of Energy in June 2018. In the past, he has served as the Deputy Minister of Northern Development and Mines, the Deputy Minister of Transportation, the Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, and the Ministry of the Attorney General’s first Associate Deputy Minister, providing strategic oversight and senior executive leadership. Prior to his role as an Associate Deputy Minister, Stephen served for seven years as the Ministry’s Chief Administrative Officer and Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Corporate Services Management Division. During his tenure with the Ontario Public Service, Stephen has taken on increasingly challenging and complex roles leveraging his policy, operations and business expertise.

Dino Bianco
CEO, Kruger Products 

Dino Bianco has more than 25 years of financial, sales/marketing and senior management experience with Kraft, including nearly seven years as president of Kraft Canada. He was the recipient of the Food Industry Association of Canada’s Golden Pencil Award in 2013, which recognized his lifetime contribution to the grocery sector. He also has extensive U.S. and foodservice experience, having recently been president of Kraft’s U.S. Beverage division based in Chicago. Dino is now currently the CEO of Kruger Products.

Lydia Chen
President & CEO, InnVest Hotels

Lydia Chen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of InnVest Hotels and a member of its Board of Directors. She assumed the role on April 1, 2017. Prior to assuming her role at InnVest Hotels, Lydia was CEO of the parent company Bluesky Hotels and Resorts. As CEO, she is committed to developing InnVest Hotels’ asset portfolio, and pursing quality asset growth opportunities across Canada. Lydia has more than 20 years of experience in senior management positions with many companies in Asia, Europe, and North America. She has also been involved in a wide variety of industries including finance, real estate, biopharmaceuticals, and technology.

Nitin Jain
President & CEO, Sienna Senior Living – Retirement Homes & Longterm Care, Ontario and BC

Nitin Jain is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sienna Senior Living where he is guided by his conviction that it is a tremendous privilege and responsibility to serve Canada’s seniors. With over 90 high quality assets in Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, Sienna is one of Canada’s leading operators in the seniors’ living sector.  Prior to becoming President and CEO in June 2020, he served as Sienna’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Investment Officer for six years, overseeing more than $1 billion in new investments. He has also held senior leadership roles at Canadian Tire and General Electric before joining Sienna. Nitin’s global career experience began as an operational leader in the hotel and hospitality sector, where he rebuilt and re-invigorated large and diverse teams. His capacity for identifying key areas for operational improvement and implementing plans to capitalize on these opportunities, has been a defining feature of his professional career ever since.

Steve Mayer
President Greenhill Canada, co-author/editor of “Unprecedented: Canada’s top CEO’s on Leadership during COVID-19”

Steve Mayer joined Greenhill in 2016, and still remains the leader of the company. Steve is also currently a member of the Firm’s Management Committee. Prior to joining Greenhill, Steve was a Managing Director and Head of Canadian Diversified Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs for over 10 years. Prior to this, he was also a Managing Director and Head of Communications, Media & Technology at Scotiabank, as well as an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley. Steve is a past recipient of Canada’s Top 40 under 40™ Award and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Sinai Health Foundation.

Andrew Willis

Globe & Mail Business Columnist and co-author/editor of “Unprecedented: Canada’s top CEO’s on Leadership during COVID-19”

Andrew Willis is a business columnist for the Report on Business at The Globe and Mail, based in Toronto. He has been in business communications and journalism for three decades. From 2010 to 2016, he was senior vice president of communications for Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset management company. Andrew’s career in journalism included stints at a number of publications, including writing the Streetwise column at the Globe and Mail from 1995 to 2010. Andrew also co-wrote and edited a book titled Unprecedented: Canada’s top CEO’s on Leadership during COVID-19″, alongside Steve Mayer.

Mike Pilato 
President & CEO, Jamieson Wellness

Mike Pilato is President, CEO, and board director with Jamieson Wellness, assuming these roles in June 2021. He joined Jamieson Wellness as President, Specialty Brands, in October 2018 and in February 2020, became President of Jamieson Canada with responsibility for growing the company’s full portfolio of brands in its home country. Mr. Pilato has diverse Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) experience across companies of various sizes. Prior to Jamieson, he was with The Clorox Company for over a decade, holding senior positions in Finance, Brand Management, and Sales. For four years he was General Manager and President, Canada, where he led the organization to unprecedented growth across multiple categories including household products, natural health, and personal care. Prior to joining Clorox, Mr. Pilato held various cross-functional roles at Playtex Products and Kraft Foods. He has also spent time in leadership positions in the start-up space. He has been a Director at the Food, Health and Consumer Products Association of Canada (FHCP) since 2015, previously serving as the Vice-Chair and currently as Treasurer. He previously sat on the boards of the Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association (CCSPA), Avante Logixx Inc (XX.V), and Breakaway Community Services. Mr. Pilato holds a Bachelor of Accounting degree from Brock University, as well as a CPA, CMA designation.

Loren Shifrin
Founder & CEO, REV Captial

Loren Shifrin is the Founder and CEO of REV Capital (formerly Revolution Capital). He is a highly ambitious young entrepreneur with fifteen years of experience building brands and growing portfolios in the factoring industry. Loren is also the Founder and CEO of REV Tech, a fintech on a mission to democratize the transportation industry’s access to resources. Loren is responsible for the natural growth and M&A strategies for REV and has led the company to record year-over-year growth since the company’s inception. Loren has successfully identified and closed six acquisitions and has overseen the opening of four US offices since 2018.

Alex Van Zijl
CEO, InterAtlas Chemical and InterAtlas Logistics

Prior to founding InterAtlas Chemical and InterAtlas Logistics, Alex worked internationally in a variety of Sales and Management positions. In 2001, he moved to Canada from The Netherlands at the request of my Holland based employer at the time. One of his Canadian based manufacturing subsidiaries was struggling, and therefore he was tasked with developing and executing a turn-around. In 2004, Alex joined IFC North America Inc. as a CEO where he was introduced to Chemical Manufacturing and Distribution. During these 13 years at IFC, he significantly increased market share and profitability. InterAtlas was founded in 2005 with a very strong focus on vendors and clients; ‘how can we become and remain relevant to both?’. During the process, Alex has been able to assemble a team of professionals by offering them an exciting workplace which is constantly growing and developing. Additionally, he has acquired not only experience in trading, finance, and logistics but also in manufacturing, especially in products such as EBC and CMN. Alex graduated from the School for Higher Business Administration and Economics in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, with a degree in International Trade and as a Registered Export Manager.