New World: 2021 Digital LGBT+ Global Business Summit

Dax Dasilva is the creative mind behind Lightspeed, Never Apart, and Age of Union. Founded in 2005, Lightspeed develops a cloud commerce platform used by complex retail and hospitality industry customers in over a hundred countries. The company’s mission is to bring cities and communities to life by powering independent business.

Lightspeed employs over 1000 staff and powers over 100,000 customer locations worldwide. The company went public in March 2019 on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol LSPD, becoming one of Canada’s top 10 technology IPOs. In September 2020, the company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

In 2015 Dasilva also founded Never Apart, a cultural non-profit determined to bring about positive social change and unity through original programming with global reach and impact. Housed in Lightspeed’s former offices, Never Apart cultivates a diverse following and has welcomed thousands into its 12,000-square-foot space.

Helping entrepreneurs become leaders in their communities through Lightspeed’s technology and elevating artists through his work at Never Apart are fundamental to Dasilva’s philosophy. He fosters cultures of innovation, promotes diverse leadership, and values different viewpoints.
Dasilva’s debut book released in May 2019, Age of Union: Igniting the Changemaker, brings leadership, spirituality and environmental guardianship together with themes of identity, diversity, cultural expression, and individual empowerment to ignite the impactful changemakers that the world needs now.

Beth A. Brooke serves on the Board of eHealth, Inc and is a strategic advisor to the Board of SHEEX, Inc. Beth retired as the Global Vice-Chair – Public Policy at EY and a member of the firm’s Global Executive Board. Beth had public policy responsibility for the firm’s operations in over 150 countries and was the global sponsor for EY’s Diversity and Inclusiveness efforts. Beth is a prominent voice around the world on Diversity and Inclusion, including most prominently on LGBT inclusion and women. She has been named eleven times to the list of Forbes “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women”. In 2017, Beth received the Theodore Roosevelt Award, the top individual honor bestowed by the US National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). She has also been inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. During the Clinton Administration, she worked in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she was responsible for all tax policy matters related to insurance and managed care. She played important roles in the healthcare reform and Superfund reform efforts. Beth chairs the Board of Vital Voices, the Steering Committee of the Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality (PGLE) and is a member of the Board of the United States Olympic Committee, The Conference Board, The Aspen Institute, and Out Leadership. She is a member of the inaugural class of the Henry Crown Fellows of The Aspen Institute, the Committee of 200, and the International Women’s Forum. Beth played basketball at Purdue University where she earned her undergraduate degree with highest distinction and has honorary doctorates from Purdue, Indiana University and Babson College.

The life of visionary and activist Spencer West has been marked by both obstacles and triumph. After losing both legs from the pelvis down at the age of five, he entered a world that might have easily defeated him. Instead, he tackled challenge after challenge, learning to navigate in a world set against those with disabilities. His many accomplishments and lessons learned along the way, led him to discover the techniques business leaders, professionals, educators and young people can use to redefine possible in their own lives and careers.

Whether headlining corporate conferences, inspiring audiences at employee/client appreciation events, or mesmerizing audiences in 20,000-seat stadiums, Spencer’s charisma and dynamism captivates all. Sharing his journey from losing both legs as a child, to climbing – and summiting – Mount Kilimanjaro using his hands and wheelchair, Spencer’s words and actions have encouraged millions to stand up, face challenges and embrace change. Everyone leaves with pertinent lessons they can apply to redefine what their possible is.

Spencer’s incredible story is documented in both film and print. His journey is featured in the documentary Redefine Possible: The Story of Spencer West, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival and in his book Standing Tall: My Journey.

Kirstine Stewart has spent a ground-breaking career working globally at the intersection of media and technology. As VP North America Media at Twitter in New York, Kirstine led teams across the US driving partnerships in News, Entertainment, Government and Sports. Before moving to Twitter, Kirstine was the Head of Canada’s national broadcaster the CBC, responsible for Television, Radio and Digital. Over her career, Kirstine held a series of executive positions in Canada and the US focused on the global and regional expansion of US brands including HGTV and Food Network and managing programming of 37 international channels for Hallmark Entertainment. Prior to her current role, Kirstine held C-suite and advisory positions at successful tech startups, the most recent being digital transformation specialists TribalScale. Kirstine has served on a number of public, private and nonprofit boards including TheScore, WOW and Ryerson University’s tech incubator DMZ. She currently sits as a founding member of Innovation Leaders Against Racism hosted by MarS and the CAMH Foundation Board and the Prosperity Project focused on the socio-economic post pandemic recovery of women in the workforce. Kirstine is the author of bestselling leadership book published by Random House “Our Turn” and makes Los Angeles her home.

Sarah is an award-winning, bilingual audience engagement expert who holds a double honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communication Studies and a Master’s in Communication Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University. She has spent her career using technology to communicate ideas and mobilize people to bring those ideas to fruition. In 2014, Sarah was named one of Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 marketing professionals by Marketing magazine. For over a decade, she has been designing strategic marketing, branding and communication plans for corporate, public sector and not-for-profit organizations. At her core, Sarah is a social justice activist dedicated to eradicating anti-Black racism and other forms of racism, oppression and gender-based violence. This is why she founded esbe Consulting, a social impact audience engagement agency, in 2017. esbe Consulting partners with corporate and public sector organizations seeking to make a positive social impact and helps them inspire others to join a movement through marketing, branding and communication. Sarah is also a former contributor to Huffington Post Canada and has risen as a trusted media authority on discursive race relations in Canada. Her published work and media appearances address various social justice issues in Canada.

Katherine (Katie) Dudtschak is an experienced business and thought leader in the areas of multi-horizon growth strategies; transformational leadership and inclusion.

As Executive Vice President at RBC, since 2015 she has led the country’s largest advisor force with more than 20,000 employees. In this role, she has undertaken a significant transformation of the retail bank’s distribution model and played a key role in the development of RBC’s Purpose and Collective Ambition as well as its strategy as a digitally-enabled relationship bank. During this time, her team achieved multiple years of industry-leading client experience, employee engagement, client and business growth results as well as efficiency gains, without incurring a restructuring charge. In the last six years, RBC has received unprecedented industry recognition including top honours for four of those years in J.D. Power’s Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, top honours in Ipsos Financial Service Excellence Awards and Retail Banker International’s Global Retail Bank of the Year award.

Katie’s 35 year corporate career spans a number of disciplines including front line Banking, Operations, Risk, Human Resources and Strategy. She has deep expertise successfully leading complex transformations. Prior to her current role, Katie was CEO of RBC’s Caribbean business and led a regional restructuring across 19 countries, returning the business from a loss position to sustainable profitability. Engagement of government leaders, regulators, clients and employees were central to this success. Though two countries were divested and 40 per cent of the workforce was reduced, employee engagement rose by 11 per cent.


Katie is a woman with gender transition experience, revealing her journey to embrace her true self to friends, family and thousands of RBC colleagues in 2019. While facing her true gender was the hardest experience of her life, it provided her with a unique and powerful view on society and the role and practices of business leadership moving forward. Katie grew up with learning challenges as a child to humble farmers in southwestern Ontario; her parents having survived WWII camps to arrive as post-war newcomers to Canada. Her life includes being an incredibly proud parent of four children.
Katie believes deeply that sustainable practices must include business, customer and societal progress on environmental and social sustainability. Known for her strategic mindset as well as her authentic care and candor, Katie uses her voice and experiences to carry the message of what it means to be a purpose-driven and inclusive leader.

Ms. Theodore is Senior Vice President, Global Government and Industry Relations with Maple Leaf Foods. In this role, Ms. Theodore leads Maple Leaf Foods’ global government relations and public policy functions, collaborating across the organization in developing and implementing the company’s government and industry relations strategy.

Prior to joining Maple Leaf Foods, Nadia spent over 20 years in the Canadian federal public service where she built a reputation for forging strong partnerships with government and business leaders, managing complex, priority trade files and leading multi-disciplinary teams. She has held senior leadership roles on several international trade negotiations and directly prior to joining Maple Leaf Foods, served as Canada’s Consul General to the Southeast USA, based in Atlanta.

Ms. Theodore is a proud contributor to organizations committed to empowering people and culture. She has served as a Carleton University Alumni Mentor, as a Global Advisor with G(irls)20 and on the Carter Center Advisory Board.

Ms. Theodore holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Master of Arts in Political Science, both from Carleton University, and a Bachelor of Laws from University of London.

Brian Gallant is a highly respected and dynamic Canadian leader who served as the 33rd Premier of New Brunswick from 2014 to 2018. At the age of 32, Brian became the youngest First Minister to be elected in Canada in a century.

Brian is the CEO of the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation, a ground-breaking initiative to help Canadian businesses and organizations as they work to redefine and strengthen both the scope of their purpose and the contributions they make more broadly to society.

As a Senior Advisor at Navigator, Brian understands the challenges that organizations are facing in this age of innovation and disruption. Brian helps leaders navigate complex issues at the intersection of government, politics, business, law, social justice, media, and sustainability.

Moreover, Brian is a Special Advisor on Innovation, Cybersecurity, and Law to the President of Ryerson University and an Entrepreneur in Residence for the DMZ incubator.

In addition to his time as Premier, Brian has served New Brunswick as the Attorney General, the Minister responsible for Innovation, and the Minister responsible for Women’s Equality. He has also served as the Chair of the Council of the Federation.

Prior to entering politics, Brian worked as a corporate commercial lawyer. He has university degrees in business and law as well as a Master of Laws from McGill University.

In 2015, Brian was the only Canadian named as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Brian is currently on the Board of Directors of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst in Brampton, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada in Vancouver, the Canadian Olympic Foundation in Toronto, the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary, the Canadian Urban Institute in Toronto, and the Beausejour Family Crisis Resource Centre in Shediac.

As a 3x Certified Life Coach and motivational speaker, Raia is passionate about encouraging others to tap into the confidence they never knew they had. After overcoming various hardships, she was able to transform her mindset and begin a career that empowers others to do the same.

By openly sharing her triumphs and tribulations, Raia’s vulnerability helps foster a welcoming and safe environment in every room she enters. She strives to inspire and lead those around her by providing unwavering support, guidance, and motivation.

By equipping clients with tangible tools to implement in their daily lives, she steers her community towards self-awareness, resilience, and sustainable success.

Abby Sugar is the Founder and CEO of Play Out Apparel. Having worked as a writer, editor, and independent personal trainer, Abby is a lifelong learner and taught herself business and fashion after graduating from Barnard College in English lit. She graduated from The Founder Institute Silicon Valley Winter 2020 cohort and is proud to be an FI Select Portfolio company. As an outgoing, unapologetically queer startup founder, she strives to be a leading voice in and for the LGBTQ+ community. Abby’s entrepreneurial spirit and unique personal style give her an outsider’s advantage in the world of fashion and DTC startup ecosystem.

With a background in public policy and government affairs, Dan has led corporate social responsibility, government affairs and public policy teams at two Fortune 100 companies and has over twenty-five years of experience in the private, public and nonprofit sectors.

After a ten-year career in the energy industry, Dan joined Microsoft in 1998 and was instrumental in developing and managing Microsoft’s global corporate social responsibility program. Dan worked across key business groups and corporate functions within Microsoft to develop public policy positions to advance the company’s business and policy objectives and to position Microsoft as an industry thought leader on key policy issues such as human rights, responsible sourcing, privacy and security, corporate governance, transparency, et al.

He founded and served as Executive Director of the Microsoft Technology and Human Rights Center. Under Dan’s leadership, Microsoft became one of the first multinational corporations to adopt the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and develop and implement a cross company human rights impact assessment process.

In addition to his internally facing responsibilities, Dan was responsible for Microsoft ’s global outreach and engagement with a variety of key stakeholders including the socially responsible investment community; the World Economic Forum; a range of CSR organizations and related NGOs; various UN agencies, with a particular focus on UN Human Rights; the UN Global Compact; and the Global Reporting Initiative

Dan also served as the Co-Executive Sponsor of GLEAM (Gay and Lesbian Employees at Microsoft).

He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Catawba College in Salisbury, NC and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Dan and his husband, Robert Cundall, live in New York City.

Beata Caranci is the Chief Economist and SVP for TD Bank Group. She joined TD in 2003 and leads an agile team of economists tasked with delivering economic content on Canadian and U.S. stress test regulatory requirements, as well as baseline forecasts and research publications for TD clients. The team delivers on a wide scope of research, covering the Canadian, U.S., and global economies. Beata is TD’s Chair for the Expected Credit Loss Scenario Governance, sits on TD’s Retirement Investment Committee and is a member of the C.D Howe Institute’sMonetary Policy Council. She is also a member of the Economic Council at the American Bankers Association.

Beata is a passionate supporter of TD’s diversity initiatives and has dedicated more than a decade to researching and driving awareness among Canadian policymakers on the labour market friction experienced by women. Her research report, “Get on Board Corporate Canada,” helped influence the Ontario Securities Commission’s rule amendments on disclosure of women on boards and in senior management.

A separate report deconstructed the educational system and workplace environment for women in STEM fields, leading to an invitation to appear at the Senate Open Caucus to discuss policy prescriptions to counter systemic biases. Beata’s distinguished evidenced-based research combined with the breadth of her role as Chief Economist for TD Bank earned her the Professional category award by WXN’s 2019 Canada’s Most Powerful Women. Beata holds a Master’s Degree in Business Economics. Prior to joining TD, she worked nearly four years on a trading floor providing economic analysis to foreign exchange, money market and bond desks.

Ralph G. Moore, CPA, began his lifelong pursuit of economic justice over 50 years when he joined the picket lines at A&P Stores with Reverend Jesse Jackson in 1968. He started his work in minority business development after leaving Arthur Andersen & Co. to become V.P. of a Chicago-Based Minority Enterprise Small Business Investment Company in 1974. While there, he worked with Congressman Parren Mitchell (D-MD) and Reginald L. Lewis, which inspired him to start RGMA in 1979.

Mr. Moore was the lead trainer for NMSDC for 24 years. He conducted over 100 seminars for the national office and 22 of the regional councils, which has resulted in RGMA having trained more supplier diversity professionals than any other firm worldwide. Also, Mr. Moore developed the Corporate Plus Forum for NMSDC and led the annual Forum for 15 years. Fourteen members of the prestigious Billion Dollar Roundtable are among the major corporations that have retained RGMA over the years. Current and former RGMA clients include The Walt Disney Corporation, EY, DuPont, Dow, UBS, United Airlines, McDonald’s, the United States Tennis Association, and Major League Baseball. RGMA has also advised hundreds of emerging businesses through contracts with the US Small Business Administration, the Minority Business Development Agency, and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Ralph Moore is the author of the RGMA Five Levels of Supplier Diversity maturity model, embraced as the gold standard for benchmarking supplier diversity initiatives. Mr. Moore is proud of his participation in two NMSDC training missions to advance supplier diversity throughout the Republic of South Africa after Nelson Mandela’s election. Other global assignments include leading seminars in France, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Mr. Moore is also a member of the Procter & Gamble and Macy’s Supplier Diversity Advisory Councils. Also, Ralph Moore is an Advisor to APC Holdings, a private equity firm that
leverages mergers and acquisitions to develop scalable, diverse suppliers. He has also served on the NMSDC Corporation of the Year Committee.

Mr. Moore has served on the boards of Junior Achievement of Chicago, Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council, Habilitative Systems, Inc. City Colleges of Chicago, University of Chicago Medicine, and the Chicago History Museum. In the private sector, Ralph Moore has served on Sentinel Technologies’ board for over 30 years. Sentinel is a privately held, non-minority-owned technology firm with more than 500 employees. He also
serves on AGB Investigative Services’ advisory board, the largest minority-owned security firm in America with over 1000 employees.

His awards and recognitions include the Ron Brown Award from the Chicago Minority Business Development Council and the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s coveted Leadership Award. Mr. Moore’s induction into the Southern Illinois University College of Business Hall of fame was a special honor. He served on the SIU College of Business Advisory Board for 25 years and graduated with honors, earning a B.S. Degree in Accounting.

Kim is the host of MoneyTalk on BNN- Bloomberg and CTV … and Vice President at TD Wealth.

As Co-Founder and CEO of CGLCC, Darrell Schuurman has been committed to CGLCC’s mission since 2003. He is a former Managing Partner at DNA Marketing Group and has a background in business, sales, and marketing. He is the Co-Founder of Travel Gay Canada.

Margaret’s career began in advertising and design, building campaigns and brands for her clients. She was drawn to her tech clients, specifically tech start-ups, who were defining and building new industries. She eventually made the move client-side to be more hands-on in the building.

Since then, Margaret has worked primarily in technology and STEM education start-up and scale-up environments, always being drawn back to the excitement of starting something new, creating and building products and industries that are on the brink of breaking into modern lives. For the past seven years, Margaret has focussed on how to get more students to enter STEM fields, specifically in exponential technology fields such as synthetic biology, nanotechnology, robotics and artificial intelligence. More recently, she has focussed on how under-employed or unemployed STEM workers can re-skill or upskill to meet the growing demand for skilled workers in new technology fields.

In her role as chief operating officer at Virtual Gurus, Margaret focuses on scaling the organization through increased automation, developing processes and procedures to ensure stakeholders on both sides of the marketplace experience exceptional service and supporting Bobbie, VG’s CEO, in building Virtual Gurus into the most sought after talent-as-a-service partner and provider.

Tony Chapman is one of Canada’s leading communication experts. The media has labelled him a Marketing Guru and he is an authority on how to build brands, and sell strategically and profitably in today’s volatile marketplace. Tony has been at the forefront of pioneering innovative marketing and sales tactics, including social media, and many consider him a trailblazer for the strategies he has deployed to reinvent how companies engage with their consumers and customers and navigate the changing landscape. He has founded and successfully sold two internationally renowned advertising agencies, Communique and Capital C, and co-founded Fresh Intelligence. Tony was the driving force behind such campaigns as Land of Cadbury, Pepsi Pop Life, PepsiCo Wal-Mart USA Growth Strategy, Bridezilla, Kraft Hockeyville, Dove Sleepover for Self Esteem, Sun Life Money for Life and the Nissan Innovation Challenge. His agencies have collectively won over 100 national and international awards including the much-coveted Agency of the Year. Tony has worked with organizations locally and globally, in the private, public and not for profit sectors. Beyond his role as a Founder and CEO, Tony’s body of work includes being a host, facilitator, strategic creator, provocative debater, ideator, and keynote speaker at conferences around the world. He is also a noted contributor on television and radio, with weekly appearances on prime time television and radio, and has been featured in documentaries on the CBC, the BBC and Australian Television. Passionate, provocative, opinionated and relevant, with an engaging personality, he speaks on a range of issues including consumerism, business strategy, politics, the economy, as well as branding and marketing. He is a mentor who shares his knowledge with students and invests in the next generation of media entrepreneurs. A visionary and builder, Tony’s cumulative contributions to the industry over three decades were recognized when he was inducted as one of the youngest members into the Marketing Hall of Legends (2008).

Monica H. Kang is the Founder & CEO of InnovatorsBox®, the Author of Rethink Creativity: How to Innovate, Inspire, and Thrive at Work and the Host of two Podcasts—Dear Workplace and Curious Monica. She is an internationally recognized expert in workplace creativity who facilitates culture transformation, leadership development, and team building in a way that is fun, actionable, and relatable. Monica provides consulting, training, facilitation, and keynote speaking to clients worldwide including Fortune 500 companies, higher education institutions, government agencies, and nonprofits. She also supports organizations, professionals, and entrepreneurs through the InnovatorsBox® Academy and the programs she co-creates with her strategic partners including Adapt to Grow and Culture of Analytics. Monica’s work has been recognized by The White House, Ashoka Changemakers, National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), and Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Prior to founding InnovatorsBox®, Monica was a nuclear nonproliferation policy expert. She holds an M.A. from SAIS Johns Hopkins University in Strategic Studies and International Economics and a B.A. from Boston University.

Eyal Naveh (pronouns – He/Him) has been with Amazon for 9 years. Eyal leads 3 teams supporting Amazon’s Gift-Cards tech in Vancouver. Gift-Cards is a well-established Amazon business, yet Eyal and his team remain focused on innovation. In addition to his day job, Eyal leads the Vancouver branch of glamazon – Amazon’s LGBTQ2SIA+ affinity group – and is on a constant learning journey to try and be an ally for underrepresented minorities.

Michela is an entrepreneur and technologist based in Vancouver, BC., where she is principal of IONICA, a cloud computing and cyber security firm with clients across Canada and around the world.

In addition to IONICA’s commitment to their clients and cutting-edge technology, the firm is dedicated to fostering positive social impact. They work to make the world more just, equitable, and sustainable. As part of this mission, the firm donates a significant portion of company profits to charity each year. To date, IONICA’s cumulative donations exceed $130,000.

Michela holds a master’s degree in business administration, with specialisations in technology and marketing from the University of British Columbia, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Outside of work, Michela enjoys running, cycling, music, spending time with her dogs and her partner, art, learning the French language, programming, and political and social activism.

Harold Mzobe is Deputy Director at Enterprise Florida’s Canada office where he assists growing Canadian businesses seeking to invest in Florida. He is a seasoned specialist in Foreign Direct Investment research and corporate investment attraction with more than 10 years’ multisector expertise in Economic Development. Harold plays a pivotal role in supporting and overseeing both the investment attraction initiatives and strategies for many government and non-profit Economic Development Organizations, as well as counseling and assisting growing businesses with expansion needs. He has also served as an International Investment Development Representative (IIDR), for the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Growth, uncovering, nurturing, and successfully landing notable investment projects within the province.

Allyson Tonelli’s dynamic career in sales, advertising, and integrated marketing has given her the opportunity to work in film and television, sport and recreation, and now tourism. As Director of Sales for Tourism Kingston, she oversees the Travel Trade, Conferences and Meetings, and Sport and Wellness portfolios. Allyson is responsible for creating robust sales pipelines, innovative sector development plans, and most importantly, business relationships, that anticipate and respond to the ever-changing tourism landscape.

Entrepreneur. Community Builder. NGO Founder. Ironman Triathlete. Former Member of Parliament. For over 15 years, Randy Boissonnault has advised leaders of owner-managed companies and social profit organizations on matters of leadership, strategy and community development. Randy served as Special Advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on LGBTQ2 Issues. He is a tireless advocate of LGBTQ2 rights, inclusion in the workplace and supplier diversity.

Alex Varricchio leads UpHouse, a profitable and nimble marketing agency, that has earned international and national marketing awards and has provided over $300,000 of in-kind and pro bono marketing support to not-for-profit and organizations. He and UpHouse co-founder, Kiirsten May, have also published a book, The Proximity Paradox, which was released internationally in 2020, and have developed the crowdsourced brainstorming tool, Crainstorm, which champions good ideas through collaboration and the collision of diverse viewpoints. Alex also won CGLCC’s National Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner.

Alex had over a decade of agency experience before starting UpHouse in 2017. The agency is devoted to elevating in-house marketing teams and the brands they promote. Noticing a trend in businesses struggling to bring marketing work in-house, Alex created a collaborative business model based on filling in the gaps – not replacing in-house talent or duplicating efforts but supplementing teams and their work.

Pronouns: she/her/hers. Debra Quade is the Supplier Diversity Manager at Kellogg Company. Prior to joining Kellogg, she served as Supplier Diversity Specialist at Toyota Boshoku America in Erlanger, Kentucky and Magna Donnelly in Holland, Michigan. Debra serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, leads the Global Agriculture Industry Group for WEConnect International and established a MiDiCo module for supplier inclusion and opportunity. She represents Kellogg Company on the National Minority Supplier Development Council Working Group, and the Corporate Advisory Council for the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in addition to participating on the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council Programs Committee, the Food Marketing Institute Group Supplier Diversity Committee and the Food & Beverage Industry Group.

Victor Harris is the enterprise strategy manager at Northern Commerce. With over 20 years in sales, marketing and customer service — 13 of which focused on digital services — Victor has developed an innate ability to align client goals to technology recommendations.

Victor works with key stakeholders at organizations to help them understand how various digital strategies, services, and tools can be used to achieve their business goals and objectives. He helps clients understand how improving experiences across eCommerce, content management systems (CMS), digital experience platforms (DXP), digital advertising, email marketing, SEO and more — can have a direct impact on increasing revenue.

Northern Commerce is Canada’s leading and fastest-growing commerce agency. We provide full-service digital marketing solutions and deliver enterprise-level omni-channel commerce solutions for retailers, manufacturers, and wholesalers around the world.

Victor gives back to his local community by serving on the board of directors for the United Way of Elgin Middlesex and he is currently the chair of its resource and relevance committee. Previously Victor held board positions with the London Chamber of Commerce (Ontario) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC London Chapter). He has also chaired many local committees and task forces.

Ted Flett is a principal lawyer at Zubas Flett Law and represents both employers and employees in all matters of employment law. Ted is committed to delivering collaborative legal solutions for his clients. He combines his passion for the law and problem solving with his education and experience to deliver results to clients with a workplace or human rights issue. Ted makes his client’s issue his to resolve. Ted articled and practiced at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Canada’s largest law firm, and worked inhouse at Bell Canada, Canada’s largest telecommunications company, doing both plaintiff and defendant civil litigation as well as advisory work. To benefit his clients, Ted often draws on this experience and the distinct insights into the legal approach taken by national firms and inhouse counsel of large corporations. Ted has appeared before the Human Rights Tribunal, Superior Court of Ontario and Court of Appeal. Though an able litigator, Ted prefers to explore more cost-effective and efficient strategies for his clients, including negotiation and mediation. After studying political science at McMaster University and journalism at Ryerson University, Ted attended law school at the University of New Brunswick. While attending law school, Ted received numerous academic prizes including the MacLellan Family Scholarship and Class of 2001 Scholarship. He was also selected as valedictorian by his graduating class. Before law school, Ted had a successful career in public relations, strategic communications and marketing in the public sector. He brings these communication and strategy-building skills to his legal practice. Outside of the firm and courtroom, Ted volunteers at Egale Youth Services and likes to paddleboard on Lake Temagami.

Brooke Gordon is Senior Advisor, Women Entrepreneur (WE) for BDC in Ontario where she assumes the responsibility of helping majority women-owned businesses accelerate their growth and scale up — and ensuring women thrive through every step of their business journey with the help of dedicated partner organizations and regional hubs from across the WE ecosystem. Brooke joined BDC in 2017 with High-Impact Firms (HIF), Advisory Services, where she led a team of business advisors and analysts who support the Growth Driver Program as the HIF Service Delivery Manager for Ontario. Prior to joining our organization, Brooke served as a trusted businesses advisor and consultant for over 19 years in the areas of strategic planning, organizational development and operations. Brooke is a weightlifting enthusiast and certified health coach who is passionate about nutrition and implementing plans that are developed with a focus on sustaining a work life balance for the whole team. She is a proud volunteer with Soroptimist International, an organization that provides financial support for women enrolled in training (Live Your Dream) and career counselling for girls in high school (Dream It Be It). Brooke is certified in ITIL and holds a master’s degree in commercialization (MEEi), in addition to both a bachelor’s and master’s in engineering physics from McMaster University, where she was awarded a patent in semiconductor manufacturing processes. She currently teaches engineering and management as part of the final capstone project.

Celso is Manager, Account Services & Program Operations with Staples Promotional Products and leads the company’s Supplier Diversity program. While Staples as an organization, focuses on branding and awareness solutions for their customers, their roster of Diverse Suppliers has increased by 250% over the past 3 years, affording them the ability to find many of those solutions in the Diverse Supplier community. Staples is a Corporate member of WBE, CGLCC & CAMSC and Celso works closely with each of the certifying bodies to connect with new suppliers and support them through the onboarding process.

Michelle Albanese is Head of TD’s Responsible Sourcing and Supplier Diversity program and activities across Canada and the US, a part of the Bank’s Ready Commitment. In this role, Michelle drives TD’s Responsible Sourcing program, which assesses and engages suppliers to adopt best practices for social, ethical and environmental corporate responsibility, including carbon emissions reduction. She also leads TD’s Supplier Diversity program, encouraging the inclusion of diverse-owned suppliers to support enterprise-wide operations.

Michelle has over 22 years of experience in the environmental and sustainability fields; a Master of Science from the University of Waterloo, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Guelph. She previously worked in consulting, non-profit and government sectors

Gareth Buchanan is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at OutScotland and OutBritain, the UK’s newest LGBT business network.

From Edinburgh, Scotland, Gareth brings over 20 years’ experience working in major global organisations, across roles in employee relations, employee representation, restructuring and change, and diversity and inclusion.

Gareth is a true believer in meeting customer and employee needs, and creating competitive advantage, through inclusion, equality and great communication.
A key part of OutBritain and OutScotland since its inception, Gareth is part of the team that are bringing the LGBT+ chamber of commerce model, and LGBT+ business certification, to the UK for the first time.

As a queer and trans human himself, Tj understands how potential perceptions of “employability” and balancing access with safety can create extra barriers for 2SLGBTQIA+ workers. Supported by his 8 years of nonprofit experience in 2SLGBTQ+ D&I work, HR education, and lived experience, he recently launched his consultancy to help businesses develop the organizational culture and practices needed to challenge these barriers, and to meaningfully include their 2SLGBTQIA+ workers and customers.

Kelsey Hunter (she/her/elle) is a Trade Commissioner at Global Affairs Canada’s Pacific Regional Office in Vancouver, where she supports water, wastewater, air and soil remediation companies based in British Columbia and the Yukon. Prior to her role as a Trade Commissioner, Kelsey was a Senior Advisor for Canada’s economic sanctions policy. Before joining Global Affairs Canada, Kelsey worked to expand access to broadband for rural and remote regions of Canada and on policies to support small and medium-sized businesses at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. She holds a Masters of Economics from Lehigh University.

Bill McAvoy is the Executive Director of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office, which certifies diverse and small businesses and connects them with resources and public and private contracting opportunities. He previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Chief Legal Counsel in the Operational Services Division and as Assistant Attorney
General / Environmental Advocate, Legal Counsel for Operations, Budget Director and Senior Counsel to the Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General. He previously worked in the private sector for several companies, including Hewlett Packard Corp.

Bill received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Merrimack College, Master’s degree in Business Administration from Suffolk University and Juris Doctorate degree from New England School of Law. He has actively participated in the National Association of State Procurement Officials, was a contributing author to the State and Local Government Procurement Practical Guide and has chaired the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education’s Public Procurement and Contracting Committee since 2008.

Loren Christie has 25 years experience in the travel & tourism industry. He spent 17 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in a variety of leadership roles before moving to Destination Toronto as the Director of Sales for the Canadian and International Congress markets. He then decided to step head first into the COVID storm and start his own business in September, 2020 to help tourism, travel and hospitality businesses navigate their way through the pandemic. As part of that work, he assisted the CGLCC as a trainer for their LGBT+ Travel Market Readiness Program and as an accreditor for their Rainbow Registered Safe Space Accreditation Program. He sits on the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. He is also a nationally and internationally recognized media personality and travel expert and currently appears regularly on CTV’s Your Morning.

Ryan is the Membership and Supplier Diversity Manager with Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce. In that position, he fosters community economic development and business growth in the queer entrepreneurship community by overseeing and expanding the Chamber’s membership base, as well as coordinating all programming. He also manages the Chamber’s Supplier Diversity Program, which actively promotes the economic empowerment of LGBTQ+ owned businesses, and Global Program, which grows international LGBTQ+ business activities.

A proud Nova Scotian, Ryan brings nearly five years of experience in communications, stakeholder relations, and campaign management from the political sector. Most recently, he was the Press Secretary and Advisor to the federal Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International trade. Previous to this, he was the campaign manager in the federal riding of Sackville–Preston–Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia and field manager in the provincial riding of Portland–Simonds, New Brunswick.

Ryan holds a Bachelor of Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University and a Masters of Political Management from Carleton University. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Youth Project. Outside of work, Ryan is passionate about community economic development and enjoys baking, running, and planning adventures with loved ones.

Jonathan Marriott is the Founder and Principal Consultant of accessCAN. Inc

Jonathan specializes in accessibility of the built environment, transportation, accommodations and accessibility legislation compliance, creation of accessible policies and guidelines for the workplace, and training programs & accessibility workshops.

Jonathan founded accessCAN Inc. in 2020 with the intent to promote accessibility and diversity & inclusion to maximize community participation. accessCAN is able to help people remain part of their community for as long as possible by adopting a holistic approach towards meaningful access.

At accessCAN, we operate as responsible corporate citizens and broaden our skills, experience, and perspective by working with diverse communities and individuals. Our commitment to accessibility and integrity means our approach to work is consistently open, empathetic, and genuine to our business partners’ needs.

In November 2020 Jonathan was appointed as a member of the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit. The committee reports to the Board of the Toronto Transit Commission regarding decisions affecting accessible transportation in the City of Toronto.

accessCAN is a certified diverse supplier through Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce.

Michael Pacholok became the Chief Purchasing Officer for the City of Toronto in 2012, with oversight of close to $2 billion spent on goods and services per year. In the role of Chief Purchasing Officer, Michael leads a professional staff of approximately 140 and has been instrumental in leading large scale procurement transformations within the City. These transformations include the implementing Category Management and Strategic Sourcing, implementing SAP Ariba, implementing the first municipal Social Procurement Program that focuses on supply chain diversity and workforce development and introducing changes to the Purchasing By-law to be compliant with the CanadaEuropean Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. Prior to his current position, Michael was a municipal lawyer with the City’s Legal Services department providing legal advice on the public procurement process to the Purchasing and Materials Management Division and legal advice on environmental matters, contracts and other municipal matters to the City’s Solid Waste Management Services. Michael graduated from University of Toronto with a Juris Doctor in 2005 and from Queen’s University with a B.A.H. in Computer Science and Economics.

Originally from Yorkshire in Northern England, Mark has over 14 years of international marketing experience gained at Wal-Mart UK & Coca-Cola Canada. He has a deep knowledge of Product, Brand and Customer marketing and prides himself on building strong & successful relationships. Mark’s passion for inclusive and progressive workplace’s first developed by being an active member of Wal-Mart UK’s LGBTQ network. He took this passion further by launching and leading Coca-Cola Canada’s LGBTQA Business Resource Group (BRG) from the summer of 2018 to the present day. Currently, Mark is the Customer Marketing Manager at Coca-Cola Canada, and he continually strives to expand his leadership skills & knowledge base, demonstrated by taking on this exciting position with Pride at Work Canada. Mark regularly keeps in touch with family in friends in the UK, as well as enjoying travel & social time with his partner of 10 years and new friendship group in Toronto.