Board of Advisors
David Tsubouchi
David Tsubouchi is the first Japanese Canadian to be elected to any provincial legislature in Canada and to be appointed as a Cabinet Minister. He has served as the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, Solicitor General, Chair of Management Board and Minister of Culture, all in the Ontario Government. Mr. Tsubouchi sits on the boards of OMERS Pension Fund and the Ontario Arts Council. His book, Gambatte, was nominated for the Speaker’s Book Award and the Heritage Toronto Book Award. His latest book, a YA Fantasy novel The Chinese Door, has been released recently.
Graham McBride
Graham has been involved with entrepreneurs for over 30 years, with experience in a broad range of investment, strategic, general management, and corporate finance roles, crossing a diverse group of industries. Having led several successful investment teams, including at VG Partners and Royal Bank, Graham has been part of building many successful management teams and businesses, resulting in numerous successful private investments. Graham is Executive Chairman and CEO at LifeLearn Inc., a software and services firm providing education and efficiency tools to the veterinary space and is President of LarchHill Capital Inc., a private investment and consulting firm. He is a co-founder of FundThrough Inc., a fast-growing fintech lender to small businesses, a board member of several private companies, including Paygos Inc., AME Learning Inc., and Centurion Financial Investment Trust and active with several non-profit organizations. Graham holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University.
Krista Jones
Krista has been the driving force behind the creation of Momentum, a MaRS program helping scaling Canadian companies reach $100 million in revenue by 2024. She has been a passionate innovator and builder of technology-based businesses for over 30 years, and has spent her career working in and advising over 200 organizations, including public companies, high-growth firms and startups. Krista is an engineer, entrepreneur, mentor and expert problem solver. She has a unique combination of strategic, technical, operational and marketing expertise. And she is known for her comprehensive knowledge of the existing and emerging enterprise tech stack (architectures, technologies) and commercialization practices. Her greatest joys come from working with and learning from diverse, talented and ambitious people, as well as being a mother to three amazing young adults.
Jeremy Auger
As the current Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of D2L Corporation, and former Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Jeremy Auger has managed many teams, from Engineering, Product, and Human Resources to Government Relations, Mergers & Acquisitions, Communications and Strategy. Jeremy is a serial entrepreneur, founding multiple companies (including helping to create and grow D2L) since his early years as an undergraduate student at the University of Waterloo. Jeremy served for 12 years as the chair of the Economic Development Board for the City of Kitchener and used this role to push modern economic development approaches across the city. Jeremy currently serves as a national board member for TechNation - Canada’s National ICT Association, and has been accepted into the Forbes Technology Council, an invitational-only community for world class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. He has also made a measurable impact as a passionate advocate for better provincial and federal policy support for the next generation of Canadian start-ups and scale-ups, and is a member of the Future Skills Council.
Rani Dhaliwal
Rani Dhaliwal is a senior finance executive based in Mississauga, Ontario. She has held a variety of executive and leadership positions throughout her career, including roles as Executive Lead at the University of Guelph Humber Brampton Partnership, Senior Vice President of Transformation and Strategic Partnerships and CFO at Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, CEO (Acting) at the Centre for Education & Training. Rani is currently a member of several boards, including the Ontario Education Cooperative Marketplace, the Ontario Internal Audit Committee, the Ontario Finance Authority, and the Confederation Centre of Art. She has also served on several past boards, including William Osler Health Systems, Unicef Canada, and the Federation of Canadian-Brazilian Businesses. Rani Dhaliwal is a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA) and has also earned a Chartered Director Designation from McMaster University, as well as the designation of Fellow Certified Management Accountant (FCMA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA). She holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business Administration and Economics from York University and has completed a Supervisory Officer’s Program from Ontario School Boards. She is fluent in English, and well conversant in Punjabi and Hindi. Rani is committed to principles of integrity, accountability, transparency and collaboration, and is a skilled communicator with a consultative, consensus-building management style. She has a track record of establishing strong, strategic relationships with multiple stakeholders and has experience in advancing strategic priorities and pioneering transformative change.
Kristina Cleary
Kristina is an advisor, speaker, coach and Founder of Cleary Leadership Inc, a coaching leadership organization focused on helping people and companies grow. Kristina’s background includes over 22 years of technology and leadership experience, including her most recent role as the Chief Marketing Officer of Ceridian which culminated in a successful IPO on both the NYSE and TSX. Along with several Board roles, Kristina also serves as the Marketing Executive in Residence supporting fast growth tech companies reach $100M in 5 years for the MaRS Discovery District. Kristina has also founded Velocity, a program specifically created by women – for women - to support her mission of increasing the number of women in senior leadership positions around the world. Kristina is highly focused on helping high performing individuals and fast-growth teams accelerate their impact so they can focus on delivering results with action-oriented coaching.