Connect with Your BoardThe Board of Directors plans and implements YTA strategies and activities to enhance member learning, networking and information sharing opportunities. The YTA Board of Directors are busy professionals and active volunteers. They serve on the Board in a volunteer capacity, representing the interests of all members of the Alliance, advancing the business climate for the region's technology sector and the service industries that support it.
With input from members, the Board develops programs to meet your specific needs.The Board also provides operational direction and support for the Alliance.As mentors, advisors and, as your peers, members of the Board provide a wealth of technical and executive experience. Drawing upon their knowledge you can accelerate your own business success.
Board of Directors 2010-2011:
Marie Wiese (Chair)Marketing CoPilot
David Burnett End to End Networks
Mike KavanaghKPMG
Mario Piccinin Ernst & Young
John Kitchen (Vice Chair)ESRI Canada
Stephen Chait Town of Markham
Alex LiSoft Channel Solutions
Mauro SpagnoloRBC
Pat Shaw (Executive Director)York Technology Alliance
Stephen Chan Dapasoft
Greg SecordOpen Text
Ruby MainiHR Strategix
Atin Gupta (Treasurer)Meyers Norris Penny
Steve Charikar Seneca College
Michael StephensAtria Networks
Jinha ChungMiax
Heather Whitten (Secretary)Wilson Vukelich LLP
Sean O’DonovanDoxim
Eamonn FlahertyMiller Thomson LLP
Kevin Tribe (Past Chair)Tequity Inc.
Johanna DelroyCompugen
Ray SimmonsCabletest
Krista LaRiviere gShift Labs
Jim BrownColliers International
Allan FauxDeloitte
K.W Michael SiuYork University
Terry MocherniakEncelium
John Cameron Aizan
Rudy JossSolarsoft Inc.
Janet LeClairYORKbiotech
Chris PatersonIBM
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Heather Whitten is a partner in the Business Law Group of Wilson Vukelich LLP. In addition to providing general business advice to clients, Heather has extensive expertise in negotiating and implementing commercial transactions including shareholder arrangements, acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, strategic alliances (including partnerships and joint ventures) and reorganizations. Heather has acted for entrepreneurs, private companies, public companies and institutional clients.
Kevin Tribe(Past Chair)
Kevin brings 30 years of hands-on experience working in North American software, hardware and professional services organizations. He’s worked with multi-nationals, mid-sized firms and has been the President and CEO of several software companies. Having successfully completed acquisitions for the larger firms he worked with, he used those skills to buy 3 companies in his own software firm, and then successfully sold the company to a publicly traded firm in 2003.
Jim Brown
Jim understands the tech cluster in York Region and leverages that knowledge as a Real Estate Advisor in Markham and Richmond Hill. Jim utilizes his experience as a founder and shareholder of a software company and more than a decade as a leasing agent for office managers to help technology companies find and create office space that works.
John Cameron
David Burnett
Stephen Chait
Stephen Chan
Steve Charikar
Don Cousens(Honorary Member)
Johanna Delroy
Allan Faux
Don is one of Canada’s most successful municipal leaders having served as Mayor of the Town of Markham from 1994 to 2006, during a period of unprecedented growth. As Mayor, he was Chair of Finance of the York Regional Council, a member of the boards of the Markham Hydro Electric Utility, Powerstream, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and Markham Stouffville Hospital, among others, and Founding Honourary Chair of the York Technology Alliance. Prior to entering Municipal Politics, Don served as MPP (Progressive Conservative) for York Centre (1981-87) and Markham (1987-94). Among his roles in government he was Minister of Correctional Services and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Citizenship and Culture. During his time as an Opposition member of the Legislature, Don served as critic for a number of portfolios, including Industry, Trade and Technology, Community and Social Services, Housing, Seniors, Environment, and Finance and Economic Affairs.
Rudy Joss
Mike Kavanagh
Alex Li
Greg Secord
Greg Secord is Vice President, Investor Relations at Open Text Corporation, Canada's largest software company. Open Text is listed on both the Nasdaq and the Toronto Stock Exchange. With experience in both European and North American capital markets, Greg has managed IR through over 20 acquisitions in his career both hostile and friendly. He actively maintains relationships with investment bankers and assists Open Text in researching and qualifying acquisition opportunities.
Michael Stephens
Sean O’Donovan
Sean O'Donovan is Vice President, Marketing at Doxim Inc. In this capacity, Sean leads all online and offline marketing initiatives to help Doxim grow in both size and reach. Sean has over 20 years experience in high-tech marketing. He has worked on both the hardware and software sides of the business, marketing products with values ranging from a few hundred to millions of dollars. During his career, Sean has also gained first-hand experience in a number of other high-tech roles, including sales, business development, product development, product management and general management. This all-round knowledge of how technology companies tick provides him with a unique, and deeply insightful, understanding of the technology business environment. Sean enjoys serving as a board member of the York Technology Alliance, where he is chairman of the alliance's Peer Group Subcommittee.
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Ray Simmons
Ray Simmons is a tech veteran with over 25 years of leadership experience in the sector. Ray's solid track record of business acquisition and turn-around includes managing the revival of CableTest after the tech-bubble collapse of 2001 and co-founding CRS Robotics Corporation, a company that he managed from a start-up with $20,000 to sales of $25,000,000 and 150 employees around the globe. Ray has consulted small businesses on mergers and acquisitions and served as Chairman of a national pesticide and fertilizer manufacturer.
K.W Michael Siu
Janet LeClair
Mario Piccinin
Mauro Spagnolo
Dr. Michael Siu is presently the Associate Vice-President of Research in Science & Technology since July 1, 2005. Michael started at York University in 1998 as Professor of Chemistry and NSERC/MDS SCIEX (now Analytical Technologies) Industrial Research Chair in Analytical Mass Spectrometry. He is the Founding Director of the Centre for Research in Mass Spectrometry, York University. A major goal of the Centre is to foster collaborative research among academics and with industries in the rapidly expanding field of mass spectrometry. He completed a two-year term on the Board of Governors at York University.
Janet LeClair is a senior management professional with over 18 years experience within the university; biotechnology and research sectors. As Chief Administrative Officer for YORKbiotech Inc. she is responsible for overseeing the organization, which is within Ontario’s Regional Innovation Network, to harnesses the wealth of intellectual, technical and commercial resources in York Region to foster economic development in knowledge-based industries.
Eamonn Flaherty is a partner in the Business Law Group of Miller Thomson LLP in Markham. His practice focuses on corporate and commercial law and technology related matters. He works with a broad range of clients in a variety of sectors, including networking marketing companies. He advises on matters related to financing, corporate reorganizations, purchases of businesses, joint ventures, general commercial agreements and regulatory approval. Mr. Flaherty’s extensive experience with the direct selling industry includes all aspects of compliance with relevant consumer protection and other Provincial legislation. In addition, he regularly advises multi-level marketing (MLM) clients in connection with those provisions of the Competition Act prohibiting deceptive practices and schemes of ‘pyramid selling’.
Krista LaRiviere is the CoFounder & CEO of gShift Labs, a software company with an SEO platform that provides business intelligence for organic search strategies. gShift is Krista’s third software start up having successfully exited from the previous two, cgk Technologies and Hot Banana Software in 2006 to Lyris. Krista is an entrepreneur at heart thoroughly enjoying the thrill and risk of creating a business and software from scratch and proving its value to the world.
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