Speaker Bios
Speakers
Hamed founded TIO Networks as a kiosk solution provider in 1997, shortly after completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering degree at the University of British Columbia. Mr. Shahbazi has since transitioned TIO Networks into a multi-channel payment solution provider.
Hamed is a passionate advocate of impact entrepreneurship where new companies aim to doing well by doing good, which he promotes as the role of an “Impactreneur”. He regularly mentors founders and entrepreneurs of early stage companies.
Dean, her husband Rhino and their 3 children emigrated to Canada from South Africa 26 years ago. Dean grew up in Zambia and after marrying Rhino lived in Malawi, Namibia and South Africa.
Dean has had a varied career from the early days of being an Operating Room Nurse on Professor Christiaan Barnard’s first heart transplant team to running a Nursery School in Malawi. Together with Rhino they now owner manage a company that is involved in soil stabilization during road construction.
Dean has taken on various roles for Rotary District and Zone committees. However, her best experience is leading teams of Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors to Africa and seeing how this volunteer experience changes their lives.
As a teenager, Joan Posivy discovered a set of principles which showed her how to buy her first house at age 19, become a bank manager by age 22, travel the world, and so much more. Through study and practical application she learned that anyone can live the life of their dreams, they just need to be shown how. Joan reveals that guidance in her international bestselling book, The Way Success Works: How to Decide, Believe, and Begin to Live Your Best Life.
Wanting to pay it forward, and driven by her mission to inspire, enliven, educate, and empower young adults to become courageous and confident goal achievers, Joan has shared her message with tens of thousands of people throughout the Americas and overseas.
Dale (B.Comm, MBA) has been with BC Hydro since 2007. Dale is the Project Manager for BC Hydro’s Revenue Requirements Application process, a $14 billion application to the British Columbia Utilities Commission for approval of the company’s operating and capital expenses, financing structure and pricing levels over three years. Dale has also worked at BC Hydro as a Technology Lead in SAP and Analytics, and as a Strategic Business Advisor to a member of BC Hydro’s Executive Team.
Dale’s approach to project management fits his somewhat “structured” approach to life. Areas of expertise include resource allocation, project scheduling, critical path analysis and project completion/closure.
Matt will be presenting on Developing Solutions and Implementation.
Panelists and Facilitators
Manisha is an experienced leader and social innovator. She has a passion for education, youth development, community engagement and social change. As the Co-Founder and Program Director of GradusOne, she has been able to translate this passion and build a non-profit that is helping students and recent grads develop their careers and face the question "What's next".
With a Business Degree from Simon Fraser University, Manisha has held several roles in the community and has a background in human resources, project management, and marketing. She is driven by her purpose to create projects and communities that make people feel connected and gain confidence through diverse and fun learning experiences.
Alia is a social entrepreneur and lecturer at Simon Fraser University and Fraser International College where she teaches Sustainable Innovation and Business Essentials respectively. Passionate about the fields of marketing, international business, poverty alleviation and impact investing Alia is the Co-Founder of Liv & Lola; a fair trade home decor business which works with artisans in rural areas of Nicaragua where employment opportunities are scarce.
Alia is also the Founder of Luv The Grub an emerging social enterprise that operates at a number of levels in the food system: it captures fruit and vegetable seconds from farmers and markets that would otherwise go to waste, hires women at high risk of food insecurity and with barriers to employment and produces delicious jams and chutneys made with locally-grown ingredients for the local market.
Shayna is a proven corporate communications and change management executive, with 15+ years experience leading strategic campaigns for Fortune 500 multinationals, global media and consultancies, and most recently municipal government. Now based back in Canada, she has lived and working in 5 countries. In 2002 she was the grateful recipient of a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, which took her to the Netherlands to study for her MBA. This was the catalyst for her spending more than a decade in Europe.
An expert facilitator and natural convener, she is able to simultaneously gain the trust of senior executives, while building a true sense of team amongst her direct reports and wider community of colleague and partners.
Hussein's one-line bio: Serial entrepreneur, advisor, and speaker. General Manager at Launch Academy. Executive Director at TiE Vancouver. Featured in Forbes, BBC, Entrepreneur, and Roundhouse Radio.
Natasha Jung is a ‘multipotentialite’ - someone with many interests, creative pursuits and superpowers. She is a television producer and host, workshop facilitator, community leader, and recovering corporate ladder climber.
Armed with her degree in Communications from Simon Fraser University, Natasha’s professional background is in marketing, events, broadcasting and PR. In the last year, she decided to refocus her career on the two areas she is most passionate about: storytelling through media, and helping youth and young professionals explore their personal and professional potential. She is currently a Television Producer & Host for Novus TV, and has previously worked for Canadian Idol, CityTV, Deloitte Canada, Vision Critical and a number of non-profits, such as an Advisor to GradusOne and was named one of Richmond's "30 Under 30".
Natasha’s core values include community, creativity, authenticity and creating meaningful impact. She constantly looks for ways to apply her values to both her personal and professional life.
Potential Project Case Studies
- Mental Wellness, International
- Homelessness
- Environment and Sustainability
- Education & Literacy
- Micro-finance
- Peace and Conflict Resolution
Organizing Committee
