Calgary

Alexandra Daignault Combines Activism, Tea and Feminism Into One Perfect and Impactful Blend

Alexandra Daignault is a young female entrepreneur, her company combines activism, tea, and feminism into one perfect and impactful blend and she is quite the storyteller!

“It all started with a final project for an Indigenous Studies Course, facilitated by Dr. Renae Watchman. As a class, we were challenged to think about resistance within our everyday experience. One morning, on my way to school, I went to my favourite local coffee shop. Looking down at their array of beverages, I was struck with a thought. Here I was, purchasing products that supported small businesses and Indigenous communities elsewhere in the world. What would the effects be if there was a tea that supported small, local businesses, and provided consumers with the ability to support local marginalized communities? Thus, Sarjesa Inc. was born. As an experienced activist and community organizer focused on social enterprise and community development spaces. I have completed the ASHOKA – AMERICAN EXPRESS boot camp for emerging leaders and have been the recipient of numerous awards – speaking at conferences and facilitating workshops across North America. Graduating as the valedictorian of my class, I am focused on creating more equitable and safe spaces for marginalized women across communities. Working with Elders and community members on blend and packaging, our goal is to create highly respectful products with a variety of social and environmental impacts.”

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After Years at the CRA, Susan O’Brien Took a Leap and Started Her Own Tax-Consulting Firm

After years in the tax world working at both the Canada Revenue Agency and in the private sector, Susan O’Brien took a leap and started her own tax-consulting firm. While her business was successful, she had a gnawing feeling that she wanted more.

Finding her heart was in wealth management, she started her next venture, the Susan O’Brien Group, with a large global Canadian bank in 1998. It has grown to become a nationally recognized wealth advisory practice.

Now, having found her place, her focus is on an innovative and collaborative approach to wealth management. She is a sought-after speaker, facilitator, and planner working with C-suite executives and wealthy families who want more from their financial advisory relationships.

Susan uses a net worth thinking lens to align all aspects of each client’s financial life. As an entrepreneur and mother of four children, she has a passion for helping her clients not only build their own net worth but also ensure that their wealth passes on to future generations.

Susan has been featured in the Globe and Mail, and on CTV News and Global News. She was a 2018 finalist in the Women in Wealth Management Awards in the categories of “Women-Led Advisory Team of the Year” and “Excellence in Philanthropy and CSR.” In 2019, she was a finalist in the Wealth Professional Awards for Excellence in Philanthropy and Community Service.

Always guided by helping others and giving back to her community, she sits on advisory boards for the Calgary Foundation and United Way. She is also a member of the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), a global organization of top women entrepreneurs, where she offers peer-to-peer mentoring. Susan lives with her family in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

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Jo-Anne Reynolds, Founder of Sexy AF, Striving to Make the World’s Best Tasting Alcohol-Free Spirits

Jo-Anne Reynolds was on a girls trip when all ladies she was with were not drinking alcohol because they were pregnant, marathon training or for religious beliefs. Their only options were sparkling water with lime juice or a Shirley Temple plus the usual soda pop, coffee or tea.

When Jo-Anne got home she envisioned a world where everyone could enjoy a delicious, refreshing, alcohol-free mocktail anywhere. She also wanted drink recipes that featured items Jo could easily find and make as a mother and not a mixologist. All her friends wanted was a mocktail that was Sexy AF and Jo was committed to making it the World’s Best Tasting Alcohol-Free Spirits company.

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Moving Healthcare Records Forward Around the World with Mark Genuis, President and CEO, ICE Health Systems

Mark Genuis, Ph.D, is President and CEO ICE Health Systems, based in Calgary, Alberta. With a healthcare background including providing work as a practicing psychologist and leading a research institute for five years, Dr. Genuis is passionate about excellence in healthcare, knowledge transfer and learning. Combined with a healthy addiction to technology, he leads the conceptual and practical development of ICE, an entirely new generation of electronic health record and management systems.

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Dan Balaban is a Canadian ‘Powerhouse’ Leading Energy Transition Through an Aligned Mindset & Messaging, Entrepreneurial Initiatives and Global Impact Investing

Dan Balaban is the Co-Founder, President and CEO of Greengate Power, a leading Canadian renewable energy company. Based in Calgary, Dan is an award-winning entrepreneur with a proven track record of successful business ventures.

Dan leads the Greengate team, which has been successfully developing renewable energy projects of unprecedented scale in Canada for more than a decade. To date, Greengate has developed nearly $2 billion of operating or near-construction renewable energy projects, including Canada’s largest wind and solar energy projects, providing clean energy to more than 350,000 homes.

Prior to starting Greengate, Dan was the Founder, President and CEO of Roughneck.ca, a leading provider of software solutions to the Canadian oil and gas industry. Prior to that, Dan worked as a management consultant with EY and PwC.

Dan graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science. He was named one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People in 2010 and 2013 by Alberta Venture magazine, a winner of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Prairies in 2012, and named one of Canada’s Clean50 for 2015.

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Kevin Harrison is Principal at Sturgess Architecture, a Locally Based Firm That Has Completed Some of Canada’s Most Recognized Projects

Kevin Harrison is the Principal at Sturgess Architecture, a locally based firm that has completed some of Canada’s most recognized projects. They created the Glacier Skywalk, and are working on a Flyover Canada project in Toronto, as well as being in charge of the new Green Line in Calgary.

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Leor Rotchild is Aggregating Canada’s Business Sustainability Heroes Into a Powerhouse for Good, from Pipelines to Turbines

Leor Rotchild is the Calgary-based Executive Director of Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR), where he champions responsible Canadian business as a force for good in the world. He also hosts a podcast called Pipelines & Turbines, which features interviews and commentary about topical energy and sustainability issues.

Leor started his career in the international development sector and spent several years as a sustainability leader in Alberta’s energy sector. He founded a social enterprise specialized in zero-waste events and consulted to several clients in energy, clothing and apparel, and professional services.

Leor joined CBSR after completing a long term consulting assignment with the Energy Futures Lab, where he helped to launch a new social innovation platform to accelerate Alberta’s energy transition.

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Rob Townsend is Founder and CEO of Camber, a Fintech and Wealth Management Company in Calgary

Rob Townsend is Founder and CEO of Camber, an independent fintech and wealth management company in Calgary.

Camber is focused on helping people make smarter decisions with their money through data-driven analysis. It has recently launched the Camber Dashboard, an online tool that helps high net worth clients visualize and optimize their finances so they can increase returns, minimize taxes and avoid costly mistakes.

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Teresa Powanda is Owner of Unleash Sports Business and Athlete Consulting

Teresa Powanda is owner of Unleash Sports Business and Athlete Consulting in Edmonton, Alberta.

She works with athletes, sport organizations, teams, corporate businesses and non-profit by building relationships, representation, managing sponsors, developing key messages, writing scripts/ads, media/public relations, creating promotional items/materials, marketing, budget planning, consulting and much more.

Her goal is to represent amateur and Olympic athletes; finding them sponsors, speaking engagements and endorsements to provide financial assistance in order for them to focus on all aspects of their training.

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Rebecca Cramer is Founder and CEO of LOUD Marketing

Rebecca Cramer is Founder and CEO of LOUD Marketing, a successful marketing/social media agency based out of Calgary. Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy.

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