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Appointee Biographies

Venture Ontario

DANIEL NOWLAN

Since 2017, Daniel Nowlan has been a Vice Chairman at National Bank Financial. Mr. Nowlan was the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Finance of Canada and led the Federal Budget 2015 process. From 2000 to 2013 Mr. Nowlan held increasingly senior roles at CIBC including Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets and as Vice Chairman Global Investment Banking from 2015-2017. Prior to joining CIBC World Markets in 2000, Mr. Nowlan was in the Investment Banking group at National Bank Financial for four years after serving as a Special Assistant to the Canadian Minister of Industry, Science and Technology and the Minister for International Trade. Mr. Nowlan also worked as a Special Assistant to the Minister of Human Resources and Labour. Mr. Nowlan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Mount Allison University and a Master of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

LESLIE LEWIS

Leslie Lewis Westhaver is a financial strategy executive and former private equity investor. She is currently the Chief Financial Officer at Avanti Software and her prior corporate experience includes supporting the IPO of PowerSchool (NYSE:PWSC). Leslie's private equity experience includes roles at Onex Corporation and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan after beginning her career in investment banking at CIBC. Leslie has also served as the Tax, Trade, and International Finance Policy Advisor to the Canadian Minister of Finance at the Government of Canada. Leslie is a former Canadian national team athlete in kayaking and she holds a business honours degree from Acadia University. Leslie’s community involvement includes her appointments to the Board of Directors of the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board, Venture Ontario, and the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. Leslie has also received the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

THOMAS MATHEWS

Thomas Mathews is a bilingual lawyer based in Toronto, practising civil, commercial, and criminal litigation. He is a member of the Bars of Ontario and Quebec and represents clients in both provinces. Mr. Mathews previously served on the board of the Quebec-India Business Council. Passionate about public affairs, he enjoys writing on political and business issues, and has been published in both national and local newspapers. A native of Ancaster, Ontario, Mr. Mathews is a graduate of McMaster University's Arts & Science Program and holds law degrees from Université Laval and the University of Ottawa. He is a member of the Bay Street Rugby Football Club.

TIM JACKSON

Timothy Jackson is President and CEO of SHAD Canada and former Executive Vice-President of the MaRS Discovery District. Mr. Jackson is currently Chair of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and former member of the University of Waterloo Board of Governors. His community involvement includes being a director of the Manulife Bank of Canada and Manulife Trust Company, Chairperson of the Waterloo North Hydro Holding, and Chairperson of Bingemans Inc. Mr. Jackson is a Chartered Professional Accountant and he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from the University of Waterloo.

VIKRAM KHURANA

Vikram Khurana is Chair of Toronto Business Development Centre, a leading business incubator, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Canada Post Community Foundation. He is founder of a number of multinational businesses including Prudential Consulting Inc. and Leading System Consultants, and has advised multinational organizations in Information Technology (IT) and IT enabled services, and business process outsourcing. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Mr. Khurana worked at TD Bank. He is currently member of the board of Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Mr. Khurana served on the Board of Directors of Export Development Canada, FinDev Canada, the Dean’s Council of Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson Unviersity, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority. Asia Pacific Foundation Canada and the Advisory Board of the Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Khurana is an active participant in a variety of fundraising activities for development-related causes and was an honorary member of the Board of Governors at Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation in Toronto.

BRYAN SMITH

Bryan Smith is the Co-Founder and CEO of ThinkData Works, a Toronto-based technology company that enables data processing and refinement for governments, banks, and corporate clients across Canada and globally. Previously, Mr. Smith served as Senior Policy Advisor to the President of the Treasury Board of Canada, where he helped implement the Government’s “Value for Money Ethic”, leading to over $7B in annual savings. Mr. Smith holds a B.A. from Wilfrid Laurier University.

ELSPETH MURRAY

Elspeth Murray is Associate Dean, MBA and Master’s Programs at the Stephen J.R. Smith School of Business at Queen's University and an Associate Professor in Strategy and Entrepreneurship. Dr. Murray is a member of the Trinity College School, Analytics for Life, and Homestead Landholding Boards, and former Vice-Chair of the Ontario Research and Innovation Council. Dr. Murray holds a Ph.D. from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, a Master of Business Administration degree from Queen's University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Queen's University.

RICHARD ROBARTS

Richard Robarts is a Senior Director in RBC's Senior Commercial Markets segment for Southwestern Ontario, leading a team of credit underwriters. Previously, Mr. Robarts was an Associate Vice President of Commercial Credit Risk Management for TD Bank Group responsible for adjudicating loans in the mid-market segment for Commercial Branches across Ontario. He was formerly a Director and Head of US Financial Institutions for Global Transaction Banking in TD Securities covering US banks and non-bank Financial Institutions (including fintechs). Prior to that, Mr. Robarts held various roles in Corporate and Investment Banking in TD Securities and began his career as co-founder of an Internet start-up during the dot-com era. His community involvement has included leading TD's Juvenile Diabetes (JDRF) campaign, major fundraiser for TD Securities Underwriting Hope Charity Auction and active member of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club as a former World Champion, National Sailing Team member and Olympic Trials finalist. Mr. Robarts holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University and an Engineering degree from the University of Windsor.