Denise Williams, Special Advisor to the Dean on Executive Education for the Indigenous Communities and previously was CEO of First Nations Technology Council.  Denise graduated from our first cohort of our EMBA in Indigenous Business and Leadership program. Denise has also been a member of the SFU Beedie Advisory Board.

Rod Taverner is the Owner and President of the RMC Group of Companies.  Having graduated from SFU in 1992, Rod moved to Edmonton and opened a Ready-Mix Concrete company in 1994.  Since then the RMC Group has moved into several locations across western Canada.  The Group has expanded into property development, aggregate resource development, trucking of raw materials, electrical contracting, pre-cast manufacturing amongst other things.  The RMC group has become one of the largest independently owned ready mix and construction companies in Canada. 

Qudrat completed her Bachelor of Health Sciences at SFU and is currently working as a Research Assistant at the BC Children’s Hospital BioBank, where biological samples and clinical information are stored for future research. She is currently conducting research on how to change perceptions surrounding vaccines and research participation across high schools in British Columbia. She also recently won Surrey’s Top 25 under 25 award for her work with Project Pulse Vancouver and the SFU Pre-med Society. She has a passion for improving patient care and hopes to pursue a career in the healthcare field in the future.

Dr. Granville is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, UBC and Associate Dean, Research and Executive Director of the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. His research at QLT supported the approval of Visudyne® as the first treatment for macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. In 1999, Visudyne® was approved by the FDA, resulting in the largest ophthalmic product release in history. In 2001, Dr. Granville relocated to the Scripps Research Institute where his discoveries led to the formation of Radical Therapeutix Inc. He is the recipient of a Tier II Canada Research Chair, Michael Smith Foundation Scholar, Canada Top 40 Under 40™ award, UBC Outstanding Alumnus Award, SFU Academic Alumnus Award, Business in Vancouver 40 Under 40 Award and is a Scholar of the Royal Society of Canada. He is also a co-Founder/CSO of viDA Therapeutics.

Emily co-manages the Linde Equity Fund and angel invests in B2B SaaS startups. Emily also has her own wine venture launching this fall @galeriethebrand

I'm a senior Mechatronics Engineering student at Simon Fraser University who's passionate about using technology to have a positive impact on the world - by creating the future of robotics! I'm passionate about creating robots that interact with people in a friendly and human-centred way - in everyday life, in healthcare settings, working with children and the elderly, and beyond! I'm also passionate about bio-mechatronic technologies such as robotic exoskeletons and robotic prosthetics that can improve the quality of life of people with mobility challenges.

I love giving back through community service and have enjoyed volunteering with Special Olympics (5 years), Girl Guides (5 years), with my university program's student society (2 years), and most recently with the Western Engineering Competition 2023 and the SFU 20th Anniversary Open House. 

Some of my other passions include outdoor adventure (such as kayaking, paddleboarding, camping and generally exploring), music (listening to, or playing the piano or flute), spending time with my friends, family, and cats, fibre and textile arts, and trail running! 

I like to keep busy and like to enjoy these activities while excelling at my academic endevours in Mechatronics, where I have achieved Dean's Honour Roll level grades (3.5+ GPA).

Anjali founded Canada's leading youth-led non-profit, helping over 9 million students (age 15-18) navigate higher education, career and personal development opportunities through social media. Anjali grew the nonprofit to over 200 volunteers, 7 chapters and 6 figures in non-dilutive funding. Anjali has been awarded BC Business 30 Under 30 (youngest listee ever), Vancouver's Top 25 Under 25, Rebook Human Rights Finalist and youngest Canadian at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance in Milan, Italy. Currently, she is a Venture Capital Associate at Front Row Ventures, investing in pre-seed and seed Canadian tech start-ups in Vancouver. She is also working at two of the biggest VC firms in North America: Maple VC and Inovia Capital. Previously, she worked at Nasdaq, Amazon, and CPP Investments.

Nicola started her career at the Canadian Cancer Society, where she was responsible for the annual Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley. She then moved to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation and joined their fundraising events team, eventually becoming an Associate Director and overseeing some of the largest fundraising events in the province. She also completed her MBA through Durham University during this time. 

Nicola is currently the President of Columbia Learning Group, a paramedic and first aid training group of companies that delivers programming across the province. It has a particular focus on delivering paramedic training in historically underserved rural and remote communities.

Passionate about the economic potential of the Fraser Valley, Alex is the CEO of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce where she works to ensure the voice of Abbotsford's business community is heard at every level of government.

Prior to this, Alex was a Director with Hill + Knowlton Strategies, one of the world's leading public relations agencies, where she provided strategic advice on corporate reputation, media relations, and crisis communications planning to clients across Canada.

Alex has also held roles in the municipal economic development space with a focus on sector development in clean technology, agriculture, and ag-tech. Her work has also placed her across the Asia Pacific Region, across various levels of government and industry.

Alex holds an MBA from Simon Fraser University and a BA in political science from the University of British Columbia. She was a fellow in SFU Beedie School’s Social Innovation Lab (RADIUS), recognized by BC Business with the Top 30 Under 30 Award, and a '10 Weston Loran Scholar.

In her spare time, Alex is passionate about food and wine and hosts numerous events and tastings as a WSET certified sommelier (London Wine and Spirits Education Trust). She also serves on the Board of the Fraser Valley Child Development Centre, Tourism Abbotsford, the BC 55+ Games, and is proud to call Abbotsford home.

Marzia Sager is a Communications Professional, a co-founder of the creative company Alon Studio and the non-profit organization, Glow Within Foundation. She has always been passionate about creative pursuits, advocacy, and social impact. As a result, she uses her various skills and experiences to empower the next generation through education, community building and mentorship. Marzia immigrated to Canada with her family when she was 9 years old. She proudly honours her heritage in the work that she does and she continues to strive to embody the Filipino culture in various facets of her life.

Marzia graduated from Simon Fraser University’s School of Communication with a Minor in Print and Digital Publishing and Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She also serves as the Director of the Students and New Communicators Portfolio in the International Association of Business Communicators British Columbia. Marzia is the winner of the 2022 Making Waves Award which is given to an outstanding new communicator in her field. She was also chosen to take part in BC Business 30 under 30 list 2023.

Paige Sandher co-founded Pulse Media Inc. at 20, alongside her partner Harrison Gordon, by investing a few thousand each. In less than four years, the couple has founded several e-Commerce Brands with successful acquisitions and exits. Throughout their e-Commerce success, the couple founded and operates a direct-to-consumer custom furniture store CouchHaus scaling to 7 figures in their first year, and recently being awarded the BC Business 30 Under 30.

Muneesh has been Director of iconic shopping and dining districts, the Lobbyist representing BC's commercial real estate industry - valued at half a trillion dollars, and Public Affairs Manager for BC's largest cultural institution and tourist attraction. He was a Political Advisor to the Government of BC, and briefly for the Government of Canada. He was featured by the National Post as one of Canada's Worthy 30, and by Business in Vancouver Magazine for a Forty Under 40 Award.

Ryan graduated in 2023 with a degree in Computer Engineering from SFU. During his time at SFU Ryan was a member of the SFU Varsity Golf Team and President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee where he advocated for mental health and helped raise over $15,000 for local charities. Ryan helped to initiate the removal of the previous athletics team name and was co-chair of the working group responsible for recommending the new athletics team name, Red Leafs. Ryan also co-founded a startup, One Iota Performance, which aims to combine principles from sport psychology, data analytics and planning fundamentals into a platform to help individuals and groups stay on track toward improved performance and results.

Mike provides leadership at Genus Capital for the investment products and sustainable initiatives, including research, portfolio construction, and strategy.  Genus Capital is an innovator in sustainable investing and manages $1.9 billion for families, foundations, and institutions.  Prior to joining Genus, he was a strategic consultant working in London, UK focusing on projects in sustainability, finance, and technology. Mike also led an equity research firm and worked for a quantitative hedge fund. He holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge concentrating in Social Innovation and is a CFA Charterholder.