Sarah Jakeway is Vice President, CFO Canada for Mastercard, responsible for overseeing the Market’s finance activities.  She works closely with the President of Mastercard Canada to drive strategic growth and sits on the leadership teams for Canada and North America Finance.  Since joining Mastercard in 2011, Sarah has held several roles with increasing levels of responsibility within North America Markets and Corporate Finance.  Sarah has a strong understanding of the payments industry and a broad view into managing a payments business gained through experience as a Director, Finance business partner for Services in North America as well as Director, Finance business partner for US Regional Banks. Prior to her business partner roles in North America, Sarah led the team responsible for the overall completeness and accuracy of the Quarterly Mastercard Report process and led the development and delivery of product profitability reporting for Mastercard.  Sarah is a recipient of 2 Mastercard CFO awards and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.  Sarah is an active volunteer, fundraiser and a passionate Mentor in topics around being your own personal finance champion, career development and life as a career mom. She graduated cum laude from Loyola University with a BBA in Finance and lives in Toronto with her husband Phil, sons PJ and Jonathan, and dogs Cricket and Brooklyn. “Leadership during the pandemic – it’s not so much a change versus a reinforcement that during times of change, we really require stability.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and powered by Zensurance, Sarah talks about the challenges that come with people management during COVID, approaching leadership through decency, and mission critical – diversity and inclusion. The post Leadership in 2021 with Sarah Jakeway first appeared on Startup Canada.

Meet Jennifer Denouden, President & CEO of Avana, a real estate development company. She breaks industry norms, advocates for female empowerment, and supports women & children fleeing abuse. Learn about Avana's journey from finance to affordable housing projects, prioritizing social impact, seizing entrepreneurial opportunities, and achieving sustainable growth through purpose-led initiatives.

Michelle Zatlyn, Co-Founder of Cloudflare, discusses the importance of building a great team, good vs. great business, and the role of companies in the future of work. She also shares insights on Cloudflare's journey, the power of storytelling in entrepreneurship, adapting to remote work, and building a great team through thought leadership.

Agnes Lan is the Founder and VP of Sales at Change Connect Inc.. Described as influential and inspirational by her clients and peers, Agnes helps organizations grow through change. She has a knack for breaking down complex strategies into tangible business tactics – leading the way in Sales Transformation for SMBs and Enterprises alike. Agnes has considerable experience in the assessment, strategy, design and implementation of business transformations in various industries with a focus on Sales – customer-focused business strategies, organization design, sales efficiency and transformation. Agnes has consulted for clients in Broadcast and Media, Advertising and Marketing, Distribution and Warehousing, Education, Manufacturing, Professional Services and Construction. With degrees from the University of Toronto, Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Harvard Business School, her passion for learning contributes to numerous professional designations as a Professional Engineer, Lean Black Belt Professional and ADKAR Change Management Practitioner.  “Just do one thing every day, entrepreneurship is hard but you need to plow through.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Agnes Lan shares secrets to sales at every stage of business, the plateaus startups reach and how and why she certifies her team in change management. The post Repeatable Processes and Scaleable Revenues with Agnes Lan first appeared on Startup Canada.

Joe Diubaldo, President and Founder of Clarity Recruitment, shares insights on good hiring practices, recognizing the impact of bad hires, and how cognitive biases can affect recruitment. He discusses principles for building successful teams, the importance of understanding biases in hiring decisions, and embracing diversity for growth.

Today’s guest is Nina Tangri, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Mississauga-Streetsville and Ontario’s Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction.  Nina is an entrepreneur and small business owner with over 30 years’ experience in financial management. Before entering politics, she successfully ran her own insurance company.  Nina was first elected as the MPP for Mississauga-Streetsville in 2018. In June 2019, she was appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade with a mandate to focus on economic expansion and investment in Ontario’s world-class life sciences ecosystem. In her new role as Minister, Nina is committed to growing Ontario’s small business community and supporting the province’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Her greatest community achievements include serving as Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors at the Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga and was a Cabinet Member of ErinOak Kids. She received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award for her dedicated volunteer work.  “It is critical to understand that one size doesn’t fit all. We really want to help businesses rebound and support our economic growth across the province.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, we talk to Minister Nina Tangri about spearheading initiatives for job creation and mentorship across Ontario and how the relationships you build are your main ingredient for success. The post Accessing Government Support with Minister Nina Tangri first appeared on Startup Canada.

Jill Schoolenberg is an experienced business leader with a record of accomplishments in delivering revenue, profit and customer satisfaction in multiple B2B and B2C businesses.  Jill graduated with an Honors Business Administration degree from the Ivey Business School and started her career in marketing at Procter and Gamble. She later moved into the technology industry and held several marketing, sales and general management roles in Microsoft. In 2014, Jill joined GoDaddy as the first VP and Country Manager in Canada. In 2019, Jill was appointed as Regional President for Canada, Australia and Latin America at GoDaddy. Jill was also named one of Strategy’s 2019 Marketers of the Year. “Our customers are diverse. If we do not have diversity in skillset, lifestyle, and experience, we aren’t representing our customers who come from diverse backgrounds.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Jill Schoolenberg shares why having a diverse team that represents and reflects your customers is so important. The post Teams That Reflect Your Customers with Jill Schoolenberg first appeared on Startup Canada.

Jeremy is the Founder of MENTORnetwork and the Funding Path program. He helps organizations to improve their capacity to hire, innovate and make an impact by accessing grants, incentives, partnerships and procurement programs. As an entrepreneur, educator and community builder, Jeremy has a vision for Canada’s culture of mentorship and aligning entrepreneurs with social change. In addition to his own business, he is a Senior Grant writer with GetGrants and Funding and Partnerships Manager with TimeSaved.  His involvement in the startup community has included volunteering with Startup York Region, MastermindTalks, Fireside Conference, Techstars Startup Weekend, Enactus and JCI Toronto. Jeremy has previously worked with ventureLAB, Seneca College, BizLaunch, and the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers. “Before you start applying to grant programs, spend some time learning about how the system works and speak to other entrepreneurs who have been through this before”. In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Jeremy O’Krafka walks us through the often tiring and frustrating process of grant writing and applying for funding while reminding us that there can be great rewards and accelerations that come afterward.   The post The Work and Rewards of Funding with Jeremy O’Krafka first appeared on Startup Canada.

As the Vice President of Small Business, Strategy & Partnerships at RBC, Don provides strategic oversight and leads a team that is responsible for delivering marketing-leading solutions, partnerships and client experiences that go beyond traditional banking to help Canadian entrepreneurs successfully start, manage and grow their business. Don also manages the development of RBC’s strategy for the broader Business Financial Services portfolio, including the group’s client experience, CRM, and data analytics strategies.  Don joined RBC in 2001 and has 20 years of experience within the financial services and banking sector. He was most recently the Regional Vice President of the South Western Ontario Region, leading a team of RBC Advisors to support the growth of small and commercial business clients in the community. Prior to joining RBC, Don served as an Infantry Officer in the Canadian Army where he led soldiers on a number of domestic and international operations and worked in both staff and training roles.  “Where there is challenge, there is also opportunity. The pandemic disrupted our lives but it also allowed people to look through a new lens, and find new opportunities, and the potential for new business ideas.” In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard and powered by RBC, Don shares how the pandemic has accelerated certain business trends and the support RBC offers to help entrepreneurs through both challenges and growth opportunities on their business journeys. The post When Challenge Meets Opportunity with Don Ludlow first appeared on Startup Canada.

Coming from a family of accountants, Ava values hard work and compassion above all. She became one of the youngest award-winning agents at REMAX and was unstoppable thereafter. Fearless and ready to write her own story, she moved to Vancouver, where she built a strong network of real estate investors. She continued to learn and grow with resilience and persistently gained knowledge in the field of real estate investments. Realizing the pain points many investors have when looking to passively invest in real estate, Ava pivoted her focus to real estate private equity. She co-founded CPI Capital, a uniquely innovative company allowing investors to invest in Multifamily investment opportunities and benefit from passive income, above-market returns, monthly cash flow, and limited liability. Ava is a public speaker and has been featured in publications such as Forbes and numerous Podcasts and YouTube shows. Ava helps busy professionals to earn passive income through smart Real Estate investments.  “You need to be a master of delegation to succeed in this space, there are so many moving parts. You also need to be humble and partner with experts and incredible operators.”  In this week’s episode of the #StartupCanadaPodcast, sponsored by Mastercard, Ava shares CPI Capital’s disruptive model that is changing the way Canadians access real estate and create better passive income streams for themselves, and encourages you to chase solutions, not money. The post Disrupting Real Estate Investing with Ava Benesocky first appeared on Startup Canada.