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- Executive Management
- Board of Directors

Michael Held
Michael Held
Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Michael Held founded LifeSpeak in 2004. Previously, Mr. Held practiced as a corporate lawyer at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and securities law and, subsequently, as a consultant at Monitor Group, where he provided advice to Canadian and global organizations with respect to developing business unit and corporate strategies, evaluating acquisition and merger opportunities, and enhancing strategic planning and organizations processes. He graduated with the gold medal from the combined LLB/MBA program at the University of Toronto in 1997.

Nolan Bederman
Nolan Bederman
Executive Chair
Nolan Bederman is the Executive Chair of the Company. Mr. Bederman is also the founder and managing partner of Bederman Capital Corp., a private equity business focused on investing in North American growth companies. In 2017, he formalized a partnership with New York-based Reynolds Channel Capital Partners, a private equity fund focused on making similar investments. In addition to Chairing several private company boards, Mr. Bederman also sits on the board of directors of Harbor Diversified, Inc. (owner of Air Wisconsin). Before founding Bederman Capital Corp., Mr. Bederman was a co-founding partner of Genuity Capital Partners, a mid-market private equity fund, where he spent almost ten years leading numerous successful private equity investments. Prior to joining Genuity, Mr. Bederman was an Executive Director in private equity at CIBC Capital Partners. Mr. Bederman was also a Vice President in the US Mergers & Acquisitions group of Merrill Lynch & Co., where he focused on advising global companies in the capital/consumer goods, transportation, food, and pharma sectors. Mr. Bederman graduated with the Gold Medal from the combined JD/MBA program from the University of Toronto and a BA (Econ.) from the University of Western Ontario, where he won the Chancellor’s prize and the Gold Medal in Economics.

Jason Von Bank
Jason Von Bank
Chief Operating Officer
Jason Von Bank is the Chief Operating Officer of LifeSpeak (LSPK.TO) and President and CEO of Wellbeats (a wholly owned subsidiary of LifeSpeak). In his role as COO, Mr. Von Bank has responsibility for the financial and operational health of the organization and works closely with the ELT and other operating leaders.
Previously, Mr. Von Bank was President and CEO of Wellbeats, which LifeSpeak acquired in 2022. Prior to Wellbeats, he held multiple executive leadership positions at Schwan’s, Lifetime Fitness, UnitedHealth Group and General Electric.
Mr. Von Bank graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a double BA in German and International Business. He earned his MBA at the University of Chicago.

Anna Mittag
Anna Mittag
Chief Product Officer
Bilingual, Anna Mittag is based in Montreal and oversees several portfolios and teams: product innovation, content creation and curation, client services, and sales and partnership support. Before joining the Company, Ms. Mittag practiced insurance litigation law with Lavery de Billy LLP and was in-house counsel for Cirque du Soleil. Ms. Mittag holds a BA in English Literature and JD and BCL degrees from McGill University.

Michael McKenna
Michael McKenna
Chief Financial Officer
Mike McKenna oversees all aspects of financial strategy and finance platform development. Prior to LifeSpeak, Mr. McKenna was Chief Financial Officer and a member of the board of directors of Mobile Klinik Inc., where he was responsible for building the company’s financial strategy, capital raising initiatives, and acquisitions. He led the successful sale of Mobile Klinik to TELUS. Mr. McKenna is also on the Independent Review Committee for Waypoint All Weather Alternative Fund and has significant capital markets and M&A experience over 11 years of telecom, media, and technology investment banking. Mr. McKenna holds an MBA with a focus in Finance & Entrepreneurship (Certificate in Entrepreneurship) from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

Doug Berkowitz
Doug Berkowitz
Chief Administrative Officer
Doug Berkowitz has overall responsibility for information technology and development, human resources, infrastructure, legal, and marketing. Most recently, Mr. Berkowitz was the VP/General Manager for a large portfolio of clients at marketing services firm Epsilon Data Management, LLC, when it was an affiliate of Alliance Data Systems Corporation. Mr. Berkowitz holds a BS in Finance, with Honors, from the College of Commerce and Business Administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Adam Goldberg
Adam Goldberg
Chief Strategy Officer
Mr. Goldberg is responsible for formulating, facilitating, and communicating strategic initiatives with a particular focus on critical areas of business and corporate development for the company. Previously, he served as the founder and CEO of Torchlight, which LifeSpeak acquired in December 2021.
Before founding Torchlight, Mr. Goldberg co-founded and directed the Goldberg Center for Educational Planning. He also spent significant time in IT sales and marketing, leading technology companies including EMC and Lucent Technologies.
Mr. Goldberg has appeared on NPR’s Here & Now and in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, among other major US media. He has also been featured in showcases at the DNC, RNC, and The White House.
Mr. Goldberg earned a BS with honors from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and an MEd with distinction in Special Education and Assessment from Framingham State University.

Raffi Tchakmakjian
Raffi Tchakmakjian
Chief Growth Officer
Mr. Tchakmakjian is responsible for leading and driving growth opportunities on a global basis, with a focus on the integration of LifeSpeak M&A activities. He was the founder and CEO of LIFT session, which LifeSpeak acquired in October 2021.
Before founding LIFT, Mr. Tchakmakjian led global business development and strategic alliances at Dell Cloud Client Computing, a $1.4B business unit. Prior to that, he served as VP of product management and business development at Wyse Technology, which was acquired by Dell; and as co-founder and SVP of product management/business development at Trellia Networks, which was acquired by Wyse.
Mr. Tchakmakjian is a mentor and advisor to many growth stage start-ups. He was awarded mentor of the year in 2019 at Creative Destruction Labs, a global accelerator program. He holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from McGill University, and a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal.

Elliot Stone
Elliot Stone
ALAViDA CEO
Mr. Stone is responsible for the North American and international expansion of ALAViDA. Mr. Stone founded ALAViDA, which LifeSpeak acquired in October 2021.
Before founding ALAViDA, Mr. Stone was a business transformation manager at CHC Helicopter, a $1.7B business. From 2006 to 2010, he also served as a consultant with Grant Thornton LLP.
Mr. Stone holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Finance from Georgia State University. He earned an International MBA from IE Business School, where he graduated with Honors.

Jill Ross
Jill Ross
SVP, Finance
Ms. Ross oversees all financial and accounting functions for LifeSpeak and Wellbeats including the effective stewarding of organizational resources, maintaining appropriate controls and remaining compliant with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Previously, Ms. Ross was CFO of Wellbeats, which LifeSpeak acquired in 2022. Prior to Wellbeats, Ms. Ross held leadership roles at North Memorial Health and the US Bank and was Audit Manager at Boulay.
Ms. Ross holds a CPA license. She received a BS from St. Cloud State University with a major in Accounting and a double minor in BCIS/AIS.

Stanley Bergman
Stanley Bergman
Managing Director, Sales
Stanley Bergman is responsible for leading the Company’s business development activities across Canada and into the eastern United States. Mr. Bergman has brought the Company’s digital wellbeing platform to world-class organizations of all sizes and industries. Prior to joining LifeSpeak, Mr. Bergman worked in the education and professional training industry, beginning as a Business Development Lead at TAPE Educational Services, a live training provider. Mr. Bergman holds a BA, with Honors, in Economics from the University of Western Ontario.

Katie Bowkett
Katie Bowkett
VP, Client Success
Katie Bowkett is responsible for driving successful results across the client base and building new business opportunities through greater advocacy and reference ability. Before joining the Company, Ms. Bowkett spent the first 15 years of her career with one of the largest corporate recruiters in Western Canada. She rose from account management to Vice President of Worldwide Sales, and eventually, Vice President of Global Client Experience. Ms. Bowkett also created and led the corporate initiative, which resulted in the company being listed in the top employers to work for by both Great Places to Work and BC Top Employers for five years prior to her departure.

Amy Antonacci
Amy Antonacci
VP, Client Services
Amy Antonacci is responsible for leading the Account Management team to ensure the successful onboarding and program management for all clients. Ms. Antonacci works closely with sales and partnerships, content, and product to best shape client services. Prior to joining LifeSpeak, Amy was a top producer with a real estate company in Chicago, helping buyers and sellers find the homes of their dreams. Amy holds a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Michael Held
Michael Held
Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Michael Held founded LifeSpeak in 2004. Previously, Mr. Held practiced as a corporate lawyer at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and securities law and, subsequently, as a consultant at Monitor Group, where he provided advice to Canadian and global organizations with respect to developing business unit and corporate strategies, evaluating acquisition and merger opportunities, and enhancing strategic planning and organizations processes. He graduated with the gold medal from the combined LLB/MBA program at the University of Toronto in 1997.

Nolan Bederman
Nolan Bederman
Executive Chair
Nolan Bederman is the Executive Chair of the Company. Mr. Bederman is also the founder and managing partner of Bederman Capital Corp., a private equity business focused on investing in North American growth companies. In 2017, he formalized a partnership with New York-based Reynolds Channel Capital Partners, a private equity fund focused on making similar investments. In addition to Chairing several private company boards, Mr. Bederman also sits on the board of directors of Harbor Diversified, Inc. (owner of Air Wisconsin). Before founding Bederman Capital Corp., Mr. Bederman was a co-founding partner of Genuity Capital Partners, a mid-market private equity fund, where he spent almost ten years leading numerous successful private equity investments. Prior to joining Genuity, Mr. Bederman was an Executive Director in private equity at CIBC Capital Partners. Mr. Bederman was also a Vice President in the US Mergers & Acquisitions group of Merrill Lynch & Co., where he focused on advising global companies in the capital/consumer goods, transportation, food, and pharma sectors. Mr. Bederman graduated with the Gold Medal from the combined JD/MBA program from the University of Toronto and a BA (Econ.) from the University of Western Ontario, where he won the Chancellor’s prize and the Gold Medal in Economics.

Mario Di Pietro
Mario Di Pietro
Director
Since 2013 Mario Di Pietro has been the Founding Partner and Principal at Origin Merchant Partners, an independent M&A advisory boutique and merchant banking group in Canada. Mr. Di Pietro serves as Director of Dye & Durham Limited (TSX: DND), a leading provider of cloud-based software and technology solutions for legal and business professionals, where he serves as Chair of the Governance & Nominating Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Di Pietro is also a Director at Raven Connected Inc., a venture-backed, high-growth technology company focused on the development of a video telematics solution for small-to-medium size fleets. From 2011 to 2013, Mr. Di Pietro was Director, Global Technology Investment Banking at BMO Capital Markets, responsible for expanding the technology platform across North America and supporting the expansion of offices and clients in New York, San Francisco, and Boston. Prior to 2011, he was Executive Director in CIBC World Markets’ Technology, Media, and Telecom Group. Mr. Di Pietro holds an MBA from Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and an Honours BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Anne Fitzgerald
Anne Fitzgerald
Director
Anne Fitzgerald recently retired as the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Cineplex Inc., where she oversaw all legal, corporate affairs, and insurance matters relating to Cineplex and its subsidiaries. She has practiced law in both Canada and the United States, primarily litigation in corporate-commercial, securities, criminal, tax, and entertainment. Ms. Fitzgerald volunteers her time and expertise as the chair of the board of directors of Outward Bound Canada and serves on the Duke University Divinity School Board of Visitors. She was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society in 2012 and honored in 2014 as a National Post and ZSA Legal Recruitment’s General Counsel of the Year. She was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in 2019 by the Women’s Executive Network. Ms. Fitzgerald holds a B.A. in Public Policy and a Juris Doctorate from Duke University. She holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Rotman School of Management. She currently also serves on the boards of Primaris REIT and NOVA Inc.

Sanjiv Samant
Sanjiv Samant
Director
Sanjiv Samant joined Round13 Capital in 2020 to establish the Round13 Growth Fund as a Founder and Managing Partner. Mr. Samant has spent over 20 years in the technology and healthcare sectors. Prior to establishing the Round13 Growth Fund, Mr. Samant headed the Technology, Media, Telecommunication, Sustainability, and Healthcare investment banking group at a Canadian bank-owned dealer. During his professional career, Mr. Samant has advised a wide variety of Canadian growth companies on mergers & acquisitions, initial public offering, and capital raising initiatives, including leading transactions for several of the most prominent public software-as-a-service companies in Canada. Mr. Samant holds a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, and a Joint LLB/ MBA from Osgoode Hall Law School/Schulich School of Business at York University.

Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Director
Dr. Kevin Smith is President & Chief Executive Officer of University Health Network (UHN), Canada’s largest academic health sciences centre. Dr. Smith has spent his career at the interface of the University and Research Hospital and is passionately committed to the mission of education, research, and exemplary clinical care. Dr. Smith is a pioneer in advancing integrated care models spanning the continuum of health and social services. Dr. Smith is a Professor at the Institute for Medical Sciences, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and at the De Groote School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, McMaster University. Educated in Canada, the US, and Great Britain, Dr. Smith began his career in medical education, followed by leadership roles in university administration, academic hospitals, and health systems. He is professionally certified in Corporate Governance by the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Harvard Program in Effective Governance and completed the Wharton School CEO Program for Health Care Leadership. Dr. Smith currently serves as Chair, Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario and was privileged to serve in many past roles, including Chair, The Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Hospital Association, and as a frequent advisor to governments and the private sector.

Caroline Starner Dadras
Caroline Starner Dadras
Director
Caroline Starner Dadras is currently the Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the executive team at Unified Women’s Healthcare, LP In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of human resources, the company’s ESG strategy, and delivery of the company’s people services offering to affiliate practice groups. She chairs the Unified Employee Support Fund, a charitable organization created to support employees experiencing economic hardship. Ms. Dadras is currently serving as Sr. Talent Advisor to Ares Mgmt Private Equity, where she advises investment professionals and portfolio company executives on talent and organizational strategies that accelerate value creation. Prior to joining Unified, she was President of Starner 2.0, Inc., a consulting firm she began in 2016, solely to advise high-growth companies on the best way to align their talent and business strategies to create value. Earlier in her career, she has also held Human Resources leadership positions at Oakley, Inc., Pacific Sunwear of California, Gap Inc., Chase Bank, YUM! Brands, and Johnson & Johnson.
During her career she was named Executive of the Year by the National Human Resources Association, with special recognition for Innovation in Human Resources. Caroline holds a BSc in Industrial Relations from Cornell University.

Michael Held
Michael Held
Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Michael Held founded LifeSpeak in 2004. Previously, Mr. Held practiced as a corporate lawyer at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and securities law and, subsequently, as a consultant at Monitor Group, where he provided advice to Canadian and global organizations with respect to developing business unit and corporate strategies, evaluating acquisition and merger opportunities, and enhancing strategic planning and organizations processes. He graduated with the gold medal from the combined LLB/MBA program at the University of Toronto in 1997.

Nolan Bederman
Nolan Bederman
Executive Chair
Nolan Bederman is the Executive Chair of the Company. Mr. Bederman is also the founder and managing partner of Bederman Capital Corp., a private equity business focused on investing in North American growth companies. In 2017, he formalized a partnership with New York-based Reynolds Channel Capital Partners, a private equity fund focused on making similar investments. In addition to Chairing several private company boards, Mr. Bederman also sits on the board of directors of Harbor Diversified, Inc. (owner of Air Wisconsin). Before founding Bederman Capital Corp., Mr. Bederman was a co-founding partner of Genuity Capital Partners, a mid-market private equity fund, where he spent almost ten years leading numerous successful private equity investments. Prior to joining Genuity, Mr. Bederman was an Executive Director in private equity at CIBC Capital Partners. Mr. Bederman was also a Vice President in the US Mergers & Acquisitions group of Merrill Lynch & Co., where he focused on advising global companies in the capital/consumer goods, transportation, food, and pharma sectors. Mr. Bederman graduated with the Gold Medal from the combined JD/MBA program from the University of Toronto and a BA (Econ.) from the University of Western Ontario, where he won the Chancellor’s prize and the Gold Medal in Economics.

Jason Von Bank
Jason Von Bank
Chief Operating Officer
Jason Von Bank is the Chief Operating Officer of LifeSpeak (LSPK.TO) and President and CEO of Wellbeats (a wholly owned subsidiary of LifeSpeak). In his role as COO, Mr. Von Bank has responsibility for the financial and operational health of the organization and works closely with the ELT and other operating leaders.
Previously, Mr. Von Bank was President and CEO of Wellbeats, which LifeSpeak acquired in 2022. Prior to Wellbeats, he held multiple executive leadership positions at Schwan’s, Lifetime Fitness, UnitedHealth Group and General Electric.
Mr. Von Bank graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a double BA in German and International Business. He earned his MBA at the University of Chicago.

Anna Mittag
Anna Mittag
Chief Product Officer
Bilingual, Anna Mittag is based in Montreal and oversees several portfolios and teams: product innovation, content creation and curation, client services, and sales and partnership support. Before joining the Company, Ms. Mittag practiced insurance litigation law with Lavery de Billy LLP and was in-house counsel for Cirque du Soleil. Ms. Mittag holds a BA in English Literature and JD and BCL degrees from McGill University.

Michael McKenna
Michael McKenna
Chief Financial Officer
Mike McKenna oversees all aspects of financial strategy and finance platform development. Prior to LifeSpeak, Mr. McKenna was Chief Financial Officer and a member of the board of directors of Mobile Klinik Inc., where he was responsible for building the company’s financial strategy, capital raising initiatives, and acquisitions. He led the successful sale of Mobile Klinik to TELUS. Mr. McKenna is also on the Independent Review Committee for Waypoint All Weather Alternative Fund and has significant capital markets and M&A experience over 11 years of telecom, media, and technology investment banking. Mr. McKenna holds an MBA with a focus in Finance & Entrepreneurship (Certificate in Entrepreneurship) from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

Doug Berkowitz
Doug Berkowitz
Chief Administrative Officer
Doug Berkowitz has overall responsibility for information technology and development, human resources, infrastructure, legal, and marketing. Most recently, Mr. Berkowitz was the VP/General Manager for a large portfolio of clients at marketing services firm Epsilon Data Management, LLC, when it was an affiliate of Alliance Data Systems Corporation. Mr. Berkowitz holds a BS in Finance, with Honors, from the College of Commerce and Business Administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Adam Goldberg
Adam Goldberg
Chief Strategy Officer
Mr. Goldberg is responsible for formulating, facilitating, and communicating strategic initiatives with a particular focus on critical areas of business and corporate development for the company. Previously, he served as the founder and CEO of Torchlight, which LifeSpeak acquired in December 2021.
Before founding Torchlight, Mr. Goldberg co-founded and directed the Goldberg Center for Educational Planning. He also spent significant time in IT sales and marketing, leading technology companies including EMC and Lucent Technologies.
Mr. Goldberg has appeared on NPR’s Here & Now and in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, among other major US media. He has also been featured in showcases at the DNC, RNC, and The White House.
Mr. Goldberg earned a BS with honors from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and an MEd with distinction in Special Education and Assessment from Framingham State University.

Raffi Tchakmakjian
Raffi Tchakmakjian
Chief Growth Officer
Mr. Tchakmakjian is responsible for leading and driving growth opportunities on a global basis, with a focus on the integration of LifeSpeak M&A activities. He was the founder and CEO of LIFT session, which LifeSpeak acquired in October 2021.
Before founding LIFT, Mr. Tchakmakjian led global business development and strategic alliances at Dell Cloud Client Computing, a $1.4B business unit. Prior to that, he served as VP of product management and business development at Wyse Technology, which was acquired by Dell; and as co-founder and SVP of product management/business development at Trellia Networks, which was acquired by Wyse.
Mr. Tchakmakjian is a mentor and advisor to many growth stage start-ups. He was awarded mentor of the year in 2019 at Creative Destruction Labs, a global accelerator program. He holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from McGill University, and a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal.

Elliot Stone
Elliot Stone
ALAViDA CEO
Mr. Stone is responsible for the North American and international expansion of ALAViDA. Mr. Stone founded ALAViDA, which LifeSpeak acquired in October 2021.
Before founding ALAViDA, Mr. Stone was a business transformation manager at CHC Helicopter, a $1.7B business. From 2006 to 2010, he also served as a consultant with Grant Thornton LLP.
Mr. Stone holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Finance from Georgia State University. He earned an International MBA from IE Business School, where he graduated with Honors.

Jill Ross
Jill Ross
SVP, Finance
Ms. Ross oversees all financial and accounting functions for LifeSpeak and Wellbeats including the effective stewarding of organizational resources, maintaining appropriate controls and remaining compliant with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Previously, Ms. Ross was CFO of Wellbeats, which LifeSpeak acquired in 2022. Prior to Wellbeats, Ms. Ross held leadership roles at North Memorial Health and the US Bank and was Audit Manager at Boulay.
Ms. Ross holds a CPA license. She received a BS from St. Cloud State University with a major in Accounting and a double minor in BCIS/AIS.

Stanley Bergman
Stanley Bergman
Managing Director, Sales
Stanley Bergman is responsible for leading the Company’s business development activities across Canada and into the eastern United States. Mr. Bergman has brought the Company’s digital wellbeing platform to world-class organizations of all sizes and industries. Prior to joining LifeSpeak, Mr. Bergman worked in the education and professional training industry, beginning as a Business Development Lead at TAPE Educational Services, a live training provider. Mr. Bergman holds a BA, with Honors, in Economics from the University of Western Ontario.

Katie Bowkett
Katie Bowkett
VP, Client Success
Katie Bowkett is responsible for driving successful results across the client base and building new business opportunities through greater advocacy and reference ability. Before joining the Company, Ms. Bowkett spent the first 15 years of her career with one of the largest corporate recruiters in Western Canada. She rose from account management to Vice President of Worldwide Sales, and eventually, Vice President of Global Client Experience. Ms. Bowkett also created and led the corporate initiative, which resulted in the company being listed in the top employers to work for by both Great Places to Work and BC Top Employers for five years prior to her departure.

Amy Antonacci
Amy Antonacci
VP, Client Services
Amy Antonacci is responsible for leading the Account Management team to ensure the successful onboarding and program management for all clients. Ms. Antonacci works closely with sales and partnerships, content, and product to best shape client services. Prior to joining LifeSpeak, Amy was a top producer with a real estate company in Chicago, helping buyers and sellers find the homes of their dreams. Amy holds a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Michael Held
Michael Held
Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Michael Held founded LifeSpeak in 2004. Previously, Mr. Held practiced as a corporate lawyer at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and securities law and, subsequently, as a consultant at Monitor Group, where he provided advice to Canadian and global organizations with respect to developing business unit and corporate strategies, evaluating acquisition and merger opportunities, and enhancing strategic planning and organizations processes. He graduated with the gold medal from the combined LLB/MBA program at the University of Toronto in 1997.

Nolan Bederman
Nolan Bederman
Executive Chair
Nolan Bederman is the Executive Chair of the Company. Mr. Bederman is also the founder and managing partner of Bederman Capital Corp., a private equity business focused on investing in North American growth companies. In 2017, he formalized a partnership with New York-based Reynolds Channel Capital Partners, a private equity fund focused on making similar investments. In addition to Chairing several private company boards, Mr. Bederman also sits on the board of directors of Harbor Diversified, Inc. (owner of Air Wisconsin). Before founding Bederman Capital Corp., Mr. Bederman was a co-founding partner of Genuity Capital Partners, a mid-market private equity fund, where he spent almost ten years leading numerous successful private equity investments. Prior to joining Genuity, Mr. Bederman was an Executive Director in private equity at CIBC Capital Partners. Mr. Bederman was also a Vice President in the US Mergers & Acquisitions group of Merrill Lynch & Co., where he focused on advising global companies in the capital/consumer goods, transportation, food, and pharma sectors. Mr. Bederman graduated with the Gold Medal from the combined JD/MBA program from the University of Toronto and a BA (Econ.) from the University of Western Ontario, where he won the Chancellor’s prize and the Gold Medal in Economics.

Mario Di Pietro
Mario Di Pietro
Director
Since 2013 Mario Di Pietro has been the Founding Partner and Principal at Origin Merchant Partners, an independent M&A advisory boutique and merchant banking group in Canada. Mr. Di Pietro serves as Director of Dye & Durham Limited (TSX: DND), a leading provider of cloud-based software and technology solutions for legal and business professionals, where he serves as Chair of the Governance & Nominating Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Di Pietro is also a Director at Raven Connected Inc., a venture-backed, high-growth technology company focused on the development of a video telematics solution for small-to-medium size fleets. From 2011 to 2013, Mr. Di Pietro was Director, Global Technology Investment Banking at BMO Capital Markets, responsible for expanding the technology platform across North America and supporting the expansion of offices and clients in New York, San Francisco, and Boston. Prior to 2011, he was Executive Director in CIBC World Markets’ Technology, Media, and Telecom Group. Mr. Di Pietro holds an MBA from Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and an Honours BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Anne Fitzgerald
Anne Fitzgerald
Director
Anne Fitzgerald recently retired as the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Cineplex Inc., where she oversaw all legal, corporate affairs, and insurance matters relating to Cineplex and its subsidiaries. She has practiced law in both Canada and the United States, primarily litigation in corporate-commercial, securities, criminal, tax, and entertainment. Ms. Fitzgerald volunteers her time and expertise as the chair of the board of directors of Outward Bound Canada and serves on the Duke University Divinity School Board of Visitors. She was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society in 2012 and honored in 2014 as a National Post and ZSA Legal Recruitment’s General Counsel of the Year. She was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in 2019 by the Women’s Executive Network. Ms. Fitzgerald holds a B.A. in Public Policy and a Juris Doctorate from Duke University. She holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Rotman School of Management. She currently also serves on the boards of Primaris REIT and NOVA Inc.

Sanjiv Samant
Sanjiv Samant
Director
Sanjiv Samant joined Round13 Capital in 2020 to establish the Round13 Growth Fund as a Founder and Managing Partner. Mr. Samant has spent over 20 years in the technology and healthcare sectors. Prior to establishing the Round13 Growth Fund, Mr. Samant headed the Technology, Media, Telecommunication, Sustainability, and Healthcare investment banking group at a Canadian bank-owned dealer. During his professional career, Mr. Samant has advised a wide variety of Canadian growth companies on mergers & acquisitions, initial public offering, and capital raising initiatives, including leading transactions for several of the most prominent public software-as-a-service companies in Canada. Mr. Samant holds a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, and a Joint LLB/ MBA from Osgoode Hall Law School/Schulich School of Business at York University.

Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Director
Dr. Kevin Smith is President & Chief Executive Officer of University Health Network (UHN), Canada’s largest academic health sciences centre. Dr. Smith has spent his career at the interface of the University and Research Hospital and is passionately committed to the mission of education, research, and exemplary clinical care. Dr. Smith is a pioneer in advancing integrated care models spanning the continuum of health and social services. Dr. Smith is a Professor at the Institute for Medical Sciences, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and at the De Groote School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, McMaster University. Educated in Canada, the US, and Great Britain, Dr. Smith began his career in medical education, followed by leadership roles in university administration, academic hospitals, and health systems. He is professionally certified in Corporate Governance by the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Harvard Program in Effective Governance and completed the Wharton School CEO Program for Health Care Leadership. Dr. Smith currently serves as Chair, Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario and was privileged to serve in many past roles, including Chair, The Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Hospital Association, and as a frequent advisor to governments and the private sector.

Caroline Starner Dadras
Caroline Starner Dadras
Director
Caroline Starner Dadras is currently the Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the executive team at Unified Women’s Healthcare, LP In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of human resources, the company’s ESG strategy, and delivery of the company’s people services offering to affiliate practice groups. She chairs the Unified Employee Support Fund, a charitable organization created to support employees experiencing economic hardship. Ms. Dadras is currently serving as Sr. Talent Advisor to Ares Mgmt Private Equity, where she advises investment professionals and portfolio company executives on talent and organizational strategies that accelerate value creation. Prior to joining Unified, she was President of Starner 2.0, Inc., a consulting firm she began in 2016, solely to advise high-growth companies on the best way to align their talent and business strategies to create value. Earlier in her career, she has also held Human Resources leadership positions at Oakley, Inc., Pacific Sunwear of California, Gap Inc., Chase Bank, YUM! Brands, and Johnson & Johnson.
During her career she was named Executive of the Year by the National Human Resources Association, with special recognition for Innovation in Human Resources. Caroline holds a BSc in Industrial Relations from Cornell University.
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