The Judges

Yat Li

Associate Director, Accessible Employers

Yat Li is the Associate Director at Accessible Employers. Each day, Yat works to improve accessibility, inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Thousands of people have found purpose, direction, and aspiration to change through Yat’s speeches and coaching.

Nerissa Allen

President - Black Business Association of BC

Nerissa Allen is a community leader and entrepreneur with a dedication to building economic prosperity within the African Diaspora. She is the Co-Founder and President of the Black Business Association of BC.

Yvonne Bayer-Cheung

Client Services Manager - SBBC

Yvonne is the Client Services Manager at Small Business BC.  A passionate entrepreneur, business strategist and advisor, Yvonne has a diverse range of experience in management and leadership, marketing, operations and financial lending.

Ruairi Spillane

Founder and CEO, Moving2Canada

Ruairi is the founder and CEO of Moving2Canada, a free resource for newcomers to Canada. He was named a winner of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards in 2022. He also won a Small Business BC Award in 2019.

Leslie Sims

Director of Strategic Ventures, BCAA

Leslie Sims is the Director of Strategic Ventures at BCAA. Focused on innovation, intrapreneurship and new business launches, the Strategic Ventures Team has launched BCAA Small Business Insurance, Evo Car Share, Evolve E-Bike Share and E-Scooter Share, BCAA Auto Service Centres and most recently BCAA Auto Marketplace.

FortisBC Representative

Josh Nilson

Founder, Maskwa Investments

Josh Nilson is a Métis from Willow River, BC. He is the founder of Maskwa Investments which focuses on early-stage seed funding and advice with a focus on Indigenous tech businesses. Prior to that, he was a founder at East Side Games (ESG), making mobile games like Trailer Park Boys, The Office, Ru Paul Drag Race Superstar and more.

Ada Slivinski

Vice President, Talk Shop Media

Ada launched and ran boutique agency Jam PR for six years before it was acquired by Talk Shop Media in 2023. Her passion is helping businesses get noticed. Ada has a Bachelor of Journalism Degree from Carleton University and worked in both broadcast and print journalism before entering the PR world. She splits her time between Vancouver and Chilliwack, BC.

Mhairi Petrovic

Founder, Out-Smarts Marketing

Mhairi is passionate about using digital marketing in unique ways to help businesses scale and grow.

As the founder of Out-Smarts Marketing, she was an early adopter of digital marketing in Vancouver. After getting a formal education in commerce, business, and traditional marketing, she expanded her knowledge through hands-on experience and continually updates her skills on the latest platforms and strategies.

Jordyn Strong

Program Manager, Canada Digital Adoption Program

Jordyn Strong is the Program Manager for the Canada Digital Adoption Program. She moved to Vancouver from Toronto 8 years ago and now calls British Columbia her forever home.  She joined the Small Business BC Strategic Projects team over three years ago and has a diverse range of experience in leadership and management.

Tom Conway

CEO, Small Business BC

Tom Conway is the Chief Executive Officer for Small Business BC (SBBC). As an experienced business owner, he understands how access to education, support, and resources can make all the difference when starting and growing a company. This is Tom’s fifth year as an Awards judge.

Stephanie Sang

CEO, Granted Consulting

Stephanie Sang is the CEO of Granted Consulting. She is passionate about working with entrepreneurs in all industries to develop grant strategies for growth. Stephanie has been invited to speak at events hosted various business associations/organizations and venues to educate entrepreneurs about grants in Canada.

Ingrid Broussillon

Founder, Griottes Polyglottes

Ingrid is a workshop facilitator, speaker, and storyteller. She is the owner of Griottes Polyglottes, where they revolutionize the way DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) is addressed by making it more immersive, transformative, fun, and impactful.

To achieve this, they use the power of improvisation combined with the Theatre of the Oppressed method.

Andrea Welling (MA, CDP, PIDP)

Regional Director, Futurpreneur BC

In 2019, Andrea joined Futurpreneur as the Regional Director for BC.

For 7.5 years prior she worked at the YMCA as Adult Learning Manager providing leadership for EI Self Employment programs in Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and the Kootenays as well as employment programs for adults and youth.

Abhilash Nambudiri

Associate Dean, Melville School of Business, KPU

Abhilash has an undergraduate degree in  agricultural engineering from Kerala Agricultural University, a graduate diploma in Agri-Business management from Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad and a PhD in social science from Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), India. He has over 17 years long industry experience spanning natural resource management, retail, grassroot innovation, and social consulting. Abhilash is also a seasoned academician with over 9 years of teaching experience as an Assistant professor at Rajagiri Business School, India.