Natasha Jeshani

As a Global HR and Recruitment Consultant, Entrepreneur and published Author, Natasha holds a Sociology degree from UBC, an HR Management Certificate, with distinction, from BCIT and CPHR. Natasha also sits as on the Board of Directors for the Vancouver International Children’s Festival and a mentor for Locelle and Young Women in Business.

Focusing on her 4 C's professionally (Community, Colleagues, Clients and Candidates) has allowed Natasha to truly love what she does, and who she does it with. She landed her dream job when she opened her own HR and Recruitment Consulting Firm, which has now been through a merger and acquisition in 2020/21. The dream was simple - do good work, with good people.

  • Career Contacts- helping companies grow and develop their teams, sharing best practices to create diverse and inclusive organizations, and infusing people centered HR protocols and practices to develop and retain their employees
  • Training Arch - elevating the job seeker, employee and employer through workshops, courses and seminars in a way that works for them. Creating accessible ways to learn and develop; in person, virtually or in pre-recorded sessions
  • The HR Insider - supporting job seekers with tangible tips to land their dream job, and keep it.

Career Contacts and Training Arch are extensions of her years of dedication and genuine love for HR, Recruitment and Learning & Development.

Nate Toevs

Nate Toevs is an Employer Outreach Developer for the Neil Squire Society, a national not-for-profit empowering Canadians with disabilities for over 30 years. Nate provides education to business communities and service providers across BC about the Technology @ Work program, which assists people with disabilities, overcome work or volunteerism-related barriers.

Nicola Jones-Crossley

At Futurpreneur, Nicola works with start-up entrepreneurs to support them in the initial stages of their business, connects with mentors across sectors and collaborates with community partners to build a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem in British Columbia.

 

Nigel Russell

Nigel is a Policy Analyst and CyberSecure Canada Advisor headquartered in Calgary where he tracks market intelligence in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut while helping businesses navigate the federal cybersecurity ecosystem through direct stakeholder engagement. Nigel specializes in local business development, client-centered relationship building, and impact-based policymaking to ensure stakeholders in western Canada are best represented in federal policy. Nigel previously held employment with the Conference Board of Canada as a Research Associate and Economist and with the Public Health Agency of Canada as a Policy Analyst. He holds a BA Policy Studies from Mount Royal University and MA Public Policy and Administration from Carleton University.

Nikki Haine

Niki started her career in Sidney B.C. on the frontline as a teller where her passion for delivering exceptional Scotiabank customer experiences began. Niki has spent the last 24 years in the various roles throughout retail and small business including Advisor positions, Home Financing Advisor, Branch Manager roles at Broadway & Burrard, Whistler, Squamish & Fort St John, District Banking Manager, Small Business Development Manager and now Director of Bank at work where she brings financial Wellness to the workplace.

Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP

Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP is Western Canada's largest independent intellectual property law firm. We practice intellectual property law exclusively and deal with the full range of legal matters in this field, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs, trade secrets, computer and Internet law, technology transfer and licensing, and related litigation.

Parv Sandhar

Parv is a District Manager of Small Business with ADP; she supports Small Business Leaders by unlocking their Business Potential through effective HR Management and streamlined Payroll Processes;  when she’s not working, she’s usually chasing her 3½ year old son, watching recipe videos on YouTube or watching food documentaries.

Patrick Smith

Patrick Smith is a Senior Commercial Insurance Advisor on the BCAA Small Business Insurance team. Patrick has over 23 years of experience in the insurance business, 22 of those in commercial insurance. Patrick provides guidance and insurance advice to meet the unique needs of BC Businesses.

Patrick Wiltshire

Patrick is currently the Director of Product, Core Payments at Moneris.

As Director of Product, Core Payments, Patrick is responsible for the strategy and prioritization of development for our core and terminal solutions. In this role, Patrick brings over 15 years of experience in the payments industry, having held positions across technology, sales and most recently product consulting.

Through his tenure at Moneris, Patrick has driven complex payment integrations as well as development efforts with major card brands. Patrick has also led cross functional teams across the full product development lifecycle, from inception to availability, ensuring compliance requirements are met and solutions are delivered smoothly.

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Procurement Assistance Canada

Public Services and Procurement Canada was created in 2005 within Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) to advocate on behalf of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in federal procurement

Puneet Jain

Puneet Jain has been working with small- and medium-sized organizations since 2010. He works at Vancity because he wants to build a better future through creating healthy organizations that contribute to a sustainable economy.

Puneet draws on extensive experience in banking and financial planning to find the best solution for each client. He's eager to discuss how he can leverage experience in all areas of the financial services industry -- retail lending, investments, compliance, financial planning and business services -- to help your organization.

Puneet is able to help new immigrants establish businesses in Canada with my bilingualism in English, Punjabi, and Hindi.

At Vancity, he is part of the Community Investment team as the microfinance program manager.  In this role, he  provides high quality and hands-on advice and support for micro-entrepreneurs, with a focus on micro-business that have high social, environmental and community impact.

Rachel Goss

Cannabis industry expert, with over 7 years of experience in regulated cannabis markets, building medical and recreational cannabis businesses across Canada, US and Internationally.

 

Rick Walters

Before joining Road Safety At Work, Rick Walters did a variety of things from running a trucking business to being a forestry engineer to working as the Director of Transportation Safety for a BC health and safety association. Rick enjoys working with people and organizations, helping them find practical solutions to their road safety challenges, and supporting them to make changes that prevent work-related crashes.

Rinette Lagace

As a strong entrepreneur herself, Rinette firmly believes that small businesses are the driving force of our economy, and the entrepreneurs who run them are incredibly resilient. As a CPB with 25+ years of experience, she strongly believes in being knowledgeable and skilled in the right tools for her clients. And as the owner of NET Bookkeeping, she feels that success can only be obtained for herself – and her firm – when her clients are successful.

As the author of “The Courageous Entrepreneur”, Rinette has drawn from her work experience to create a resource for small business owners, based on simple day-to-day issues, it focuses on areas affecting cash flow – both positive and negative – while also providing strategies to overcome or avoid those issues. Through the sharing of real-life stories, it drives home how seemingly insignificant an action can be, while being detrimental to a client’s bottom line. One of her favorite stories is about two people walking through forest trails … so you’ll want to attend her session to hear the rest of that one!

Rinette resides in Gibsons, British Columbia with her partner and two dogs, and her greatest joy is her new grandson.

Ron McGregor

Ron McGregor graduated with BA (Econ) from University of Toronto and is member in good standing of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants in both BC and ON. Since leaving public practice as an Audit Manager with Price Waterhouse Coopers, he has accumulated decades of business and professional experience in senior financial management of 16 companies (12 Pubcos and 4 Privcos) across many industries doing business in 6 countries.

His work experience peaked as VP Finance & Administration of Fisons Western Corporation, a $100mm subsidiary of a UK-based public company; continued as Contract-CFO for many Development Stage Enterprises on TSX Venture Exchange; and now matured into ‘semi-retirement’ as Senior Accounting Instructor at BCIT – Part-Time Studies, teaching 3 classes per week during Spring and Fall terms.

His enthusiastic, well-organized and detail-oriented style along with excellent communication skills fuel his desire to give back to the profession by motivating students-in-accounts to become the best they can be in their chosen career direction. Along with teaching, his personal interests include travelling with his wife & family, investment management, golfing and pickle ball.

Roni M. Jones

Roni M. Jones is a lawyer with Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP, a boutique firm practicing in the area of intellectual property law.  Roni’s practice includes advising clients on all aspects of intellectual property law, with a particular emphasis on patent prosecution in the fields of mechanical, industrial and electrical technologies.