Associates & Friends

Andrew Bodis

Partner, TDF

Let me start by sharing a bit about my background. Born in Eastern Europe, my family and I left Romania, specifically Transylvania, in the aftermath of the '89 revolution. Those early years, though challenging, gifted me with a one-of-a-kind perspective. It taught me how to be extremely resilient and adaptable to any circumstance.

Perhaps it was this unique background that sparked my passion for entrepreneurship, although the generations of artisans and vintners in my family certainly played their part. Starting my first software company at the age of 17 was just the beginning; I've since woven my path through a number of industries including marketing, advertising, and business consulting. In the midst of this, I also thought it would be a good idea to relocate my family from Toronto to Los Angeles. Madrid might be next!

If I had to pinpoint what sets me apart, it's the fusion of my diverse background and my knack for whole-brain thinking. Sure, our brains don't come with neat partitions, but there's truth in the notion. As you’ve probably experienced, most individuals lean either towards analytical and data-driven thought or the realm of creativity and ideas. I’m able to converse in both languages.

This uncanny ability has been the cornerstone of my mission: aiding others in navigating the intricate world of business.

Commonly, when I step into a company's arena, there's a conspicuous gap between customer needs, the product itself, and the labyrinthine sales and delivery mechanisms. The grand vision is growth, yet the crux of the matter lies in this gap, where alignment falters and progress stalls, leaving frustration in its wake.

My approach is about crafting a holistic strategy that weaves together the wisdom of key stakeholders, the pulse of customer desires, and the high-level aspirations of senior management. Given my diverse background and connections across various specialties and teams, I not only help devise plans but also roll up my sleeves to help bring them to life — whether it's partnering with internal teams or leading the charge.

I thrive on collaboration with like-minded individuals who share my values of learning, curiosity, and productivity. While I'm always up for a new challenge, I've learned that true success emerges when there’s mutual respect and a shared dedication towards a clear goal.

I look forward to connecting, learning about your journey, and exploring ways we could collaborate.

Adrian Isaacs, CPA, CA

Alternative Financing Solutions for small-medium business

Adrian Isaacs is the founder and Managing Partner of Isaacs Advisory. He has extensive experience in sourcing both traditional and non-traditional financing for a myriad of clients.

A chartered accountant by training, Adrian has 30+ years of experience working with small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). Prior to launching Isaacs Advisory, he was the founding partner of the Business Financing practice at Farber.

In addition to being a CPA and CA, Adrian holds a Chartered Insolvency & Restructuring Practitioner (CIRP) designation. Having spent a decade operating and selling off businesses on behalf of lending institutions, Adrian realized that many businesses were poorly financed. Adrian was propelled to evolve his practice into sourcing financing solutions for businesses seeking better financing options. This inspired the creation of the Business Financing practice at Farber, and more recently, Isaacs Advisory.

In his spare time, Adrian loves sailing his catamaran on Lake Ontario. He also enjoys cooking and traveling.

Bruce McAlpine, CPC, MBA

Senior Level Recruitment

Bruce McAlpine is President of Fulcrum Search Science Inc., a 50+ year old boutique executive search firm with national and international reach. A Royal Military College graduate, he brings 30+ years of leadership and human resources experience to bear on “mission critical” roles in mid market organizations.

A past President of both ACSESS (the Association of Canadian Search, Employment & Staffing Services) and APPAC (the Association of Professional Placement Agencies and Consultants), he is committed to adhering to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity, and to genuinely caring for the best interests of his clients.

Contact info: 416.779.8505 or bruce.mcalpine@fulcrumsearchscience.com.

Company: www.fulcrumsearchscience.com

Steve Monk

Founder and CEO, CEO Law

A former Bay Street lawyer at Davies, Ward & Beck, Steve founded CEO Law with a commitment to happy Customers, Employees and Owners - in that order.

Steve has over 25 years of experience leading legal services businesses, including as an executive running a Canadian subsidiary of a global tech leader, as general counsel, and within several law firms including blue chip Bay Street firms and upstart disruptive legal players.

Steve brings a unique understanding of the industry and especially enjoys working with all those who embrace change and innovation in the legal space.

Steve has an LL.B. from The University of Western Ontario, an M.B.A. from The Richard Ivey School of Business, and an Engineering degree from Queen's.

He's most proud of his amazing wife, Tatjana, his 3 wonderful boys, Gabe, Matthew and AJ, and his Boston Terrier, Bruin!

Cyrus Mavalwala, ABC, MC

Founding Partner, Advantis Communications

Cyrus Mavalwala, ABC, MC is a sought-after digital communication strategist, trainer and speaker who helps B2B organizations achieve business results. He earned international accreditation as an IABC Accredited Business Communicator in 2009 and is one of 60 people in Canada who have been awarded IABC Canada’s highest honour and lifetime achievement designation, Master Communicator.

After leading teams at global PR agencies, Cyrus founded Advantis Communications, a boutique communication agency focused on digital content strategy, creation and activation. The Advantis team integrates social media, video and digital communication strategies and tactics that support communication objectives for B2B organizations, associations and municipalities.

Cyrus is a founding course developer and past instructor of the Digital Strategy and Communications Management Certificate at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. He is a frequent judge of industry awards and has received communication awards at the local, national and international levels.

Marc Dorval

Strategy Development and IT Solutions

A catalyst for change in organizations for over 30 years, Marc has been consulting with clients on technology strategy and the healthy implementation of new technologies into their organizations. His strengths include the ability to simplify complex ideas into simple concepts and the vision to quickly understand what makes sense (and what doesn’t) for an organization. A clear communicator, Marc regularly receives testimonials and references for his openness, candour, and clear thinking.

Marc has been helping organizations with change for over 30 years. First as a technology catalyst, and then as a business strategist, Marc’s ability to simplify complexity, communicate ideas clearly, and encourage collaboration for better solutions helps his clients grow and thrive.

A great believer in peer learning and the power of collaboration, Marc complements his leadership coaching and consulting work with his activities as a TEC Canada group chair. He brings his group members together regularly for group problem-solving and for learning from thought leaders.

Marc has been a serial entrepreneur since his teens. By his own admissions, there were a lot of failures but an increasing amount of success over time. Since exiting his last technology company, he has been very happy assisting others in their growth journeys through his coaching and consulting practice.

Andrew Jenkins

Social Media

Andrew Jenkins is CEO of Volterra, a professional services firm specializing in social media and social selling strategies. Based in Toronto, Canada, he was formerly the Head of Social Media Strategy for Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and has worked with a diverse list of companies in North America and Europe, including CIBC, Rogers, Bell Canada, InfoSpace and The Aga Khan Foundation.

A regular international speaker and panellist at numerous industry conferences and events, he teaches a course on Social Media Strategies for the Enterprise at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies. He is also the author of Social Media Marketing for Business: Scaling an Integrated Social Media Strategy Across Your Organization.

Darryl Dioso

HR4U

Darryl Dioso is a Managing Partner at HR4U, a fractional HR and Recruitment firm. For over 20 years, Darryl has been helping company clients like U-Pak, Xerox, Weight Watchers, Discount Car Rentals, BC Ferries with their Talent Acquisition, Human Resources Management, business processes and sales initiatives. He is passionate about Human Resources, business, technology, sports, travel and most of all – his family.

John Panigas

Leadership Coach and Peer Group Leader

John Panigas is a father, son, partner, and grandfather. He has owned and led organizations achieving well over $100 million in annual revenue in design, construction, manufacturing, and marketing. As a leadership coach and peer group leader John has worked with clients within a wide variety of industry sectors.

He has achieved success while battling crippling depression. From the outside, he comes across as a highly motivated, driven, and confident entrepreneur. On the inside, he has had a daily battle with hopelessness, desperation, and fear.

In late 2019 John decided he’d had enough of his sad, inauthentic, and frustrating life and embarked on a successful journey of self-discovery and healing. This work results in a book he has written titled: Crazy, Who Me? In it, John claims the stigma of weakness surrounding depression is the furthest thing from the truth. The “dual” life leaders with anxiety and depression experience require a great deal of courage, resilience, and, sadly, a severe lack of self-regard.

Though overcoming anxiety and depression is a challenging topic, John connects with audiences humorously and interactively. He presents tools and best practices for the leader and team to overcome and manage the disease. Highlights of the presentation include The Cost of Depression Calculator©. This tool estimates the economic cost of mental illness to the business, and The Mental Wellness Playbook© provides a path for creating a mental wellness culture. In keynotes and workshops, his delivery is non-clinical nor academic, and his honesty about his life and experiences provides valuable messages and calls to action for keynote and workshop attendees.

“John presents a ‘depressing’ and difficult topic with humour, great information, and he makes it authentic by fearlessly relating his journey.” - John King, Workshop Attendee, Pennsylvania.

“John’s workshop experience has resulted in our group experiencing a heightened level of closeness and intimacy.” – Judy York, Vistage Chair, West Virginia.

“John presented the workshop Empathy – The Leader’s SuperPower to my two CEO groups this week. His messages are essential in these turbulent times. His positive impact on the members made me proud to be a Chair as our goal is to help leaders improve.” – Marc Blais, TEC Canada Chair, Montreal.

Phil Spensieri

Certified Facilitator TAB York Region

Phil Spensieri is a Certified TAB Facilitator and Strategic Business Leadership Coach with over 40 years of management, operations and financial experience in both large organizations and entrepreneurial ventures. Over the last 20 years has guided business owners and executives to design and implement strategies with sound, reachable growth and profitability goals. At times these strategies have included comprehensive succession plans and the development of next generation managers. Overriding motivation is helping business owners and their leadership teams improve their business and change their lives.

Specialties: Business coaching, peer advisory boards, strategic business leadership, business management, finance, mergers and acquisitions, exit strategies. He assists business owners and executives of privately held businesses to focus on the performance of their organizations and achieve the results they desire. Phil has one of the highest retention rates of all TAB Boards in North America and provides advice and guidance to over 40 individual small business owners.

Dave Irving

Founder, Kosh Capital Advisors

In 2023, after a successful 35 year career in Banking, and Finance with such great institutions as CIBC, HSBC and BNC/NBC, I launched Kosh Capital Advisors to leverage my experience and connections to assist entrepreneurs with their financing and succession needs.

As a banker, I have enjoyed serving the needs and learning something new everyday from an extensive group of SME, Corporate, Multinational Clients, and of course Professional Advisors and Coaches.

My network becomes your network, so whatever you need, please reach out to me and discuss how I can help you write the next chapter in your evolving success story.

Kosh Capital Advisors
E: dave.koshcapital@gmail.com
T: 647 457 0325

Francesco Ientile

Speaker, Consultant, Coach and Trainer for Sales, Management, and Leadership Development

Francesco Ientile is a Speaker, Consultant, Coach and Trainer focused on Sales, Management, and Leadership Development. He is brought in by Business Owners and Executives to work on the Behaviours, Attitudes, Techniques, and Grit needed to be more Successful in Business Improvement, Sales Growth, and Employee Development. His firm identifies the Blind Spots and Obstacles that are holding you back and helps you implement Systems, Behaviours, and Grit to become more Successful. Clients ultimately develop new Habits that lead to Proactive Growth professionally and personally.

Francesco Ientile is a catalyst for meaningful change. He helps teams achieve success through adversity, faster and easier than the worn-out strategies of doubling down, working harder, and working longer. Life is short, careers are even shorter, Francesco brings a purposeful and guided approach to achieve transformative outcomes in both work and life.

We are known for building champions and championship organizations which drive the greater success of the owners and teams, allowing them to make more money and work less.

Specialties: Business Development | Demand Generation | Training | Management Consulting | Business Consulting | Executive Coaching | Leadership Development | Team Building | Professional Selling | Assessments | Recruiting & Hiring Sales Professionals | Sales Evaluations | Sales Coaching | Customer Service | Keynote Speeches

Chris Mildon

Partner, The Heaven Lane Group

Chris Mildon boasts over three decades of invaluable experience nurturing business growth, predominantly within the insurance brokerage sector. His extensive tenure as a brokerage owner and sales leader, spanning close to two decades with IFG, and most recently as the Chief Sales Officer for McLean Hallmark Insurance, exemplifies his profound understanding of strategic leadership and market dynamics.

With a profound commitment to active engagement, Chris ardently champions a hands-on approach by collaborating directly with his teams, instead of simply offering distant guidance. Drawing on his entrepreneurial background, which includes owning and managing businesses, Chris seamlessly translates these entrepreneurial insights into the realm of commercial insurance sales.

Chris specializes in honing the skills of new producers, revitalizing seasoned veterans, and mentoring sales leaders to optimize their teams' performance. His discerning eye for recognizing and cultivating new insurance niches is a testament to his acumen. Chris has been privileged to collaborate with both individuals and goal-oriented teams, contributing to their flourishing careers and business partnerships.

In all his professional engagements, Chris's remarkable aptitude for establishing connections, attentive listening, and thought-provoking questioning stands out, making him an invaluable asset within firms, charitable organizations, and sports entities alike. His unique blend of professionalism and approachability makes him a sought-after figure, adept at catalyzing growth and fostering excellence.