As the Executive Director of DMZ and CEO of DMZ Ventures, Abdullah leads the global startup ecosystem.

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Through its world-leading Incubator, Talent Academy and investment fund, DMZ’s global startup ecosystem equips founders with the tools to build, validate and scale impactful startups while producing skilled professionals ready to contribute to the innovation economy through expert-led tech and business courses.

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Committed to leveling the playing field for all entrepreneurs, Abdullah has championed several key initiatives within DMZ for underserved founders, including its Black Innovation and Women Innovation Programs. These programs provide tailored resources, funding and support to overcome barriers and create a more inclusive startup ecosystem.

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Under Abdullah’s leadership, the global startup ecosystem has significantly expanded its impact by establishing global hubs across North America, Latin America, Africa, and Asia; broadening its support to serve upskilling professionals in tech and business foundations; and launching DMZ Ventures’ investment fund for pre-seed and seed-stage tech startups.

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Abdullah serves on the Board of Directors for the Rideau Hall Foundation, the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery and the Indigenous Prosperity Foundation. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, Abdullah is a member of the Forbes Tech Council and has previously served as a Board Director for the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

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He has previously held roles with the Canadian Armed Forces, Fairmont Hotels, and Marriott Hotels & Resorts. Abdullah holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and MBA and BComm degrees from Toronto Metropolitan University.

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Favourite travel destination?

Havana.

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How do you relax?

Listen to Andrea Bocelli or Drake.

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What is your favourite movie of all time?

The Godfather.

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What is one item you never leave your house without?

A positive mindset.

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Best part about working at the DMZ?

The people and being in the best city in the world.

Agnes Hilkene is Executive Director of The George and Helen Vari Foundation where she oversees all the Foundation’s grant making activities. A particular focus is ensuring that motivated entrepreneurial students have the supports in place, so they can reach their full academic and professional potential.

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In addition, Agnes is the Vice President of Ryers Management Ltd. where she is responsible for property acquisition and disposal, capital improvements, fiscal management, safety and regulatory compliance.

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She has served on the Board of Directors of the Toronto French School Foundation. Agnes was a key organizer of the Vimy 100 and the Juno75 commemorative events in France where she worked closely with all levels of government as well as private sector and charitable partners in Canada and France.

Brett Mooney rejoined Amex January 2023 as President & CEO of Amex Bank of Canada and Amex Canada Inc. An industry veteran with 20+ years in the financial services sector, Brett leads the Canadian Executive Team, provides oversight for Amex’s business in Canada and serves on the Board of Directors. Brett is no stranger to Amex, having spent 13 years at the company between 2001 and 2014, where he held various Canadian and International roles at the company in lending, digital strategy and acquisition, including roles on the International Digital Strategy & Tech Roadmap and International Lending Growth and Digital Strategy teams. Before leaving Amex, he was the VP of Canadian Customer Acquisition, Engagement & Analytics.

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In his time away, Brett has built a strong portfolio of leadership in the financial industry, spending 7 years at Scotiabank in leadership roles across payments, the digital banking product organization and as the SVP and Head of Retail Cards and Unsecured Lending. Most recently, Brett was Regional President and CEO, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, for TransUnion, where he led the business and set the strategic vision for the company.

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Brett holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and Schulich School of Business and a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University. He serves on the board of the Ronald McDonald House Charities and lives in Oakville with his wife and two young children.

Carole is a tireless champion for cities and communities, driving an ambitious vision for local government leadership in building a more sustainable, prosperous and inclusive Canada. She is an accomplished strategist with over a decade of experience in federal and municipal advocacy and has been a driving force behind watershed achievements for municipalities securing unprecedented investment and progress for cities and communities.

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Carole currently leads Canada’s national municipal association, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), representing more than 2,100 member municipalities. FCM also administers a suite of national and international programs including the Green Municipal Fund, a $2.4 billion program that enhances the quality of life for people in Canada by accelerating a transformation to resilient, net-zero communities. Carole’s leadership and effective team-building have positioned FCM as one of the most respected and effective advocacy organizations in Canada.

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Consistently voted as one of the top lobbyists in the country, a previous recipient of Canada’s top 40 under 40, and also serving as a Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, Carole brings her extensive knowledge and expertise to their mission of enhancing public policy in Canada.

Before David’s appointment in March 2014, he was the director of news content at CBC News responsible for coverage across digital, radio and television. He is a veteran of leading media organisations in Canada, having come to Canada as a launch editor of the National Post in 1998. He has also worked at The Toronto Star and held two previous positions at The Globe, as the managing editor and national editor.

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Before his arrival in Canada he worked as a news reporter for The Belfast Telegraph, The Daily Record in Glasgow and in London he worked for The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph.

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His 17 years of investigative reporting into the worst helicopter accident in Royal Air Force history ultimately helped clear the names of the two flight lieutenants who had been posthumously, and wrongly, blamed for the 1994 crash.

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In addition to countless news articles on the crash and the subsequent fight for justice, David was associate producer of the documentary, The Final Flight of Zulu Delta 576, for Channel 4 television in the United Kingdom.

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Donette Chin-Loy Chang, a distinguished communications leader, accomplished public affairs strategist, prolific philanthropist and proud TMU alumna, has been recommended to the Board of Governors as the next Chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. Chin-Loy Chang’s appointment as TMU’s sixth Chancellor will begin on October 10th for a three-year term. The Chancellor, who is the ceremonial head of TMU, acts as an ambassador for the university on local, national and international levels, presides at all convocations, and confers degrees and diplomas.

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Over the years, she has supported hundreds of students by funding scholarships and well-being initiatives at TMU, and established bursaries across several areas of the university, including the DMZ, the Chang School, and the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. She also created an emergency fund for students during the pandemic and contributed to TMU’s Viola Desmond Awards program and the President’s Awards to Champion Equity campaign.

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Dr. Chin-Loy Chang’s professional career spans over four decades. She has created and managed successful strategies for countless corporate, government, not-for-profit and institutional clients. As a philanthropist, she and her late husband, Dr. the Honourable G. Raymond Chang, OC, OJ, TMU’s third Chancellor, have been dedicated to transforming lives through education, healthcare, social justice and the arts in Canada and globally.

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After graduating in 1978, she worked as a reporter-producer with CBC Radio, eventually leading the overseas service of Radio Canada International in Toronto and has trained journalists in several English-speaking Caribbean countries and in Haiti. As a strategist for global public relations firm Ruder Finn & Rotman, she provided counsel to the Prime Minister of Jamaica, ministers of government, heads of crown corporations and media practitioners, and was later appointed by the Prime Minister as head of radio at the Jamaica Information Service. She was also a visiting lecturer at the University of the West Indies in the Faculty of Mass Communications. In the early 1990s, she founded Donette Chin-Loy and Associates, a leading communications agency in the Caribbean. In 2000, she partnered with fellow TMU alumna, Dr. Lucy La Grassa, to establish La Grassa Chin-Loy Communications in Canada.

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Chin-Loy Chang has dedicated her time and philanthropy to many influential organizations and causes. She is former co-chair of Food For The Poor Canada, an international relief agency. She is also co-patron of the University of the West Indies annual benefit awards, the largest Canadian fundraiser in support of student scholarships.

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Chin-Loy Chang served on the dean’s advisory board for TMU’s Faculty of Community Services and was a member of the university’s renaming committee. Currently, she is a board director for the BlackNorth Initiative and the Toronto International Film Festival, and chairs TMU’s Alumni Council. She also sits on the advisory boards of the Onyx Initiative and TMU’s Anti-Asian Racism Taskforce, founded by the university’s fifth Chancellor, Janice Fukakusa.

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Chin-Loy Chang holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. She has received honorary degrees from Toronto Metropolitan University (2021) and the University of the West Indies (2018).

Keshia Chanté is a distinguished leader in music and entertainment. As a singer who entered the industry at only 13, Chanté rapidly became a trailblazer and the youngest Juno Award winner, accumulating seven nominations along the way. Her chart-topping hits, including “Unpredictable” and “Been Gone,” have solidified her status as a pivotal figure in Canadian Hip Hop and R&B. Lauded by Drake as a “real legend,” Chanté is recognized for her role in paving the way for future generations of artists and is currently an International Voter for the prestigious Golden Globe Awards.

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An entrepreneur at heart, Chanté is the Chief Executive Officer of Keshia Chanté Inc. (KCI), a record label and management company that plays a crucial role in the production and licensing of music recordings. She also serves as an ambassador for the National Angel Capital Organization (NACO), the leading association for angel investor networks in Canada.

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As a television host, Chanté has won two Canadian Screen Awards and made history in the United States by hosting BET’s top-rated music show, 106 & Park, alongside Bow Wow, where she conducted high-profile interviews with former First Lady Michelle Obama, Robert De Niro, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Denzel Washington, Mariah Carey and others.

Mathew (Mat) Mehrotra is the Chief Digital Officer and Head of Canadian Products at BMO Financial Group. He is responsible for driving the digital transformation of the bank’s North American Personal & Business Banking business as well as managing BMO’s retail deposits, investments, unsecured lending and home financing businesses. Prior to this role, Mat held several leadership positions in BMO’s digital team, ultimately assuming the role of Chief Digital Officer in 2020. During this time, Mat launched and scaled BMO’s agile transformation, leading high-performing, cross-functional teams to transform BMO’s digital experience. BMO has and continues to be recognized for market-leading digital customer experience, innovation and sales outcomes.

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Mat joined BMO in 2010 and has taken on progressively senior roles within BMO’s Digital and Office of Strategic Management teams. Before joining BMO, he worked as a Consultant at Monitor. He holds an Honours Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ontario. Mat also serves on the Board of Interac Corp., one of Canada’s leading providers of innovative and secure payment solutions trusted by millions of Canadians every day.

Michael Bartlett is currently President & CEO of Canada Basketball, a position he has held since October 1, 2021. He originally joined the organization in March 2021 as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Over the course of the last three years, he has has helped guide the organization towards achieving its qualification objectives for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games while stabilizing funding for Canada Basketball through the launch of new events and brand partnerships.

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Prior to joining Canada Basketball, Bartlett spent more ten years in a variety of roles with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), including Vice President & Community Affairs & Events and co-founder of MLSE LaunchPad. His passion for giving back has also seen him help to raise close to $200 million to support local and national causes in a variety of professional and volunteer leadership positions, most recently serving as the Vice Chair of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade. Michael currently lives in Stratford with his wife Alissa, daughters Makenzie and Maggie, and son, Graeson.

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Michael Tamblyn, President and Chief Executive Officer at Rakuten Kobo, combines a passion for books and reading with a deep focus on hardware and software experiences that can make reading lives better. In addition to leading Rakuten Kobo, the global digital bookseller, he is a Senior Executive Officer of Rakuten, the Japanese ecommerce giant. In his spare time, he advises start-ups focused on aging and technology as volunteer Chief Entrepreneur of Age-Well NCE, and is on the board of directors of the Law Commission of Ontario, Ontario’s law reform body.

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Michael has been a part of Rakuten Kobo’s executive team since its founding in 2009. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.

Mike Murchison is CEO of Ada, the world’s leading customer service AI platform. A serial entrepreneur focused on using AI to transform the conversation between businesses and their customers, he champions the Canadian innovation ecosystem at home and abroad.

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Before starting Ada, Mike founded several other tech companies, including a social search community and a consulting firm for Fortune 500 clients. He also worked as a customer service agent, which led him to understand firsthand how AI could make life better for customers and support teams. Founded in 2016, Ada automates billions of customer interactions for brands like Meta, Verizon and Square. Mike envisions a world where every company is AI-first, harnessing the technology to create incredible customer service experiences.

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A Forbes 30 Under 30 winner, Mike has also been recognized by EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year program and Goldman Sachs’ Builders and Innovators Summit. When he’s not imagining the future of customer support, you can find him reading, cooking or training for an ultra-marathon.

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Dr. Mohamed Lachemi is president and vice-chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), first appointed in 2016 and reappointed to a second term concluding in 2026. An internationally recognized researcher and accomplished academic administrator, he has been a key contributor to the growth and development of Toronto Metropolitan University over a transformational time in the university’s history.

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A professor of civil engineering since 1998, he has served in progressively senior roles, including dean of the faculty of engineering and architectural science, and provost and vice-president academic. As president he has promoted the establishment of Toronto Metropolitan University as a global university, overseen the launch of Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst – a national centre for cybersecurity, and navigated approvals for new and innovative law and medical schools.

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A graduate of L’Université des Sciences et de la Technologie d’Oran in Algeria (civil engineering, with distinction) and L’Université de Sherbrooke (MASc and PhD, Structural Engineering), Dr. Lachemi is the Past Chair of the Council of Ontario Universities, Chair of the Finance Committee of Universities Canada, Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and a Board member of Rogers Communications Inc., DMZ Ventures, WUSC (World University Service of Canada), and GTAA (Greater Toronto Airports Authority). He was a member of the National Research Council from 2018 to 2021. In 2022, Dr. Lachemi was appointed to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest civilian honour recognizing extraordinary contributions.

Nabeela Elsayed has over twenty years of leadership experience across operations, human resources, and strategy at Walmart, IKEA, and Starbucks. Her most recent role was as Chief Operations Officer at Walmart Canada, responsible for over 100,000 associates. She has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Executives by Globe and Mail, the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada by WXN and the Top 100 Global HR Leaders. Nabeela sits on several boards, including the Miracle Foundation and The National Council of Canadian Muslims.

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Nabeela is a certified executive coach, a Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coach, and a Faculty Member of Competent Boards. She holds a bachelor’s in marketing and supply chain management from Indiana University and a master’s in industrial and organizational behaviour from the University of Texas.

Born in Jordan, Noura Sakkijha (Co-Founder and CEO of Mejuri) is the third generation in a family of jewelers, exposing her to the production techniques and the complexity of fine jewelry design at an early age. While she loved fine jewelry, the traditional aspect of men purchasing for women didn’t resonate with her. She chose to pursue another passion, and studied industrial engineering at the University of Jordan. This led her to immigrate to Canada to receive her MBA at Toronto Metropolitan University, and work in consulting at one of the top financial institutions in Toronto. Though she loved her job, fine jewelry was always on her mind. In 2015, Noura made the decision to leverage her learnings from the industry and her deep understanding of supply chain to create Mejuri, a fine jewelry brand that has redefined the way individuals think of and purchase fine jewelry—for themselves.

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To date, the brand has amassed 2M customers and 35+ stores across North America and the United Kingdom. Since inception, Noura has built a global brand on the foundational principles of empowerment, inclusivity and innovation, while working towards making a positive impact in our communities, the industry, and the world. One of her proudest accomplishments is creating the Mejuri Empowerment Fund in 2020, which has allocated almost a million dollars in scholarships and bursaries to underrepresented women and non-binary individuals so they can have the tools and resources to succeed.

Peter is currently an Independent Director of the DMZ Venture Fund. Previously he was a board member of Magna International (Audit Committee), China Overseas Shipping Co. Ltd. (Cosco) (Strategic Development and Risk Committees), Cederberg Capital LLC (Chair). Uranium One (Compensation Committee Chair and Audit Committee); Deloitte China (CEO and Senior Partner); the Asian Corporate Governance Association; Deloitte LLP Global Governance Committee and Board; Deloitte Canada (Chair).

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Peter was also a member of the Canadian Advanced Technology Association – CATA Innovation Leadership Council; the Dean’s Advisory Committee, Telfer School of Business, University of Ottawa; Chair, of the Advisory Committee; School of Accounting, School of Business, Tsinghua University, Beijing and an Advisor, China Development Research Foundation.

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Formerly, he was a board member of the Asian Corporate Governance Association Council, and the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation Board as well as co-chair, University of Ottawa National Campaign; Chairman Ottawa-Carleton Economic Development Corporation and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario Council Member and president of the National Capital Region.

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Peter is an investor and advisor in early-stage startup companies. He is a former CEO and senior partner Deloitte China and Chairman of Deloitte Canada. His other career experiences included Platform Computing (enterprise software) 2000 – 2003, where he was the chief corporate officer; Microsystems International Limited (Semiconductor design and manufacturing; Integrated Lighting Canada Limited (Manufacturing) and Nortel (Telecom manufacturing).

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His awards and recognition include an honorary doctorate from University of Ottawa, a Fellow Institute of Chartered Accountants and Certified Public Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, and Fellow Australian Institute of Corporate Directors. Peter also holds a CCB.D from Competent Boards and was selected as a top 10 Financial Talents in China (2008).

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Peter completed his B.Comm in economics from St. Mary’s University, his MBA from University of Ottawa before heading to the Harvard Business School for the Advanced Management program.

Pierre Boutin is a dynamic leader, transforming the automotive industry with a blend of visionary strategy and hands-on expertise. As the Group Managing Director and CEO of Volkswagen Group Ireland, Pierre is spearheading a groundbreaking retail strategy that champions direct-to-consumer sales, setting a new benchmark for the industry. In his previous role as President and CEO of Volkswagen Group Canada, Pierre contributed to secure the largest automotive investment in Canadian history with an upcoming battery cells factory. His efforts not only marked a significant milestone for Volkswagen but also positioned the company for a robust turnaround and growth trajectory.

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Pierre's extensive experience includes pivotal C-Suite roles as a Board member of Volkswagen Group of America, Volkswagen Credit Canada, and Electrify Canada, as well as key leadership positions within Volkswagen Group companies in France and Russia where he led the organization through its most severe crisis securing viability and future investments. His career also spans influential roles at Nissan Europe and Ford Motor Company across Canada and several countries including France, Germany and Central & Eastern Europe.

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Throughout his journey, Pierre has been actively involved in trade associations and local charitable organizations, reflecting his commitment to community and industry development. With a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing from Université Laval in Quebec City, a Global Executive Program from INSEAD, and ongoing studies for an Executive Certificate in Strategy & Innovation at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Pierre combines academic rigor with practical know-how. A strong communicator and collaborative leader, Pierre fosters open dialogue and strives for excellence in team performance. His mission is to drive innovation, sustainability, and social responsibility in the mobility sector, making a lasting impact on the industry and the communities he serves.

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