Mark Smithyes – 2020
Mark is well recognized as a transformational leader with over 20 years’ experience in the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device industries. His extensive career includes numerous leadership positions related to building and managing businesses, developing strong cultures, strategic planning, communications, change management and delivering results.
Most recently, Mark was a founder and President of Labtician Théa, a joint venture that has become Canada’s leader in the preservative-free management of glaucoma, dry eye disease and lid hygiene. Through innovative products, a different approach to business and a focus on building a strong team and an exceptional culture, Labtician Théa quickly established a solid reputation in the Optometric and Ophthalmologic communities and with it, profitability within 24 months.
Mark is a regular contributor and speaker at industry conferences and has served on a number of industry and community boards. Currently, Mark serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Life Sciences Ontario.
Mark holds a BA from Western University and an MBA from the Kellogg and Schulich Schools of Business. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Cathy Douglas and his four children.
Matt Conway – October 2018
Matt has an immediate and positive impact on the companies that engage him and the individuals who meet him – on professional and personal levels. Matt’s background in new business sales, sales leadership, executive leadership, go-to-market strategy, coupled with his ability to ‘lead from the front’—driving dramatic tactical results—makes him both a valued advisor to executives and a respected coach and mentor to sales people. Clients who work with Matt say they dramatically accelerate their time-to-market, revenue and sales cycles; and improve their win rates.
Prior to founding his go-to-market strategy, C level prospecting & sales acceleration advisory, consulting, executive coaching, speaking, copywriting, coaching and mentoring business, Matt spearheaded the growth of tech start-ups, professional services, consulting and multinational firms including Franklin Covey Sales Performance Practice, a Microsoft participated company, Nokia, a Chasm Group affiliate and Michael Page amongst others. Executive responsibilities included launching new concepts, sales and marketing, alliances, industry initiatives, regional roll outs, business planning and restructuring.
Matt has had a wealth of international experience having lived and worked in the Gambia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sweden, UK, Canada, and the USA. Matt lives in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada with his young family. Matthew has a B.A. Hons in International Development Studies from the University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.
Michael Wegner – October 2018
Michael is a Controller, Chief Financial Officer and President/General Manager and has been with diverse range of organizations in Manufacturing, Food Processing, Food Service, Hospitality, Resource Extraction, Construction and Real Estate/Land Development.
Michael is skilled at developing financial models for product pricing, projects costs, operating and capital budgets and cash forecasts. He has a first-rate appreciation of ethics and up to date corporate governance and financial control issues and is capable of building and maintaining good working relationships with all corporate stakeholders.
Michael has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from McMaster University, a Master’s of Science in Management (MBA) from Hult International Business School, Boston, Massachusetts and is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA). Prior to his career in business he is proud to have served as a ranking officer with the regular Canadian Army (Artillery) throughout Canada, NATO Forces in Europe and UN Peacekeeping Forces.
Biff Norris – October 2018
Biff has a long career in the financial services area. He began his career as a bond trader at McLeod Young Weir, where he later transitioned to a position as Director Fixed Income sales. He was then recruited by Salomon Brother’s when they set up an office to trade bonds in Canada. He then moved to BMO Nesbitt Burns as a Managing Director of Fixed Income sales where he was responsible for some of the largest accounts in the country. His bond market specialty was portfolio structure and yield curve arbitrage as well as risk adjusted portfolio optimization.
Biff then joined Cornerstone Capital as a partner and later helped transition their assets under management to Portfolio Strategies Securities Inc which is now Gravitas Securities. At Gravitas he gained experience with equity portfolio attribution analysis and factor-based portfolio structure and worked as a member of the Investment Strategy committee where he was responsible for the trading of the portfolio and for their fixed income allocations. Biff has strong Capital markets knowledge across many product lines including derivative markets and strategies. He is focused on client relationship, business development and consultative sales.