SUMMIT Speakers

Naina Kansal

Naina opened Ottawa’s first authentic Indian Chai and Street food café – Tapri Chai which she started as a weekend passion project two years ago with her fiancé. Naina started her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 11 while leading professional development programs for underprivileged children. She has worked within the entrepreneurial ecosystem and academia leading their entrepreneurial programs and communities. Passionate about bringing South Asian cultural learnings to a global stage, Naina’s business Tapri Chai is deeply rooted in making the international tea trade more equitable for tea growers and farmers by providing them a living wage and working directly with small farms. With her Ottawa outlet’s soaring success, she is all set to start franchising next year and expanding provincially.
She mentors students in the entrepreneurship program at Centennial College. Naina serves on the program advisory committee at Algonquin College and is a board member at BarrhavenBIA.

Parth Shah

is a dynamic entrepreneur and visionary leader in the food and beverage industry. As the co-founder of Tapri Chai, Ottawa’s first authentic chai cafe, he successfully navigated challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, surpassing revenue goals by 60% within 8 months. With expertise in computer engineering, entrepreneurship, and AI, Parth leads strategic direction, financial management, and business development. His innovative approach to menu development, branding, and customer experience has driven Tapri Chai’s rapid growth and created a loyal customer base.

Ben Morris

Ben Morris is the Vice President of Technology Strategies at Wesley Clover. He helps manage business development, sales and marketing operations for a number of Wesley Clover companies, leveraging his wireless and telecom industry experience and network of contacts. Ben has been involved in all product lifecycle stages in start-ups through to publicly listed companies. Ben also volunteers his time as a board advisor and mentor to several other companies.

Rebecca Palmer

For over 20 years, Rebecca Palmer has been a strategist, entrepreneur, and ecosystem builder with a focus on economic empowerment and social innovation. She holds a Masters in Public Policy from O.P. Jindal University, and is certified in design thinking, organizational management, and entrepreneurship. Rebecca is very passionate about building global relationships, designing educational strategies, and challenging the status quo. In addition to her work in Canada, her travels have led her to teach entrepreneurship in Moldova, Lebanon, Algeria and Jordan and to speak about mental health and entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia and Moldova.
Currently, Rebecca works with Causeway Work Centre as the Business Advisor for Rise, a national organization dedicated to empowering people with mental health and addiction challenges, where she provides early-stage business training and mentorship to entrepreneurs, helping them turn their ideas into viable businesses.

Hailey Hechtman

Hailey Hechtman is a social impact leader who has dedicated her career to empowering people to see their potential. She has spent a decade leading social service organizations and is passionate about mental health, youth wellness and taking a strength-based approach to community development. Some of her career highlights include founding the Yukon Distress & Support Line, establishing a collective impact strategy for northern disability-serving organizations, creating foundational training for front-line workers in the territories and becoming a thought leader for mental health in the workplace and inclusive hiring.
She became the Executive Director of Unsinkable a national mental health charity founded by Olympian Silken Laumann that harnesses the power of storytelling to bridge the gap between those struggling with their mental health and steps to mental wellbeing in 2023. She holds an honours degree in Psychology from Queen’s University and a postgraduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from Simon Fraser University. She is a contributing writer to KBI Inspire Magazine, a digital publication focused on youth mental health and a coach for the Fora Network for Change Rise on Boards Program.

Mona Abow

Mona Abow is a certified mindset mastery coach and dynamic speaker who empowers individuals and organizations to achieve peak performance. Through her transformative workshops, coaching programs, and keynote speeches, Mona equips her clients with the tools and strategies they need to overcome limiting beliefs, unlock their full potential, and achieve their goals.
Mona is passionate about helping others break free from self-doubt and negative patterns, and she is committed to providing her clients with the support and guidance they need to create lasting change in their lives.

Howard Rosenblum

Howard Rosenblum is a seasoned technology professional with a passion for education and innovation. As a Professor and Coordinator of the Computer Engineering Technology – Computing Science program at Algonquin College, he focuses on teaching Java, databases, and project development. Howard’s expertise stems from a wealth of real-world experience, having worked in the medical, military, and telecom sectors. His career spans roles in companies ranging from startups to large corporations – private and public. He has a proven track record as an entrepreneur, having worked with a successful startup.
Howard’s unique communication style, technical expertise and business acumen make him an engaging speaker and professor. He holds a Bachelor’s in Math and Computer Science from McGill University and a Master of Technology Innovation Management (an “MBA for Startups”) from Carleton University. His rich skillset includes teaching, curriculum development, software development, and business analysis. This, combined with his entrepreneurial spirit and cross-industry experience, solidifies his position as a well-rounded innovator and an expert in the technology field.

Erin Blaskie

Erin Blaskie is a fractional CMO and marketing advisor to startups and scaleups. She has provided services to many of the world’s leading brands, including Disney, Microsoft, Post, Ford, and Alliance Films, and has worked with Hollywood actors, best-selling authors, and professional speakers to craft their personal brands and build communities of raving fans.
In the media, Erin’s work has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, The Wall Street Journal, The Globe & Mail, and more.

Rob Harvey

Rob Harvey is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) having graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting. Rob has been a full-time Professor in the School of Business and Hospitality for 30 years. During his time in industry, he was a partner in a public accounting firm and focused on financial consulting, turnarounds, and startups. He has extensive tax experience having practiced tax since 1985. Rob is well aware of the challenges facing startups having seen so many be unsuccessful during his years spent specializing in insolvency. Additionally, Rob has been involved with clients obtaining bank financing and helping them maintain good business relationships with them.

Patrick Charlton

Working and collaborating with learners with the School of Business at Algonquin College for over 10 years in the role of Professor/Coordinator continues to be rewarding and challenging as we adapt to ever-changing business environments. Building creative and engaging learning opportunities for my learners is always on the priority list. I am honored to have been nominated for the Dianne Bloor Part-time Faculty award (3 years running) and part of the faculty coaching team for the yearly Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition (2019 Historic Team Win). I have had the opportunity to work inter-departmentally with Applied Research initiatives serving as a faculty advisor for projects like SalesLab, Entrepreneur in Residence, Salesforce Student Group, and Adobe Digital Portfolio Project. Professional background includes roles working for mid-size to multi-national firms in the role of senior management covering training, sales management, and marketing. To satisfy my entrepreneurial drive, I have owned and operated small businesses ranging from food services to business growth consulting.

Stephen Gagné

As well as teaching in the School of Business, Stephen Gagné serves as Algonquin College’s Entreprenuership Office. At Algonquin, Stephen combines more than 10 years’ experience in Entrepreneurship with over 15 years’ teaching experience in topics as varied as aviation, coding, photography and public speaking. Prior to coming to Algonquin College, Stephen ran a wedding and event photography business for nearly 10 years, served on the board of directors of the Ottawa Swing Dance society for 5 years and coached dozens of starting entrepreneurs in Rural South Eastern Ontario. He is also an avid public speaker and speaking coach having been a frequent finalist and champion in Toastmasters International competitions.