Dr. Gordon Bennett has been involved in the development of design thinking methodologies for various publications and groups ranging from not-for-profit groups to the military. He comes from a business background in both the private sector and military holding a Doctor of Business Administration in Global Business and Leadership, an MBA in Finance, a Masters of Defence Studies, and various other academic qualifications. His works have been published in various academic journals and the popular media. His logistics experience is derived primarily from military service as a logistics officer and work in the civilian construction industry. He is the former commanding officer of the Canadian Forces Logistics Training Centre and is currently posted to the Strategic Joint Staff in Ottawa, Ontario.

Al Garlinski, a seasoned professional with over 40 years of expertise in supply chain management, owns Garlinski Training & Consulting. Holding professional designations in Supply Chain Management from both Supply Chain Canada and the Institute of Supply Management, Al is also a faculty member for the University of Winnipeg and has been teaching for Supply Chain Canada for the past 25 years. He weas awarded the prestigious Fellowship designation from Supply Chain Canada, recognizing his lifelong dedication to teaching, coaching, and mentoring. His commitment to mentorship was also acknowledged with the “Mentor of the Year” award from the University of Alberta, Alberta School of Business.

Al is a tireless animal rescue advocate, and founder of Irun4Rescue, a dog rescue organization leaving a lasting impact in northern Manitoba. Under the organization’s guidance, Irun4Rescue has raised over 100,000 lbs of dry dog food, providing crucial support to Spay and Neuter Clinics for various rescue organizations. His dynamic role extends to being a motivational and keynote speaker, addressing audiences on mental health resilience at business conferences across Canada.

Kunnal Sharma has been working in the procurement and supply chain industry from last 15 years.

He started his career as Procurement specialist within a private sector manufacturing in India. In 2006, he immigrated to Canada and since 2009 Kunnal has been employed in the Public sector working in the field of procurement and supply chain. Kunnal is currently employed with Government of Manitoba as Director, Procurement Services.

In Kunnal’s current position, he is responsible to lead the procurement of Government of Manitoba (GoM) departments and to lead the collaborative procurements between GoM and Broader Public Sector of Manitoba.

Kunnal holds Masters in Business Administration degree from Athabasca University and SCMA designation from the Supply Chain Canada institute of Manitoba.

In his spare time, his hobbies include playing baseball, cricket, and running.

Mr. Dan Georgescu is a well-known operations and supply chain management subject matter expert specializing in supplier development.

He graduated with the MBA Gold Medal for Academic Excellence in 2006, holds a Master of Science Degree in Engineering, is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and is a Professional Engineer.

Dan worked for Ford Motor Company - Global Purchasing for 26 years and now is a member of the faculty at Conestoga School of Business, at York University - Schulich School of Business, and at Wilfrid Laurier University - Lazaridis School of Business and Economics. He currently serves as the Chair of SCMA Instructors Development Education Committee and teaches multiple courses and workshops in the SMT and CSCMP designation program at SCMA. Dan published “Making supply chain design the rational differentiating characteristic of the OEMs” International Journal of Production Research and his research interest is in Knowledge Propagation in the Value Chain.

Professor Robert Greene is a tenured college business professor who has taught for colleges and universities in Canada and in the People's Republic of China. Robert also provides consulting services in operations management support and solutions and soft skill management workshops for domestic and international firms. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Ryerson University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree from the University of Calgary. Having had the great fortune of travelling and working abroad, Professor Greene has enjoyed working with organizations across Canada and in the People's Republic of China.