Abiodun Oke is a supply chain management consultant with an academic background in Mechanical Engineering and more than 14 years of experience practicing supply chain management in the Oil and Gas sector of Nigeria and the public sector of Canada. Notable amongst his experience and accomplishments in Canada is his role as the Category Lead and the Senior Procurement Consultant responsible for the category management of commodities and research infrastructures that support the innovative programs and research ecosystem at the University of Manitoba.

Abiodun Oke is very passionate about continuous improvement, life-long learning, and innovative problem-solving. He is the Founder of Cerial Projects Services, a startup in training, procurement transformation, and outsourcing, he is the Founder of the SupplyJobs Canada Network, a platform for peer-mentoring and coaching of foreign-trained supply chain professionals in Canada, assisting colleagues and budding professionals get back into the supply chain management profession since 2015.

After obtaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, he got a start as a contracts officer in Oil and Gas logistics operations at the Shell Petroleum, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Abiodun Oke is very committed to professional development, with curiosity and his work experience at multinationals such as Shell & Total Exploration, he pursued intensive professional education through the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS), and the Project Management Institute (PMI), obtaining certifications as a PMP (Project Management Professional) and an MCIPS in 2008 and 2010 respectively.

After relocating to Canada in 2010, he obtained the SCMP (Supply Chain Management Professional) qualification, having met the requirements to practice as a certified supply chain professionals in Canada. This opened the door of opportunities for him to practice procurement in Canada, starting as a Procurement Coordinator at the Manitoba Housing & Renewal Corporation.

Abiodun Oke is very passionate about the profession and continues to mentor and inspire budding professionals in supply chain management. With his resources and that of his partners, he has counseled and mentored hundreds of foreign-trained supply chain professionals from different parts of the world, assisting them with resources that nurtured their career growth and professional development. He assisted with job search challenges as a volunteer executive with the Nigerian professionals in Manitoba, a Program Advisory committee member of the Logistics & SCM program at Robertson College, a mentor at JVS Toronto and the Success Skills Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Alexander Ralph is a Supply Chain Management professional with more than 20 years of experience working with North American businesses in Canada, USA and Mexico in both the private and public sector helping them to improve their operations and to streamline their processes. His career has allowed him to be involved in numerous industries which include Health Care, Financial Services, Federal, Provincial and Municipal Governments, Food and Consumer Goods, Transportation, Energy and Utilities, Construction and Higher Education implementing best practices.

Before joining the City of Vancouver in 2015, he was a Management Consultant with Accenture collaborating with multiple clients including many Fortune 500 companies such as Unilever, LG Electronics, Coca Cola, Daimler-Chrysler, etc. to name a few and leading important consulting projects with Sierra Systems for organizations at different levels of government such as the City of Calgary, City of Edmonton, Alberta Solicitor General, Champlain Local Health Integration Network, E-Comm911, Security Intelligence Review Committee and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to highlight notable examples. More recently, Alexander worked for provincial crown corporations including BC Hydro and Vancouver Coastal Health. He has focused his expertise in Category Management and Strategic Sourcing, Warehousing and Inventory Management, Demand and Supply Planning, Distribution and Logistics.

Moreover, over the years Alexander has had the opportunity to play leadership roles at different levels of the organization developing strong analysis for decision making and change management skills. He earned a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Engineering and a Supply Chain Management Diploma from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. In 2003 Alexander immigrated to Canada and obtained his MBA degree from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Additionally he holds a Supply Chain Professional Certification (CSCP) from APICS (Association for Supply Chain Management) and a Black Belt designation from Lean Six Sigma Canada. As a means of giving back and to share his personal and business experience, Alexander volunteers some of his time as a mentor to new immigrants and students looking to advance their career and serves as director on the Board for non-for-profit organizations that are aligned to his interests and values.

Alexander is an energetic and passionate Supply Chain professional with ~18 years of diverse international experience in Oil & Gas sector with deep commercial skills and a track record of delivery in various supply chain roles and various jurisdictions. He is a passionate people-focused leader with 10+ years of experience leading diverse multicultural teams to the exceptional performance. Alexander is a forward-looking proponent of new digital SCM technology and tools as enablers to make supply chain a competitive differentiator for the business.

He is commercially savvy, results-driven with a proven record of defining and managing the implementation of complex supply chain strategies, strong alignment with the business and providing significant organizational, process and financial benefits. Alexander is passionate speaker and communicator.

Alexander was born in Russia in 1981. After graduating with Highest Honors from Russian State University of Trade and Economics in 2003 with a degree in Commercial Law Alexander joined Royal Dutch Shell joint venture in Russia in the Contracting & Procurement team.

In September 2009 he joined Shell International and held various Supply Chain leadership positions in The Netherlands, Canada, USA.

In July 2015 Alexander immigrated to Canada and held roles in Shell Canada as Materials Management Manager for Americas, Supply Chain Transformation Lead for Contracting and Procurement program, and General Manager Contracting & Procurement Oil Sands business.

In July 2017 he joined Husky Energy as Director Supply Chain Operations.

Alexander is a member of Supply Chain Canada since 2015 and holds SCMP professional designation.

Alexander holds MCIPS professional status from Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) since 2009 and in 2019 he received MCIPS Chartered status.

Alexander lives in Calgary and he is married and has two children. He enjoys sports and travel with the family in his spare time.

A published Author; business and client focused Senior Leader with over 20 years’ experience of progressively senior Supply Chain Management (SCM) experience as an employee and consultant in International organizations – ExxonMobil/Imperial Oil, TC Energy, BP, Bantrel (Bechtel), Shell, Havilah Energy and Immanuel Integrated Services Inc. As well as over 10 years’ service and leadership in Volunteer (non-profit) organizations covering Professional SCM Practice and Community Development. Great coaching and mentoring ability; high communication, presentation and interpersonal skills – gained in interfacing and collaborating with Senior Management and stakeholders within and across organizations: to deliver optimal synergy, efficiencies and effectiveness. A Delivery Enabler known to always have a smile and who supports the team to maximize SCM value in achieving corporate results.

With a 15-month sabbatical afforded by rewards from SCM Practice, contributed to the body of knowledge in Library and Archives Canada: authored Path To The Dream Life (CAN ISBN 978-1- 9995199-1-9), a creative-fiction book on overall personal development published in 2018: https://www.amazon.ca/Path-Dream-Life-Anayo-Onwuka/dp/1999519914

Supply Chain, including logistics and purchasing management, has been part of my career for over 13 years (5 of them in Canada). I am an Engineer, currently working to have my degree recognized in Canada. To complement this, I also have a Master’s degree in Business Administration which I completed in 2010. In 2018, I was selected to be part of a Leading Change initiative focusing on process improvement; it gave me an opportunity to attend a training course in Management at The Schulich School of Business (York University) in Toronto, Ontario.

My latest project at the Municipal Group of Companies is related with the new Transport Canada Regulations that will impact all Commercial Drivers and Carriers in North America. This legislation change becomes effective from June 2021. One of my responsibilities is to ensure that all Commercial Trucks will have Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) installed with the Drivers being fully trained and functional before June 2021. The new Canadian ELD Regulation will help drivers and carriers to respect the daily Hours of Service and will ensure that our drivers are well rested which will naturally lead to safer roads for all.”

Arpit Modi immigrated to Canada in the fall of 2006 and 6 months after his arrival, joined a bridging program for foreign-trained professions to understand “Canadian Experience” terminology. After completing in-class portion of the program, Arpit joined Cardinal Health Canada as a co-op student and soon was hired as a National Supply Chain Analyst. During his time with Cardinal Health, Arpit was able to work on different projects impacting supply chain for the healthcare sector.

While working with a very diverse and complex portfolio, Arpit recognized the need to enhance his supply chain knowledge and skillset to take his career to the next level. In 2009, Arpit joined then newly introduced SCMP program and earned his SCMP designation in 2012. This program proved to be a turning point in Arpit’s professional life.

In August 2011, Arpit joined Phoenix Contact as an Inventory Analyst and soon promoted as Logistics Manager. Over the years, with the help of senior management, suppliers and customers, Arpit worked on some major projects which positively impacted end to end supply chain and has improved overall productivity and efficiencies.

Arpit personally experienced the hardships a newly immigrated supply chain professional would face so with a sense of giving back to society, Arpit started volunteering his time with Acces Employment in 2013 helping foreign-trained supply chain professionals. Arpit served in various roles ranging from guest speaker to one on one mentorship and mentoring in various networking events. Most recently Arpit was invited to join Acces Employment’s Supply Chain Connections Advisory Committee. Arpit also volunteers with Supply Chain Canada (Ontario) from time to time.

In the last 7~8 years, Arpit has helped over 50 new immigrants, undergraduate students, MBAs and other professionals from diverse backgrounds to start their supply chain journey in Canada. Arpit has arranged numerous site tours for his mentees so they have firsthand experience of a supply chain professional’s role in Canada. Some of his mentees are now placed with various large multinational organizations and progressing very well in their careers.

With this recognition, Arpit is hoping that more immigrants will take inspiration and come forward to help the supply chain community in Canada. With such a vast pool of talent from around the world, Canada can lead the way in this complex, unpredictable yet exciting world of supply chain.

Ashay (Ash) Gude is Director of Consulting Services at Structure Performance Improvement Solutions, Inc. and a member of the Canadian Board of Directors for the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME). At Structure, Ash provides interim management, operations and supply chain strategy, strategic global sourcing, sales and operations planning, lean manufacturing, six sigma (DMAIC), quality management and supplier quality management and development consulting services to small, mid-market, and Fortune 500 manufacturing and 3PL organizations in the US and Canada.

Ash is also a part-time instructor in the Supply Chain Management Certification Program at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies where he promotes operations and supply chain as a key source of competitive advantage and a fulfilling career while developing the next generation of Canadian supply chain talent.

Chami Akmeemana is the CEO of Convergence.Tech and Trybe.ID. He is a Blockchain and AI Specialist. He pursued a Ph.D. in Bioceramic Engineering at Queen Mary, University of London, until deciding to forgo an academic career in favor of Law Enforcement. In 2002, he joined London’s Metropolitan Police.

Chami has had 4 successful exits over the last decade and is passionate about the intersection of technology, business and social good. His experience includes serving as Director of Regulatory and Government Affairs at ConsenSys Inc; Fintech Advisor to the Ontario Securities Commission; Managing Director, Fintech and Blockchain at the Global Risk Institute; and Regulatory Advisor to the Republic of Liberland.

Daljinder Brar is a procurement professional who exudes passion, dedication and determination towards his work and is driven by curiosity. He currently works as procurement specialist at SaskPower and has over 7 years of procurement and supply chain experience. His mission is to attain best value for the money he spends on behalf of his organization and improve efficiencies in all processes that he is involved in. He ensures that his organization has the materials required to function efficiently. He has extensive knowledge of procurement processes and policies. He believes his career is so much more than buying stuff. It is the satisfaction in knowing that he creates value for his organization and is a key player in ensuring that his organization has the required materials and that there are no interruptions. This also allows his organization to keep supplying reliable power to people in Saskatchewan.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from India, Supply chain management from Humber College and a master’s degree in Business Administration from University of Regina. In terms of procurement and Supply chain, he says that his education is not finished. As a procurement professional he is continually learning about the latest purchasing, pricing, analytical and negotiation skills. Although his gut instinct is very good, he trusts analytics over intuition. When he is not buying stuff, he loves to travel, partake in outdoor activities, ride motorcycle, hang out with his wife and his three-year-old boy. He is also a strong believer of giving back to community and has mentored as a big brother with Big Brothers of Regina. He is a lifelong learner who continuously strives to a better version of his current self and his biggest strength is that he stays calm when facing an adversity. His ideology is to not worry about things you can’t control and take action to change the things you have control over. He enjoys meeting people, knowing about different perspectives, different cultures, etc. Ideally, he would be gallivanting the globe and sipping drinks somewhere but as fate would have it, he is a procurement specialist at SaskPower. That being said, there is rarely a boring moment in his work life, or his personal life and he loves it that way.

Eshwaran Venugopal is the Purchasing Manager at Intertape Polymer’s manufacturing plant in Truro, which employees about 350 people. Eshwaran has a Bachelor of Engineering from Anna University, India and Master’s in Management from University of Windsor, Ontario. Eshwaran was one of the top three students at an esteemed Indian University and he was offered to complete his master’s at University of Windsor among very few. After graduation, he started his career as a minimum wage hourly labor in a tourism company due to lack of Canadian experience. Through his hard work, determination and extensive knowledge from education, he built inventory control methods and optimal buying for highly unpredictable seasonal demand business, which was so successful in terms of efficiency and cost savings it is even practiced to-date in one of the companies he worked before. He has grown in his career from an hourly labor to a Purchasing Manager now responsible for USD 80 million annual spend. He has good understanding and experience in plastics and shipbuilding industry.

Eshwaran volunteers at ISANS (Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia) as a mentor for new immigrants with Supply Chain background to help them understand the job market, local workforce and the professional community. He is always keen to learn the skills required to master the different segments of Supply Chain Management.

Mexican by birth, Lebanese by blood, and proudly Canadian by choice.

Fernando is an experienced Supply Chain Management professional who has led numerous large-scale projects in diverse global industries.

He has a diverse background in Supply Chain Management, including lead roles in a large hypermarket chain and “Modelo” University in Mexico, global agri-business “Viterra” headquartered in Regina, SK, a conglomerate of energy and infrastructure companies headquartered in Oakville, ON, and most recently joined a world class international airport in Alberta.

Fernando attributes his professional success to several factors such as the extensive exposure to complex supply chain challenges in various industries, countries and cultures he has worked in, excellent leaders he has reported (and reports) to, building diverse and high performance teams, interaction with colleagues and peers, smart networking, being a Supply Chain Canada member since arriving in Canada (previous SCMA), and complemented with academic degrees in Engineering and Business (BSc. & MBA). This has forged a unique approach and perspective to supply chain challenges.

As a continuous improvement believer, additionally to Supply Chain Canada, he is an active member of the International Purchasing & Supply Education and Research Association (The Netherlands) and the International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management (Switzerland). Fernando is a life-long learner and is dedicated to continuous learning for himself and his staff.

Some of Fernando’s achievements in Canada are mentioned below:
• As the Supply Chain Manager, NA Operation for Viterra, Fernando forged efficient and effective supply chain structure and systems for 500 locations within their international agribusiness corporation. Also directed and managed supply chain operations activities spanning the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
• As the Director of Supply Chain and Facilities Management for Oakville Enterprises Corporation, Fernando developed and implemented the supply chain infrastructure from the ground up to drive profit gains for regulated and non-regulated companies across the corporation. Also led procurement teams from 13 power/hydro corporations in the province (GridSmartCity) and developed & implemented synergies found.
• Currently as the Director of Supply Chain Management for the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority, Fernando was hired to redesign, restructure and optimise the full spectrum of Supply Chain services across the organization as ERAA undergoes an ambitious strategic expansion project. He also is the current President of the CAPA group (Canadian Airports Procurement Association).

Fernando Immigrated to Canada in 2008 and eventually he became a Canadian Citizen in 2013.

A nature and animal lover, he also enjoys cooking, movies, art and travelling. In addition to practising soccer and kickboxing, Fernando participates in outdoor activities such as skiing and mountain hiking.

Although he resides in the relaxed city of Beaumont, AB, his family is an important balance to his life as an immigrant, so he maintains frequent contact with them in Mexico, Lebanon, and the USA.

Fernando envisions his future as continuing enriching his Supply Chain career while helping organizations from other industries, acquiring a Doctorate degree in SCM and in a semi-retired state, a part-time university professor. He would like to share his knowledge and experience to the academia world.

Gabriel Cruz is the Global Supply Chain Coordinator at Vytelle and is responsible for the company's worldwide operations, including end-to-end management of Vytelle’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries.

With over 17 years in both public and private sectors, Gabriel has experience in company management, military strategy, international trade, strategic negotiations, logistics, and global sourcing. Gabriel has managed projects at Crane Worldwide Logistics and Expeditors International where he was awarded for account management excellence 3 times in a row. Gabriel holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from UCSG University in Guayaquil, Ecuador and a certificate of International Business from Global Village Canada in Calgary, Alberta. Additionally, Gabriel is a current SCMP candidate and is working to complete the full designation.

When he isn’t working you can find Gabriel at home drinking tea, making music or riding his skateboard in the summer. He also enjoys playing ice hockey all year round-not just in the winter time.

A leading advocate of “supply chain convergence” and a top international supply chain strategist, Gary has transformed end to end retail distribution networks & supply chains to deliver exceptional fulfillment performance. Gary is recognised as a thought leader in “The Retail Supply Chain of the Future” by the Retail Council of Canada. He contributes his knowledge to many audiences, including digitally transforming retailers and brands.

His 30-year track record of transformational change is notable for rapidly driving underperforming fulfilment facilities, distribution networks and the last mile to market leading performance, with an exemplary record of performance improvements in service and profits within complex, fast moving and often highly ambiguous retail supply chain environments.

Prior to coming to Canada, Gary operated as a Retail Supply Chain Transformation Executive where he provided executive leadership to European organisations across end to end retail value chains, completing more than 50 separate mission-critical assignments, including many supply chain transformations and business turnarounds.

Since coming to Canada, Gary has engaged with a large food service organisation accelerating innovation and fulfillment excellence within their distribution network and last mile operations. He is now looking for an opportunity to move back to Bricks & Mortar retailing as a CSCO, helping an organisation to achieve their 2020s vision for “The Store of the Future”, aligning their supporting distribution networks for agility, flexibility and ultimately contributing to setting trends and building an enduring brand.

Gautam is a highly accomplished professional with 11 years of experience in Strategy, Operations and Supply Chain, currently working as Manager, Strategy & Transformation – Procurement & Supply Chain at Rogers Communications. He is an undergraduate from the Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur, one of the elite and prestigious engineering schools in India.

After obtaining his undergraduate degree, Gautam worked as a Management Consultant for almost a decade, with PwC and several other boutique Consulting firms. His Consulting job has allowed him to work across the globe – he has successfully delivered projects in Australia, South Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Gautam has received a variety of accolades in his Consulting career, including “Best Consultant of the Year 2015”, awarded to him by his employer ITC Infotech (Business Consulting Group).

By virtue of Gautam’s progressive career in the consulting industry, Gautam's has gained extensive experience in Value Creation, Business & Process Excellence, Organization Redesign, Data driven Cost Reduction, Quality Improvement, Productivity Improvement, Market lead time reduction and service level enhancements.

Given his hunger to learn more, Gautam decided to move to Canada and pursue an MBA degree from Schulich School of Business, Toronto. He graduated on the Dean’s List in 2019, following which he took up a Strategy & Transformation role in Procurement & Supply Chain with Rogers Communications. With a Certified Supply Chain Professional designation (CSCP by APICS, 2012 – 2017) and a Six Sigma Master Black Belt (2020), Gautam is aiming to have a successful and rewarding career, while impacting the Strategy, Transformation & Supply Chain landscape in Canada.

Hasan moved to Canada in 2016, from Pakistan, where he was well settled as a Procurement Manager with GlaxoSmithKline. Confident in his abilities to deliver as a supply chain manager from any part of the world, he took the decision to move with his young family to Canada. He chose Canada as he evaluated/analyzed that the demand for his skillset, would be high based on the growth and direction of Canadian firms, coupled with the confidence that that he will make a difference.

The decision has certainly paid off. He has progressed significantly in his professional life in the last 3 years. His career in Canada started with a short term contractual engagement as a transactional procurement manager with Loblaw. However within a short span, he attained the permanent position as a Sr. Manager at Loblaw; being recognized as a valuable contributor. Later he was hired by the Global Procurement team of KPMG International.

He is currently part of the leadership team of Global Procurement’s Strategic Sourcing group, where he manages a global portfolio of 4 categories. He has left a major mark on the labor category where he has been instrumental in relaunching the operational and financial model, which has led to considerable efficiency and value creation for the company. He has also implemented various initiatives in application development category, which has enhanced ordering productivity and efficiency resulting in speed to order. He leads a cross-cultural team and manages stakeholders across global locations. Hasan also helped launch the Category Management Framework for KPMG International. His personal efforts in this project, has driven this to success, whereby KPMG International has an updated framework, templates, processes for implementing and managing category strategies.

With two decades of experience in managing global, complex supply chains, Hugo brings a unique blend of leadership, vision, and knowledge to every supply chain-related interaction and engagement. Born in Chile, Hugo’s passion for exploring new cultures and developing an in-depth understanding about global supply chains, quickly took him abroad. To date, he’s lived in The Netherlands, Mexico, and Canada.

Hugo began his career with a global container shipping company, where he developed his passion for working in multi-cultural, operational environments. After a couple of years, opted to pursue his master’s degree in Economics and Logistics from Erasmus University, Rotterdam.

After graduating, he worked in Mexico City as Director of Operations and Logistics for a transportation company and as Director of Supply Chain for a food and beverage manufacturer where he sharpened his negotiation skills and began specializing in demand and supply planning, warehousing, and transportation. He led a team of professionals that designed and implemented a complete overhaul of his company’s extensive, complex logistics network, including setup of multiple warehouses, establishing, and managing engagements with 3PLs.

Returning to Chile, Hugo became Director of Supply Chain at Finning Caterpillar, a world-leading distributor of machinery and spare parts for mining, agriculture, and construction customers. There he oversaw multi-country operations in Latin America and led the implementation of best practices, such as sales and operations planning, demand forecasting and inventory management.

In 2015, Hugo relocated to British Columbia, Canada to take on the role of Vice President of Planning and Procurement at Factors Group of Nutritional Companies, one of the largest manufacturers of vitamins and health supplements in North America. There he led the global rollout of S&OP across all the company’s business units and implemented sourcing and procurement best practices with focus on risk management, supplier diversification, supplier reliability and procure-to-pay initiatives. This brought significant bottom line value through strategic partnerships and negotiations.

Inspired by the many supply chain management challenges he faced firsthand, Hugo founded Waterloo-based technology company The Owl Solutions, to help manufacturing and distribution companies take supply chain performance to the next level by leveraging data and process know-how. The Owl Solutions is now actively growing its portfolio of global clients, helping improve visibility, resilience, and insight into complex supply chain operations.

The father of four children, Hugo enjoys his family time, reading, playing tennis and barbecuing.

Javier is a Chemical Engineer with more than 17 years of cross-functional progressive experience in supply chain and operations in the FMCG (brewing, winery, packaged food) and Pharmaceutical industries. During his career Javier has been able to build a solid expertise in different areas including supply chain processes, brewing operations, water treatment operations, project management, ERP systems (SAP), data management and analytics. Javier has a passion for process improvement and resolving complex process problems and business challenges through innovation, teamwork and collaboration.

He holds a Master’s degree in Management of Technology and Innovation from University Simon Bolivar. Javier also holds the following industry certifications: Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) from the Association of Supply Chain Management, Project Management from University of Toronto and SAP Certified Application Associate in Financial Accounting from SAP. Javier recently joined the procurement team at Norbord Inc.

Javier was born in Venezuela to an engineer father and a lawyer mom. Javier relocated with his family to Canada in 2011. He resides in the GTA with his wife and their two children (ages 4 and 15).

Karla is an International Trade professional with over 12 years of working experience in import/export with government agencies in Mexico and over six years in Canada with Consumer-Packaged Goods and Retail industries. She has held various positions in the government, supply chain & logistics and customs & trade areas. Karla has a solid knowledge and relevant experience in Customs, Trade and Law.

Karla worked at Wal-Mart Canada Corp as a manager in Trade and Compliance leading projects in import classification, trade regulations and continuous improvement working with Logistics, Transportation, Global Sourcing and Direct Import teams

Karla worked at Ferrero Canada Ltd as a Supply Chain Analyst, where she collaborated in projects for import, exports, demand planning and customer service.

Throughout her career, Karla held several positions in the government working at Customs Department doing customs audits and advisory.

In her free time, Karla enjoys baking and hiking.

Katya Vladykina is an emerging supply chain leader, possessing over 10 years of diverse multi-functional experience in the global end-to-end supply chain, she is known for her innovative mindset with outstanding leadership credentials in building, leading and improving supply chain performance in small and mid-size organizations.

After earning a master’s degree in International Relations from one of the oldest universities in Russia, Katya moved to China. She was fortunate to gain unique experience running Asian operations of a steel trading company, while liaising with headquarters in London, warehouses in Italy and the USA.

After six years of highly productive career in China, that took her from steel mills and ocean ports to negotiations rooms and international exhibitions halls, in August 2016 Katya landed in beautiful Vancouver B.C. to continue her supply chain career journey in Canada. Over the last four years Canada became a new home, and Katya aspired to represent Canada’s values with dignity, while being dedicated to the profession and giving back to the community whenever possible.

Today, Katya holds the position of Purchasing Manager at Ebco Industries Ltd, a custom manufacturing company in Richmond B.C., where she is responsible for building supply chain strategy in alignment with the company’s business strategy. Katya oversees direct and indirect material spend, while liaising with sales, operations and finance. Katya brings extensive knowledge of global sourcing techniques, effective negotiations skills and strategic procurement practices to her clients.

Being a dynamic transformational leader, Katya is Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and drives continuous improvement.

Strongly committed to ethical procurement and sustainable development, Katya holds current certification from Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (United Kingdom).

Katya is a passionate advocate for cultural diversity and inclusion, and she stands for the empowerment and advancement of women in business.

On a personal note, Katya has a great passion for global cultural immersion and travelling. She speaks English and Chinese (Mandarin) fluently, while Russian is her mother tongue. When not attached to her computer, she can be found hiking in the back-country, volunteering with non profit organizations or networking.

Khusen Shukurov is the Category Management Director, Redevelopment, Infrastructure and Facilities at Plexxus, the leading shared services organization in the Canadian healthcare sector. Khusen supports Plexxus’ provision of strategic sourcing services to twenty hospitals across the GTA. Khusen’s portfolio of projects include new construction and redevelopment of hospital facilities to reorganize and maximize space for greater and more efficient patient flow, design and engineering services for planning and development of future hospital, support services for the optimization of hospital operations and community engagement, along with many other projects required for the ongoing healthcare needs of the community.

Khusen has been critical to the success of Plexxus’ newly created Redevelopment and Infrastructure category. Within a very short timeframe after starting at Plexxus he had demonstrated his knowledge and expertise providing immediate dividends in establishing credibility with the hospitals Plexxus supports. In addition, he focused on the people and tools to ensure Plexxus could do a high-quality job. He hired a number of highly experienced sourcing professionals with deep category expertise and championed the review and development of sourcing processes and templates. Also, Khusen developed new construction contracts and introduced a new robust supplier performance management program for Plexxus hospitals. Through these initiatives Khusen has helped establish Plexxus’ brand in this challenging category. During his time at Plexxus, Khusen has demonstrated and continued to develop his leadership skills. He was hired in April 2018 as the Senior Category Manager, Redevelopment and Infrastructure and in September 2019 assumed responsibility for the facilities portfolio and was promoted to Category Management Director, Redevelopment, Infrastructure & Facilities.

Before joining Plexxus, Khusen was the Sourcing Manager at Toronto Community Housing Corporation and the Category Manager at Rogers Communications both in construction related procurement support services. Prior to immigrating to Canada in June 2016, Khusen worked internationally for the United States of America Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the European Commission programs for almost 10 years. In all these positions Khusen was responsible for end-to-end project management, designing and implementing development projects, supporting socio-economic reforms in transition countries and improving the living conditions of vulnerable groups and people. Khusen holds two post-secondary degrees in Public Administration (University of Louisville, USA) and International Economics (University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Uzbekistan).

Ladan Rafee is a Global leader in the field of Procurement at Apotex Inc, where she leads a team of procurement professionals. She oversees global strategic initiatives that make a significant impact on Apotex bottom line and supporting a strong supply pipeline. She started her career in her hometown in Tehran, Iran over 20 years ago, developed in different procurement roles in industrial sectors and grew into to leadership roles in pharmaceutical Procurement in the past 10 years.

Ladan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and has been a SCMA certified since 2004. She has been engaged in several professional developments such as Packaging Association (PAC) , LEAN and most recently obtained certification from “Negotiation Centre of Excellence-Schulich Business School “. In 2019 She and her team won Global award for Continuous Cost improvement at Apotex.

Leonora is a Sourcing professional with over ten years of experience procuring technology products and services for various industries such as Finance and Infrastructure in the American continent. She has worked with cross functional teams across the globe, successfully leading teams in projects varying from fast-tracked cost take-out to large-scale, multi-year technology transformations in NAM, Mexico and Latin American countries.

Leonora is originally from Mexico, she started her career in Supply Chain in the aerospace industry working for Airbus Helicopters. She then moved into the services, technology and infrastructure world working for IBM Mexico, Indra Systems and finally for the financial industry in Citibanamex, the Mexican affiliate of Citi.

Leonora arrived in Canada in 2018, sponsored by Citi for a Technology Sourcing VP role which she currently holds.

In this period, Leonora has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills that have supported the consolidation of the Canadian Sourcing team and the Global Sourcing Category she supports.

Further, she continuously demonstrates strong client focus always seeking to bring value to the team and the business. Leonora distinguishes herself for her accountability, achieving objectives and deliver results.

Mohamed is an accomplished global leader who held various senior roles as Head of Procurement, Supply Chain Management, and Suppliers Relationship Management. Having over 20 years of international experience in Canada, Middle East, Africa and Asia across several industries including Oil & Gas, Construction, Facility Management, Project Delivery, Import/Export, and IT.

In his career journey, Mohamed has led and delivered many projects and initiatives related to Procurement Transformation, Technology Enablement, Suppliers Relationship Management, Governance & Compliance, Operational Effectiveness, Process & Performance Management. He has a proven track records in delivering quality solutions and products which meet and exceed business expectations.

Mohamed moved to Canada late in 2017 and started working for Black & McDonald Ltd (B&M) early 2018 as National Procurement Lead, Supplier Management for its North America Operations. Through his journey he supported the roll-out of Enterprise Procurement Transformation roadmap by:

• Developing a Supplier Management Relationship framework for over 10,000 vendors for multiple business lines across multiple provinces in Canada and the USA.
• Initiating and developing an enhanced Subcontractors Prequalification process to comply with the industry legislation and mitigate risk to the business.
• Building and implementing the Supplier Performance Management process across the Enterprise.
• Establishing Procurement Platforms for Reporting and Analytics to provide real time visibility and transparency on procurement spend.
• Introducing and rolling out Governance & Compliance matrix to view of Key Performance Indicators (KPI), area’s for operational excellence, and deferred opportunities.
• Leading a cross-functional teams to develop and deliver multiple sourcing projects related to indirect enterprise spend for Digital Solutions, Health and Safety, Marketing, Procure-to-Pay Process Optimization.
• Championing internal Procurement Learning and Development Training, developed and rolled-out Procurement Internship and Mentorship program, and was nominated as the procurement representative for People Management and Talent Development Steering Committee.
• Mentoring and coaching numerous procurement and supply chain immigrants by enabling them to successfully progress in their carrier journey in Canada

Mohamed is also a Fellow (FInstLM®) of the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) in the UK. He also holds Senior Professional of Supply Management (SPSM®) designation, MBA and Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.

When external challenges pressure operational business. My great passion is to help companies transform, increase efficiency and profitability. I assist my clients, which ranges from new start-up to well established companies, no single approach is the right one, it is always about focusing to find viable solutions and focus to achieve results.

I was born in Mexico and immigrated to Canada in 2008. Graduated from the Instituto Tecnologico de Chihuahua in 1995 as an Electronic Industrial Engineer at the age of 19, one of the youngest engineers in my generation. My passion for learning, resulted in obtaining a master’s degree on Engineering in Manufacturing from the University of Michigan. As a result, from the combination amongst education, responsibility and support from great mentors, I became the youngest Chief Manufacturing Engineer at the age of 26 in Delphi Technical Center, in Cd. Juarez, Mexico.

I’m a business-oriented person, with experience in providing increased efficiency and profitability, supporting business expansion in technology, development, lean operations, continuous improvement, manufacturing, purchasing, supplier quality, supply chain, and product. My extensive experience in diverse positions, has given me a comprehensive understanding of Supply Chain.

I complement my career with community service, supporting the new generations of graduates as a mentor for new Supply Chain and Engineering Professionals.

I love to share my passion for turning ideas into results, bringing focus and clarity when confusion arises, I work hard, and enjoy mentoring people to achieve their goals, by being open, honest, and direct. Curiosity for knowledge drives my never-ending improvement road, by building relationships, encouraging diversity, and empowering others to showcase their talents and abilities.

Supply Chain has brought the best of me, allowing me to cultivate diverse relationships, get to know the world, and succeed not only in my home country but also helping British Columbia and Canada.

Pasquale is a Senior Manager in KPMG’s Trade and Customs practice in Toronto. He draws on more than 12 years of combined public and private sector experience advising governments, international organizations and multinational corporations on a wide array of trade and regulatory matters.

Pasquale is an Italian and Canadian citizen and grew up in the Northern Italian region of Trentino, in the foothills of the Alps. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a summa cum laude Master’s degree in International Relations at the University of Florence, in Italy. Prior to moving to Canada, Pasquale spent seven years working as a consultant with the World Trade Organization and other United Nations agencies in Switzerland, where he advised governments on international trade rules and market access issues.

Pasquale moved to Toronto in 2015, where he now lives with his wife. Once in Canada, he pivoted his career into business consulting, leveraging on his previous experience in the area of international trade. At KPMG, Pasquale assists clients with multinational operations on all aspects of customs compliance. He develops strategies to limit non-compliance, identifies opportunities to minimize tax and duty costs and has successfully disputed assessments by customs authorities resulting in substantial savings for clients. Pasquale serves clients across a broad array of industries including consumer and retail, industrial markets, infrastructure, health and life sciences, government and public sector.

Patrick Mandic, Co-Founder and CEO of Mavennet, has a track record of making large enterprises succeed. He has extensive knowledge in the application of Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) for a wide range of solutions for large enterprises. He was launch lead for the Aion network (today’s largest Canadian public blockchain) and lead blockchain traceability projects with the US Department of Homeland Security and the Canadian Federal government. Previously as a Senior Manager at Deloitte consulting, he led the Canadian IoT practice and was the global Chief of Staff for the Technology Strategy practice (3,500+ practitioners). Patrick was responsible for large scale digital transformation in a wide range of industries. Prior to that, Patrick worked in R&D in the telecom sector and in digital infrastructure deployment projects for the French Defense contractor Thales.

Patrick is technical lead in a large scale European funded project focused on bringing to market Industry 4.0 supply chain DLT applications and has previously led work packages for projects including Akogrimo and Daidalos ranging between $9M and $44M budget. Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunication engineering from the UPC in Barcelona, Spain, a M.Sc. in Information Technology from the University of Stuttgart, Germany and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

Dr. Bhatti is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at the Bissett School of Business. He is also a Member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council (CSCSC), which brings together partners in the sector to develop solutions to the human resource challenges faced by stakeholders in Canada's economy.

His current interests revolve around studying the carbon footprints of global supply chains and to understand, model and help reduce such footprints in logistics through better process design. Another area of interest to him is in warehousing and distribution where he works to understand workplace safety issues as a function of organization design. Currently, his team and he are also working on performance evaluation modelling of dealerships of heavy equipment manufacturers in Canada using Network Data Envelopment Analysis (NDEA) and also using the black box technique. He had also been engaged in analytical modelling of 3PL selection issues and has used hierarchy based discrete and fuzzy models to analyze the supplier selection problem.

Dr. Bhatti has also served at the Department of Supply Chain Management, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba (UoM), where he taught advanced supply chain management courses in the Asper MBA Program (apart from teaching for the Asper Undergraduate Program). He worked as a volunteer for the University Technologies Inc. (INNOVATE CALGARY) at the University of Calgary where he carried out analysis and examinations of new invention patent applications for technical novelty and commercialization potential. He was responsible for performing market research, preliminary infringement analyses and search for "prior art" by analyzing patent file histories at USPTO and identification of potential licenses. Further, he has been a member of several bodies for curriculum design for under graduate courses in Mechanical & Industrial Engineering and has a rich Industrial experience in ISO 9000 certification as Management Representative.

Dr. Bhatti has a number of research publications in peer reviewed, indexed journals and conferences. He has authored one book and is the Editor-in-Chief (Emeritus) of the International Journal of Applied Industrial Engineering, Pennsylvania, USA. He has guided one PhD and three Master's theses so far and has served on several Ph.D. committees.

Ravneet is an ambitious, result–oriented and self-motivated Procurement professional with over 16 years of experience in both public and private environments. She has a degree in engineering in Electronics and Communications and holds a Supply Chain Management Professional designation.

Her brand includes placing a consistent emphasis on strategic sourcing. Ravneet has led many major and complex procurements and helped a diverse client base in fulfilling their business requirements. She is adept in managing all aspects of a procurement process including the selection process of major suppliers, planning, researching and developing Requests for Supplier Qualifications, Request for Proposals and Evaluations. Ravneet is inspired and motivated by challenges requiring a unique perspective and encourages innovation. Her philosophy is that nothing is set in stone, and problems are to be considered as opportunities to improve.

Renato Anacleto immigrated to Canada with his Family back in 2016, for the past 3 years has led the Distribution and Production Operation for Cinnabar Valley Farms, a large Gardening Distributor and Soil Manufacturer in Western Canada with 3 warehouses, 6,500 Skus and clients from Ontario all the way to Vancouver Island. Before immigrating from Brazil, Renato worked for several large corporations, including Magazine Luiza (MGLU3) a retailer that currently has over 1,100 Stores and 35,000 employees. Renato is passionate about teaching new generations of Supply Chain professionals, from 2007 to 2010 was a University Professor for Supply Chain at Universidade de Franca and from 2014/2015 was the Director of Professional Development for the Brazilian Purchasing Executives Council. Since 2016, Renato has worked closely with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and currently is a Civilian Instructor for 205 RCAC Collishaw Squadron in Nanaimo-BC.

Sajed is an Industrial Engineer and obtained a Masters in Engineering Management & Management Science. With a rich global 10+ years of experience in Program Management, IT Solution designing, and Process Optimization in Retail & E-Commerce industries. He Managed Projects in various countries including MENA region, China, USA prior to moving to Canada.

Sajed is the founding member and Chair of PMQA Non-Profit, Corporate Projects Manager at Canada Post HQ and Regional Advisor of Supply Chain Canada. He has been actively involved in immigrant support and worked with several non-profit organizations to help the internationally trained immigrants.

Sajed is a Professional Mentor at TRIEC, Access Employment, PMQA, Welcome Center, SCMAO, and works in an advisory capacity for several non-profit organizations.

Shazia Kalia immigrated to Canada in 2004 and has over 15 years of procurement and supply chain management experience both within the private and public sectors. She has successfully executed several complex and high dollar value procurements.

Currently, she is a Senior Buyer with the City of Mississauga and progressed well within the City since November 2011. Shazia has a Bachelor of Commerce, a Certified Supply Chain Management Professional (CSCMP), and a Certified Public Professional Buyer (CPPB) designations. She has also completed banking and investment designations (CSC). She is passionate about her profession and represented the City as a Green leader and accessibility coordinator to advance sustainable procurements. She strongly believes in giving back to the community, so she provides mentorship to a new immigrant to start their career in the Supply Chain sector. She has a great passion for painting and singing with excellent visualization and vocal tonal quality.

Shazia takes deep interest and passion for Public Service and feels proud while executing citywide procurement projects which impact the lives of city residents in some form or shape.

Vincent is a seasoned Supply Chain professional with over 20 years’ experience working for Royal Dutch Shell, a global energy company. He has held a variety of leadership, strategic, operational and project roles across multiple lines of business in Nigeria, UK, Netherlands, Oman and Canada.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the Oxford Brookes University, UK and an MBA in Supply Chain Management from Leicester University, UK. He also holds the following professional designations in Canada and the UK: Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP), Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS), Fellow Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA).

Vincent has extensive experience in commercial and supply chain functions that include category and contract management, strategic sourcing, deal making and negotiation, capital projects and logistics. He is passionate about people development and delivering value to the business. With a lean mindset, he is always looking for continuous improvement opportunities to optimize supply chain solutions in a manner that creates benefits for the company and local and Indigenous communities. Vincent has continually role modelled and advocated for highest possible standards of integrity, transparency and professionalism in all situations. He always remains calm and in control during periods of sustained pressure, but resolute in driving for business impact through deep collaboration with diverse multidisciplinary teams.

Vincent has received many academic and professional awards in recognition of the transformation initiatives he led to drive excellence and improve productivity. He has mentored and coached supply chain colleagues, teams and business partners to leverage knowledge and experience of external markets to maximize innovation, integration, competitive and resilient supply chain. He believes diversity and inclusion is a great enabler in the delivery of strong business outcomes.

Despite his business schedule, Vincent volunteers time and resources to support charities and the community. These include United Way, Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council (CRIEC), Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre, Inn from the Cold, Ride to Conquer Cancer, Movember and Knights of Columbus.

On a personal front, Vincent and his wife Vivien have been married for 23 years and blessed with four children, two of whom are university students. He loves spending time with his family, working out at the gym, and playing and watching soccer and lawn tennis.

Yossiri Adulyasak holds the Canada Research Chair in Supply Chain Analytics and currently serves as an associate professor at HEC Montréal. He leads research and industrial initiatives which integrate predictive and prescriptive analytics in various supply chain applications in manufacturing, retail, omni-channel, transportation and risk management. His research has been published in top-tier journals and conferences in operations research (OR), machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). He is also a co-inventor of several patent applications in retail and supply chain analytics, and has been awarded several prizes from academic and industrial organizations during his tenure. Yossiri was originally from Thailand and he completed his bachelor's and master's degree in Engineering at Chulalongkorn University. He later obtained a PhD from HEC Montréal and completed his postdoc at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).