Brenda Halloran joins new appointees Tony Lacavera, Founder and Chairman of Globalive Holdings, and Intuit Canada President Jeff Cates
June 28, 2016 | Startup Canada
Startup Canada announced today it has appointed Brenda Halloran to chair its Board of Directors. Halloran is the former mayor of Waterloo, Ont. (2006-2014) and current President of the Trillium Innovation Venture Group.
Halloran joins incoming board directors Tony Lacavera, Founder and Chairman of Globalive Holdings, and Jeff Cates, President of Intuit Canada and former Apple executive.
Returning board members include international investor, advisor, executive, and co-architect behind Events.com Stephen Partridge, Intel Canada’s Hélène Joncas, former Deloitte partner and growth advisor Lori O’Neill, and national entrepreneurship columnist Rick Spence. Former Chair Dr. Sorin Cohn has retired from the board after three years of dedicated service.
The announcement of Startup Canada’s new board comes as the organization poises itself for aggressive expansion over the next 24 months. Startup Canada aims to expand its flagship Startup Communities program to 100 communities by the end of 2017. In her first duties as Board Chair, Halloran will be accepting nominations to the Chair’s Advisory Council, a collective of entrepreneurs from across Canada committed to expanding and improving this national network.
Earlier this month, Halloran and Startup Canada CEO Victoria Lennox met with Minister of Small Business and Tourism Bardish Chagger, Federal Entrepreneur Caucus Co-Chair Gord Johns, and senior government officials to ensure startup entrepreneurs and Startup Communities have a seat at the table as the government designs and implements Canada’s innovation policies.
Quick Facts:
- Startup Canada’s flagship program, the Startup Canada Communities network, operates in 25 communities in nine provinces and one territory (Whitehorse, Yukon).
- Startup Canada plans to expand this network to 100 communities by 2017 to better support entrepreneurs by providing connections to inspiration, mentors, financing, customers, growth partners, and to a voice to federal government.
- In June 2016, Startup Canada received Canada’s Volunteer Award in the Social Innovator Category for its work championing the grassroots entrepreneurship movement.
Quotes:
“As Mayor of Waterloo, I observed the impact of Startup Canada and its Startup Communities Program as a network for every entrepreneur. Its communities welcome, support, and celebrate the diversity of Canada’s entrepreneurs. I am honoured, as Chair of the Board, to work with this cross-Canada network to accelerate and improve support for entrepreneurs in every community as they start and scale.”
Brenda Halloran
Former Mayor of Waterloo, current CEO of Brenda Halloran Inc and current President of the Trillium Innovation Venture Group Inc.
“I am incredibly proud to join Startup Canada’s Board of Directors. Since 2014, we have partnered to improve financial literacy among Canadian entrepreneurs by providing the tools, technology and trusted advisors required to strengthen our country’s startup ecosystem. I look forward to working together to drive innovation and entrepreneurial success in Canada for years to come.”
Jeff Cates
President & CEO of Intuit Canada
“I am impressed with how Startup Canada is driving impact and accelerating growth in Canada’s technology sector. I share Startup Canada’s bold and fearless approach to entrepreneurship. That is why I am very pleased to be joining Startup Canada as a member of its Board of Directors.”
Tony Lacavera
Founder and Chairman of Globalive Holdings
About Brenda Halloran
Brenda Halloran is a global leader with a local conscience. Often referred to as “the people’s mayor,” Halloran successfully held the top job as the Mayor of the City of Waterloo, Canada from 2006-2014. Responsible for leading the city through one of the most dynamic and innovative periods in its history, Halloran’s global profile took root when Waterloo won the most “Intelligent Community Award” in 2007 and IBM’s Smarter City Challenge in 2012. Halloran is an authority in urban centers and advancing technology. In 2012 she led a Mayor’s International Business mission to ten cities in China. She signed friendship agreements with cities in China, Taiwan and Europe, establishing business relationships and opening doors of economic opportunities for Waterloo. She has spoken on the international stage on innovation, technology, intelligent communities and the importance of startups and creating an intelligent nation. Today, Halloran is the CEO of Brenda Halloran Inc and the President of the Trillium Innovation Venture Group Inc. She is a proud entrepreneur of her own startups.
About Jeff Cates
Jeff Cates is the President and CEO of Intuit Canada, a software development company that produces premier brands such as TurboTax, QuickBooks and Mint. Under Jeff’s leadership, Intuit Canada has risen to become one of the top places to work in Canada, as ranked by the Great Place to Work Institute. He is responsible for helping the company become recognized as the nation’s undisputed financial solutions leader in every market it serves, by leading a team of over 400 employees dedicated to simplifying the business of life.
Cates joined Intuit in 2011, with a background that includes innovative marketing, partner management and entrepreneurship. Previously, Cates worked at Apple Canada leading their commercial business, and Hewlett-Packard as vice president of their consumer division. He earned an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a bachelor of commerce degree from McMaster University.
About Anthony Lacavera
Anthony is Chairman of Globalive Capital, Globalive Communications and the founder and past Chairman and CEO of WIND Mobile. Anthony has forged a reputation as a disruptive entrepreneur that has changed Canada’s communications technology landscape. In 2015, Anthony co-founded Globalive XMG, a company focused on the emerging Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality industries.
Under Anthony’s leadership, Globalive Communications has received numerous best in business awards, including the top ranking on Profit Magazine’s list of Canada’s 100 fastest growing companies, Canada’s 30 Best Workplaces and Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies award—of which Globalive has been a recipient for 11 consecutive years. In 2007, Anthony founded the SHAMBA foundation, a unique charity that assists other not-for-profit organizations with fundraising and organizational efforts.
Anthony is a champion of the next generation of Canadian technology entrepreneurs, supporting programs including the Next 36, the Hatchery Project, the Creative Destruction Lab, OneEleven, and the MaRS Accelerator fund. He supports young entrepreneurs with financing and mentorship, is active on numerous boards and advisory groups, and speaks regularly to students about entrepreneurship.
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613-627-0787 ext. 106.