Closing the funding gap

Ryan Blais, EMBA’22, says a lot of big changes have happened since wrapping up his EMBA, including buying out his business partners to take sole ownership of the digital marketing agency nine10 Incorporated, followed by a merger with Image Design and the acquisition of Elle Bell Sales Co. “I also became an uncle again and am happy to welcome Sawyer Blais, my little niece, into the family.”

Brenda Katwesigye Baganzi, MBA’22, tells us she is heading to Mastercard as an associate managing consultant. She continues to remain involved with her vision care and prescription eyewear company Wazi, which she co-founded in 2016 in Kampala, Uganda.

Chloe Staines, BCom’21, and Eloise McIntosh, BCom’21, have started Good Hood Club (goodhoodclub.com), a charitable loungewear company committed to championing childhood cancer care, notably by donating 50 per cent of profits to the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO). Chloe says Good Hood Club was inspired by Eloise’s battle with cancer. Though Eloise is now cancer-free, Chloe says she “often faced bouts of severe discomfort, leading her to recognize the immense importance of physical comfort provided by what we wear.”

Ami Trivedi, MIB’21, started her own social media marketing agency, Fuzn (fuzn.ca), after graduating. “Thanks to Smith I was able to find my passion for marketing while abroad in Germany during my double-degree at the University of Mannheim. Then, after moving back to Canada and finishing my Master of International Business courses, I felt ready and prepared to live out my dream of launching my own company.” Fuzn offers social media management- consulting and training services.

Harjaap Singh Makkar, BCom’18 and his sister, Suhavi Makkar, AMBA’20, have launched Zonado (zonado.com), a nationwide network for commercial real estate sellers, buyers and tenants. Harjaap says the idea struck when the two found their realtor father struggling to find commercial investment opportunities for his clients. “Zonado is now being used across the country by hundreds of users and hosts over $1 billion worth of exclusive commercial real estate opportunities.”

Kelsey Roberts, BCom’12, and Jacob Martin, BCom’12, were married Feb. 20 in Toronto with many Queen’s graduates in attendance, including 25 former classmates.

Betty Wilson-MacKay, BCom’88, and Malcolm MacKay, BSc(Eng)’85, were married in summer 2019. Along with Kristen Wilson, Artsci’18, and Spencer Wilson, BSc(Eng)’23 (pictured), they became the Wilson-MacKay Adventure Family.

Caroline Mierins, BCom’14 married Matthew Parrott, BCom’14, at the Boston Public Library on Oct. 15. Classmates Roslyn McLarty, BCom’14; Jacquline Paré, BCom’14; Andrew Dolinski, BCom’14; Chadwick Mitchell, BCom’14; Jonathan Valeriati, BCom'14, GDA’14; and Daniel Sampieri, BCom'14, GDA’14, were in the bridal party.

Taryn Bergin, MBA’19, Artsci’15 and Michael Carr, MBA’19 were married on Aug. 28, 2021 at her family cottage, with many fellow Smith MBA grads and spouses (pictured) in attendance.

Leo Mastoras, AMBA’17, and his wife welcomed a son on April 27, 2021

Game Plan alum Chris de Sousa Costa, GDB’18, and his wife Dina Awad welcomed a son, Nicholas Zain de Sousa Costa in April 2021.

Fay Marzuq, EMBA’09, her husband, James McLeod, and daughter, Zara, welcomed Nuria Fiona McLeod on April 20, 2021.

Anmol Bajwa, MBA’15, got married in an intimate ceremony in one of the pandemic lockdowns in 2020.

Rob Marsh, BCom’07, and his wife, Vanessa, have welcomed Maxwell and identical twins Logan and Chase since marrying in 2019.

Remi Ojo, GDB’15, MBA’20, MMA’21, BSc(Eng)’14, and members of his family appeared in three episodes of the CBC game show, Family Feud in January 2021. “Can’t tell you if we won! You’re going to have to watch it on CBC Gem!” he says. Team Ojo consisted of Remi, his cousin Tobi Ojo, cousin Tolu Ojo and her fiancé Francis Atta, cousin Adeola Ojo, and brother Toye Ojo. “Fast money was so fun,” he says, but the best part of being on the show was “hanging out and bantering with Gerry Dee.”

Amy Kraemer, BCom’15, married Connor Scullion, BSc(Eng)’14, in June 2021 on top of Crowsnest Mountain in Alberta, the peak where they got engaged. “Though we overlapped at Queen’s for three years and were on the same ski trip to Stowe, Vermont, we didn’t meet until after graduation,” Amy writes. “We met while volunteering with the Canadian Ski Patrol at Lake Louise. Since meeting, we’ve always shared a love of the mountains and adventure.” While not the large wedding they had originally planned, Amy says they could not have asked for a better day. The couple live with their dog, Oliver, in Alberta, where Connor is a facilities manager with Canadian Natural Resources Limited, and Amy is a relationship manager at Alberta IoT.

Jake Dancyger, BCom’15, and Cyrus Symoom, BCom’15, were recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for social impact. They lead Vancouver-based software company Clariti, which is focused on digitizing permitting and licensing processes for state and local governments. “In the past 18 months Clariti's revenue has grown more than 50 per cent, the size of the team has doubled to 60, and it has become the trusted software of choice for some of North America's largest state and local governments,” Jake says.

Juggy Sihota, EMBA’05, was recognized with four awards in 2021. She was named to WXN’s list of Canada’s Most Powerful Women; received the Business Transformation Leadership award from WeQual; and was twice recognized by Business in Vancouver. It presented her with its Influential Woman in Business award and recognized her as a Health Technology Leader in its BC500 list. Juggy is vice-president of consumer health for Telus Health.

Alison Thompson, MBA’01, received the Centennial Leadership Award from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta for her work spearheading the growth of geothermal energy in Canada and establishing an advocacy organization to remove industry roadblocks. She lives in Calgary.

Dan Tisch, EMBA’96, Artsci’91, and his parents, Fedor Tisch and Edie Echevarria Tisch, took a trip in December to Uruguay to explore their family history. The visit took them from the bustling capital, Montevideo, to rural gaucho country near the Brazilian border. “Qué viaje!” he writes.

Leanne Hill, BCom’99, has been working in the travel industry for the last 20 years. Recently, she accepted a position with Royal Caribbean International as the strategic account manager for Western and Central Canada. Leanne lives in North Vancouver, B.C. where she enjoys hiking and the outdoors. Most of all, she enjoys spending time with her two French Bulldogs, Lewis and Mr. Fitz.

Sophia Arvanitis, BCom’99, AMBA’08, is working in London, England, after being appointed Ontario’s agent-general there to build on the province’s international presence in key markets around the world and to raise Ontario’s profile in the U.K. As the province’s primary representative in the U.K., Sophia positions Ontario as a top-tier destination for investment and job creation. Before this, Sophia was the director, Covid-19 response, economic development and culture for the City of Toronto.

Chamkaur Cheema, MBA’85, retired in 2019 and is living in Vancouver with his wife, Sandy. After graduating from Smith, Chamkaur went on to have a variety of careers, eventually finding his true calling as a post-secondary educator at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in B.C., where he spent 23 years teaching entrepreneurial leadership. He credits the MBA program for giving him the skills to transition between various industries throughout his career. In retirement, Chamkaur continues to be active with several boards and real estate investments.