CanadianSME Podcast with James Nguyen

Ken leads marketing strategy at Quantropi. In high demand as a consultant with 25 years’ experience in performance media and an award- winning creative background, he has completed successful transformations, (re)branding and product development mandates with KPMG, Keurig DrPepper, Fidelity,the Previan Group of companies, Coveo, and numerous others. Previously, Ken pivoted an offline advertising brokerage to a leading-edge, data-driven performance agency as President of DAC Digital, held a progression of international leadership roles with Monster.com in North America and Europe, pioneered a range of multi-channel initiatives as VP Marketing with a global franchisor, and introduced a mobile-first programmatic media offering to Canada within WPP.

Marco Pagani began his long and successful career as a senior executive in Ottawa’s high-tech sector in 1985, with Nortel Networks (then Bell-Northern Research). He rose across two decades to become president of several Nortel Business Units, managing more than 2,000 employees and over $1 billion in revenue. Having gone on to advise numerous organizations, as well as guide a range of companies through complex, critically necessary turnarounds, he is particularly respected for placing a strong emphasis on ethics and corporate governance in building the culture of the corporate and not-for-profit organizations he leads and supports.

Lawrence O’Brien is a founder of Calian Group and former Mayor of Ottawa. Larry founded Calian Technology Ltd. in 1982 with a $35 investment and built it into a $200M/ year profitable, dividend-paying public company by 2006. As the CEO of Calian, Larry executed an IPO in 1993, completed five significant acquisitions, and managed the overall strategic growth of Calian from 1982 until 2006. After retirement from Calian in 2006, Larry served as the 58th mayor of Ottawa and proceeded to push forward four major economic development projects, including a Light Rail Transit tunnel in the core of the city, a new Convention Centre, now known as the Shaw Centre and a new trade show facility and a major urban renewal project that rebuilt 40 acres of dilapidated downtown Ottawa called Lansdowne Park into a vibrant, destination for citizens and tourist.

A seasoned technology executive, business builder and angel investor, Raj has held operational and advisory roles in Recognia (Trading Central), Belair Networks (Ericsson), March Networks (Infinova), Sandvine (Procera), Neurolanguage (ADEC), Bridgewater Systems (Amdocs), Vayyoo (Cafex), TenXc (CCI), 1Mobility (Qualys) and others. Having divided his time among North America, EMEA and Asia-Pac for over 20 years, Raj speaks several languages. He grew up in Asia, Europe, South America and Canada, and holds a B.Eng degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ottawa. He is also a co-founder and Charter Member of the Ottawa chapter of TiE (the Indus Entrepreneur).

Randy holds a doctorate in quantum physics. His research findings have been published in top international journals and named “Kuang’s semi-classical formalism” by NASA in 2012. With a career spanning IT, including with Nortel as senior network researcher & developer, he co-founded inBay Technologies in 2009, serving as CTO of the cybersecurity platform. As the first recipient of a patent for two-level authentication (2011), Randy is a prolific inventor, with 30+ U.S. patents in broad technology fields, such as WiMAX, optical networks, multi-factor identity authentication, transaction authorization, as well as concepts, technologies and industrial applications for quantum key distribution.

 

Prior to joining Quantropi, Nik most recently provided strategic and tactical leadership as Director of Finance overseeing a large corporate treasury department. Here, he managed over $2B in operating funds and $1B in financing. Other responsibilities included cash management and forecasting, liquidity and investments, corporate financing, financial risk management as well as accounting and internal control management. Preceding that, Nik provided assurance, accounting and advisory services focused on high tech clients with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Canada. Nik has held progressive finance roles in various different environments and holds a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.

Sacha Gera possesses a deep understanding of the industry’s nuances through extensive experience in the cybersecurity sector. The Ottawa-based leader and Forty Under 40 recipient has nearly twenty years of experience in SaaS industries, professional services, and M&A, working in technology for both start-ups and large multinational organizations, such as IBM, Nortel, CGI and Calian. He currently also holds the position of CEO at JSI and Director at CENGN & Ottawa Board of Trade BOD.

Prior to joining Quantropi, Jay was Chief Growth Officer of Kepro, responsible for the organization’s overall growth strategy in government markets. Before that, Jay held a progression of sales leadership and general management roles during his nearly 17 years at Microsoft, including GM, Enterprise Services, State and Local Government & Education, during which period he was responsible for the most complex business in the U.S. subsidiary (with 2,000 customers across the country), nearly doubling revenue from $160M to over $300M. Prior to his career at Microsoft, Jay was VP at Risetime, where he launched and ran a Financial Services practice area; a Principal at Lakefront, where he was responsible for business development and strategic partnerships; and a Manager at Accenture in the Emerging Technology Solutions group. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Jeff’s distinguished career includes an extraordinary track record of successfully navigating and spearheading expansions and transforming companies into industry giants. Jeff was the President and CEO of Giant Tiger Stores for 10 years. In this capacity, Jeff helped grow the business from a regional discount chain with 250 million in sales to 1.4 billion in sales nationally as Canada’s third largest discount chain. In 2009, Jeff joined Farm Boy with a mandate to expand the business. Under his leadership, the company grew from a nine-store chain in the Ottawa region to 26 stores in Ottawa, Kingston, the GTA and Southwestern Ontario. Farm Boy was acquired by Sobeys’ parent company Empire Company Limited for $800 million in 2018.

 

Before joining Quantropi, Mike was Managing Director and co-founder of Accenture Ventures, where he grew a global portfolio of strategic partnerships and 38 equity investments in emerging technology startups.

During his nearly 30 years with Accenture, he incubated and launched technology innovations for enterprises across multiple geographies and industries. Ever-passionate about bold ideas with game-changing results, he speaks frequently on the impact of emerging technology on large organizations.

With a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton, and a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern, Mike is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Accenture Foundation and Board Observer for startups Maana and Splice Machine.

James Nguyen is a Co-Founder and the CEO of Quantropi, a quantum-secure communications company established in 2018. Alongside Dr. Randy Kuang, he aims to uphold truth and trust in the digital economy on a global scale. In 2021, James was officially recognized as a recipient of Ottawa’s Top Forty Under 40 Award, and he holds a degree in Economics from Carleton University.

With a profound understanding of banking and global finance, James actively invests in and advises early-stage companies in the fields of Fintech, Graphene, and Quantum Technologies, particularly in emerging markets. Prior to his role at Quantropi, he served as the Chief Investment Officer and VP of Asia Operations for a diverse group of private and public interests involved in real estate, mining, energy storage, and manufacturing. In this capacity, he was responsible for strategy, banking, and global expansions, successfully securing substantial investments and partnerships to commercialize graphene applications across various industries.

James participates as a speaker and panelist at international conferences focused on quantum technology, cybersecurity, and investment. He also contributes to the community as a volunteer and mentor, leveraging his expertise and experiences to benefit others.

 

Sacha Gera possesses a deep understanding of the industry’s nuances through extensive experience in the cybersecurity sector. The Ottawa-based leader and Forty Under 40 recipient has nearly twenty years of experience in SaaS industries, professional services, and M&A, working in technology for both start-ups and large multinational organizations, such as IBM, Nortel, CGI and Calian. He currently also holds the position of CEO at JSI and Director at CENGN & Ottawa Board of Trade BOD.

Dat Nguyen has executive experience with top global consultancies such as IBM, Accenture, Ernst & Young (EY), and decacorn start-up Grab at C-Level roles.

During 20 years of consulting, Dat has worked with multiple companies across Canada, the USA, the Caribbean, and the Asia Pacific with CEO roles and leadership such as CEO for Accenture Vietnam, CEO of Grab Vietnam, and Partner of EY Consulting leading the technology practice (including Cybersecurity) in Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia).

Dat is a tech entrepreneur, a co-founder, and a digital ecosystem builder. He is passionate about new and innovative technologies and is involved in multiple companies across verticals such as AI, Blockchain, Web3, Cybersecurity, InsurTech, and FinTech. Dat is currently a member of the ASIA CEO Club.

Dat earned the Executive Education at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School, and received the Executive Certificate in Public Leadership in 2018.

Jeff’s distinguished career includes an extraordinary track record of successfully navigating and spearheading expansions and transforming companies into industry giants. Jeff was the President and CEO of Giant Tiger Stores for 10 years. In this capacity, Jeff helped grow the business from a regional discount chain with 250 million in sales to 1.4 billion in sales nationally as Canada’s third largest discount chain. In 2009, Jeff joined Farm Boy with a mandate to expand the business. Under his leadership, the company grew from a nine-store chain in the Ottawa region to 26 stores in Ottawa, Kingston, the GTA and Southwestern Ontario. Farm Boy was acquired by Sobeys’ parent company Empire Company Limited for $800 million in 2018.

Timothy Stapko is a senior software engineer at Microsoft with 20+ years of experience in the information technology industry specializing in embedded systems, IoT security, security (SSL/TLS), and 9+ years of experience leading projects and a team of engineers on two commercially successful implementations of TLS for resource-constrained embedded systems (including cryptography, X.509, DTLS, HTTPS, etc.). Tim also has experience with US federal information standards (e.g., FIPS) and other standards and certifications (e.g., Common Criteria/EAL) and specializes in C, C++, FIPS 140-2, Linux, SSL, TLS, TCP/IP

Renato has 30 + years of experience as a trusted legal advisor and strategist. As an executive he has assisted numerous companies and their Boards of Directors to plot out and implement significant growth, diversification and reorganization plans in challenging circumstances. He was lead counsel on the sale of Zarlink Semiconductor’s $680 million dollar business as part of a takeover bid. At Zarlink he negotiated significant development, manufacturing, supply, distribution and IP licensing agreements with leading suppliers (eg Cisco, Nokia, Ericsson, Medtronic, Starkey, TSMC, Global Foundries, etc.). Renato has been involved in M&A, restructuring, financings and commercial contracts for dozens of companies. He also provides legal support in regards to intellectual property, securities, real estate leasing and employment law. He represents clients mostly in the SaaS, wireless, proptech, quantum, renewables, e-commerce, engineering and real estate conversion space.

Tanya Woods brings more than a decade of successful strategic advocacy experience to her role at the Chamber of Digital Commerce Canada. Tanya most recently served as the Interim Executive Director for the Blockchain Association of Canada and is a champion for Canada’s digital innovation ecosystem, domestically and globally. Tanya has held senior-level positions in the industry, representing national and multinational organizations in the telecommunications, technology, and entertainment sectors, including BCE Inc., Microsoft, Hut 8 Mining, and Nintendo. She has also advised and represented the Government of Canada in global trade negotiations and on the growth of the country’s blockchain ecosystem. Tanya is a global public speaker and published author with degrees from the London School of Economics, Ottawa University, and American University Washington College of Law. She was named among the top 10 “Leading TechWomen in Canada” by the Government of Canada, a “Trailblazer” by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and a “Top 40 under 40” in Canada’s Capital by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and the Ottawa Business Journal.

James Nguyen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Quantropi, a pioneering quantum-secure communications company established in 2018. Alongside Dr. Randy Kaung, James is dedicated to upholding truth and trust in the global digital economy. Under his leadership, Quantropi has accomplished major milestones. These include being recognized as the Best Fiduciary Board at the inaugural 2024 Canada’s Best Private Boards program, becoming a NATO-approved supplier, receiving the 2023 Future in Review – FiRe Starter award, and being named a 2022 Deloitte Fast 50 company.

James’s contributions to the industry have earned him numerous personal accolades, including the 2023 CanadianSME National Entrepreneur of the Year award and being recognized as Ottawa’s Top Forty Under 40 recipient. James holds a degree in Economics from Carleton University.

Before founding Quantropi, he served as the Chief Investment Officer and VP of Asia Operations for a diverse group of private and public interests involved in real estate, mining, energy storage, and manufacturing. In these roles, he was responsible for strategy, banking, and global expansions, successfully securing substantial investments and partnerships.