2025 Corporate Growth Summit
SPONSORS
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025
MESSAGE FROM THE ACG EDMONTON CHAPTER PRESIDENT
Andrew O’Dell
Welcome to the 14th edition of the ACG Edmonton Corporate Growth Summit!
On behalf of ACG Edmonton, I extend my sincere gratitude to our dedicated conference planning committee, especially Alvin Pyke, our 2025 Summit Chair, for their unwavering commitment and hard work in bringing this event to life. I also want to thank every one of you—our valued attendees—for being here. Your presence, participation, and engagement are what make this Summit truly special.
As we face continued global uncertainty with shifting tariffs, volatile markets, and geopolitical tensions affecting business across every industry, the need for clarity and connection has never been greater. The Summit offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from industry experts and fellow business leaders—those who are actively navigating these headwinds and finding ways to grow in the face of disruption. From start-ups to established enterprises, risk is a constant—but so is opportunity. This year, we’ll explore how risk evolves across different stages of business, industries, and scales. Our goal is for every attendee to walk away with practical insights, fresh perspectives, and meaningful connections.
To our generous sponsors—both long-standing supporters and new partners—thank you. Your backing makes this Summit possible, and we’re truly grateful for your investment in the business community.
As we kick off this year’s Summit, I encourage you to dive into the conversations, engage with one another, and share your own experiences. The strength of our network lies in our willingness to learn from and support each other.
Thank you for being here. Let’s make the 2025 Corporate Growth Summit one to remember.
With appreciation, Andrew O’Dell
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
AGENDA
DAY 1: APRIL 22 : KINDRED FOOD + DRINK
4:00 - 5:00 PM YOUNG ACG PRE-EVENT MIXER
Network with fellow Young ACG members at an exclusive Young ACG only mixer.
5:00 - 8:00 PM Welcome Reception
Open networking with conference attendees.
DAY 2: APRIL 23 : WAYNE GRETZKY BALLROOM
7:30 - 8:30 AM REGISTRATION & NETWORKING BREAKFAST
8:40 - 9:30 AM ECONOMIC UPDATE
Get caught up on current economic & market trends, interest rate movements, and their impact on business growth and investment strategies with Mark Parsons, Vice President and Chief Economist ATB Financial.
9:30 - 10:00 AM NETWORKING BREAK
10:00 - 10:30 AM ENERGY TRANSITION
Explore Alberta’s evolving energy landscape, examining the balance between traditional oil and gas industries and emerging renewable technologies. With Alvin Pyke, VP Engineering, Pivot Electric Machines, Jag Singh, Director of Business Development, SBI Bio Energy Inc. Sean Collins, CEO, Varme Energy, and Brent Jensen, International Business Developer, Edmonton Global
10:30 - 11:00 AM NETWORKING BREAK
11:00 - 12:00 PM DEAL MAKERS PANEL
Dive into the latest trends in deal-making and learn valuable perspectives on the evolving M&A landscape. With Mackenzie Regent, Managing Director, Kalos LLP, Sunil Sharma, Partner & Managing Director, BDO Canada, Mark Voden, Managing Director, Elk Lake Partners and Rob Normandeau, President, Seafort Capital Inc.
12:00 - 1:00 PM NETWORKING LUNCH
AGENDA
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
DAY 2: APRIL 23 : WAYNE GRETZKY BALLROOM
1:00 - 1:45 PM SEARCH FUNDS & INDEPENDENT SPONSORS
Hear from industry leaders Mario Nigro, Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP, Kevin Guenther, Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP, Gina Marin, Managing Partner, Prairie Sky Capital, David To, Managing Partner, Lnkd Capital, Curtis Colbary, President & CEO, Rebel Vac Systems and Jon Piurko, Managing Partner, Sage Capital as they share insights on the growing impact of search funds and how independent sponsors are driving new opportunities in entrepreneurship.
1:45 - 2:30 PM NETWORKING BREAK
2:30 - 3:30 PM KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
With Sheetal Mehta, Founder & CEO, UA Innovation Fund, a global leader in investing, technology and social enterprise, Sheetal Mehta is driving AI innovation as CEO of the UA Innovation Fund, tackling critical challenges in health, energy and agriculture.
3:30 - 3:45 PM CLOSING REMARKS
3:45 - 5:00 PM CLOSING HAPPY HOUR
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025 JWMARRIOTTEDMONTON
Alvin Pyke MESSAGE FROM THE CORPORATE GROWTH SUMMIT CHAIR
Hello and welcome to ACG Edmonton’s annual Corporate Growth Summit. We are very pleased to have you here and look forward to hosting you. This year we have upgraded our venue; we think that you enjoy all there is to offer at the beautiful JW Marriott hotel and the Wayne Gretzky Ballroom in Edmonton’s popular Ice district. As I write this, I am hopeful that our Edmonton Oilers will be hosting a home playoff game right next door to us at Rogers Place Arena. The summit will prove to be even more exciting with the Oilers in town. Last year was a resounding success; this year we expect it to be even better. The summit team has worked very hard to ensure an informative line up of speakers and panelists. We hope that you find the summit program beneficial to you and your business.Whether this is your first summit, or you are a serial attendee, we appreciate and thank you for your attendance.
Given the onslaught of news headlines being generated by our once friendly neighbours to the south, this year’s summit theme is timely and highly relevant as we focus a little closer to home. Our theme for this year’s summit is Investing in the future of Alberta. I believe the sudden turn of events in US-Canada trade relations is a serious wakeup call for Canada. The looming threat of tariffs has our government and business community pondering how we become less dependant on the US for trade. Albertas business community has an opportunity to support this effort. Now is the time for Alberta and Canada to step on the gas, pun intended. As I muse on this year’s summit, I am sure our networking sessions will be dominated by talk of Trump and Trade, TNT you might call it.Let’s talk about how we get our act together, break down our provincial borders and get our products to the east and west; the south has indicated clearly, they don’t want our goods.
Speaking of networking, and the success and feedback from last year’s summit, we have kept with the format of the program consistent, scheduling short formal sessions with lots of networking time in between. Our formal sessions focus on bringing you fresh information on emerging trends in the M&A world as well as some local content affecting Alberta’s energy industry. We will again host a Young ACG networking session and the popular ‘Welcome Reception’ occurring the evening before the main event.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025 JWMARRIOTTEDMONTON
Alvin Pyke MESSAGE FROM THE CORPORATE GROWTH SUMMIT CHAIR
I am happy to report that our board and executive has remained intact from last year, continuing to focus, rolling up the sleeves to bring you this year’s summit. Our chapter president Andrew O’Dell has agreed to stay on for another year, bringing his enthusiasm and expertise to the role. I want to personally thank Andrew for taking on the role of President for another year and remaining committed to the success of the ACG Summit. I also want to thank our summit organizing committee, Karina Chin, Clayton Liebe, Nataliya Kovalenko, Jon Heinz, Sarah Gibson, and Ken Glover, who have also stepped up again this year. Their dedication to making ACG successful does not go unnoticed. We grateful for this great team who have collected and organized the content of the Summit. I am also thrilled to announce that Jeff Tetz of Results Business Consultants has agreed to Emcee our summit again this year. I think we all agree that Jeff was superb in the role last year.Fortunately, we are not bumping up against Results’ premier event, the BEX conference this year so that should be a relief for Jeff. Thank you, Jeff. And finally, I want to extend a big shout-out to our ACG Edmonton members for your support in making our chapter one of top chapters in the nation.We are thrilled to host you at the 2025 Summit and look forward staying connected with you through-out the year.Finally, I encourage those who are not ACG members to consider joining the ACG Edmonton chapter. We welcome you and would be grateful for your support. We have many events planned for ACG members this year, making the cost of membership easy to justify. I hope you enjoy the 2025 version of ACG Edmonton’s Corporate Growth Summit. My best wishes for you.
Sincerely,
Alvin Pyke – Summit Chair
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025 JWMARRIOTTEDMONTON
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Alvin Pyke ACG Edmonton Conference Chair
Pivot Electric Machines
Meet Alvin Pyke, Vice-President of Engineering for Pivot Electric Machines. Mr. Pyke retired from Titan Logix Corp in 2021, where he held the role of CEO. In his role, Mr. Pyke spearheaded a new vision, strategy and operational plan for Titan, leading to strong grow and an increase in enterprise value. Most recently Mr. Pyke has been advising companies on growth strategies and digital innovation. In this role he has honed his skills as a mentor and coach for aspiring middle managers and senior executives. Alvin has been a professional engineer for 33 years and is a life member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Alberta (APEGA). He is a serial entrepreneur, experienced C-suite executive, board director and chair, team leader, certified management consultant and a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors DEP program.
Andrew O’Dell President, Conference Programming
Nelson Lumber
Andrew is a Vice President, Finance with Nelson Lumber. He was previously a director at KV Capital’s Private Equity team, where he played a key role in identifying new opportunities and evaluating potential acquisitions. With over six years of professional services experience, Andrew has extensive experience in mid-market deals across various industries, including technology and energy. Prior to joining KV Capital, he worked at EY, where he provided expert counsel to clients on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and fundraising activities.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025 JWMARRIOTTEDMONTON
Clayton Liebe Conference Finance Associate Franvest Capital Partners
Clayton Liebe is an Associate with Franvest Capital Partners, where he has spent the last three and a half years focusing on financial due diligence, research initiatives, and supporting portfolio companies. Leveraging a strong foundation in finance and analytics, he excels in evaluating investment opportunities and driving data-driven decisionmaking to foster business growth. Clayton holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and has completed Level 1 of the CFA program.
Nataliya Kovalenko Conference Planning
Vice President, ATB Private Equity
Nataliya is a Vice President with ATB Private Equity, a private equity fund focused on minority investments in Alberta-based companies Since joining ATB in 2017, Nataliya carried out investments and successful divestitures of a number of companies across a variety of industry sectors. Nataliya works closely with the portfolio, providing strategic direction and financial advice to management teams. Nataliya holds several board member and board observer positions within ATB’s portfolio of companies and has strong for-profit private company governance experience.
Prior to joining ATB, Nataliya spent 5 years with Roynat Capital in Edmonton and was involved in all aspects of sourcing, underwriting and managing deals for term debt, subordinated debt and mezzanine debt transactions.
Nataliya received her Bachelor of Commerce degree (with distinction), majoring in finance, from the University of Alberta. Nataliya obtained her Chartered Professional Accountants designation in 2022 and is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta.
Karina Chin Chapter Executive and Logistics
ACG Edmonton
Karina Chin is the Chapter Executive of ACG Edmonton which includes coordinating meetings, events and the annual Corporate Growth Summit. Karina has a BCom from the University of Saskatchewan focused on Marketing and Human Resource Management. Past experience includes working at TD Canada Trust for 9 years as a personal banker working with high end clients to meet their lending and investment needs.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025 JWMARRIOTTEDMONTON
Sarah Gibson Conference Planning
KPMG
Sarah is a Partner with the KPMG Regions West Deal Advisory group. Her team is focused on Valuation, Corporate Finance, Transaction Services, Restructuring, Forensics and Value Creation. Sarah has worked in public practice as well as various financial management roles, for organizations in a diverse range of industries. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Business Valuator, with extensive experience in the field of business valuation. Sarah has led a wide array of valuation mandates including those related to mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, financial reporting, regulatory requirements, litigation, succession and exit planning, corporate reorganizations, shareholder disputes, income tax planning and value creation.
Jon Heinz Conference Planning
Heinz Wetsern Holdings
Heinz is a budding local Alberta born and raised serial entrepreneur, investor, and commercial insurance expert. Independently he’s operated various businesses ranging from market research consulting, music entertainment and startup business coaching. Professionally, he currently manages a multi-million dollar insurance portfolio and has a track record trading in the American forex and equity markets. Heinz is now in search of recruiting a Chairman & Board members to partner with in launching a real estate development & investment portfolio in the commercial multi-family property sector within Western Canada for 2025
Ken Glover Conference Planning
President & Managing Partner, HumanEdge Recruitment & Consulting Services
Ken is President and Managing Partner with HumanEdge, which provides executive and leadership talent search along with human resource related consulting services. HumanEdge is headquartered in Edmonton, AB and has offices in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto HumanEdge partners with public and private sector clients supporting their C-Suite and Senior Leadership talent needs. HumanEdge has the capacity to undertake compensation reviews, workforce training and investigations, and executive performance reviews. With respect to corporate transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, HumanEdge is often called up to provide human capital assessments and recruit transitional or leadership talent.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
YOUNGACG
Nolan Ryan Chair, Young ACG
ACG Edmonton, Blue Flag Capital, 4TH Street Capital
Nolan is the Co-Founder of Blue Flag Capital and a Partner at 4th Street Capital, both private equity firms dedicated to partnering with best-in-class business operators across Canada. Previously, he served as a fractional CFO for the portfolio companies of Elevate Partners Capital, leveraging his expertise in corporate finance, private lending, and investment banking to drive strategic growth and financial performance.
Gobind Prehar, BMO Committee Members
Amy Verhoeff, Bennett Jones
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025
SESSION LEADERS
1.
Economic Update
Mark Parsons Vice President & Chief Economist ATB Financial
2. Energy Transition Panel
Alvin Pyke VP Engineering, Pivot Electric Machines
Jag Singh
Sean Collins Director of Business Development, SBI Bio Energy Inc. CEO, Varme Energy
Brent Jensen International Business Developer, Edmonton Global
3. Deal Makers Panel
Mackenzie Regent Managing Director, Kalos LLP
Sunil Sharma
Mark Voden Partner & Managing Director, BDO Canada Managing Director, Elk Lake Partners
Rob Normandeau President, Seafort Capital Inc.
4. Rise of Search Funds & Independent Sponsors
Mario Nigro Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP
Kevin Guenther
Gina Marin Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP Managing Partner, Prairie Sky Capital
David To Managing Partner, Lnkd Capital
Curtis Colbary
Jon Piurko President & CEO, Rebel Vac Systems Managing Partner, Sage Capital
5. Keynote Presentation
Sheetal Mehta Founder & CEO, UA Innovation Fund
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025 JWMARRIOTTEDMONTON
SESSION LEADERS
Jeff Tetz Summit Emcee
Chief Executive Officer and Partner, Results.
Jeff, CEO of Results,is passionate abouthelping leaders buildgreat workplaces. For over a decade, working alongside a seasoned team of business advisors, he’s been introducing mid- sized companies in Western Canada to the power of execution discipline and how transformative it can for a business.Jeff brings a well-rounded perspective to leadership having spent time on the businessside of professional sports in corporate positionsin the National Hockey League and Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Elks respectively and two decadesworking with high performance athletes in junior hockey. He is also the host of the popular leadership podcast Unleashed where he interviews some of the world’s top leadership and business thinkers to help everyday leaders improve from their work and insights. Away from work he is a self-proclaimed mountaineer, and he serves on the board of the Brain Care Centre and is the founder of Santa YEG, an organization focused on feeding Edmonton’s homeless population during the winter months.
Mark Parsons Economic Update
Vice President & Chief Economist, ATB
Mark is Vice President and Chief Economistat ATB Financial. Over his 20-year career,Mark has served in key senioreconomic roles, including as Chief Economist and Assistant Deputy Minister of Economics and Fiscal Policy at Alberta Treasury Board and Finance. He has provided leadership in a range of areas, including economic analysis and forecasting, fiscal analysis and data analytics. Mark previously worked as a senior economist at PwC and as an economist at the Department of FinanceCanada. Mark holds a Masters degree in economics from the University of Alberta.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
Jag Singh Energy Transition Panel
Director of Business Development, SBI Bio Energy Inc.
Jag is an industrial systems engineer with experience in business development. Building a team of 3 employees to over 25 in 3 years, a subject matter expert in Industry 4.0 and Smart Automation principles, with many strategic partnerships, new products, and innovations developed. At the SBI group Jag has been entrenched developing GoluH2, a novel hydrogen technology. Jag has gained multiple OEM partners, strategic collaborators, and secured funding in the clean energy start-up space. Jag spearheaded global campaigns for SBI, being placed in the 35 in SET100, a champion of Plug & Play Japan, Plug & Play Alberta, and Plug & Play HQ in Silicon Valley, the Startup Buddy Accelerator, many opportunities through Global Affairs Canada (the Canadian Trade Commissioner Services) and many more. Jag has spoken at the Global Energy Show, RE+, ADIPEC, and the Canadian Hydrogen Convention.
Sean Collins Energy Transition Panel
CEO, Varme Energy
Sean Collins has a global track record of experience in energy transition and renewable energy project development, currently serving as CEO of Varme Energy. Over the course of more almost 20 years in energy, Sean has worked on clean energy projects worldwide and spoken at the United Nations on energy transition issues three times. He has led complex regulatory engagements, including securing Alberta’s first geothermal resource rights, and holds expertise in strategy, governance, capital raising, off-take agreements, and community relations.
Brent Jensen Energy Transition Panel
International Business Developer, Edmonton Global
Brent Jensen brings over 20 years of experience in international business development and strategic leadership. With extensive professional experience across Asia and expertise in foreign direct investment, supply chain management, logistics, and project management. His passion for fostering connections and driving international business growth sets him apart, A graduate of the University of Alberta School of Business and a former senator at the University of Alberta, Brent's leadership and global perspective continue to drive meaningful impact both locally and internationally. Prior to joining Edmonton Global, Brent founded and led two boutique management consulting firms specializing in strategy and training for private enterprises.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
Mackenzie Regent Deal Makers Panel
Managing Director, Kalos LLP
Mackenzie is the Managing Partner of Kalos LLP and co-founded the firm to fulfill her vision of adding value to the mid-market. She has advised on 350+ deals for $65 billion+ in transaction value. She has executed deals throughout North America, Europe and Asia in the energy, healthcare, industrial, retail and technology sectors. In 2021, she was recognized as one of the Top 100 Finance Professionals in the world by The Top 100 magazine based out of New York City. Prior to founding Kalos, she was a Global Investment Banker at Scotiabank and a lead Financial Due Diligence Manager at Ernst & Young LLP (“EY”). Mackenzie is also a former competitive hockey player, having represented Canada in international competition as the starting goaltender.
Sunil Sharma Deal Makers Panel Partner & Managing Director, BDO Canada
Sunil is the National Leader of the Financial Due Diligence practice at BDO Canada and Head of Private Equity. He has over 10 years of transaction experience providing his clients with due diligence, mergers and acquisitions and capital advisory support. Sunil has a proven track record of supporting financial sponsors, public companies and private businesses on their investment and divestiture decisions. Sunil has provided both financial diligence and divestiture advisory services to clients in a wide range of industries, including Private Equity, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Technology and Manufacturing & Distribution. He has advised on over 200 transactions during his career with an aggregate deal value of over $1bn.
Sunil is Head of Private Equity at BDO Canada and leads the Healthcare M&A industry team.
Mark Voden Deal Makers Panel
Managing Director, Elk Lake Partners
Mark has nearly fifteen years experience advising clients on corporate strategy, financings, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. He is passionate for growth and assisting his clients on through some of their toughest business issues. For more than 10 years, Mark built his career with the corporate finance businesses at both Deloitte LLP and KPMG LLP. He has held Vice President roles at both companies and has led a team of finance professionals at both investment banks to assist clients on the execution of major strategic initiatives.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025
Rob Normandeau Deal Makers Panel
President, Seafort Capital Inc.
Rob co-founded SeaFort in 2012. Prior to that, he served as CEO of Clarke Inc., a TSX-listed investment company. He previously practiced law in the Toronto office of Skadden, Arps, a major New York-based law firm. Rob was recognized in 2009 as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40. He holds a BA (Scholar’s Electives) from Western University, a law degree from University of Toronto, an MBA from University of Toronto and is called to the Bar in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New York. He has served on the Boards of several TSX-listed and charitable entities.
Mario Nigro Rise of Search Funds & Independent Sponsors
Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP
Mario Nigro is a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity & Venture Capital Groups and a member of the firm’s Partnership Board. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, financings and complex corporate reorganizations, and general business law. Mario has extensive experience working with private equity firms, search funds, independent sponsors, and venture capital firms on sophisticated transactions including acquisitions and dispositions. He has also worked on a variety of Canadian private equity fund transactions including buyouts, leveraged buyouts, and secondaries, for leading private equity firms.
Kevin Guenther Rise of Search Funds & Independent Sponsors
Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP
Kevin Guenther is a partner in the Tax and Corporate Groups. Kevin’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, tax structuring, as well as general corporate and tax matters.
Kevin’s clients include publicly listed and private entities, multinational companies, and Canadian, U.S. and global private equity funds. His experience spans multiple industries, including energy, agribusiness and technology. Kevin has particular expertise with cross-border transactions, often involving companies with integrated operations that span multiple borders.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
Gina Marin
Rise of Search Funds & Independent Sponsors
Managing Partner, Prairie Sky Capital
Gina founded Prairie Sky Capital to continue her own legacy of entrepreneurship. She grew up working in several family businesses and has been a part of multiple entrepreneurial ventures over the years, including retail, service, and software. With a professional background in mechanical design engineering and an MBA with a specialization in entrepreneurship and innovation, she is someone you can trust with your business legacy. She has extensive operational experience, a deep commitment to excellence, and a passion for fostering growth and sustainability in every venture she undertakes.
David To Rise of Search Funds & Independent Sponsors
Managing Partner, Lnkd Capital
An international business professional with an exceptional 20-year record in key leadership roles in Canada and Asia. Proven track record and brand management experience across Direct-to-Consumer Retail and e-commerce, Distributors, and Wholesale channels.
Curtis
Colbary
Rise of Search Funds & Independent Sponsors
President & CEO, Rebel Vac Systems
Curtis is the President & CEO of Rebel Vac Systems where he leads the company's strategic vision, fostering growth and long-term sustainability for North America’s premier manufacturer of hydroexcavation and industrial vacuum trucks. Known for his energy and results-focused approach, Curtis has a proven track record of leadership, successful execution, and building long-lasting relationships.
Curtis started his career within the global accounting firms, advising mid-market companies on Mergers and Acquisitions ("M&A") across a diverse range of industries. Throughout his career he has built expertise and experience working in private equity, corporate finance, financial due diligence, valuations, capital advisory, corporate venture capital, and audit and assurance.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025
Jon Piurko
Rise of Search Funds & Independent Sponsors
Managing Partner, Sage Capital
Mr. Piurko’s role as Managing Partner involves strategic planning, investment origination, portfolio management and monitoring, corporate governance, and overall management of the Investment Manager, along with his partner, Glen Silvestri. He is a member of Sage’s investment committee and also sits on several boards of directors for Sage’s portfolio companies. He is also active in the sourcing, selection and management of Sage’s investments.
Sheetal Mehta Keynote Presentation
Founder & CEO, UA Innovation Fund
Sheetal Mehta Walsh has extensive global executive leadership experience in investing, technology, and social enterprise. She is a founder, investor in several startups and serves on various boards. Currently she serves as CEO of the University of Alberta Innovation Fund, an AI fund focussed on health, energy and agriculture with a mission to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Highlights of her career include: serving as Chief Strategy Officer, Ministry for Jobs, Economy and Innovation, Gov’t of Alberta Canada; Deal Maker, UK Government’s Global Entrepreneur Programme where she facilitated 1 billion GBP in fundraising and mentored 900 global companies by presenting master classes in entrepreneurship in EMEA and the Americas; created and implemented the first Global VC Relations mission at Microsoft; President of Shanti Life a global microfinance not-for-profit assisting vulnerable people with financial literacy and entrepreneurial skill sets for sustainable living; Director, WestLB Investment Bank, UAE and Gulf Region.
She is a two-time TEDx speaker on entrepreneurship and has provided keynotes at the House of Lords (UK), Doha Forum, Berkeley Haas Business School, Stanford, University College Dublin and completed her MSc. at London School of Economics and her BA at the University of Alberta. In addition, she has attended MIT Management Sloan School and has received the ICD.D designation.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025 JWMARRIOTTEDMONTON
BOARD MEMBERS
Alvin Pyke Conference Chair, ACG Edmonton
Pivot Electric Machines
For Alvin’s Bio please see page 11.
Andrew O’Dell President ACG Edmonton
Nelson Lumber
For Andrew’s Bio please see page 11.
Nataliya Kovalenko VP Finance ACG Edmonton, Conference Programming
ATB Financial
For Nataliya’s Bio please see page 12.
Blair Willie Partner, Bishop & McKenzie LLP
VP Membership, ACG Edmonton
Blair Willie has over 19 years’ experience assisting business leaders to build and maintain corporategrowth both in Alberta and beyond and is proud to lead Bishop & McKenzie LLP as its co-managing partner.His corporate and commercial law practice focuseson commercial lending, business sales and acquisitions, corporate and tax-related reorganizations and planning, as well as general and strategicadvice related to all aspects of his clients’ businesses
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
Ken Glover VP Programming, ACG Edmonton, Conference Planning
President & Managing Partner, HumanEdge Recruitment & Consulting Services
For Ken’s Bio please see page 13.
Dan Xu VP Nominating Committee, ACG Edmonton
Regional Director, Private Banking Scotiabank
Dan Xu is the Regional Director for Private Banking, overseeing British Columbia and the Prairie Regions. In this role, she drives strategic execution, client acquisition, and the advancement of the Total Wealth Evolved framework, while maintaining operational excellence. With extensive experience in Commercial Banking and a proven track record of transformative leadership, Dan excels in business development, strategic partnerships, and fostering high-performing teams.
During her tenure at Scotiabank, Dan has achieved remarkable success, including being named Best of the Best Top Individual Performer in 2022 and 2023. As Director & Market Lead for Alberta, she built a top-performing team, delivered exceptional results, and led key initiatives such as the Asian Strategy for Commercial Banking in the Prairie Region.
A passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), Dan has actively led Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), DE&I initiatives, and the Scotiabank Women’s Initiative (SWI) in her market. She holds an MBA in Finance, a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction from University of Alberta School of Business. Fluent in English and Mandarin, Dan brings a global perspective to her work.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
Sarah Gibson Partner, KPMG
Conference Planning, ACG Edmonton
For Sarah’s Bio please see page 13.
Clayton Liebe Conference Planning, ACG Edmonton Associate, Franvest Capital
For Sarah’s Bio please see page 12.
Nolan Ryan Young ACG Chair, ACG Edmonton
Blue Flag Capital | 4th Street Capital
For Nolan’s Bio please see page 14.
Jon Heinz Conference Planning, ACG Edmonton
Heinz Wetsern Holdings
For Jon’s Bio please see page 15.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
APRIL22-23,2025
Joe Yurkovich Advisory Board, ACG Edmonton Partner,
Miller Thomsom
FJoseph Yurkovich’s practice focuses on corporate taxation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law and governance. With decades of experience, Joseph has navigated deals in various sectors, including automotive, IT and IT infrastructure, biotech, professional hockey and beyond. Joe has led successful take-over bids, shareholder proposals, and multi-jurisdictional M&A transactions. He has extensive experience structuring business organizations, including joint ventures and partnerships, across various sectors involving private equity and public sector participants.
Joe has authored numerous insightful pieces in legal publications, delving into topics like corporate tax developments, Alberta budget highlights, and intricate tax matters. His experience and commitment to sharing knowledge highlight his passion for empowering others through legal understanding.
Terri Davis Membership Committee, ACG Edmonton
President & CEO/ Search Partner ProFound Talent Inc.
Terri, Founder, President & CEO of ProFound Talent Inc., is an accomplished entrepreneur with over 25 years of expertise in executive search, talent management, and business operations. Driven by her passion to Dream Big, Be Extraordinary, and Be ProFound, she transitioned from corporate stability to entrepreneurship to make a meaningful impact on individuals and organizations striving for greatness.
Terri holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta and an MBA from Athabasca University. Her career has been defined by authenticity, trust, and exceptional service, specializing in recruiting top talent at the executive and professional levels across all industries in key functional areas such as sales, marketing, operations, HR, finance, supply chain and other unique roles that are deemed “hard to find”
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
JOIN OUR NETWORK
Middle Market Growth is the official publica- tion of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG). ACG offers a wealth of resources to members and the broader middle- market M&A community through national and local net- working events, digital and print media outlets (including this one), a robust middle- market valuation database, industry education and more. Here are some of the best resources ACG provides that can help you do your job better.
What’s in it for you?
As a member of ACG, you gain access to the exclusive network of 15,000 middle- market M&A professionals that we serve and benefit from the connections that ACG actively facilitates. According to our mem- bers, 75% of ACG members do deals with other members, and 86% of members are either very or extremely likely to recom- mend ACG to a friend or colleague.
Member Benefits
Member-Exclusive Events and Programming: Collaborate with other members and benefit from expert panels and industry insights.
ACG Member Directory Access: Search for and connect with fellow members within ACG’s exclusive directory of middle-market professionals.
ACG JobSource®: Post or search for a job on ACG’s job board for middlemarket professionals.
Member-Only Offers: Claim discounts and deals courtesy of ACG’s partners such as Grata, EPG and others. Check out acg.org/membership- tools/ offersacg-partners for current offers.
Print Magazine Subscription: Receive print editions of Middle Market DealMaker, Executive and special reports.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
Other Support Provided by ACG
Stay in the Know
The Middle Market Growth editorial team produces a weekly email that features thought leadership and news from around the middle market, including our PE Weekly deal roundup. Learn more and sign up to receive the newsletters at middlemarketgrowth.org/subscribe.
Power Your Deals
Did you know that GF Data, a powerful middlemarket private equity valuation database, is an ACG company? GF Data publishes quarterly reports on M&A, leverage, and key deal terms and provides an online valuation database with continuously available valuation comps organized by the NAICS industry code. Visit gfdata.com, email info@gfdata.com, or call 610- 616- 4607 for more information.
Connect
ACG operates in more than 60 local markets. Visit acg.org/ membership-tools/find-chapter to find your local chapter. You can also email us at membership@acg.org.
2025 Corporate Growth Summit
FOUNDING SPONSORS
