Brad is a seasoned professional in the realm of innovation and social impact and has dedicated his career to driving positive change. Currently serving as the Interim Fund Manager with the UCeed Social Impact Fund, Brad brings a wealth of experience garnered during his time at the Canadian Space Agency and other innovation-focused roles in the impact sector. He holds an MBA and a BSc in Engineering and is always keen to discuss how we can leverage our resources to help address society’s biggest problems.

Ginni Braich is a Senior Manager in Agri-Food Innovation within Alberta Innovates. Over her 10 years with the organization, she has championed funding new ideas and innovations from field to fork, overseeing an investment portfolio in technologies covering the breadth of the agri-food supply chain focused on bringing down the cost of production, improving productivity, enhancing sustainability, and adding value to commodities. She is also currently finishing a PhD at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, focusing on climate impact modelling as well as working on data-driven analyses of yield trends, resilience, management practices and food price dynamics.

Our story is a story of hard work, dedication, and exceptional hospitality. A story of family values and a legacy passed down from mother (Gulzar Rajan) and father (Afzal Rajan) to their daughters and will continue for generations to come. Established in 1983, Zainul ∓ Shazma Holdings (ZS Holdings) is a family run operation that owns and operates seven IHG hotels across Alberta. Much like a tree, their roots run deep in the community and family is proud to be Alberta owned and operated.

Shazma Charania, President of ZS Holdings was born and raised in Red Deer and still resides there with her husband Jamil and their two daughters. Shazma’s leads the family business into it’s second generation. Although ZS Holdings is an epic family run operation it is one that cultivates a positive corporate culture. Maintaining the values, work ethic and hospitableness that ZS Holdings LTD was founded on is an ongoing objective that is important to Shazma.

Shazma has completed her Bachelor of Commerce and holds a Master of Business Administration specializing in hospitality. During her undergraduate degree at University of Alberta, Shazma was given the opportunity to complete six months on a full scholarship at Tec de Monterrey, in Guadalajara, Mexico which has helped her acquire another language, Spanish. Her educational background mixed with her experience and community involvement enables Shazma to make decisions in a well-rounded manner. She has steered the growth of her family business from two to now seven hotels. ZS Holdings happily supports its community through many local organizations.

Shazma drives the company vision “To be an industry leader in selected emerging markets in Western Canada”. In pursuing that vision, she has served on numerous Board positions, Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association as well as Red Deer Tourism locally, and since 2010, also served on the IHG Owner’s Association Americas. For 2023, Shazma holds two year terms on both the Global IHG Owner’s Association Board and the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation Board.

Today, the company has multi award-winning locations in western Canada, and is an Employer of Choice in Alberta.

Tim is a professional engineer with more than 27 years’ experience in oil and gas development and exploration. Tim has co-founded several junior companies in both the private and public sector and held technical and leadership roles at large energy companies before that. Tim continues to support the oil and gas sector by providing professional support to industry peers and serves on the board of directors at private energy related companies. While supporting the energy sector, Tim is an entrepreneur and has a keen interest with innovation and technology. Tim has been providing advisory expertise to various green technology companies, with the goal of launching innovative technologies within North America.

Trevor MacLean is a Partner with MNP. His practice specializes in Agriculture/Agribusiness and Business Advisory and is the National Leader of TransitionSMART, working out of Lethbridge, AB. Trevor provides business and advisory services to agriculture producers and agribusinesses across Western Canada.

Trevor has knowledge and experience in the areas of, business and strategic planning, organizational governance, market research, business transition, and finances. He has worked in both primary and value-added agriculture with a focus on assisting farmers and agribusinesses achieve their business goals though sound planning and practical advice.

Corporate finance professional and experienced banker with demonstrated history of working in the banking industry with over 12 years including 3 years with Connect First Credit Union. Skilled in Corporate & Commercial Banking, Business Development, Business Relationship Management, Credit Risk and Financial Risk. Strong finance professional supported by major in Actuarial Science from University of Calgary and Level 3 CFA candidate.

In my role, I am passionate about working with c-suite executive with capital structure, restructuring debt and access to capital for companies to achieve their growth goals. Outside of work I enjoy travelling, new food experiences and staying active through sports like squash and golf.