Description:  

Jeffrey Reynolds (VC'96) works at NATO in Virginia and will join the VC Alumni webinar series to discuss his role, how he got there and what is happening around the world.  

Guest: Jeffrey Reynolds (VC'96)  

Jeffrey Reynolds specializes in international security policy for Europe and North America, as well as innovation and transformation for defence organisations. He has two decades of expertise in international security, strategy, geo-politics, and forecasting. He has led several multinational and diverse teams that span cultures and industries on a range of security issues. When he’s not flying over the Atlantic Ocean (thanks, COVID), he can be found teaching his kids how to surf or tackling an overly ambitious home improvement project.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/reynoldsjeffrey/  

Interviewer: Aidan Sullivan (VC'96)  

Aidan Sullivan (VC'96) is an expat with 15 years+ experience in China as a financial advisor, venture backed entrepreneur, angel investor and management consultant. He is currently the Managing Director for FM Resources China (A Forbes & Manhattan Subsidiary) living in Shanghai.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidansullivan/   

Moderator: Stephen Jagger (VC'96)  

Stephen Jagger (VC'96) is the co-President of the Vancouver College Alumni Association and co-founder of addyinvest.com https://www.addyinvest.com/about/stephen-jagger/   

BONUS:  

For the month of August, every pint ordered from Uno Gelato's website will send $1.00 to the Vancouver College Alumni fund that is supporting VC alumni owned restaurants. To order yours head over to - https://unogelato.com/vancouver-college-hospitality-support/   

*When ordering please add code “VCSUPPORT” in the note section of your online order.  

(Thanks Paddy Mahony (VC'96) and his team at Uno Gelato)

Prabhjeet (VC'96) and Ricky (VC'06) Bal will join us on the VCAA webinar to talk about their experience running one of the largest Crossdock, Freight Logistics & Trucking Companies in Greater Vancouver.

Guest: Prabhjeet Bal (VC'96)

Prabhjeet Singh Bal is CEO and COO of the Lotus Terminals Group of Companies, taking over from his father, the founder. He was a proud member of the Fighting Irish basketball and football teams. After graduating from Vancouver College, he attended the University of British Columbia and was an offensive lineman with the Thunderbirds football program. Prior to playing with the T-Birds, Prab was member of the Vancouver Trojans football organization.

After completing his bachelors’ program at UBC, Prab starting working part-time with his father in the family trucking business. After almost 20 years, Prab has expanded the family business into a multi-faceted transportation and logistics powerhouse. He leads the Lotus operation team and is head of strategic planning for the organization. Prab’s father started the business as one man and a truck in the 80s. Through his perseverance and Prab’s high energy and creativity, the company has grown to 100s of units headquartered at their custom-built state of the art facility in Cloverdale.

Prab has been a volunteer basketball and football coach since graduating from VC. He has been an assistant and head coach at VC, St. Joseph’s Elementary, St. Bernadette’s Elementary, White Rock Titans and Westside Warriors Football. Currently, Prab also serves on the board of the Warriors football organization. He is passionate about sports and fitness and has a skill of bringing the best out in his team, whether it be in the office or the gridiron. Prab lives in Vancouver and his two boys attend elementary school at Vancouver College.

www.lotusterminals.com

Guest: Ricky Bal (VC'06)

Harsaran Singh Bal (Ricky) is in-house counsel and a part of the operations team at the Lotus Group of Companies. He was a proud member of the Fighting Irish football and basketball programs throughout his time at VC. After graduating, he attended the International Study Centre in England for a one-year post-secondary program. He then completed his undergraduate studies and law degree at UBC. At UBC Law, Ricky worked with and then became the Executive Director of a large student-led legal advice clinic. He later became a board member and president of the organization.

Ricky articled and practiced at a prominent local criminal defence firm. As his practice was growing, so to did the family business come calling. Ricky made the transition to his family’s transportation business in 2017. After helping build the new headquarters in Cloverdale, Ricky joined in the management and operations team at the Lotus Terminals Group of Companies. His life-long love of machinery led him to expand the business from transportation to specialized handling of complex freight. Lotus’ new and expanding transloading and logistics department has opened up new markets for the business as well as sustained long-term growth prospects. From court robes to coveralls, Ricky is excited to help lead the family business to new heights.

Since graduating, Ricky has been coaching football at various organizations including VC, White Rock Titans and Westside Warriors. He is VP of the Warriors football program and is patiently waiting to get back on the gridiron, post Covid.

www.lotusterminals.com

Moderator: Stephen Jagger

Stephen Jagger (VC'96) is the co-President of the Vancouver College Alumni Association and the co-founder of addyinvest.com (Bio)

VC Alumni Kevin Falcon (VC’81) is the Executive Vice President of Anthem Capital and was the Former Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier of BC. During his 12 years in government, Kevin held numerous senior Ministerial portfolios including Transportation & Infrastructure and Health. Kevin will talk to about about life before, during and after politics, what his current role entails at Anthem Capital and what's next for him.

Guest: Kevin Falcon (VC’81)

Kevin is the Executive Vice President of Anthem Capital where he works on the Capital side of the business, liaising with their equity and debt partners.

Anchoring the finance team for 4 years now, he is responsible for oversight of the financial side of Anthem’s real estate projects, as well as equity investments in a range of industry sectors. Not just a finance guy, Kevin also serves on numerous corporate and charity boards, and is passionate about societal issues such as homelessness. In his spare time, Kevin dons a full set of armour, mounts his mountain bike and bombs trails on Vancouver’s North Shore, Kamloops and Revelstoke.

Prior to joining Anthem, Kevin served as Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance for British Columbia. As one of British Columbia’s longest serving Transportation Ministers, Kevin initiated and oversaw some $13 billion dollars of major projects, including the Port Mann bridge, Sea to Sky Highway, Canada Line, Evergreen Line and William Bennett Bridge, just to name a few. Kevin also served as Minister of Health and Minister of Deregulation. (Bio)

Moderator: Stephen Jagger

Stephen Jagger (VC'96) is the co-President of the Vancouver College Alumni Association and co-founder of addyinvest.com (Bio)

VC Alumni Dr. Keiron McConnell (VC’86) is a Vancouver Police Officer and he will discuss how he got into policing, the challenges faced by Vancouver, the differences between Vancouver and other major metropolitan markets and the challenges today's police forces face.

Guest: Dr. Keiron McConnell

Dr. Keiron McConnell holds a Bachelor of General Studies Degree from the Open University of British Columbia, a Masters of Science Degree in Policing and Public Order Studies from the University of Leicester, a Diploma in Police Leadership from Dalhousie University and a Certificate in Public Sector Leadership from Royal Roads University. This academic achievement combined with 22 years of operational experience with a large Criminal Justice Agency provides a solid background for developing and teaching participants interested in Justice Studies. In addition, Keiron has worked for several other agencies in providing consulting services. These have included the Royal Saudi Arabian Police, Peoples Republic of China Police, British Superintendents Association, British Columbia Sheriffs, British Columbia Conservation Officers, and Simon Fraser University.

Keiron instructed at the Justice Institute of British Columbia Police Academy for 3 years in Professional Patrol Tactics and continues as a guest lecturer. In addition, he is a faculty member at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Royal Roads University and at Douglas College in the Criminology Program. Furthermore as a regular guest instructor of Simon Fraser University policing program, Keiron has an up to date understanding of current policing trends.

Keiron is the President of KMc Training Corp which provided increment course training to police officers.

Moreover, Keiron is a regular presenter on the topic of Bar Watch as a gang prevention, intervention, suppression program. He has presented to many police agencies, community groups and government across British Columbia and Canada.

Research interests include public disorder, gang prevention and intervention, routine activity theory, and police subculture theory.

Keiron is currently a Doctorate Candidate at the London Metropolitan University in London, England.

Moderator: Stephen Jagger

Stephen Jagger (VC'96) is the co-President of the Vancouver College Alumni Association and co-founder of addyinvest.com (Bio)

VC Alumni Mike Desjardins (VC’90) is a skilled leader and coach that helps other business owners and leaders develop the emotional intelligence and leadership capabilities they need to grow and thrive. Come learn more about how Mike helps some of the most successful companies thrive.

Guest: Mike Desjardins (VC’90)

At the heart of ViRTUS is our CEO, Mike. Mike is emotionally intelligent and driven. His core motivation is to make a difference in the lives of others. That is to say, his passion is creating positive change for his colleagues, clients, and community.

With a Bachelor of Commerce from UBC’s Sauder School of Business, a CPHR designation, and over two decades of experience transforming businesses, he is a master in the realm of strategy and leadership development. From entrepreneurial business to large public companies and public-sector organizations, Mike focuses on driving return on investment in every client engagement.

In June 2002, Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) invited Mike to become a member. After spending six years on the board, he served as President of the Vancouver Chapter. In January 2006, Mike was the recipient of the BIV Top 40 Under 40 Award. From 2010-2016, Mike sat on the board of directors for the Human Resource Management Association of BC (now CPHR BC). Since 2017, Mike has been a member of the Advisory Board of Robinson Group.

Mike focuses on strategy, growth, and vision for ViRTUS. Passionate about leveraging his team, he engages them all in co-creating ViRTUS’s future vision and determining their role in it. Above all, ViRTUS is his vehicle to empower leaders, both within the company and among our clients.

Mike is passionate about skiing, yoga, running, CrossFit, and anything in the self-improvement bucket. In his community, his focus is on what he can do for others, and he loves nothing more than spending time with his daughter and wife. (Bio)

Moderator: Stephen Jagger

Stephen Jagger (VC'96) is the co-President of the Vancouver College Alumni Association and co-founder of addyinvest.com (Bio)

Come listen to VC Alumni Dax Dasilva talk about life after Vancouver College, founding & running a public tech company, the arts & much more

Guest: Dax Dasilva:

Dax Dasilva (VC'94) is the creative mind behind Lightspeed, Never Apart, and Age of Union. Founded in 2005, Lightspeed develops a cloud commerce platform used by retail and restaurant customers in over a hundred countries. The company’s mission is to bring cities and communities to life by powering independent business.

Lightspeed employs over 700 staff located in eight cities and has raised $292M USD from Accel Partners, iNovia Capital, Investissement Québec and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. The company went public in March 2019 on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol LSPD, becoming one of Canada’s top 10 technology IPOs.

In 2015 Dasilva also founded Never Apart, a cultural non-profit determined to bring about positive social change and unity through original programming with global reach and impact. Housed in Lightspeed’s former offices, Never Apart cultivates a diverse following and has welcomed thousands into its 12,000-square-foot space.

Helping entrepreneurs become leaders in their communities through Lightspeed’s technology and elevating artists through his work at Never Apart are fundamental to Dasilva’s philosophy. He fosters cultures of innovation, promotes diverse leadership, and values different viewpoints.

Dasilva’s debut book released in May 2019, Age of Union: Igniting the Changemaker, brings leadership, spirituality and environmental guardianship together with themes of identity, diversity, cultural expression, and individual empowerment to ignite the impactful changemakers that the world needs now. (Bio)

Interviewer: Stephen Jagger

Stephen Jagger (VC'96) is the co-President of the Vancouver College Alumni Association and co-founder of addyinvest.com (Bio)

Come listen to VC Alumni Mike Parker (VC'89) talk about life in Silicon Valley, the media and advertising world pre and post COVID and his time at VC.

Guest:Mike Parker:

With nearly 20 years of experience in digital marketing, iCrossing's Global President Mike Parker (VC'89) has been a trusted partner to some of the world’s leading brands seeking to drive transformation and growth in an era of empowered consumers. Under his leadership, iCrossing has continued to thrive as one of the world’s leading digital agencies. Mike joined iCrossing in 2015 to oversee its west coast and US territories before taking the helm of global operations in 2017, a banner year for the agency which earned iCrossing a spot on Advertising Age’s coveted “Agency to Watch” list. Prior to iCrossing, he was Global Chief Digital Officer at McCann World Group, and also served as co-president for Tribal DDB’s U.S. network. Mike has been recognized by Campaign Magazine as a ’40 over 40’ leader of digital marketing, has won Digital Agency of the Year honors and served as a member of the inaugural Cannes Lions Innovation jury. (Bio)

Interviewer: Martin Ertl

Martin Ertl (VC'88) is founder and CEO of Recital Software, building software for a world in ~10 years where AI agents will negotiate contracts autonomously for businesses. He previously started, grew & sold Contractually (www.contractual.ly), a business software company that brought business contracts to the cloud. Coupa Software (NASDAQ: COUP) acquired Contractually, and Martin then spent three years as the General Manager of Coupa CLM (Contract Lifecycle Management), leading product management and sales to Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies. Coupa (www.coupa.com) is the market leader for helping businesses manage their spending. Martin is a recovered lawyer and has degrees from UBC and McGill. He graduated from VC in 1988. (Bio)

Moderator: Stephen Jagger

Stephen Jagger (VC'96) is the co-President of the Vancouver College Alumni Association and co-founder of addyinvest.com (Bio)

Come listen to VC Alumni Rob LeBlanc (Johannesburg) & Suneel Gokhale (Dubai) talk about their time at VC, living abroad and venture capital.

Guest: Rob LeBlanc:

Rob LeBlanc (VC'01) is an experienced early-stage SME VCPE investor, social entrepreneur, and corporate finance practitioner currently living in Johannesburg. Having more than a decade of consulting, transacting and entrepreneurial experience across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Rob has developed unique expertise across the SME VCPE lifecycle, including in strategy formulation, social impact theories of change, capital raising, fund structuring, deal origination, target screening, valuation, deal structuring, B-BBEE regulation, due diligence, contracting, leadership succession, management incentivization and post-investment value creation. Rob received his BCom (with Great Distinction) from McGill University, and his MBA (with High Distinction) from Harvard Business School, where he was named a Baker Scholar. (Bio)

Guest: Suneel Gokhale

Suneel Gokhale (VC'96) is a Founding Partner of VentureSouq currently living in Dubai. Previously, he was Senior Legal Counsel to Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC), a large sovereign wealth fund based in the UAE, advising on global M&A, investment fund (VC, PE and hedge funds) and capital markets transactions. Prior to this, Suneel practiced in the Corporate group of Allen & Overy's Abu Dhabi office and at Blake, Cassels & Graydon in Toronto in the firm's Corporate Finance & Securities group. Suneel obtained a JD (with a concentration in business law) from the University of British Columbia, an MSc from the London School of Economics and a B.A. (Honours) from McMaster University (summa cum laude). (Bio)

Interviewer: Aidan Sullivan

Aidan Sullivan (VC'96) is an expat with 15 years+ experience in China as a financial advisor, venture backed entrepreneur, angel investor and management consultant. He is currently the Managing Director for FM Resources China (A Forbes & Manhattan Subsidiary) living in Shanghai. (Bio)

Moderator: Stephen Jagger

Stephen Jagger (VC'96) is the co-President of the Vancouver College Alumni Association and co-founder of addyinvest.com (Bio)

Come listen to VC Alumni Peter Dyakowski interview fellow alumni Christian Covington about life after Vancouver College, the NFL and much more.

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Christian Covington

Christian Covington graduated from Vancouver College in 2011 and attended Rice University. After his time at Rice, he was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round, 216th overall, of the 2015 NFL Draft. After the Texans he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys and just recently picked up by the Denver Broncos in April of 2020. (bio)

Interviewer: Peter Dyakowski

Peter Dyakowski graduated from Vancouver College in 2002 and attended Louisiana State University on a football scholarship. He was a 4 time member of the SEC Academic Honour Roll and later in 2012, he was named Canada's Smartest Person by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Peter was drafted by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the second round of the 2006 CFL Draft and played with them until 2016 before being traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Peter is now the CEO at Scholars Education Centre in Hamilton and the Treasurer of the CFLPA. (bio)

Moderator: Stephen Jagger

Stephen Jagger (VC'96) is the co-President of the Vancouver College Alumni Association and co-founder of addyinvest.com (bio)