This week, several Canadian startups have made announcements, launching new features, expanding teams, and more. Here’s the latest on Canada’s movers and shakers.
Klipfolio adds former Invest Ottawa exec Jonathan Milne as head of community and strategic partnerships
Ottawa-based Klipfolio, a provider of cloud business dashboards, announced that Jonathan Milne has joined the company as head of community and strategic partnerships.
Milne has previously served as managing director of innovation, interim CEO, and vice-president of marketing and communications at Invest Ottawa. Milne also previously co-founded startup WhenAppsFly and has held leadership roles at IBM and Irdeto.
“Jonathan Milne has a unique blend of intelligence, unbridled enthusiasm, and endless drive,” said Allan Wille, co-founder and CEO at Klipfolio. “He brings the exact qualities we need to foster strategic relationships and further grow Klipfolio.”
As head of community and strategic partnerships, Milne will be responsible for leading Klipfolio’s higher education initiatives, partnerships, strategic programs, and community building efforts.
Klipfolio said Milne’s first area of focus will be building on the Klipfolio for Education program, which gives educators free access to Klipfolio as part of a verifiable course curriculum. Milne will develop programs to help educators teach KPIs and performance monitoring to students in business and analytics programs.
“Klipfolio has a tremendous opportunity to empower the next generation of business leaders, enabling them to understand the importance of performance monitoring, and the critical value of being able to gain insights into key business drivers,” said Milne. “I’m excited to lead these efforts for Klipfolio, and strengthen our relationships with strategic partners worldwide.”
In January, Klipfolio raised a $12 million Series B led by OMERS Ventures.
Lightspeed appoints Laith Murad as chief marketing officer
Montreal-based Lightspeed, a cloud-based point-of-sale system for retailers and restaurants, has appointed Laith Murad as its chief marketing officer (CMO).
Murad was formerly the CMO at US-based luxury retailer PIRCH. Before that, he served as vice-president of marketing at Yahoo, where he focused on growth strategies, customer acquisition, and retention.
“We are thrilled to welcome Laith to the Lightspeed team as a leader for our marketing and communications divisions, and a champion of our customer-centric approach,” said Dax Dasilva, founder and CEO at Lightspeed. “Laith’s vast marketing experience in the retail and technology sectors, make him an exceptional asset to the team as we expand our current marketing strategy and continue to engage thousands of new customers, on a global scale.”
Murad’s appointment comes on the heels of Lightspeed’s recent launch of Lightspeed Analytics, which provides retailers with insights and recommendations into core business components.
“I am honoured to join Lightspeed at this pivotal time in the company’s global growth,” said Murad. “Lightspeed is a true innovator in the retail tech industry, empowering entrepreneurs, store owners, and restaurateurs with the tools they need to grow, scale, and manage a business.”