Recently, three Canadian organizations have announced new members to their teams. Here’s a breakdown of who is joining and what they bring to the table.
Katy Yam appointed general manager of FounderFuel
Montréal-based accelerator FounderFuel has announced that Katy Yam has been appointed to the accelerator’s general manager role. Yam will replace Isaac Souweine, who will now focus on FounderFuel’s pre-seed strategy and companies.
Since 2017, Yam has served in different positions at Element AI, including as program director, marketing and communications director, and customer market director during her nearly three years at the startup. Yam was also a licensee, producer, and head curator for TEDxMontréal, a non-profit that allows individuals to showcase ideas in their local areas and respective fields.
“As I look ahead to the start of our 2020 cohort, I am excited to engage with our stellar mentor network,” Yam said. “They are the heart of what makes FounderFuel successful and the alchemy that powers the healthy startup community in Montréal and beyond.”
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Yam said she will be introducing emotional intelligence training to FounderFuel’s programming this year, aimed to develop “more resilient and flexible founders.” The programming will focus on themes like cultivating empathy and balancing confidence with humility.
In January, FounderFuel opened applications for its 13th cohort. The accelerator has worked with 95 companies to date.
Jonathan Tétrault joins Sagard Holdings as a managing partner
Montréal-based Sagard Holdings, a subsidiary of Power Corporation, has appointed Jonathan Tétrault as the organization’s managing partner. He will officially join the holdings company in May.
“I look forward to working closely with Paul and the leadership team to drive further growth.”
In the role, Tétrault will contribute to the development and expansion of the Sagard Holdings platform globally, while leading the coordination of value creation activities for portfolio companies. The announcement comes three months after Sagard Holdings’ venture capital arm, Portag3 Ventures, closed a $427 million CAD FinTech fund, the largest of its kind in Canada.
“We are thrilled that Jonathan will be joining us as part of the core leadership team building Sagard Holdings in North America and Europe,” said Paul Desmarais III, the chairman and CEO of Sagard Holdings, and senior vice president of Power Corporation. “As we expand our investing activity, institutional client relationships, and geographic reach, his expertise and operational and strategic skills will be extremely valuable. I am especially pleased to welcome a global leader with deep ties in Québec.”
Tétrault was most recently president and chief operating officer (COO) of Cirque du Soleil, and was a senior partner at McKinsey & Co, where he worked with institutional investors, private equity firms, asset management firms, and banks on strategic and investment matters in more than 25 countries.
“I am honoured to be joining Sagard Holdings at this critical juncture in their development,” said Tétrault. “Sagard Holdings has grown significantly in recent years and the opportunities for the firm are only starting to become apparent. I look forward to working closely with Paul and the leadership team to drive further growth.”
Vena Solutions hires new CMO, COO
Toronto-based Vena Solutions has made hires for two executive positions. Allison Munro has been appointed to lead the Vena marketing team as chief marketing officer (CMO) and Tina Goulbourne will act as the startup’s COO.
“Allison and Tina are proven leaders in tech here in Canada.”
Munro brings over 15 years of experience to the CMO role, with recent positions at Oracle Marketing Cloud, NexJ Systems, and Piano Software. She is an executive sponsor of Vena’s Network for Women, an employee resource group that aims to amplify the voices of women in tech.
Goulbourne has experience in the financial services and information technology industries and has held senior leadership roles at Apple and Hewlett-Packard. In the new role, Goulbourn will lead Vena’s new strategy and operations, keeping the company focused on its mission and values.
“Allison and Tina are proven leaders in tech here in Canada, with the right blend of strategic vision and operational rigour,” said Vena CEO Hunter Madeley.
“We’re truly appreciative of the trust our customers place in us, and I know that Allison and Tina will each play a critical role in fulfilling our vision of taking Vena to the next level as a global leader in [financial planning and analysis] software and finance process management,” Madeley added.
Vena Solutions aims to connect business to finance, and finance to strategy, in order to help companies plan more effectively. The startup recently opened new offices for its sales team in Toronto’s Liberty Village. In January 2019, Vena raised a $115 million equity financing round.