About ABFI

Our Team

Vern Glaser

Academic Director

Vern focuses on understanding how organizations use analytics, arguments, and analogies to change routines and to create new capabilities. Using qualitative research methods, Vern has conducted studies in the predictive analytics and online display advertising industries. Vern earned his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and BA in Economics from the University of California. He is currently the Academic Director of the Alberta Business Family Institute and and Associate Professor in the department of Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Management at the Alberta School of Business.

Matt Knight

Executive Director

Matt is an experienced leader splitting his career between strategy consulting with Deloitte, EY Canada, and Productivity Alberta, and working for local family businesses including Ledcor, Umay, and the Latimer Family Trust (Cashco Financial). Matt understands the challenges and opportunities of entrepreneurship shared by ABFI’s members having been a local business co-founder himself at Polar Park Brewing Company. He also serves as an Entrepreneur In Residence with Spring Activator focused on coaching global entrepreneurs and impact investors. Matt has his MBA, and is currently completing is FEA and ICD.D designations.

Sam Sheplawy

Program Administrator

As the Program Administrator, Sam Sheplawy mobilizes her abilities in information and knowledge management, instructional design, curriculum and program development, research, and project management, which she has honed through her education and professional experience in the fields of information and library studies, education, arts and cultural management, and communications. Throughout her endeavours, Sam strives to support and promote local businesses and independent entrepreneurs across industries, including those within the book, film, and theatre communities, where she has been active in a number of production, curatorial, and exhibition capacities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, and Masters of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta.

Advisory Board

Lesley Williams (Chair)

Wife, Mom, Daughter & Business Owner - ABFI Board Chair

Lesley Williams is a mom of three wonderful kids – Isla, Harper, and Cecelia. She received her BA from the University of Alberta and holds an ICD.D designation. Lesley and her sister Jill run Max & Maude, a children’s apparel, footwear, and gift boutique in Sherwood Park. She is a director of By Dr. Mom – a company that makes functional, educational, and trusted products designed by physicians, made for children. She currently serves as board chair of Park Paving Ltd., her family’s construction business, and director of several family holding companies. She is passionate about public education and chairs the Elk Island Public Schools Committee of School Councils. Lesley competed as a national level swimmer in her youth and continues to value fitness and challenging herself – she completed her first Ironman in 2022 and looks forward to more in the future.

Nigel Daykin

Vice President, RBC Private Banking

In 2011 Nigel Daykin moved to Canada with his family, from the UK where he managed the HSBC North East Region Wealth Management proposition. Nigel joined RBC Private Banking as Vice President in 2017 from HSBC Bank Canada where he headed up the Commercial Business Banking team for Edmonton and Alberta North. Nigel has previously consulted for firms such as Royal Bank of Scotland as well as education authorities, local government and non-profit organizations. Nigel holds the international designation of Chartered Financial Planner from the Chartered Insurance Institute as well as PFP from the Canadian Securities Institute. He is also holder of the following designations, ACIB, ACII, MSFA, APFS, ASFA, EFP, Certs. MAP & ER.

Chris Gandhu

Partner, Family Office Leader at KPMG, Calgary

Chris brings over 15 years of experience in wealth management and professional services to the Family Office at KPMG where he assists clients with every aspect of their wealth, including tax, estate, and succession planning. His clients include business owners, enterprising families, executives, professionals, athletes, and established family offices. He has shared his expertise in numerous media appearances, including television, radio, and newspapers. Chris is a tax lawyer and has completed the CICA In-Depth Tax program. He has also completed his Trust and Estate Practitioners (TEP) and Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) certifications.

Enrica Geloso

Director Internal, Family Business Association Student Club at the Alberta School of Business

Enrica is a student at the University of Alberta where she is studying in the Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Management faculty within the Alberta School of Business. With a passion for knowledge and learning she hopes to take every opportunity to expand her understanding of family businesses. Enrica is a part of the Family Business Association student club on campus. In her position of Director Internal she plans to help foster positive change amongst her peers and involve more people in the world of family business.

Rich Groom

Partner, Vanta Group

For over twenty years, Rich has provided exemplary advice and expertise in both the Life/Health Insurance and Group Benefits Marketplace. Rich completed a 3 year Business Marketing diploma at George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario and began his career with PPI Financial Group, a national insurance brokerage company. He is currently a partner at Vanta Group, which provides group benefits, insurance, risk management, and pension planning services to many of Canada's most successful business people. He previously served on the Edmonton Board of ADVOCIS, the association representing insurance and financial advisors and he is a member of CALU, the conference for advanced life underwriters in Canada.

Rohit Gupta

President at Rohit Group

As president of Rohit Group, Rohit oversees the company’s expansion across North America and drives innovation and transformative growth. Some of the initiatives he has led include the development of the residential rental portfolio, launching the social infrastructure business in concert with Covenant Health, and developing BuildBase. Rohit's journey from a field labourer to systems implementor to GM of Housing to CFO and now President showcases his versatility. He has been central to the company’s transformation from a suburban home builder to a diversified, vertically integrated real estate shop.

Russel Hay

Chief Executive Officer at Scandinavian Building Services

Russell Hay is the Chief Executive Officer of Scandinavian Building Services, a premier provider of commercial cleaning and facility maintenance solutions across North America. Raised in the family business founded by his father, Terry Hay, Russell values the strength of family enterprise. Since joining in 2002, he has advanced through multiple leadership roles, becoming President in 2013 and CEO in 2019. Under his leadership, Scandinavian has expanded its footprint throughout North America, embraced sustainable and technology-driven practices, and reinforced its industry-leading 10-1-24 customer commitment.

Casey Hutchinson

Chief Strategy Officer, Tacada

Casey Hutchinson has led various Hutchinson Acquisitions Corp. (HAC) businesses during his career, beginning in 2004 with the acquisition and construction of Daytona Self Storage. This was followed by the acquisition of A&B Concrete Pumping in 2007 and its subsequent scale out to Reach Construction Services Group. He led HAC into commercial/industrial real estate in 2010, next contributing to the growth of housing partnerships as President of HAC in 2016. Through these experiences and roles, Casey has been exposed firsthand to many aspects of acquisitions, scaled strategic growth, partnership, succession, and governance. As Chief Strategy Officer of Tacada, Casey ensures consistency in governance, business framework, and performance metrics across all business units in pursuit of long-term strategic goals.

Dean Koeller

President, Calvert Home Mortgage Investment Corporation

Dean Koeller is President of Calvert Home Mortgage Investment Corporation, an award-winning family owned business for more than 45 years. Dean has served as the Founder and Chair of the Private Mortgage Lenders Forum and as director and President of the Alberta Mortgage Brokers Association, committee member of the Alberta Securities Commission, Exempt Market Advisory Committee, director of Youth Central, director of Energy Insurance Group, and director (8 years) and Chair (2 years) of a non-profit group, cSPACE Projects. Dean received the Mortgage Investment Entity Industry Leadership Award from the Private Capital Market Association (PCMA) in 2017. He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for community service in 2013, and the Alberta Mortgage Brokers Association President Award in 2012.

Samantha Kolias-Gunn

Chief Financial Officer, Boardwalk Properties Company Ltd.

Samantha Kolias-Gunn is the Chief Financial Officer at Boardwalk Properties Company Ltd., a family company that seeded the foundation of Boardwalk REIT, a Canadian multifamily owner and operator that strives to Build Better Communities, where love always lives (tm). Samantha joined Boardwalk REIT as a member of the company’s founding family and Board of Trustees in 2013. She also oversees the Corporate Development Committee, which implements Boardwalk’s strategic initiatives to diversify their portfolio and elevate Resident experience. Prior to joining Boardwalk, Samantha was a Senior Accountant for KPMG Canada. She earned a Commerce degree from Queen’s University in 2009, received her Chartered Professional Accountant certification in 2011, and earned her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors Directors in 2018.

Dr. Vikas Mehrotra

Alberta School of Business Professor - Department of Finance

Dean Vikas Mehrotra has a PhD (Finance) from the University of Oregon, and a BTech (Chemical Engineering) from the Indian Institute of Technology. His work, which deals with family business, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, ESG, and international financial markets, has been published in leading finance journals, and cited by major international news outlets. He is a member of the Canadian Sustainable Finance Network. Dean Mehrotra was a past-President of the Northern Finance Association and served as an inaugural director on its board from 2013-2017. He was a visiting professor at the Institute for Economic Research at Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo and a Shimomura Fellow at the Research Institute at the Development Bank of Japan.

Lloyd Steier

Founding Academic Director

Lloyd researches family business, strategic management, organizational theory, and entrepreneurship. He is interested in how entrepreneurs use family as a resource and the strategic advantages conferred by “family based” approaches to organizing economic activity. He helped found the international Theories of Family Enterprise Academic conference. In 2020-21, he received the Family Enterprise Research Conference Lifetime Influence and Impact Award. He is a professor in the department of Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Management and past Academic Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise.

Leah Tolton

Partner, Bennett Jones LLP

Leah is a corporate lawyer and a partner with Bennett Jones LLP. She has been an advisor to a broad range of corporate and lending clients on various commercial matters for 30 years. She has advised clients, including many family owned businesses, on mergers, acquisitions, sale transactions, corporate structurings, reorganizations, lending, and commercial transactions. She is routinely involved in negotiating and drafting commercial agreements relating to joint ventures, construction contracts, private financing arrangements, unanimous shareholder agreements and employee stock option plans. She provides corporate and governance advice to private corporations and their boards of directors. She represents clients in the construction, engineering, banking, oilfield service and waste management industries. She was designated a Family Enterprise Advisor in 2023.

Taylor Woolsey

Chief Operating Officer, York Realty Inc.

Taylor is passionate about her family, whether raising her own young family or working alongside her family. She works at York Realty Inc., an industrial real estate development company that provides Property Solutions Simplified™ to its clients throughout western Canada. In her role as Chief Operating Officer, Taylor aligns the company’s vision and values with business objectives and strategy.

Our Mission

Our Vision

Our Values

Community Impact

Creative Solutions

Family Mindset

Leading Change

Our Team

Advisory Board

Our Services