Behind the Brand®

S02:E08: The Future of Global Banking with Miklós Dietz, Senior Partner, Managing Partner of Vancouver Office at McKinsey & Company Miklós Dietz | Senior Partner, Managing Partner of Vancouver Office | The Future of Global Banking “Winning business models are not stuck in one sector.” —  Miklós Dietz This time, on Behind the Brand, we sit down with Miklós Dietz. Miklós leads the Global Banking...

S02:E07: Modernizing Payments Infrastructure with Ron Morrow, Executive Director at the Bank of Canada Ron Morrow | Executive Director at the Bank of Canada | Modernizing Payments Infrastructure “You want a system that is stable and reliable, but not one that is so stable and reliable that it stifles innovation and competition. So it's a challenge to find [the] trade off. I think a lot of what is...

S02:E06, Yves-Gabriel Leboeuf, Co-Founder and CEO at Flinks Yves-Gabriel Leboeuf |  Co-Founder and CEO at Flinks | State of Entrepreneurship in Canada “Having competitors is fine. It's actually good… It keeps you sharp... You gotta find ways to have the right product that fits in the market against your competitors.” —  Yves-Gabriel Leboeuf In this episode, we speak with Yves-Gabriel Leboeuf, or a...

S02:E05, Donna Kinoshita, Chief Payments Officer at Payments Canada Donna Kinoshita | Chief Payments Officer at Payments Canada | Bringing Real-Time Payments to Canada with Donna Kinoshita, Chief Payments Officer at Payments Canada “We call it… the three legged stool. You've got the Retail Payments Activities Act as the rules. The Canadian Payments Act is the who can be members and participants… T...

S02:E04, Rob Khazzam, Co-Founder and CEO at Float Rob Khazzam | Co-Founder and CEO at Float | Delivering Frictionless Financial Experiences for Canadian Enterprises with Rob Khazzam, Co-Founder and CEO at Float "There's a million reasons for a company like Skip or Neo or Float or any business to not go anywhere. They get built by people who go 'I will go through every single rabbit hole, I will un...

S02:E03, William Keliehor, Former CCO at Interac William Keliehor| Former CCO at Interac | Designing a Banking System for New Entrants with William Keliehor “My philosophy in life is very agile, in that, I'd rather get something to market, and listen, learn, and then tweak, pivot, and then move.” —  William Keliehor In this episode, we speak with William Keliehor. William is the former Chief Comme...

" There is so much that technology can unlock in terms of giving small business owners back time... their most valuable resource in life. - Faye Pang  We’re joined by Faye Pang, Country Manager at Xero, a new Zealand–based technology company that provides cloud-based accounting software for small businesses. Faye is an industry leader with a track record of successfully launching and scaling busin...

S02E01: Abraham Tachjian, Director of Digital Banking, PwC Episode Title:  Abraham Tachjian | Former Open Banking Lead to the Government of Canada “Consumers don’t care about open banking… It's an industry term… They care about the capabilities that come with it.” —  Abraham Tachjian   We’re speaking with Abraham Tachjian, Open Banking Lead to the Government of Canada and the self-described author...

“Our teens today will find themselves in five or more really quite different careers over the course of their lifetime... how we equip youth with the skills to be able to transfer and adapt through their different career journeys and environments is really, really key to our work.” —  Erin Barton Erin Barton is the Chief Development Officer for JA Canada and one of Canada's leading non-profit exec...

“And that's what that's what entrepreneurship gives you. It gives you access to problems that are really hard to solve that, in my case, at least, for the kind of problems I like to solve, I can't find anywhere else.” —  Mike Murchison In this episode, Mike Murchison, the co-founder and CEO of Ada, shares insights on redefining success beyond external measures and embracing intrinsic motivation fo...

“There is so much unmet legal need within businesses of all sizes that I don't see AI as a threat, I see it as an opportunity to make legal more important and more valuable to the businesses that it's serving.” —  Brett Colvin In this episode, Jeff delves into the vibrant realm of legal services alongside Brett Colvin, a fellow founder based in Calgary. Tune in as Brett unfolds his remarkable path...

“I think entrepreneurship is the profession of the future, and I think ‘entrepreneurial’ is the trait of the future.” —  Mark Harrison In this episode, Jeff sits down with Mark Harrison, Founder of MH3 Collective, who shares his approach to life and entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of self-management and taking control of one's destiny. Mark highlights the significance of building rela...

“This is the element of humanity and compassion and empathy of banking that we don't have today that really needs to come in.” — Dr. Mohamad Sawwaf Join us on this episode of Behind the Brand as we sit down with Dr. Mohamad Sawwaf, a dynamic force in the world of finance, ethics, and innovation. With an impressive academic background and a diverse portfolio of experiences, Dr. Sawwaf has dedicated...

“I think specialization is really important. Do what you're really, really good at, be really well known for it, and then they will start giving you other things to do because they know that they can depend on you.” —  Kirsten Gauthier Join us in this episode of Behind the Brand as we sit down with Kirsten Gauthier, the founder of Public Office. From her early days in advertising to her entreprene...

“We want to showcase that just because we're a small business doesn't mean we can't have a big impact. ” —  Connor Curran  Connor Curran started Local Laundry equipped with a Google search, 50 dollars, and a vision for a mission-driven clothing company. But starting was the easy part. Many lessons, and many pivots later, Local Laundry is now a widely recognized Canadian brand.  This week’s episode...

“Problems are great things once they’re identified, and if there’s a willingness to address them. Because they alert you to a way to get better.” —  Senator Colin Deacon In this episode, we sit down with ‌Senator Colin Deacon, a leading voice in Canada's financial landscape. With a keen eye for innovation and a passion for empowering consumers, Senator Deacon's perspective is nothing short of enli...

“We're in this position and in this space where we can do things differently than what incumbents do, because we have the opportunity to reimagine it.” —  Hanna Zaidi With her extensive regulatory compliance expertise and forward-thinking approach, Hanna Zaidi has been a driving force behind innovation and transparency in the financial sector. Her leadership has propelled Wealthsimple to the foref...

“Another thing the best companies are doing is just moving fast or being very clear in the interview process.” —  Ilya Brotzky While working in Brazil, Ilya Brotzky joined a startup accelerator that aimed to connect American invcestors with Brazilian startups. Immersed in the startup culture, he observed a pool of skilled Brazilian developers wanting to move to Canada but facing language and soft...

“The opportunity for me is like to look at the challenges as part of the fun of it, right? … How do you overcome those challenges in a way that pushes the business forward?” —  Karen Danudjaja Frustrated by the limited non-caffeinated options in cafes and a desire to move beyond commercial real estate, Karen Danudjaja harnessed her entrepreneurial prowess to launch Blume – a brand that would trans...

“I loved being in the storm fighting fires and, and seeing the unbelievable potential that things have and, you know, trying to bring that to reality.” —  Joe Parenteau When it came time to upgrade his dinnerware, Joe Parenteau looked to the usual suspects—EQ3, Pottery Barn, and West Elm. However, he was disappointed to find that the shopping experience for premium home goods lacked inspiration an...

“This is a fluid landscape, whether it's how we manage our people or how we identify different markets, we've just understood the world is always changing.” —  Michael Ryan Michael Ryan's love for pushing boundaries ignited his extraordinary journey into the world of foot care, starting as a certified pedorthist in Canada. For over 14 years, he honed his expertise within outpatient settings, from...

“Of course make your debt reduction a priority, but over here you also need to start learning to love yourself enough to put money aside for your future. And that is an act of self-love.” —  Lesley-Anne Scorgie Lesley-Anne Scorgie’s passion for personal finance ignited at a young age. At just ten years old, she took a hundred-dollar birthday gift from her grandparents and made her first investment...

“Brand trust is gonna be critical and it's always been critical, but in the age of AI, brand trust is gonna be critical.” —  Darby Sieben In the late 1990s, Darby Sieben embarked on his journey as an internet early adopter, eventually founding his own digital marketing company. Over the years, he has earned a reputation as a respected industry leader, driving impactful change and spearheading prod...

“Sport is a tool for social change that you can make [a] meaningful impact in communities, you can influence consumers.” —  Russell Reimer Having produced for NBC during the 2000 and 2002 Olympics, Russell Reimer recognized the power of storytelling in captivating audiences and generating interest in the games. This insight inspired him to establish Manifesto Sport Management, where he continues t...

“So there's been, I think this huge change in how Canadians sort of want and need to bank.” —  Ian Burns Established in 1938, Servus Credit Union is a member-owned, community-based financial institution. With an impressive network of over 100 branches and a staggering 380,000 owners, Servus Credit Union proudly holds the title of being the largest credit union in Alberta. Leading the charge at Ser...