Welcome to the 40th McMaster World Congress!
Wunsche CEO & Chief Token Officer, TokenFunder
Alan Wunsche is the CEO & Chief Token Officer of TokenFunder, as well as the Chair & Co-Founder of Blockchain Canada and Canadian Chair of ISO TC307 (Blockchain Standards) Committee. Alan is a finance and blockchain technology expert focused on the disruptive impacts of blockchain and cryptocurrencies on capital markets and global wealth distribution.
He recently led TokenFunder’s launch of Canada’s first regulatory-compliant security token offering on the Ethereum public blockchain. Alan is a Chartered Professional Accountant with hands-on technology experience leading finance and risk transformation programs as an executive at a global bank (Scotiabank), management consulting (Deloitte, PwC), incubators and startups.
Aryan NavaFounder & COO, Blockchain Mind Inc.
Aryan Nava is the founder of Blockchain Mind Inc. He has 18+ years of experience working for corporations like TSX, TSX Venture, TSX Trust, Canadian Depository for Securities, Extendicare, Direct Energy and E-Health Ontario. He was involved in developing a decentralized crypto exchange (LinkCoin) and has assisted ICOs with raising over $10M. He is currently working as a CTO for EzExchange.
Blockchain Mind has successfully developed a hardware wallet prototype, ICO fundraising platforms, the AML/KYC automated process for crypto-exchanges and provides network/security/auditing services to host smart contracts, code audits and monitoring to ensure that ICO services run smoothly.
Founder & CEO, CryptoChicks
Elena Sinelnikova founded CryptoChicks in July 2017 with the vision to empower and inspire women interested in learning about blockchain and cryptocurrencies. She managed to involve hundreds of women who became blockchain evangelists, blockchain developers, blockchain entrepreneurs themselves. Elena developed CryptoChicks into an international hub for women talent in blockchain technology with programs in Canada, US, Russia, Pakistan and Bahamas and major hackathon events that are supported by Royal Bank of Canada, Deloitte, Microsoft, IBM. Elena holds a Master of Computer Science and her specialities are in blockchain, cryptocurrencies, application architecture, software design, and development.
Kerem KolcuogluDirector, Enterprise Consulting – MLG Blockchain Consulting
Kerem is a DeGroote MBA and now a business leader who has harnessed the disruptive power of blockchain technology to uncover opportunities for multinational enterprises, governments, and educational institutions. He has bridged his experience in multiple industries to collectively foresee digital transformation within large-scale enterprises. He has provided thought leadership to global business executives through his blockchain subject matter expertise.
Othalia Doe-BruceFounder, The Innovative Financier
Othalia is the Founder of The Innovative Financier, an information hub that helps institutional investment managers embrace disruptive technologies. She is also the Global Ambassador and External Relationships Manager for the BlockchainHub, an NPO affiliated with York University that provides education, research, and commercialization of start-Ups.
Recently, she was featured in the Globe & Mail and by Coinsquare as one of the Women in Blockchain disrupting the gender imbalance status quo in the industry. Before her involvement with blockchain, she acquired 10 years of international experience working in the asset & wealth management fields. She has a certificate in Ethereum Blockchain Development and an MBA in Investment Finance.
Henry M. KimCo-Director, BlockchainLab
Henry M. Kim is an Associate Professor at the Schulich School of Business at York University, as well as the Co-Director of BlockchainLab. As one of the leading blockchain scholars in Canada, he is engaged in blockchain research projects with the UN (on cross-border), Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (on electricity micro-grid), the Canadian blockchain startup Nuco Networks (on AI-based consensus mechanism), Ontario Ministry of Agriculture (on food traceability), and National Institute of Standards and Technology in the US (on manufacturing supply chain).
Henry is on the faculty of Don Tapscott’s Blockchain Research Institute, is a co-organizer of U of T’s Fields Institute Seminar Series on Blockchain, and an advisor on the Government of Canada’s whitepaper on Blockchain and Digital Ledger Technologies. He is a scientific advisor on several Canadian blockchain startups that are in the Financial Services and Mining and Natural Resources industries.
(Emily) Ka Yi Sit Head of Partnerships, Phaze
Emily brings a global perspective along with an extensive background in Marketing and Data/Financial analysis. In the past, Emily has worked for two years as an account manager in Beijing, and as a Marketing Manager whose helped various blockchain startups deliver several successful Blockchain ICOs for Ambisafe. Emily has notably assisted a Chinese blockchain startup to achieve early success, building the team to 20+ members through investor relationships, marketing and public relationships, community building, business development and strategic consulting. She has recently joined Polymath and is helping them expand into the Chinese market.
Aaron GrinhausLawyer/Blockchain Advisor; Grinhaus Law Firm & Fintech Venture and Advisory Corp
Aaron Grinhaus is a business and tax lawyer who advises on corporate structures, estates matters and commercial transactions, and is an established Fintech consultant who advises on ICOs and crypto-structuring as well as the use of blockchain technology, smart contracts and cryptocurrency to reduce business costs, support capital raises and expedite cross-border wealth transfer and commercial transactions. He has also acted as chair and lecturer through a number of organizations including the Ontario Bar Association (OBA), RBC Dominion Securities, Osgoode Hall Law School and Michigan State University College of Law.
Student Recruiter for Ontario Post Secondary Students, CPA Ontario
Sean Mullin is a certified teacher and skilled recruiter with over 6 years of professional experience. He is currently the CPA Student Recruiter for Ontario Post Secondary Students and spends his time helping students learn about careers in the accounting and finance industry. Additionally, Sean provides career coaching and professional development, such as soft skills workshops. Outside of work, Sean enjoys exploring the world and in the past has lived in Asia for numerous years.
President and CEO, Harvest Portfolios Group
Michael Kovacs founded Harvest Portfolios Group in 2009 and is the President and CEO of the company. Over the last 9 years he has transformed the company into the 12th largest ETF company and one of the fastest growing ETF businesses in Canada. Over Michael’s 30 year career in the Canadian Investment business, he has helped raise and develop over $25 billion in assets by recognizing the importance of innovative products and distribution. Earlier in 2018 Harvest ETFs launched Canada’s first Blockchain Technologies ETF after recognizing the transformative technology that the Blockchain is bringing to business and consumers worldwide. Recognizing it is early days for the Blockchain, Harvest felt compelled to develop an innovative Index ETF that could take advantage of both the large established Tech companies and the new Emerging companies that are building out this technology.
Co-Founder, Coinaccord
Alex Sheluchin is an experienced software developer whose unwavering interest and belief in the efficiencies of emerging blockchain technology has helped to spark the development of Coinaccord. Alex’s passion to build resilient software and decentralized applications will not only assist in creating new business models, but also breed organizations that empower people. With over 6 years of specialized software development as a Senior Developer at Netquity, a commercial aviation enterprise software firm, Alex has honed his programming skills and gained experience in high pressure, time sensitive projects. His ability to analyze, design, and build technical solutions is integral for Coinaccord’s in-house development projects, but also presents Coinaccord with the unique ability to guide client’s products from ideation to implementation with real-world experience and a proven understanding of the blockchain environment.
Professor & Mackenzie Investments Chair in Evidence-Based Investment Management
Prior to joining DeGroote in July 2018, Katya taught for one year at Copenhagen Business School (Denmark), and for a multitude of years at the University of Toronto, holding the position of Co-Director of its Master of Financial Economics Program. Katya teaches courses in investments, corporate finance, and financial market structure, backed by her PhD in economics from the University of Michigan and a BSc in physics from St. Petersburg State University (Russia).
Katya’s research focuses on financial market structure, including the impacts of maker-taker pricing, dark trading, high-frequency trading (HFT), and new technologies such as blockchain technology. She has received major research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, has collaborated with IIROC on research studies, and is currently designing a regulatory pilot study for the CSA. Katya’s work has been published in many reputable journals, including the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis. Moreover, some of her research findings have been referenced in popular media, including the New York Times and the Financial Times. She is currently an Editor of the Journal of Financial Technology and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Financial Markets.
