About ESIO

Peggy currently serves as the Chancellor of the University of Alberta, involved in all aspects of university life and building connections with the community. For more than ten years, Peggy was the Chief Reputation and Brand Officer for ATB Financial, responsible for helping build ATB’s reputation, articulating ATB’s brand story and differentiating ATB in the marketplace, marketing ATB’s services and raising its profile and reputation with Albertans, and telling ATB’s stories through various forms of media. She continues to own and operate her own company, PG Communications Ltd., where she works with a variety of clients to provide expertise and advice on communications, issues management, and articulating their purpose.

Peggy is also a member of the board for the Art Gallery of Alberta and was previously the chair of the board for the Winspear Centre and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

Kerry is a retired business lawyer with many years of experience assisting businesses, including telecommunication and financial institutions, non-profit organizations, and government-related entities resolving legal issues related to financing, acquisition or divestiture of significant assets, the development of new lines of business, regulatory compliance, and internal governance. In addition to her legal training, Kerry completed the Canadian Securities course and the Partners, Directors and Officers course offered by the Canadian Securities Institute. Kerry received her Queen's Counsel designation in 2006. In June 2009, she earned ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors and was a member of that organization for many years.

Rod is Chief Executive Office of the Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund (ATRF), which has assets of $21 billion and provides pension services to 85,000 active and retired teachers in Alberta. Rod has more than 30 years’ experience in the investment and finance field. Prior to joining ATRF, he was Assistant Deputy Minister of Treasury and Risk Management for the Government of Alberta where he had responsibility for the treasury and risk management and insurance operations of the provincial government, as well as policy areas dealing with capital markets and financial institutions.

Rod has a Bachelor of Commerce degree and an MBA from the University of Alberta as well as a CPA (CMA) designation, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and an ICD designation. He is a member of the Government Relations Committee of the Pension Investment Association of Canada. Rod has served as a Director on the Board of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds and the Board of the Alberta Local Authorities Pension Plan. He was a member of the Asset and Liability Committee for the Alberta Capital Finance Authority and has served on the Investment Committee of the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the Advisory Committee for the Government of Alberta’s Long Term Disability Plan.

Driven by curiosity, Faaiza is an entrepreneur and marketer whose best work comes from exploring connections between seemingly disparate ideas. This curiosity has led her into roles in investment banking, tech, broadcast media, and economic development—and placed her in the middle of challenging, satisfying, and memorable experiences.

As leader of OnPurpose, her strategic marketing studio, Faaiza helps organizations figure out how to tell their story in crowded landscapes, and create meaningful connections with their audiences through products, partnerships, and purpose. Faaiza also recently launched Field Notes, the first company in North America to craft herbal liqueurs from distilled Canadian field peas.

Whether in business or in her community, Faaiza’s work often begins by asking questions like, “how might we,” “what if,” and what happens when.”

Chris Izquierdo is an entrepreneur and inventor that has founded and scaled several technology companies. Chris believes revolutionary change happens at the interception of innovation, humans, and technology. His life-long mission is the create communities, companies, and ecosystems for a better future. Chris is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Sparrow Connected Inc., an Edmonton-based SaaS company improving the way companies communicate with their workforce. Chris brings an abundance of experience from the tech sector to the ESIO Board. In 2012, Chris received E&Y Prairies Entrepreneur of the Year award for Professional/Investment Services.

Chris also enjoys spending quality time with his wife and two children, exploring the world, hiking, biking surfing and volunteering with various community and charitable organizations.

Catrin Owen is a consultant who specializes in facilitation, issues management and crisis communications. Most recently, she was the Deputy City Manager of Communications and Engagement at the City of Edmonton leading a team of over 400 communications professionals. Until 2018, she was the CEO of Calder Bateman Communications, and spent over two decades alongside the founding partners as they built the company into one of the biggest communications and marketing agencies in Alberta.

As a volunteer, Catrin has served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Winspear Centre. She is Past-Chair of the Edmonton Arts Council, and former Board Director for Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build. She is a former trustee of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation and a Past President and Director of the Citadel Theatre. She has been a member of the Professional Development Advisory Committee of the University of Albeta’s Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, a member of the University Relations Committee of the Board of Governors, as well as a member of the Business Advisory Council for the Alberta School of Business. Catrin was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Screen Industries Office and has recently returned to the board. She also currently sits as the Vice-Chair of the Board of the United Way of Alberta Capital Region.

Catrin is a recipient of IABC’s Communicator of the Year Award, a Fellowship Award from the Advertising Club of Edmonton and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Christiana is the Director of Investments at Alberta Enterprise Corporation (AEC) where she invests in venture capital funds to drive Alberta's tech industry growth. Her notable contributions at AEC include leading the Start Alberta Deal Flow Platform, experience which she leveraged during her time in Lisbon and Amsterdam, as Dealroom.co's Director of Government Marketing. A University of Calgary MBA alumna, Christiana was part of the inaugural CDL - Rockies cohort. She holds accreditation from UC Berkeley's Venture Capital Executive Program and completed ILPA Institute courses accredited by the University of Chicago Booth.

Christiana’s career has spanned industries from financial services to fashion, chiefly as a management consultant on strategic planning, marketing strategies and international expansion projects. Christiana is a Director with the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) Board, as well as a VMS and Canadian Immigrant Women Society Mentor. Previously, Christiana was a member of the Hunter Hub Executive Team Advisory Committee, Group Leader within the C100 Fellows Selection Committee, and member of the VCAA Board and CVCA Invest Canada Planning Committee. With global experience in Amsterdam, London, Vienna, San Francisco, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Italy, and Lisbon, Christiana has cultivated an impressive international network.

Jhod Cardinal is a content specialist who has financed, sold, and produced Films and TV Series for more than twenty years. In 2013 he founded Upstream Flix, which creates progressive sales opportunities for independent projects. In a few short years Upstream Flix has grown its catalogue to over 700 hours of content and also represents the catalogue for Thunderbird Entertainment (Kim’s Convenience, Beat Bugs, Intelligence). Jhod is partnered with dotstudioPRO, specialists in OTT Platforms and CMS, as the VP of Distribution & Acquisitions. Overseeing a combined content catalogue of 2700 hours, and working with all major broadcasters and platforms, Jhod continues to develop strategies to release content in the ever-changing digital space.

Lazina Mckenzie is, first and foremost, a community builder. She’s also a leader of people, connector, innovator, relationship builder, and entrepreneurial.

Lazina leans into being an inclusive leader and understands the power of unlocking people’s gifts and strength to drive strategic, growth objectives forward in an organization. In her current role, she is on the leadership team for Yardly, a Canadian yard care business that is aimed at supporting people to maintain pride and care in their homes. Lazina spent 4 years as a leader of a MIT-based mentorship program, ThresholdImpact Venture Mentoring Service at the University of Alberta, which is focused on supporting innovators and founders through their entrepreneurial journey. Lazina has started and run her own businesses in the personal development space as well as change management and strategy consultant; both of these experiences are based on her foundation in the management consulting industry, which is where she began her career.

Lazina is at her best when bringing people together. This is seen in her work co-creating The Other Box, a learning and development opportunity for teams to have a framework to have complex conversations to better understand oneself and the diverse perspectives of the world around us all. Lazina is a legacy co-leader of November Project Canada, a free, grassroots fitness community that started in Boston in 2012 and is in almost 60 cities globally. Lazina is honoured to hold a brand ambassador role with the global brand lululemon. In the past, she was on the 1000 Women A Million Possibilities Advisory Committee through NorQuest College and was a Board member with Suit Yourself, a non-profit organization supporting disadvantaged women in need of professional attire.

Lazina has been awarded Roy Group’s MacGregor Cup which recognizes individuals who display character, mastery, and leadership in the work they do and teams they touch. Lazina is a recipient of the 2023 Lieutenant Governor’s Leadership for Active Communities Award in the Group Spirit of Community Leadership.

Penny is an owner, partner, and investment advisor of The Omell Financial Group CIBC Wood Gundy, having joined CIBC Wood Gundy in 1994. Before that time, Penny taught physical therapy at the University of Alberta while serving as President of the Alberta College, as well as owning a private physical therapy practice.

Penny is dedicated to participating in her community. She has served as Chair of the Edmonton Community Foundation and Chair of its investment committee. She is past chair of the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association. She is currently Chair of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation.

Tarick Ahmad is the Chief Technology Officer for the Workers’ Compensation Board – Alberta. Prior to this, he worked in the construction, energy, and technology industries. He was the Chief Innovation Officer for a public long-term disability and extended healthcare organization overseeing finance, technology, enterprise risk management, and facilities. Tarick has extensive experience in all aspects of business technology innovation, business intelligence, cybersecurity, and complex project management. He was the recipient of a global innovation award for his work with optimizing a case management platform. Tarick volunteers as a judge for the national Ingenious Awards, which celebrate enterprises that demonstrate measurable evidence of productivity improvement, efficiency gains, revenue growth, overall business transformation, or other organizational outcomes using technology. He sits on the Innovation, Technology and Accounting Conference advisory committee for CPA Alberta.