Guest Speakers

For thirty years, Dean Mendel has passionately served Montreal’s Jewish community. His journey began with leadership roles at Federation CJA’s ProMontreal, Young Adult Division, and Jewish Chamber of Commerce. Dean’s communal passions are focused on housing development for vulnerable Jews, grassroots innovation in the Jewish community with a specific focus on diversity and inclusiveness, and connecting Jewish youth with their Jewish identity through experiential education.

Julie Gniwisch is the founder and CEO of Delmar International, a leading international diamond and jewelry business. Born in the Carpathian Alps, as a baby she was hidden from the turmoil of the Holocaust sweeping Europe and eventually fled to Canada, where she grew to raise a family of her own. Julie’s heart was set on the jewelry business, and her passion for pearls led to her founding Delmar in Montreal, QC, in the basement of the Gniwisch family home. Delmar continued to grow, amassing over fifty retail partners and delivering innovative designs that gained international renown. Together with her husband, Julie raised six children and today she is an active philanthropist and proud grandmother of over 100 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

As a third-generation Canadian, Stephen Bronfman is driven by a deep sense of duty and commitment to community. He is the Executive Chairman of Claridge Inc., which manages a diversified global portfolio of investments in the form of private placements, third party-managed funds, and real estate. Stephen sits on the boards of several non-profit organizations, chairs major fundraising campaigns, and regularly initiates community projects, which have so far distributed more than $100 million to Quebec and Canadian charities in both the Jewish communities and beyond. He is married to Claudine Blondin and they have four children.

Dax Dasilva is the creative mind behind Lightspeed Commerce and Age of Union. Founded in 2005, Lightspeed is a one-stop commerce platform for merchants worldwide to simplify, scale, and provide exceptional customer experiences. The platform unifies operations by enabling multichannel sales, expansion, global payments, financial solutions, and connection to supplier networks. Dasilva was appointed Executive Chair of Lightspeed’s Board of Directors in 2022. Prior to that, he led the company’s operations as CEO.

Age of Union is a non-profit environmental alliance supporting a global community working to protect the planet’s threatened species and ecosystems. Launched in October 2021, the non-profit was formed following Dasilva’s 2019 release of his book Age of Union, a compelling guide for igniting today’s changemaker. This mission comes to life in debut projects spanning five countries.

Patrick Essiminy is a partner and the Head of the Employment & Labour Group at the Stikeman Montreal office, also holding a position on the Management Committee. Acknowledged by clients for his strategic advice aligned with business priorities, Patrick specializes in all aspects of employment and labour law for provincially and federally regulated companies. He represents clients before Québec labour tribunals, civil courts, and is particularly experienced in workplace health and safety matters. Patrick is sought after for his expertise in union certification, collective bargaining negotiations, and specialized areas such as the Charter of the French Language and human rights. Additionally, he is the editor of the Stikeman Elliott Employment & Labour Law blog and a frequent speaker at seminars. His pragmatic approach and extensive experience make him a trusted advisor in navigating complex employment and labour issues.

Sal Guerrera, founder of SAJO in 1977, leads the company renowned for excellence in project management, design-build, and construction services worldwide. SAJO’s reputation as an industry leader stems from its integrated solutions and cutting-edge technology, serving blue-chip clients across North America, Europe, and beyond. Guided by his visionary leadership and values of integrity and respect, Sal has fostered a culture of care within SAJO.

Beyond business, Sal is deeply committed to philanthropy, particularly in cancer diagnostics, treatment, and developmental disorders. He co-founded the CURE and PROCURE Foundations and serves on the boards of several healthcare organizations. Alongside his wife Diane, he has supported the arts and contributed significantly to Quebec and Canadian cultural landscapes.

In recognition of his contributions, Salvatore Guerrera was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2017.

Suzanne Costom, a distinguished McGill Law graduate, earned dual degrees in civil and common law, garnering prestigious awards such as the Aimé Geoffrion National Programme Gold Medal and Chief Justice Greenshields Prize. She obtained a post-graduate degree in criminal law with a focus on the European Convention of Human Rights from Université de Paris II. From 1994-2016, she worked as a defence attorney and ad hoc prosecutor for the AMF on cases involving alleged Securities Act violations.

Justice Costom was a sessional lecturer at McGill Faculty of Law from 1997-2010. A sought-after speaker at legal education seminars and community events, she contributed extensively to the National Criminal Justice Committee of the Canadian Bar Association and Barreau de Montréal’s Comité des infractions. Justice Costom was appointed to the Cour du Québec, Chambre Criminelle et Pénale in 2016 and serves with distinction. She is married to Paul Cutler and they have two children, ages 23 and 20.

Stephan Ouaknine is the founder and managing partner of Inerjys. With over twenty years of experience as an entrepreneur and investor, Stephan has been a visionary leader across multiple technology sectors. He is known for his dynamic, results-oriented style and his commercialization focus on building self-sufficient and profitable companies. Stephan founded Inerjys with the insight that new deployment approaches and innovative technologies could overcome the challenges of the cleantech sector and power a better tomorrow. Prior to Inerjys, Stephan founded, developed, and sold Blueslice Networks, Emblaze, and Airslide Systems.

Stephan is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, the TED community, a speaker at the United Nations’ annual COP, and a recipient of the Annual Honoree Award from the Canadian Technion Society. Considered a thought leader, he is frequently invited to keynote speaker sessions on entrepreneurship, investing, and the clean energy sector at global events. Stephan also currently sits on six company boards, including two as Chairman.

David is the CEO of the Ascot Capital Group, a privately held holding company based in Montreal, Canada, that is composed of operating businesses in the lighting field as well as real estate assets. Ascot supports its operating businesses by providing strategic guidance, funding growth, and back-office support in the areas of Finance, Information Technology (IT), and Human Resources.
Their operating portfolio includes Stanpro (Standard Products Inc.), Aimlite Corp., Beghelli (Beluce Canada Inc.), LumenTruss, and GABRIEL SCOTT. They operate sales, production, distribution facilities, and showrooms in Canada, the US, and the UK, and employ over 500 persons.
Ascot’s vision is to grow organically and via acquisition in order to increase its relevance, capabilities, and operating efficiencies within the lighting and electrical industries in North America.

Julie Gniwisch is the founder and CEO of Delmar International, a leading international diamond and jewelry business. Born in the Carpathian Alps, as a baby she was hidden from the turmoil of the Holocaust sweeping Europe, and eventually fled to Canada, where she grew to raise a family of her own. Julie’s heart was set on the jewelry business, and her passion for pearls led to her founding Delmar in Montreal, QC, in the basement of the Gniwisch family home. Delmar continued to grow, amassing over fifty retail partners and delivering innovative designs that gained international renown. Together with her husband, Julie raised six children and today she is an active philanthropist and proud grandmother of over 100 grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Dax Dasilva is the creative mind behind Lightspeed Commerce and Age of Union. Founded in 2005, Lightspeed is a one-stop commerce platform for merchants worldwide to simplify, scale, and provide exceptional customer experiences. The platform unifies operations by enabling multichannel sales, expansion, global payments, financial solutions, and connection to supplier networks. Dasilva was appointed Executive Chair of Lightspeed’s Board of Directors in 2022. Prior to that, he led the company’s operations as CEO.

Age of Union is a non-profit environmental alliance supporting a global community working to protect the planet’s threatened species and ecosystems. Launched in October 2021, the non-profit was formed following Dasilva’s 2019 release of his book Age of Union, a compelling guide for igniting today’s changemaker. This mission comes to life in debut projects spanning five countries.