Marilyn Sinclair
President and CEO
t: 519.858.5003
e: marilyn [dot] sinclairtechalliance [dot] ca

Marilyn has over 16 years management and entrepreneurial experience, building and merging software service businesses. Marilyn successfully launched and expanded a technology education and consulting business which grew to over $9 million in sales with 70 employees in six years. Offices were established in London, Toronto, Atlanta and New York City with services offered across North America, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Malaysia, England and the Netherlands. 
 
Marilyn's experiences have proved invaluable in her role as President & CEO of TechAlliance, which is to provide companies with the knowledge and support required to achieve their business goals. Her broader mandate is to further enhance the increasingly vibrant tech sector in the London region.
 
Marilyn received the “Woman of Distinction” award for business in 1997 and was runner-up for “Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year” for Canada in 1997.

Carmen Gicante
Vice President, Business Services
t: 519.858.5043
e: carmen [dot] gicantetechalliance [dot] ca

Carmen oversees the Business Suite of Services and the TechAlliance's mentorship and advisory programs. These programs assist both existing and potential technology companies, in the start-up phase, to become investor-ready and to gain access to investment capital.

Carmen has extensive experience at the executive level in both the public and private sector, including senior management roles with Ontario Hydro and its subsidiary companies. Before joining TechAlliance, Carmen held the position of Executive Director of the Shared Hierarchical Academic Research Computing Network (SHARCNET), based at The University of Western Ontario.

Carmen holds a Master of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a Bachelor of Engineering Science from McMaster University.

Jodi Simpson
Director, Programs & Member Relations
t: 519.858.5078
e: jodi [dot] simpsontechalliance [dot] ca

Jodi acts as a key conduit between TechAlliance and the TechAlliance member community. Her primary responsibility is the development and delivery of business programming, speaker and sponsorship acquisition and member relations.

Jodi joined TechAlliance from a communications and client management role at a London advertising agency. Prior to that Jodi worked at CSTAR (Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics) in public relations and human resources, at an executive search firm in London, and also served as a course instructor at Fanshawe College.

Jodi holds a Masters of Arts degree from The University of Western Ontario and is a long-time resident of London.

Allison Fisher
Manager, Educational Outreach
t: 519.858.5059
e: allison [dot] fishertechalliance [dot] ca

Allison oversees the organization’s programming related to developing the next-generation workforce and connecting TechAlliance and its members with students at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. These programs include the Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge (SABC) Southwestern Ontario Region, the BIOlympics, Entrepreneur 1.0 and other education-related activities and partner programs.

Allison graduated from The University of Western Ontario with a BSc in Biology. Previously, she worked as the Laps for Lungs Coordinator at The Lung Association, promoting asthma education and physical activity to elementary-aged children.

Katrina Hass
Manager, Communications
t: 519.858.5082
e: katrina [dot] hasstechalliance [dot] ca

Katrina is responsible for developing and implementing the organization’s strategic communications initiatives. She is also the key contact for media and member marketing.
 
Katrina joins TechAlliance with a background in corporate and not-for-profit public relations, having served as the Southwestern Ontario Marketing Coordinator for a national law firm and as the Public Relations Manager for United Way of Cambridge & North Dumfries. 

Sarah Ferguson
Coordinator, Programs & Member Services
t: 519.858.5101
e: sarah [dot] fergusontechalliance [dot] ca

Sarah works closely with Jodi Simpson and is responsible for the coordination of the TechAlliance Breakfast Club and P2P groups, as well as providing additional support for TechAlliance initiatives and events. Sarah also acts as a liaison for the 150+ TechAlliance member companies.

Sarah graduated from the University of Ottawa, and holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences with a concentration in Political Science. Prior to joining TechAlliance in 2007, she completed a summer internship with CNIB as a Development Assistant.

Alec Miller
Resident Business Analyst
t: 519.858.5118
e: alec [dot] millertechalliance [dot] ca

Alec works closely with Carmen Gicante and Dennis Ensing. Alec provides a host of business analyst services for TechAlliance, with the objective of helping start-up companies become investor-ready.

Alec graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business and holds an Honours Business Administration degree and a certificate in Entrepreneurship. He previously worked with IBM as a sales representative and has a background in business plan writing and market analysis.

Wen Bian
Office Administrator
t: 519.858.5185
e: admintechalliance [dot] ca

Wen's role is to manage the day-to-day operations for the organization. She has over 15 years of broad administrative experience, with a background in accounting and office management. Prior to joining TechAlliance, Wen worked as trader for several international organizations in Beijing, China. Wen graduated from The University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Arts in Management and Organizational Studies.

Dennis Ensing
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
t: 519.858.5076
e: dennis [dot] ensingtechalliance [dot] ca

Dennis helps entrepreneurs get the fundamentals in place – such as business plans and investor presentations – and introduces them to TechAlliance services such as market intelligence. He brings a unique mix of operational and transactional experience, having been CFO for a number of companies, an entrepreneur, and a consultant in corporate finance for a global accounting firm.

“Most of us can’t see the forest for the trees – that’s human nature. I help entrepreneurs step back and put things in perspective. And diagnose what they need to do to become successful. It’s great to be able to quickly add value.”