Mark Adler
CEO Canada Economic Forum
Mark Adler leads Silver Road Capital Group’s operations in Canada where he is responsible for connecting high performing Israeli assets with both institutional and private investors. He is also Founder and Chair of the Canada Economic Forum the country’s leading online platform for business, finance and politics where he engages with the country’s decision makers in discussions on the most important issues facing Canada and the world. Through his experience as an entrepreneur, business executive and nationally elected official, Mark has developed an extensive network of professional relationships with key decision makers and influencers in both Canada and globally.
Mark is the author of the book, Time Bomb: How the aging population will transform our world. As an expert on demographic change, Mark served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Organization on Aging and Longevity, where he was retained by organizations to assist in meeting the increasing challenges and opportunities posed by population aging.
Elected to Canada’s House of Commons in 2011, Mark was the first representative of his party in his district to be elected as a Member of Parliament in half a century. While in government, Mark served on the Standing Committee on Finance where he was actively involved in economic and fiscal policy. Mark was a frequent guest on national media speaking on behalf of the government on these and other issues including international affairs.
Mark is also the founder the Economic Club of Canada where he hosted numerous world leaders in politics and business for important speeches and interviews.
Before establishing the Economic Club, Mark was Director of Corporate Programmes at the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, where he led trade missions of Canadian business leaders to countries around the world. On these missions, the delegation would meet with Heads of State, government Ministers, and business leaders for high level discussion on geo-politics, the economy and international trade.
Mark attended the University of Toronto where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Masters of Law. He lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife and children.
Manjit Minhas
CEO and Co-founder Minhas Breweries and Distilleries and star of CBC's Dragons' Den
Manjit Minhas is 41 years old and was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. This Petroleum Engineering student turned beer baroness is a Dragon on the hit TV show Dragons' Den on CBC in its 16th season (for which she has been on for 8 seasons/years). Manjit leads a privately owned empire that had revenues in excess of $220 million last year.
Manjit is the co-founder and co-owner of the Minhas Brewery, Distillery and Winery. She started her companies at the ripe age of 19 in Alberta, when she launched her spirits in 1999 and her beers in 2002 in Alberta with her business partner and brother, Ravinder Minhas. Together with $10,000 they gave the big boys a run for their money, thereby becoming the first successful company to enter the Canadian beer industry in many decades. Currently, she has over 90 brands of beers, spirits, liqueurs and wines. Her products are sold in 5 provinces (Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia), as well as 47 states throughout the USA and 16 other countries.
Over the last few years, wherever Manjit and Ravinder have entered the marketplace, and especially in Canada, they have single headedly caused a huge stir in the marketplace. To date, her companies have sold over 8 billion pints of beer! Many beer drinkers in Canada and USA have welcomed her style of beer as a tasty alternative to the higher priced mediocre beers that dominate the marketplace.
Manjit takes Social Responsibility very seriously. Manjit Minhas is the 1st brewer in Canada to voluntarily put a Management Warning on all her beer cans. The Management Warning on the cans reads " MANAGEMENT WARNING: Please do not drink and drive - ever. Expectant mothers should avoid drinking alcoholic products. Enjoy this product responsibly - Respect yourself and others". She recently put this on all her products because she believes as a responsible brewer and citizen of this country, it is important she does her part to educate Canadians.
Manjit has also created a special 48 can pack of beers for COSTCO which has the least amount of packaging materials compared to any other product in Canada or USA. It uses no plastic hi-cone rings and needs least amount of box material. This product alone will save millions of pounds of packaging materials ending up in the already over-filled landfills. Similarly, Manjit has sold millions of cases of other brands of her beers such as Boxer Lager with minimum packaging materials using sound engineering principles in protecting the environment.
Manjit believes that effective use of science and engineering can do a lot of good in people's lives. She has used her engineering background in producing beer using least amount of cleaning and water treatment chemicals, gas, electricity and water. Canadian and American consumers suffering from the Celiac disease have also been beneficiary of her innovative method of making best tasting Gluten Free beer from Sorghum and sold at half the price of the competition.
Manjit and her brother purchased the 2nd oldest brewery in the United States in Monroe, Wisconsin in 2006 and renamed it "Minhas Craft Brewery". Being in their mid 20s, the purchase of this Brewery officially made them the Youngest Brewery Owners in The World. Their brewery is now the 9th largest in North America. From this brewery, world quality beers are shipped across the USA, to Canada and overseas to 16 different countries such as Japan, UK, Brazil and Korea. The Minhas Distillery distills and bottles premium spirits and liqueurs such as Artingstall’s Brilliant London Gin.
Manjit opened a new brewery in Calgary in June 2012 - the Minhas Micro Brewery and quickly added a distillery also. This facility makes unique and specialty beers, spirits and wines such as White Wolf, Boxer Lager and Pilsner, Rovers Irish Cream, Blackstone Vodka and Punjabi Club Whisky.
Manjit also co-owns Spotlight TV and Film Production that writes, directs and produces numerous documentaries, feature films, lifestyle programs, tv and digital commercials and corporate videos based in Calgary, Vancouver and Los Angeles.
In Early 2015, CBC approached Manjit to star on Dragons’ Den; Manjit has experienced the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and is keen on helping others who work hard to create successful businesses and follow their passions and dreams. Being a venture capitalist Dragon allows her to share her knowledge, experience and expertise about being an entrepreneur with millions of Canadians each week. Manjit has invested in 31 businesses the last 8 seasons/years.
In 2021 Manjit’s companies had revenues in excess of $220 million.
Manjit has won several business industry awards. A few of them are listed below:
- Canada’s Top 40 Under 40
- Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs in Canada
- “Top Growth Entrepreneur” award, PROFIT magazine in Toronto
- Ranked #6 in the “Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies” by Alberta Venture Magazine
- Alberta Chamber of Commerce Marketing Award
- Young Achiever Award from the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce
- Compelling Calgarian Award given by the Calgary Herald
- Alberta Centennial Medallion
- Canada’s Women Executive Network Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs
- Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40
- India Abroad’s "The Power List" Award
- Famous 5 Foundation Leader Award
- Global TV Woman of Vision Award
- Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of The Year Finalist
- Chatelaine Magazine’s Top Entrepreneur Woman of The Year
- The Sikh Centennial Foundation Award
- Canadian Business Icon Award
In November 2020 Manjit launched a podcast called The Manjit Minhas Podcast and it hit the Top 10 Podcast charts on its debut day! In each episode of this business podcast Manjit interviews her friends who are successful entrepreneurs and CEO’s about their journey and path to success. Manjit explores their challenges and how they overcame them and their advice on how listeners can learn from their successes and failures. A few of the notable leaders Manjit talks to in Season 1 and 2 include Jim Pattison, Lisa Lisson (President of FedEx), Ed Sims (CEO of Westjet), Christiane Germain (Co-founder and President of Germain Hotels/ALT Hotels), Vincenzo Guzzo (CEO of Guzzo Cinemas), Michele Romanov (CEO and founder ClearCo) amongst numerous others. The Manjit Minhas Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Manjit currently serves as a Board of Director for ATB Financial, YYC Calgary Airport Authority, Decibel Cannabis, Hull Mental Health Services, Creator and Alberta Brewers Association. In the past she has served as board of director on TransCanada Trail, United Way, Spiritleaf Cannabis (ISH Holdings), Shergill Homes and West Island College and was the United Way Campaign co-chair raising $60 Million plus for this charity that is close to her heart. Manjit donates time and money to philanthropic causes in Calgary that benefit women and children such as United Way and Ronald McDonald charities. Manjit has an extensive background and experience in government relations, shareholder relations, governance and executive performance and compensation.
Manjit is born and raised in Calgary and still calls it home with her husband and they have two young daughters.
Manjula Selvarajah
Journalist, National CBC columnist and co-founder Tamil Women Rising
Manjula Selvarajah is a journalist, national columnist to the CBC and guest host on CBC Radio's shows. She is the host of the MaRS podcast Solve for X and a frequent speaker with repeat appearances at Collision and Elevate. Formerly, Manjula was on the executive team of a now acquired Toronto-based startup and holds a degree in Engineering from Queen’s University. She is co‐founder of the non-profit Tamil Women Rising and sits on the board of Scientists in School.
Bindu Cudjoe
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary Laurentian Bank of Canada
Bindu Cudjoe is the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Laurentian Bank of Canada, serving as a member of its executive team. She leads the legal, corporate secretariat and regulatory risk management functions responsible.
Previously, she was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for CWB Financial Group, and prior to that served in a series of more progressive roles at BMO Financial Group, most recently as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel – Technology and Operations & Chief Knowledge Officer. Bindu began her legal career at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and continued as Partner with McMillan LLP in the financial services group.
She is a mother of three, active in her professional and local communities and is currently:
- Chair and director of the Oakville Community Foundation
- Founder of the Oakville Community Foundation’s Women Giving Collective
- Director of the global board of the Association of Corporate Counsel
- Director of the National GC Network
- Founder of Women General Counsel’s General Counsel University
- Founding member of the Ryerson University Law & Business Advisory Council
- Member of the advisory board for Alexa Translations
Anita Sharma
Network News Anchor, Host, Moderator
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Our Board
The PAE Board is comprised of a cross-section of professionals who share the common vision and have the strong passion and commitment to make a difference in this under-developed area.