Board of Directors

Rajesh has been involved with Edmonton region’s rich innovation/entrepreneurship ecosystem for over 12 years. He took the role of Executive Director for the Northern Alberta Business Incubator (NABI) in October 2020.

 
Prior to this, he worked with Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (2010-2020) where he successfully executed initiatives and projects in the areas of innovation-entrepreneurship, tourism and conventions, and economic development. He cherishes his role in managing the Edmonton Research Park (2017-2020), where within a span of just two years, his team transformed a disconnected community of tech companies into a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem. This attracted advanced tech companies in the Park, enabled them to leverage their community interconnections, networks, as well as Edmonton’s ecosystem support to achieve national/international accolades and market growth. The ecosystem is still active and growing sustainably.

Rajesh earned multiple degrees including an MBA (University of Alberta) and a PhD (University of Saskatchewan), achieved scientific records, and merit awards. He ran a successful food business while studying in Saskatoon. Rajesh continues to be a passionate and active member of Edmonton region’s innovation-entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Maxine is co-founder and partner of Flip Learning, a boutique management consultancy focused on transforming the way organizations learn and change, using a human-centered method. A lifelong Albertan with global work experience who has hopped on the risky and rewarding roller coaster of starting and running a business, she is passionate about supporting entrepreneurship and economic prosperity within the province. She brings 20 years of experience consulting and teaching university courses in organization design, leadership development, change management, and equity/inclusion, and holds Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Science in Organization Development, Project Management Professional, and Professional Certified Coach designations.

Carrie Fanai is a professional engineer. As an Innovation Excellence Manager at NOVA Chemicals, she is continuously pursuing best practices in technology development and innovation with an end goal of “…reshaping plastics for a better, more sustainable world”. Before joining NOVA Chemicals in late 2023, Carrie was a Senior Business Development Rep, Commercial Strategy & Innovation at Keyera Corporation in their New Ventures team working on energy transition challenges, decarbonization, and debottlenecking of key assets. Previously she has held innovation and technology development roles at Keyera, Suncor, Innovate Calgary, and Devon Canada. Her “non-linear” 23-year career began in environmental engineering, agri-food processing and R&D, water and wastewater treatment, in addition to running her own small businesses in the food service industry.

Carrie is an enterprise and ecosystem connector with a passion for unlocking corporate innovation value by engaging teams in new ways of working. She is a senior member of Avatar Innovations’ executive advisory committee and lends her innovation expertise to Avatar participants, industry startups, and committees and Boards such as WPC2023, NABI – Northern Alberta Business Incubator, and previously as Board Member with Canadian Heavy Oil Association and SHEinnovates Alberta.

As an executive and entrepreneur, John Babic has successfully aligned communication strategies with corporate objectives, fostered leadership, and orchestrated effective team collaborations. His achievements include listing five companies on the TSX, generating over $2 billion in economic impact, and serving as Chair, CEO and CFO of various private, public and non-profit organizations.

With a knack for navigating intricate business landscapes, surpassing goals, and delivering impactful outcomes, John engages, nurtures, and catalyzes diverse stakeholders with his excellent communication skills. He crafts compelling messages and fosters interactions with varied audiences.

John is committed to mentorship, coaching, and cultivating connections while driving innovative approaches in harmony with targeted initiatives. He is passionate about advancing public awareness and comprehension through visionary communications and strategic initiatives that align with targeted priorities and objectives.

Will is a Mentor, Advisor, Investor, Entrepreneur and long time contributor to the start-up ecosystem in the Edmonton area. Professionally he is a Senior Analyst and Strategist, helping to guide and transform public and private sector entities as they move through large scale change and technical innovation.

Will has deep roots in the volunteer sector in the region. He co-founded and acted as inaugural President to one of the first New Media professional associations in North America and subsequently worked with Tech entrepreneurs across the Province to create Alberta New Media. He has since sat on a number of Community boards focusing on everything from Early Childhood Development and Education to developing and encouraging Community Events to support entrepreneurship.

In addition to his board experience, Will has countless hours working with young entrepreneurs and academics. He has been a speaker, course provider and judge at numerous bootcamps and start-up events; a long time contributor to the TecEdmonton Tec Source Advisory Panel; A coach and mentor to U of A Researchers taking part in the Falling Walls Competitions; a long time member of the VA Angels investment group; a mentor to dozens of entrepreneurs in the region; an advisor to local start-ups; and a guest lecturer at U of A, Grant MacEwan and NAIT.

Will is a lifelong entrepreneur – starting his first business at 18 and raising his first private capital by 19. He has slowed down in more recent years and now focuses on data analytics, Business Intelligence, Large Language Models and Machine Learning. He has degrees from University of Ottawa and University of Alberta, and is a long time resident of St Albert.