The Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Board of Trade are once again thrilled to celebrate the annual Forty Under 40 awards, which have become widely recognized as the region’s most sought-after business award for people under the age of 40.
This year, we whittled down 163 completed nominations to 88 finalists and from there chose the top 40 based on their business accomplishments, professional experience and community involvement.
This year’s selection committee included Jennifer Cross of MARANT Construction, Jeffrey Johnson of BDO, Joelle Hall from Richardson Wealth, and Gregory Richards of Telfer EMBA. OBJ publisher Michael Curran chaired the committee with assistance from Robert Rheaume of CCRS Advisory Services Inc.
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“Each nominee was separately assessed and ranked by our four-member selection committee. Members of that committee spent many hours poring over the nominations. When we came together with aggregated results, it was a tough decision as always,” said Curran. “There were many great nominations. I want to thank everyone who took the time to apply.”
Greg Richards, vice-dean of graduate professional programs at the Telfer School of Management, congratulated the 2024 recipients. The Telfer Executive MBA has supported Forty Under 40 for most of its existence.
“I am thrilled to see the wonderful diversity in this year’s Forty Under 40 recipients,” said Richards. “We have, for example, entrepreneurs in health care, finance, construction, and social services. In addition, we’ve noted exceptional contributions from leaders in established businesses that include high-tech, retail and community services. It is a testament to the deep talent pool in the city of Ottawa that we are witness to such a breadth of exceptional contributions across a spectrum of different organizations. Congratulations to all recipients.”
The awards celebration is scheduled for Friday, June 21 at the Hilton Lac-Leamy. OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade will continue to produce a TV show to recognize the recipients.
Congratulations to this year’s Forty Under 40 recipients:
- Eric Agyemang, 39, Founder and Managing Partner, Maple Bridge Ventures
- Kate Agyemang, 39, Senior Associate, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
- Jason Anbara, 38, CEO, NorthLend Financial Inc.
- Richard Beranek, 37, Managing Partner, Brash Inc.
- Matthew Blostein, 34, Wealth Advisor, CIBC Private Wealth Management
- Neel Chadha, 35, Physician / Entrepreneur, Lanark Lifestyles Ltd.
- Shea Cole, 37, Vice-President Marketing, Field Effect
- Laura Dionne, 39, Senior Director People and Culture, Ottawa Senators Hockey Club
- Fares Elsabbagh, 39, CEO, Ottawa General Contractors
- Yasser Ghazi, 35, Director and Team Lead, Commercial Services, Meridian Credit Union
- Nicolas Gosselin, 39, CEO, Nomad Telecom
- Geoff Howe, 39, District Manager, PCL Construction
- Heather Jeffery, 34, Founder, Designer, Re4m Design and Fabrication
- Agatha Krajewski, 38, Director of Product, Shopify Inc.
- Breanne Lapointe, 39, Deputy Chief, Lanark County Paramedic Service
- Bonnie Martell, 33, Senior Manager, Development, Colonnade BridgePort
- Chris McCluskey, 39, President, The McCluskey Group
- Victoria McGlone, 39, CEO and Founder, Three Cliffs Inc.
- Christine McGuire, 39, Executive Director, Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum
- Stacey McMillan, 38, Senior Manager, Client and Pursuits, Regions East, KPMG LLP
- Karim Merani, 39, Owner, Carleton Place IDA Drugmart Inc.
- JP Michel, 39, Founder and CEO, SparkPath Inc.
- Jacob Milosek, 39, Managing Partner, Hendry Warren LLP
- Michael Montone, 35, Founder and CEO, Firon Roofing
- Patrick Moore, 39, Program Manager / Superintendent, 176026 Canada Inc. / Amor Construction
- Jonathan Murray, 37, CEO, Heartee Foods
- Tony Paciocco, 37, Partner and Criminal Lawyer, Edelson Foord Law
- Lisa Paul, 37, Director of Community Programs, St. John Ambulance National Office
- Magnolia Perron, 29, Indigenous Women and Youth Program Manager, National Aboriginal Capital Corp. Assoc.
- Wendy Ramsey, 39, Owner / General Manager, Pirate Cove Marina / RBK Distribution Inc.
- Jeremy Reeds, 37, President, Windmill Development Group Ltd.
- Alexandre Rizk, 32, CEO and Vice-President, Groupe Loyal
- Eric Saumure, 35, Principal, Zenbooks
- Conal Slobodin, 36, Senior Manager, Public Affairs, Walmart Canada
- Kyle Smendziuk, 34, CEO, Founder, WebMarketers Inc.
- Dr. Red Thaddeus D. Miguel, 35, Vice-President and Chief Technical Officer, Thera-Business Inc.
- Branavan Tharmarajah, 34, Head of Sales, Growcer
- Megan Van Rijt, 39, Director of Sales and Design, Deslaurier Custom Cabinets
- Tiffani Westerman, 39, CEO, WCS North America
- Jordi Wills, 39, President, Wills Transfer Ltd.
