Ahead of this year’s Forty Under 40 celebrations, OBJ is sharing stories from this year’s recipients of achievements, obstacles and inspiration – as well as the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
In this group of Forty Under 40 profiles, we meet this year’s recipients from the professional and financial services sectors:
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How the uOttawa faculty of engineering instills an ‘entrepreneurial mindset’ in students
A decade ago, Terrafixing chief operating officer Vida Gabriel was a chemistry-loving student in high school with little to no interest in business or entrepreneurship. “I didn’t like the sales
The value of an Algonquin College degree: Experiential learning, taught by industry experts
Zaahra Mehsen was three years into a biology degree at a local university when she realized she wanted to take a different path. “I realized that it’s not my thing,”
Roberto Aburto, partner, Gowling WLG
Business: Law firm
Born: Toronto
Biggest business achievement: Rose to partnership quickly and helped build one of the largest municipal law teams in eastern Ontario.
Biggest obstacle overcome: Overcame ferocious competition to rise as one of the prominent municipal law teams in eastern Ontario.
Biggest influences: My family drove me to be community-oriented and to strive for excellence.
Biggest lesson learned during COVID-19: Be gentle to yourself and to others. Everyone is going through various challenges – we will not always be our best self every day.
Charitable involvement: Lifesaving Society of Canada
First job: Paper route before being a janitor at a waterpark
Advice I’d give the younger me: Pace yourself. It is a marathon.
Favourite pastime: Swimming
Cynthia Benoit, CEO, CB Linguistic Services Inc.
Business: Sign language linguistic services
Born: Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que.
Biggest business achievement: Founding a consulting firm that has grown annual revenues by 750 per cent over the past four years and employs four full-time deaf employees, three part-time deaf employees and more than 60 deaf and hard-of-hearing freelancers across Canada.
Biggest obstacle overcome: Being agile and making my business grow while facing a highly unpredictable environment when the pandemic hit.
Biggest influences: Dr. Alex Iantaffi, who literally changed my career trajectory. He inspired me to be my best, and showed me what a healthy working environment should look like.
Biggest lesson learned during COVID-19: Agility and the team’s mental health and overall well-being truly matters.
Charitable involvement: Canadian Deaf Sports Association
First job: Dishwasher at a cafeteria
Advice I’d give the younger me: Never stop learning, find yourself different types of mentors, stop holding yourself back and enjoy the journey!
Favourite pastime: Kayaking
Matthew Carr, president, Gifford Carr Insurance Group
Business: Property and casualty insurance brokerage
Born: Ottawa
Biggest business achievement: Took over and managed the business when my dad was terminally ill. Then took over the business during a pandemic. In both cases, I grew the business the following year.
Biggest obstacle overcome: The passing of my father, and taking over the company in the pandemic.
Biggest influences: My parents, who taught me the value of hard work, as well as Jim Mahood, who forced me to challenge my thinking from different angles.
Biggest lesson learned during COVID-19: Own it. Making decisions and trying to get consensus at the start of the pandemic was difficult with things changing hourly. I ultimately had to make decisions, move forward and adjust if necessary.
Charitable involvement: Gifford Carr Gives Back Initiative
First job: Greens crew at a golf course
Advice I’d give the younger me: The same thing my dad always said to me: “It’s better to be seen than heard.” I’d add, “Always do the right thing, no matter the cost.”
Favourite pastime: Relaxing with my family and friends at the cottage, or golfing
Elnaz Kanani K., senior manager of data and artificial intelligence, Deloitte
Business: Business consulting firm
Born: Tehran, Iran
Biggest business achievement: The network of people around me.
Biggest obstacle overcome: Re-starting my life as an immigrant – adjusting to the new culture, language, values and rules has been a fun, yet tough, curve.
Biggest influences: My PhD supervisor, Prof. Georges Zaccour, at HEC Montreal. He showed me how to be a better person and was the reason I kept going in difficult times.
Biggest lesson learned during COVID-19: Seeing how the world changed overnight reminded me of all the things that are sometimes taken for granted.
Charitable involvement: Cornerstone Housing for Women
First job: A data entry clerk at a small company. It forced me to practice patience on a daily basis!
Advice I’d give the younger me: Don’t take life too seriously. And that it’s OK to be different and go off the typical and proven path for success and happiness.
Favourite pastime: Reading books, especially novels by Jane Austen, plays by Eric Emmanuel Schmitt and poems by Rumi. I also enjoy keeping a diary of my random thoughts and life events.
Chris Murray, principal, FoxNRTH
Business: Helps businesses get started, change direction and focus.
Born: Ottawa
Biggest business achievement: Successfully creating both the first commercial supply chain of cannabis into the U.S. in 2017 and the first commercial supply chain of psilocybin in 2021.
Biggest obstacle overcome: When the Trump administration closed the doors on the cannabis industry, I refocused on key criteria in controlled substances law, established key relationships and received approval from the same administration to import controlled substances.
Biggest influences: My father taught me the importance of always learning and critical thought. My mother taught me the importance of relationships and empathy.
Biggest lesson learned during COVID-19: Health literacy should be taught in schools.
Charitable involvement: My core work with FoxNRTH encompasses involvement in social justice and equity work.
First job: Videoflicks, renting out movies
Advice I’d give the younger me: It’s going to get weird. Stay the course.
Favourite pastime: Spending time with my partner and kids
Emilie Wilcox, managing partner, Baiame Consulting
Business: Professional services
Born: Peterborough, Ont.
Biggest business achievement: Joined Baiame Consulting in 2016 as its second employee and grew revenues by approximately 450 per cent since then.
Biggest obstacle overcome: Although COVID-19 caused uncertainty around business development and the company’s sustainability, revenues increased by 60 per cent and the workforce grew by around 150 per cent.
Biggest influences: My dad always taught me that I could do anything a man could do and do it better. My business partner, Claire Lake, offered me a partnership in Baiame before I had proven I was ready. Without either, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Biggest lesson learned during COVID-19: The continued mental health of employees should be in the top three objectives of all organizations.
Charitable involvement: Blue Sky School and Impact Hub
First job: Assistant at the local library, shelving books two nights a week
Advice I’d give the younger me: You don’t have to be perfect at everything – just live your values and the rest will fall into place.
Favourite pastime: Travel, hiking, exploring beaches and outdoor concerts
