David Hodgins, who has worked for some of Ottawa’s best-known tech companies, has joined SaaS firm Knak as its new director of business development.
“I’m ecstatic,” Hodgins told OBJ on Wednesday. “I love the building aspect of things. I’ve worked at companies that are relatively small in the grand scheme of things. There’s incredible people here and a really awesome team. I couldn’t be more stoked to be here and I think we’re already starting to see some uptick in results. Some encouraging signs to start.”
Over the course of his career, Hodgins has held leadership roles at some of Ottawa’s most recognizable tech companies, becoming an expert in helping SaaS companies drive growth.
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In 2018, he joined what was then known as Assent Compliance, where he started in global business development, before taking on the role of account executive. He then spent three-and-a-half years at e-commerce analytics platform Noibu as manager and then director of business development.
“At Assent, I learned a ton about sales, it was a really great foundation,” he said. “Noibu was probably the fastest and steepest growth I’ve ever had in my career. I learned a ton about building a business and how to make sure things are efficient and effective. It was really transformative to my career.”
Most recently, he was with security software company Solink as business development manager.
“I think Solink gave me the opportunity to apply all that I’d learned,” he said. “And now I’m going to learn from that role and have another opportunity to do it again with Knak, where there’s an even stronger product and even better business and hopefully it multiplies everything we can do as a business development team.”
Hodgins added that he loved his time at Solink but was drawn to Knak as a new opportunity.
“There are a couple people who work at Knak who I used to work with at Noibu, (senior director of people operations) Sarah Crandlemire being the big one, as well as a few other people on the sales and customer success team,” he said. “I think they were familiar with my work. One of their biggest goals for 2026 was to improve outbound business development. So they reached out to me.”
Hodgins told OBJ that Knak’s customer list — which includes brands like Google, Amazon, Uber and OpenAI — has long caught his attention.
“When you’re working with companies like that, it’s a pretty good sign that you’ve got an awesome product. And it’s very encouraging to me as a business development person, being able to leverage some of those names.”
But even with that calibre of customer, Hodgins said there’s still room for Knak to grow.
“I think part of the reason they work with some of the biggest companies in the world is that they’re the most forward-thinking,” he said. “They’ve realized on their own that there’s a better way of doing it and that Knak has already figured it out. There’s a really great opportunity to kind of go grab them by the collar and show them how the bleeding-edge companies are doing things. As much as we have a massive list of world-class organizations, there’s an even bigger list of companies.”
Other people on the move
Heidi Hauver has taken on a new role as vice-president of people and culture at tech company Ranovus. Hauver has held multiple roles in human resources over the course of her career with organizations such as the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, Pythian, Shinydocs and TrackTik. More recently, she has taken on fractional roles, partnering with founders and CEOs to create strategies to scale their businesses. Her clients included Invest Ottawa, where she served as an adviser and fractional vice-president of HR from 2017 to 2021, then fractional VP of people and culture from 2023 to 2026. In a recent post on LinkedIn, she said Ranovus is in a growth phase and her new role will include spearheading efforts to expand the team.
Real estate SaaS company 1Valet has named a new CEO. Demetrios Barnes, who most recently served as chief operating officer of SmartRent, is stepping into the role this week. In a press release, the company said Barnes brings extensive knowledge and experience in operations, go-to-market strategies and capital markets. In his previous role, Barnes helped scale the business globally and supported its transition to a publicly traded company. With Barnes on board, the company said founder Jean-Pierre Poulin will transition to a new role as executive chairman to focus on board leadership and a long-term vision.
Christian Robillard has been hired by the Ottawa Board of Trade as its new manager of business development. In a post on LinkedIn, OBOT said Robillard will lead membership, sponsorship and partnership growth efforts to strengthen business connections and strategic relationships. Robillard’s experience spans fundraising, stakeholder engagement and partnership development, having held senior roles at Carleton University, Youth Ottawa, Farm Radio International and Future of Good, among others. He is also involved in the philanthropic sector, leading fundraising initiatives and continuing to volunteer with the Ottawa Community Foundation and United Way East Ontario.
Ottawa Tourism has welcomed Orest Gawdyda as its new manager of business events. In a recent LinkedIn post, Gawdyda said he has spent more than five years in the hospitality industry, working across Canada in sales and business development. Most recently he held the role of business development manager for the Regina Hotel Association and spent time at DoubleTree by Hilton in Regina as corporate sales manager. Prior to his time in hospitality, he spent 32 years with Postmedia Network in sales and management roles. He said his new role will prioritize building relationships with national associations, government unions and Indigenous partners.
Hats off!
Ottawa infrastructure and transport consultant CPCS has expanded its global reach with the acquisition of French firm Mille407. In a news release last month, the company said the move to acquire the port and maritime management consultancy increases its capacity and adds expertise to its team, while deepening its position in port and maritime operations. It also provides the company with a foothold in France and continental Europe, opening up markets in the Middle East and North Africa.
Government relations and public affairs firm Compass Rose is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the launch of two new practice areas. In a press release, the company said it will provide services in campaigns and creative, as well as in communications. It’s a change that reflects the changing trends of the industry, as the communications environment becomes more complex on both the strategic and digital levels of public policy and politics. The campaigns and creative practice will be led by digital strategist Michael Edwards, while Kristina Davis, who brings 20 years of experience in strategic communications and marketing, will lead the communications practice.
