FORTYUNDER40
2016
constantly educate yourself and never settle; try to work for industry leaders; ask hard questions and apply those learnings; and Invest in Facebook and Uber while growing up – trust me! I chose this career because: Sports, entertainment and pop culture have consumed me since I can remember. As soon as I realized I wasn’t going pro in any of those things, I put 100 per cent of my effort into working in this industry. One word to describe my career: Hustle When I was a kid, I wanted to be: A professional athlete Favourite pastime: Sports and movies I’m currently reading: #AskGaryVee by Gary Vaynerchuk Favourite movie: Too many to list. Favourite song: Ruby Soho by Rancid Favourite local pro sports team: Ottawa Fury FC Favourite local summer event: CityFolk Preferred social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Instagram Company Twitter handles: @tdplace @redblacks @ottawafuryfc @ottawa67shockey
Jonathan Milne, 36
MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2016
managing director of innovation, Invest Ottawa
OBJ.CA
18
Birthplace: Charlottetown Company: Invest Ottawa delivers collaborative economic development programs and initiatives. Education: MBA, Carleton University (2004); bachelor of commerce, Carleton University (2002) Charitable involvement: YMCA-YWCA National Capital Region Biggest biz achievement: Hiring the brightest co-op students I can find and helping them show their true potential. Biggest biz obstacle: In high school I was told by more than one teacher that I would never graduate or be university material. Not only did I go to university, I went on to do a master’s degree and graduated at the top of my MBA class! Biggest influence: My grandfather, who instilled my thirst for knowledge and desire to always learn new things, especially with regard to technology. Biggest lesson learned: Learn from your failures. Don’t repeat them and move on quickly with no regrets. Always look for new opportunities. First job: Cashier at gas station Advice I’d give the younger me: Say yes to trying more things. Also, don’t give up on how to learn to code. I chose this career because: I have a passion for helping innovative, energetic
people make their great ideas viable. There is nothing more rewarding watching others grow and succeed. One word to describe my career: Transformational When I was a kid, I wanted to be: Taller! And I still haven’t caught up to my older brother... Favourite pastime: Playing with my three kids I’m currently reading: The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz Favourite movie: Braveheart Favourite local pro sports team: Ottawa Senators Favourite local summer event: Canada Day Preferred social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat Personal Twitter handle: @jonathanmilne Company Twitter handle: @Invest_Ottawa
Alex Monk, 31 co-founder, Dominion City Brewing Company and Abacus Data Birthplace: Ottawa Company: Dominion City makes great beer. Abacus Data develops client-driven market research solutions. Education: Bachelor of arts in political science, minor in economics, Carleton University (2010); Certified Management Accountant, Chartered Professional Accountant (2013) Charitable involvement: Envirocentre Biggest biz achievement: With both Dominion City Brewing Company and Abacus Data, I’ve been lucky enough to work with people who are passionate, driven and care deeply about the work we do. Of course I’m proud to be a part of both of those great companies, but I think my biggest business achievement has been Dominion City’s ability to find and inspire a truly amazing group of of people who work for us. Biggest biz obstacle: To be honest, banks. Getting a brewing company off the ground at all was a huge challenge for my partners and me, but despite banks’ rhetoric about helping small business, there was no “help,” and the bank proved to be our biggest obstacle, though I won’t say which one. However, more in the spirit of the question, cash-flow management is always a primary concern for any business, and managing that obstacle is certainly something we’re proud of. Biggest influence: My parents have been the biggest influence on me, hands down. My mom is the most compassionate, aware and involved woman I’ve ever known. My dad is the best man I can imagine, period. He’s who I aspire to be. First job: I was a ski boot and bike fit
Ottawa’s biggest and best celebration of entrepreneurship pro at Tommy & Lefebvre and assistant manager at the store. Advice I’d give the younger me: Polonius’s advice to Laertes, from Hamlet, verbatim. Favourite pastime: Anything active – crossfit, cycling, climbing, skiing, running, etc. Favourite movie: Braveheart Favourite song: The Mary Ellen Carter by Stan Rogers Favourite local pro sports team: Ottawa Senators Favourite local summer event: CityFolk Preferred social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram Personal Twitter handle: @monkalex
Jonathon Moody, 36 president and chief operating officer, Versature Birthplace: Toronto Company: Versature provides cloud-based business phone service and solutions. Education: Bachelor of social science, University of Ottawa (2006) Charitable involvement: Ottawa Product Management Association Biggest biz achievement: Making the pivot eight years ago from an on-premisebased traditional phone service to a cloud-based model before the market had made the change or the term cloud was even being used. This required a strong belief that our technology would be a great fit with our customers’ needs as well as leadership to guide the customers through the process to trust and adopt new technology. Biggest biz obstacle: We have always been and continue to be a customer-first company, yet we originally deployed a technology that was new and not yet trusted by our customers and the market. Focusing on a service that works while aggressively deploying a new technology required a tremendous amount of commitment to our customers and risk management to achieve the right balance. Biggest influence: Family and early work experiences taught me that results come from putting in the effort. It is easy to see success and attribute it to luck or timing and easy to blame failure on others. Biggest lesson learned: Making sure success for clients matches success for your business and building a product and service that ensures long-term success for both. In most cases, this means choosing customers that share your vision of success. First job: Retail specialist at Compucenter Advice I’d give the younger me: Customer success is non-negotiable.
Always believe your core values; if you do the right thing for the customer you cannot go wrong. I chose this career because: I have always believed in technology for the purpose of business, not just for the sake of technology. This started in high school and carried on through college and the early days of my career. One word to describe my career: Customer-centric Favourite pastime: Adventure! Everything from motorcycling, racing sailboats, cycling and skiing to adventure travelling and boating. I’m currently reading: The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman Favourite local pro sports team: Ottawa Senators Favourite local summer event: Ottawa Bluesfest Preferred social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Instagram Personal Twitter handle: @jonathonmoody Company Twitter handle: @Versature
Nicolas Moyer, 35 executive director, Humanitarian Coalition Birthplace: Ottawa Company: We unite Canadian aid agencies and businesses in response to international humanitarian disasters. Education: MBA, Queen’s University (2016); master of international relations, Macquarie University (2004) Charitable involvement: Humanitarian Coalition Biggest biz achievement: In a highly competitive market, I founded a joint venture between five of Canada’s largest aid agencies to launch a national campaign in response to major international disasters. Starting without any resources or infrastructure, we raised more than $23 million directly from the Canadian public for humanitarian relief alone, contributed indirectly to raising $30 million and raised another $11 million from the federal government. The joint venture has generated a return on investment of 16:1 for our members. Biggest biz obstacle: My own self-doubt and uncertainty have been ongoing barriers throughout my early career. Biggest influence: My parents have been amazing inspirations throughout my life – my mother for her discipline and neverceasing confidence in my own success and my father for his irreproachable moral character, deep sense of justice and constant caring of others. Even as my