Richard Baker is a technology entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in corporate enterprise and working with startups in the technology, financial services, digital media, and telecommunications industry sectors. He has a deep passion for transforming innovative technology into commercial opportunities.

Richard was the former Chief Executive Officer of GeoSpock, a Data Analytics software company based in Cambridge, UK. Richard also serves as Chairman and Director of Tokenovate, a Fintech smart contracts company.

Formerly, Richard co-founded and ran Cleartrade Exchange, a fintech commodities futures exchange, for six years before exiting in 2016 to the European Energy Exchange, a Deutsche Bourse company. He has experience across four different industries, including telecommunication, digital media, financial services, and big data software technology. So he’s well placed to know how to get the best out of teams.

David is a senior finance executive and business leader with over 30 years experience in DTC, manufacturing, shipping, real estate, natural resources and financial services industries. Instrumental in financial management, operational controllership and business transformation with strengths including:

• Financial and operational leadership in Fortune 250 Canadian companies.
• Extensive divestiture, merger and acquisition expertise including business valuation, negotiation and operational integration.
• Multi-national organization management with staffs of 60 people (direct & dotted-line).

 
A seasoned, progressive financial manager and operational leader who has demonstrated results in dynamic enterprises.

Mr. Jorgensen is a highly qualified executive with experience in building, developing and managing high-performing teams, including in the fintech sector and the crypto/blockchain space. Based in Switzerland, Lars has taken on increasingly senior roles, designing and implementing business strategies, plans and procedures and including comprehensive goal setting for performance and organizational growth. Lars spent 10 years as COO and Deputy General Manager and Executive Board member in a private bank in Switzerland and held the CFO and head of investment fund administration positions in a private bank in Luxembourg with more than 160 employees.

Kal Suurkask has more than 15 years of business experience in leading organizational strategy, product sales, and operations. He has held several senior leadership roles in the technology, renewable energy, and entertainment industries. Kal most recently served as Interim CEO and Chief Operating Officer of UK-based nChain and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian-based Elevation Public Relations Corporation.

Kal has founded a number of business ventures, including a renewable energy product startup that blossomed into a multimillion-dollar international enterprise within five years. He is the founder of Big Birch Capital Corporation, a private investment company with a significant portfolio of real estate assets, including restaurants, commercial offices, and residential units across North America.

Kal served as Communications Advisor within the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada. He is an award-winning public speaker and has been featured in a number of news publications and television documentaries on various business topics. Kal holds a B.A. degree from the University of Western Ontario. In 2011/2012 Kal was selected as one of 16 emerging leaders for the prestigious Action Canada Fellowship.

Cyrille Albrecht has executive-level experience with over 15 years in driving Business/IT transformations with a proven track record of digital and agile delivery and enabling technologies.

Over the last 15 years, Mrs. Holowaychuk has found herself at the forefront of emerging technologies, holding senior management positions leading day to day operations, technical development teams and global expansion projects within the fintech, regtech and most recently, blockchain and Bitcoin exchange sectors.

Her expertise is building global operations and service channels from the ground up and working closely with legal and regulatory advisers, executives and technology specialists.

Mrs. Holowaychuk attended the British Columbia Institute of Technology for Operations and Supply Chain Management.

Mr. Druzeta has joined TAAL as its General Counsel. He is a former partner of Bennett Jones LLP where he was co-head of the Fintech and Blockchain Practice Group. Prior to that Mr. Druzeta was partner at another major Canadian law firm focused on mergers and acquisitions and public securities law.

Mr. Druzeta practices securities and corporate law specializing in capital markets transactions, securities regulation, capital raising and deployment, private equity, and public and private mergers and acquisitions.

He currently also acts as a director of the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Lindsay Forrest has experience as a Corporate Secretary for publicly traded companies with cross-border operations, including prior work for Park Lawn Corporation before joining the team at TAAL. Previous to that, she gained further Corporate Governance experience in the private sector specifically in the Canadian financial industry. Ms. Forrest received a Law Clerk diploma from the Fanshawe College in London, Ontario and is a candidate for the GPC.D. designation from the Governance Professionals of Canada.

Mr. Matthews has significant senior management and executive leadership experience totaling more than 30 years in the technology and on-line services sector, where he has been responsible for operations in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, Malta and the United Kingdom at the levels of chief information officer, chief technology officer and chief executive officer. He has been actively involved in several initial public offerings (Australia and the United States) and multiple mergers and acquisitions.

In 2015, Mr. Matthews was a founder, and is currently the Executive Chairman of nChain, known for global leadership in blockchain and Bitcoin research.

Mr. Matthews holds a bachelor of financial administration degree and an MBA (international business) from the University of New England.

Richard Baker is a technology entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in corporate enterprise and working with startups in the technology, financial services, digital media, and telecommunications industry sectors. He has a deep passion for transforming innovative technology into commercial opportunities.

Richard was the former Chief Executive Officer of GeoSpock, a Data Analytics software company based in Cambridge, UK. Richard also serves as Chairman and Director of Tokenovate, a Fintech smart contracts company.

Formerly, Richard co-founded and ran Cleartrade Exchange, a fintech commodities futures exchange, for six years before exiting in 2016 to the European Energy Exchange, a Deutsche Bourse company. He has experience across four different industries, including telecommunication, digital media, financial services, and big data software technology. So he’s well placed to know how to get the best out of teams.

Over the last 15 years, Mrs. Holowaychuk has found herself at the forefront of emerging technologies, holding senior management positions leading day to day operations, technical development teams and global expansion projects within the fintech, regtech and most recently, blockchain and Bitcoin exchange sectors.

Her expertise is building global operations and service channels from the ground up and working closely with legal and regulatory advisers, executives and technology specialists.

Mrs. Holowaychuk attended the British Columbia Institute of Technology for Operations and Supply Chain Management.

Marco Strub has over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur and executive in the financial services and consulting sectors.

Since March 2003, Mr. Strub has been the Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Sircon AG, a portfolio management company based in Zurich, Switzerland. Prior to this, Mr. Strub served as a Partner of Exulta AG from 1997 to 2003. He has been an Independent Director of numerous private and publicly listed companies, including Triumph Gold Corp and ZincX Resources Corp, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange.

Mr. Strub received a Master of Arts degree from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland in 1982.

Michael Darcy has over 15 years of experience in financial services and corporate finance. As the Vice President, Finance at OPTrust, Mr. Darcy oversees the investment accounting, treasury, corporate financial planning and budgeting process, production of the financial statements and facilitates the annual external audit for the organization.

During his time as Vice President, Finance, at Deutsche Bank Canada Branch, Mr. Darcy prepared complex disclosures for regulatory reporting and year-end financial statements and assisted with the undertaking of new business, new products and/or new trading initiatives.

Mr. Darcy is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and was qualified as a chartered accountant in 2007. Mr. Darcy received his bachelor of Arts, Political Science and Economics (Honors) in 2003 and Masters of Management and Professional Accounting degree in 2005 from Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Deborah Rosati is an accomplished corporate director, entrepreneur, Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA) and certified Corporate Director (ICD.D) with more than 30 years of experience in technology, consumer, retail, cannabis, private equity and venture capital. An experienced Audit Committee Chair and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee Chair, Deborah provides extensive knowledge as a Corporate Director in the areas of financial and enterprise risk management, corporate strategy, transformational changes, M&A, corporate governance and CEO and board succession planning. Deborah currently serves on Khiron Life Sciences Corp. (TSXV:KHRN) as Lead Director and Audit Committee Chair. Previously, she served on the board of Lift & Co.(TSX-V: LIFT) as Vice Chair and Chair of the Audit Committee. In addition to serving on the board of MedReleaf (TSX:LEAF) as the Chair of the Audit Committee (-acquired by AuroraCannabis (TSX: ACB)- July 2018, as well as she chaired the Audit Committee, for NexJ Systems (TSX:NXJ) and was on the board of Sears Canada (TSX: SCC). She is the Founder & CEO of Women Get On Board, a leading member-based company that connects, promotes and empowers women to corporate boards. Deborah has been recognized as a “Directors to Watch” in 2020, a Diversity 50 2014 candidate, and selected in 2012 as one of WXN’s Top 100 Canada’s Most Powerful Women in the corporate director award category.

Dr. Daniel Diemers has over 20 years of experience in financial services and Fintech and is a growth & innovation strategist and investor. As a co-founder & partner of SNGLR Group, a fusion of tech lab, advisory and early-stage venture fund dedicated to exponential technologies, he is working at the outer frontiers of new business models and markets, e.g., in blockchain, AI, longevity or smart mobility/smart city.

Previously to SNGLR, Daniel was a strategy partner at Booz & Co. / PwC Strategy& serving blue chip clients across Europe and the Middle East, mainly within financial services. At PwC he held the role of Head Blockchain EMEA. Prior to that, he was a two times startup entrepreneur, e.g., in the space of artificial intelligence. He also co-founded and pro bono contributed to various Swiss tech associations, such as Swiss Blockchain Federation (SBF), Swiss Open Wealth Association (SOWA), Swiss Finance + Technology Association (SFTA) and the Crypto Valley Association (CVA).

Academically, Daniel holds an economics masters degree & Ph.D. (summa cum laude) from University of St. Gallen HSG and a CEMS Master in international Management. Further, he attended executive programs on exponential technologies with Singularity University, be.radical and at the MIT. He is a lecturer at academic institutions, author of books & articles, and frequent speaker and critical commentator of technology trends.