We are pleased to present our judging panel for LiON’S LAIR 2024. As some of the Region’s top business experts, they bring diverse expertise that is truly reflective of the Region’s unique economy.
Check out our LiONS LAIR Judges below.
Derek Sheppard
 Derek Sheppard is an associate in Gowling WLG’s Hamilton office, practicing in the Intellectual Property Group.
Derek’s practice focuses on drafting and prosecution of applications for patents before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. He advises on patentability, patent validity, freedom-to-operate, and patent infringement issues. Derek also drafts and reviews IP related aspects of agreements (e.g., non-disclosure, employment, consulting, joint venture, purchase, license, and assignment), and performs due diligence on IP assets in support of transactions.
Derek completed his JD at Western University, with a concentration in intellectual property, information, and technology. During law school, Derek was an active member of the Western Intellectual Property Association and served as vice-president, finance, during his second year.
Prior to law school, Derek completed a MSc at the University of Ottawa, where his research focused on joint cell regeneration. During his undergraduate studies, Derek was a research assistant at the Ottawa General Hospital, where his work concentrated on retinal regeneration in both in vivo and in vitro models. His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals.
In his spare time, Derek enjoys hockey, golf, and reading.
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Danielle Graham
Danielle Graham is Co-Founder of The Firehood and General Partner of Phoenix Fire, an angel network and fund focused on women in technology.
Investing in early stage tech startups and advising for scaling tech at ventureLAB, Danielle is an important part of the angel community network, as a board member, investment officer and advisor to tech incubators. She managed the Market Readiness Fund at Ontario Centres of Excellence, Deloitte Human Capital Consultant and Women in Tech Program Manager at Communitech, and founder of the Fierce Founders Programs, the first female-focused accelerator and bootcamp series in Canada.Masters of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Wilfrid Laurier University, a Masters of Arts (M.A.) from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Trinity College, University of Toronto.
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Jonathan Brindley
Jonathan Brindley is the founder of Capitally Finance Corp. and has a passion for seeing businesses succeed. Jonathan has been a Chartered Accountant and finance leader for over 25 years delivering results across multiple industry segments from small and mid-sized private entities to large multinational / public companies like Rogers, Hitachi and Ericsson.
From their offices in Ontario and Alberta, the Capitally team work with small to mid-sized companies that have the capacity to grow but are limited because they don’t have sufficient working capital. Capitally provides growth capital through the funding of accounts receivable with a flexible customer orientated business model.
As an operational finance professional, who has worked in both Canada and the UK, Jonathan offers his clients a level of experience that is broad based and multi-disciplined with an in depth understanding of corporate finance, revenue forecasting and delivering improved business returns.
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Chris Rathwell
Chris is a CPA, CA with over 14 years of experience in public accounting, the majority of which focuses on the taxation of Canadian corporations. Chris has over 8 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, managing due diligence projects and planning tax reorganizations for deals ranging from $10M to $26B.
BDO is the world’s largest professional services firm focused on serving private companies. BDO Canada serves over 50,000 business clients, a vast majority of which are entrepreneurial private companies including over 1,500 companies in the technology sector. Chris is a member of BDO Canada’s private equity and technology, media and telecommunication teams.
Chris is a longstanding facilitator for the CPA Canada In-Depth Tax Program where he has been a group study and in-residence facilitator.
On top of his CPA, CA designation, Chris holds a degree in Biopharmaceutical Science with a specialization in Genomics from the University of Ottawa.
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