Shakeel Bharmal MBA ACC CPF

Shakeel Bharmal is an experienced business and non-profit leader with a proven track record over 30 years as a senior executive, a consultant, teacher, speaker and leadership coach. He is known for his ability to align customer-driven strategy with operational execution. His experience includes leading start-ups, process and organization transformations, product launches and business turn-arounds.

Shakeel brings business acumen and insight to accelerate leaders’ and teams’ abilities to resolve complex issues to achieve alignment. He boosts leadership and team effectiveness to make an impact on employees and customers by creating cohesive teams which are prepared to move forward with clarity in uncertain times. He is a certified executive coach at Ivey Executive Education at the Ivey Business School. Shakeel is accredited as certified coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and is a certified professional facilitator accredited by the International Association of Facilitators. Shakeel is also a senior partner with The Summit Group, a global sales transformation firm with a quarter century history helping multinationals create customer value creating cultures and strategies.

His leadership experience includes serving as COO with the AKDN, a global international development organization, general manager of global logistics, and director of marketing and sales effectiveness at Purolator. Other experiences include: management roles in the retail and wholesale oil & gas sector; teaching supply chain and general management at the University of British Columbia and Gold Platinum Institute in Russia; and as a strategy consultant, with Oliver Wyman, to clients in aerospace, automotive, aviation, energy, internet and transportation industries.

Shakeel holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School, where he graduated as Valedictorian. He is based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Ambreen Bhaloo MSEd, CPCC

Ambreen Bhaloo is a certified coach, working with business families, supporting complex human dynamics in the family enterprise system with the end goal of harmonious transitions of legacy and wealth. Ambreen comes from a business family herself and understands first-hand the competing demands of family, business and ownership.  She has held various leadership positions in the family business group for many years.  She brings a unique blend of passion, emotional intelligence, maturity and cross-cultural experience to her international clients and life work of coaching. 

Ambreen runs her own coaching practice, also working with entrepreneurs/leaders hungry for growth and transformation. Having invested heavily in her own personal growth over the past 20 years, Ambreen walks the talk, bringing to her clients a compassionate yet direct authentic approach along with a wealth of knowledge and skills inspired by the coaches/mentors she has worked with and continues to learn from along her own journey and life transitions.

She holds an honors’ degree from the University of Western Ontario and a Masters in Early Childhood Education from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a Certified Co-Active Professional Coach from the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), recognized globally and by the ICF and is completing her FEA (family enterprise advisor) designation (July 2021).

Melina Nacos

Melina has 20 years of proven results training executives from Fortune 500 companies, startups, government institutions, foundations and charities. For multiple presenter events, She works with entire teams of senior executives to coach on general presentation skills and polish, and to establish coherence of message and tonality across all presenters. Melina also travels with directors, CEOs and presidents for on-site coaching and preparation at major presentations, IPO roadshows and so on. After graduating with honours in Production Management from York University in Toronto, she worked as a producer. She went on to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York City, where she learned the Meisner technique of acting, which focuses on an authentic, direct and truthful approach. Returning to Toronto in ’99, Melina began coaching, becoming a certified adult educator under the Coaches Training Institute program. She has continued her education through subsequent years, pursuing regular training in various coaching disciplines. More recently Melina has focused on executive presentation coaching, enabling her to incorporate her full range of expertise in theatre production, wardrobe and makeup to provide a more consummate offering.

David Graham MA MCC

Leading teams for more than 25 years, Dave has developed a strong personal brand as a trusted, inspiring, fun and insightful coach to Canada’s top businesses and leaders.

As an executive coach, Dave creates a safe space – free of judgment – for leaders to explore their intentions, actions, and impact. Dave sets the stage for authentic leadership by creating alignment between a leader’s intentions and other people’s perceptions. Dave is most passionate about teaching leaders how to coach – which can be a game-changer for people managers and he models this in his coaching relationships.

Dave works with business leaders to build high performing teams through building trust, commitment, and accountability. For transformational experiences, he takes them "out of the boardroom and into nature." By finding the most inspiring environments for his clients, Dave’s custom experiences empower teams to find their unique “EDGE” and achieve greater results in their work and their lives.

Dave started his career as an actor, traveled around the world as a cruise director and gained his corporate experience as a marketing executive. He is happiest when exploring the terrain on his bike, running through a wilderness trail, or swimming in a fresh water lake.

He holds a M.A. degree in Executive & Organizational coaching from Royal Roads University, an Advanced Coaching Certification from Ivey Executive Education at Western University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Trent University.

Susan Uchida MBA ACC

Susan is an ICF Associate Certified Executive Coach with a rich background in leadership development, partnering with leaders to enhance their skills and capabilities. Before retiring in 2022, Susan held several high-impact roles at RBC, including Managing Director and Head of HR for RBC Capital Markets, and Vice President and Regional Head of US HR for RBC Bank in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was instrumental in advising C-suite executives on talent strategies, leading initiatives in talent management, business agile transformations, and the human aspects of mergers and acquisitions, significantly enhancing organizational culture and employee engagement.

As a certified Ivey Executive coach with credentials from Columbia University’s Executive Coaching Program, Susan brings a robust blend of practical experience and theoretical knowledge to her coaching practice. She is also a member of the International Coaching Federation. Holding an MBA from Dalhousie University, Susan has contributed to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Business and served as a board member and Chair of the HR Committee for The Learning Partnership, a not-for-profit focused on public education.

Azin Soltani MA CLC

Azin is a certified leadership coach, experience designer, and facilitator who partners with individuals, teams, and organizations to unlock potential and create meaningful personal, organizational, and social impact. She brings a human-centered, strategic, and systems-aware approach to her work, shaped by cross-sector experience spanning the non-profit, public, and private sectors.

For nearly a decade, Azin worked with a prominent Canadian global development organization, where she led cross-functional teams and collaborated closely with corporate and community leaders, senior volunteers, donors, and sponsors. Her work focused on designing and delivering large-scale national public engagement initiatives that mobilized tens of thousands of Canadians, strengthened partnerships, raised funds, and inspired sustained engagement on global issues.

While deeply motivated by large-scale social impact, Azin believes that lasting change begins with personal and organizational transformation. She views individuals, teams, and organizations as microcosms of the broader world, where growth happens from the inside out. Through coaching, she creates reflective spaces that support self-awareness, clarity, and intentional action, enabling leaders to amplify their impact across every area of their work.

Nabila Kara-Haji

Nabila is a seasoned non-profit professional and brings significant expertise in project management, program design and evaluation with a proven ability to lead cross-functional teams through complex, high-profile initiatives that deliver impact. Throughout her career, Nabila has worked with leading organizations such as Aga Khan Foundation Canada, United Way Ottawa, CUSO International, and Academics Without Borders, where she has designed and implemented strategic initiatives to enhance fundraising performance, optimize operations, and advance mission-driven goals. She excels at aligning people, processes, and technology to improve organizational effectiveness. Nabila has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Certificates in International Project Management for Development and is a certified Project Management Professional.