ABOUT OUR MENTORS >
Catalict Mentors make up the "Professional Team" of experts focused on accelerating the growth of the ICT companies that we call Catalict Clients - the startups in need of fuel for their ideas. Our mentors are experienced in a variety of supportive fields, including ICT, who help our clients move from early-stage product/service development to market readiness.
To be a Catalict Mentor, one must be motivated by a desire to participate in someone else's success - a selfless donation of time, energy, and interest to ensure growth and stability for companies at an early stage for the good of our industry, our economy, and the individuals that will become future mentors and contributors to our community's prosperity.
Our Catalict Mentors are as follows:
To be a Catalict Mentor, one must be motivated by a desire to participate in someone else's success - a selfless donation of time, energy, and interest to ensure growth and stability for companies at an early stage for the good of our industry, our economy, and the individuals that will become future mentors and contributors to our community's prosperity.
Our Catalict Mentors are as follows:
Gerry Verner
Gerry Verner is Chief Executive Officer of AnyWare Group, a leading provider of customer-driven access solutions giving people the freedom to securely access and share the information that is important to them – anytime, anywhere.
With more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications and information technology sectors as well as extensive experience in marketing, business development and finance, Mr. Verner is responsible for directing the strategic vision of the Saint John, New Brunswick-based company as well as establishing growth strategies for AnyWare Group's portfolio of powerful remote access solutions including ROAM (Role Oriented Access Management) which is now implemented in 60 hospitals throughout North America, and MyCareAnyWare, a chronic disease management solution that increases the quality and frequency of contact between the patient and healthcare providers to promote compliance and self-management.
Throughout his career, Mr. Verner has been responsible for securing close to $150 million in investment between IPOs and venture capital firms. Since joining AnyWare Group as CEO in 2002, Mr. Verner has led the company through several stages of financing to successfully secure more than $12 million from venture capital and strategic investors.
Prior to joining AnyWare Group, Mr. Verner spent more than a decade at New Brunswick Telephone Company (NBTel), where he was part of the team that developed the business plan and strategy for the rollout of broadband services throughout New Brunswick. He was also a founding member of iMagicTV, a global broadband video software company, and holds a technology patent for a television set top box.
A native of New Brunswick, Mr. Verner sits on the board of PropelSJ, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry association for the Saint John region. He also serves as a board member of the Saint John Board of Trade. He has a passion for fly fishing and travelling and is an avid guitarist.
Mr. Verner holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from the University of New Brunswick. He and his wife, Anne, live with their two young daughters outside of Saint John.
Henryk Sterniczuk
PhD (Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw)
Transnational Management and International Business Director, MBA Program, UNB Saint John Dr. Henryk Sterniczuk's primary research interests focus on corporate governance in transition economies and knowledge management. He has published ten papers in journals and three in conference proceedings (Eastern Academy of Management), presented sixteen papers at competitive conferences, including eleven at the Academy of Management and Eastern Academy of Management in the USA. Individually or jointly with others, he has published five research books, and provided chapters to six textbooks and research books. Most recently, he published a book on Corporate Governance.
Jeff White
Jeff is currently a Vice President in the Financial Advisory Services function of Deloitte. He has extensive experience in the operations and financing of high growth technology companies. Jeff has served as CFO to a number of technology companies helping each execute on its financing growth agenda.
Having raised financing from the public equity market and both Canadian and United States venture capital firms Jeff has demonstrated deep knowledge of the intricacies of high growth financings. Jeff has worked in leadership roles with imagist, Q1 Labs, Exigen Group and Anyware Group.
Richard Jones, P.Eng
Richard Jones, P.Eng. has over twenty years of diverse business experience in the energy, utilities, and information technology fields. He has worked in a wide variety of roles with integrated petroleum and energy utility companies and has developed expertise in business consulting, project development and execution, and operations management. For the past seven years Richard has been involved in leveraging his business expertise in the field of information technology consulting.
In his current senior management role with xwave, Richard provides leadership to a team of approximately 500 individuals involved in providing services to xwave’s customers. Richard has overall profit and loss responsibility for all xwave customers within New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As a strategic-level consultant, Richard’s strong business and educational background enables him to analyze and understand the overall business goals of a company, and to deliver integrated information technology solutions that focus on achieving these goals.
Richard has a Master of Business Administration degree from Dalhousie University, a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Windsor, and a Bachelor of Science in Forest Engineering from the University of New Brunswick. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of NB. Richard has a long history of involvement with professional associations and charitable organizations in the local community, and he is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Saint John Boys & Girls Club and the Board of Directors of Douglas Avenue Christian Church.
Jeff Harriman
James Irving
James C. Irving (Jamie) graduated with his B.A. from the University of Ottawa. He attended his Master of Journalism Program at Carleton University in Ottawa. He also received his M.S.C. from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.
Prior to starting his journalism career, he interned at both the Telegraph-Journal and The National Post. His journalism career includes being Publisher of the Kings County Record and Division Manager of the Brunswick News Community Newspapers, which included Kings County Record (Sussex); Miramichi Leader (Miramichi); Bathurst-Northern Light (Bathurst); Le Madawaska (Edmundston); The Bugle Observer (Woodstock); Victoria Star (Grand Falls); and Victoria Star (Perth Andover).
In December, 2004, Jamie was promoted to Publisher of the Telegraph-Journal.
Ian Cavanagh, P.Eng
Ian is Chief Executive Officer of Ambir, an ICT Services company founded on a vision of innovation, solution efficiency and a relentless commitment to delivery excellence. Incorporated in 2004, Ambir maintains offices in Saint John & Fredericton, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Ian has a wealth of experience and a proven track record working with high growth software and services companies. Experienced in both private and public high growth technology companies, Ian was previously Canadian President of 24/7 Customer, a global outsourcing company, where he gained a comprehensive insight into the opportunities in the global Contact Centre and IT services sectors. Previously, Ian founded Daruma Consulting Inc. where he focused on providing strategic guidance to start-ups both in Canada and the United States. Ian has also held senior executive roles in business development with Kana Communications, Redwood City, California and Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Inc., Daly City, California and was the founder of Genesys Canada, a successful joint venture between Genesys and NBTel. Ian began his career as a Transmission Design Engineer with NBTel.
Ian is an Advisory Board Member of: Babelfish, Coemergence, Digant Technologies PVT (India), and Kamelio. Ian is also a member of the National NASSCOM/ITAC Steering Committee on Outsourcing, a Director of Propelsj and a Director of the Associated Alumni of Acadia University.
Ian holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Degree from Acadia University and the Technical University of Nova Scotia and is a Registered Professional Engineer in New Brunswick.
Patricia Connolly
Patricia Connolly (Trish) has an extensive background in a senior management capacity in both start up and mid-large companies. She is currently the President & Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Publishing Corporation, a company she co-founded in 2003 that provides an innovative suite of technology solutions that assist print media publishers in the creation, hosting, and delivery of interactive digital editions.
From 2000 until starting Advanced Publishing, Trish was involved in both strategic consulting and mergers and acquisition at Exigen, Ltd, a San Francisco based start-up software provider operating worldwide in the telecommunications, financial services and insurance industries as well as assisting a number of rapid growth IT companies with strategic planning, equity acquisition, and financial advice.
Prior to that Trish was Vice-President and CFO at Fundy Communications for 10 years until its sale for $460 million to Shaw Communications of Calgary, AB in 1999. Fundy Communications was a cable television/media/telecommunications company operating in Atlantic Canada and the UK. During her time with Fundy, Trish participated extensively in new line of business growth strategy development and execution, numerous acquisitions and divestitures of core and ancillary businesses, and many numerous complex financial transactions including a Canadian IPO for $24 million (1994), a US public debt issue for US$100 million (1995), two rounds of private placement with both US and Canadian venture capital funds raising $70 million (1996 & 1998), prior to taking the company private.
Ms. Connolly started her career as a Chartered Accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers after receiving her BBA (Distinction) from University of New Brunswick. Trish recently completed a term as President of the Westfield Golf & Country Club, being the first woman to hold that position in the Club’s 100 year plus history. She also have been active in numerous charitable organizations including the CIBC Run for the Cure, serving as Chair of the National Sponsor Committee (Saint John run), Past President of the Saint John Learning Exchange, and a member of the School Parent Advisory Committee for several years. She has also completed numerous business executive courses, including Senior CFO Strategy at Harvard Business School, is a member of the Financial Executives Institute and a distinguished alumnus of the 1991 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference.
Cathy Simpson
Trisha Coady
Herb Duncan
Karen McLellan
Jeff Roach
An entrepreneur at heart, Jeff has extensive experience in creating, establishing, and growing business ventures throughout Canada. Jeff founded and grew five successful companies, three of them ICT-based, and has been a strong supporter of business development in Saint John, volunteering his time in multiple ICT industry efforts.
Thinking big and aiming for world class are two approaches that have guided Jeff in all his endeavours. From the start-up of an accelerator to its ongoing management. From his matching of entrepreneurs to mentors. Jeff applies his collaborative and creative nature to ideas and projects. His engagement of stakeholders, experts and funders has helped create an information technology ecosystem.
A native of Nova Scotia and educated at UNB Fredericton, Jeff established and built a private corporate medical services company in downtown Vancouver. During his time in BC, Jeff also enjoyed success as the founder and creator of an online fitness service and a web development firm in Whistler before returning to the Maritimes in 2000 to raise his family and to do his part to help build our regional economy from Saint John, NB. Jeff’s community involvement has been spread across performing arts, chambers of commerce, urban planning, and heritage development advocacy.
