Red & White Club | Calgary, Alberta | April 23rd, 2026
Anton Bellot, Director, Agri-business & Agri-food Sector | ATB Business
With a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from Haskayne School of Business, Anton’s specialty is advising within the agriculture value chain. This includes everything from ag inputs, value added ag manufacturing, Greenhouse production and ag technology. His understanding of how various market conditions, such as foreign exchange, changing customer sentiment and trade can influence key financial decisions for expansion and acquisition makes him invaluable to clients.
Anton has been working in financial services for over 9 years, and brings experience with different financial structures for various industries to his work with ATB. Agriculture clients rely on his experience and insight when looking for optimal financial solutions for their situations.
Peter Bishop, Partner/Chief Information Officer | ZGM Modern Marketing
Peter Bishop has been in tech and marketing long enough to remember when “digital transformation” was the buzzword everyone was sick of. Now it’s AI. As the CIO at ZGM, he’s positioning the agency as one of Alberta’s leaders in AI-augmented marketing, building custom agents, automating workflows, and helping organizations figure out what any of this actually means for their business. He hosts the Artificial Breakdown podcast and speaks nationally on AI adoption. He also judges for Applied Arts and the Digital Marketing Association and sits on various advisory boards including the Canadian Marketing Association.
Kristyn Carriere, BSc Nutrition and Food Science | 7 Summits Snacks
Kristyn Carriere is a food innovator and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience developing some of the world’s best-known chocolate brands developing her career in Europe. In 2019, Kristyn returned to Canada and co-founded 7 Summits Snacks with her sister, Leanna. What began as a vision to merge performance nutrition with premium chocolate has since grown into a women-owned Canadian brand fueling active and adventurous lives. Kristyn and her sister are building a company that champions sustainability, empowers women in business and sport, and redefines the role of chocolate in functional nutrition.
Dana Gibson, Executive Director, Agriculture & Food Innovation | Alberta Innovates
Dana has worked in the food industry for the past 20 years and has experience on the floor, in both meat and dairy processing. With Alberta Innovates, she supports research and development of innovative technologies that are poised to transform the food and agriculture sectors. Dana has a passion for the food system and loves seeing made-in-Alberta solutions. She believes that food is something we all have in common and is a great place for building connection and community.
Celine Hildebrandt, Senior Relationship Manager, Strategic Finance | FCC
Celine works on the Strategic Finance team in FCC Capital, supporting high-growth agri-food and ag-tech companies with flexible, tailored financing. She focuses on venture debt, mezzanine and non-traditional capital structures designed to support innovation, scale and operational execution.
Background
Celine is fluent in both official languages and was raised on a beef and cattle farm in Saskatchewan. She has more than 10 years at FCC, working in commercial financing for ag, food and beverage companies.
Glyn Jones, M.A.Sc., P.Eng, CIH, CRSP | EHS Consulting Divison of Bravo Target Safety
Jennifer Keable, Burnout Prevention, Leadership & Well-Being Expert
Jennifer Keable is a powerhouse in burnout prevention and high-performance strategy. A sought-after speaker, she equips professionals, to break free from exhaustion, reclaim their energy, enhance productivity, and sustain success—without sacrificing well-being.
Her keynotes are high-energy, deeply relatable, and built to create a shift in the room. Jennifer combines emotional intelligence, nervous system insight, and strategic recalibration — so people don’t just feel inspired… they change how they operate.
When Jennifer takes the stage, she creates an experience that’s memorable, actionable, and immediately useful — blending powerful storytelling with Energetic Intelligence, nervous system insight, and psychology-backed recalibration.
Learn more about Jennifer: https://jenniferkeable.com/
Matt Labine, Agri-Food Business Development Lead | NAIT Applied Research
Matt Labine is the Agri-Food Business Development Lead at NAIT Applied Research. Matt serves as a crucial bridge connecting food and agriculture businesses with the Centre for Culinary Innovation (CCI) which supports product scale-up from recipe formulation to pilot production, advancing food and beverage innovations in areas like plant-based products and alternative proteins, and helping Alberta’s agri-food sector adopt new technologies and sustainable practices. Matt’s career has spanned B2B ingredients to CPG food companies. He has a BSc in Biochemistry from University of Ottawa and an MBA from the University of Alberta.
Adriel Michaud, Director, Innovation | Top Draw Inc.
Adriel Michaud is the Director of Innovation at Top Draw Inc., where he helps food and hospitality brands unlock real value from digital channels through smart strategy, data-driven decision-making, and forward-thinking technology. With more than two decades of experience across leadership, sales, and marketing, Adriel brings a unique blend of analytical rigour and practical creativity to the digital marketing challenges today’s businesses face.
At the heart of Adriel’s work is a passion for helping brands understand what the data really means and how to use it to grow. He has led initiatives in digital analytics, marketing automation, CRM integration, and cross-channel strategy that have helped organizations of all sizes improve performance and reach. Recognized for championing innovation, Adriel guides teams to uncover opportunities that drive measurable results and long-term competitive advantage.
Adriel’s approach is rooted in a deep belief that technology — especially AI — should amplify human insight, not replace it. Whether he’s demystifying complex marketing tools for a team or showcasing how automation can elevate customer engagement, his goal is always the same: equip people with the skills and confidence they need to thrive in a digital first world.
Outside of work, Adriel enjoys brewing his own wine and exploring how smart home technology can make everyday life more interesting — a reflection of his life-long curiosity and love of innovation.
Dave Pullar, Business Development Officer | Government of Alberta
Dave is proud to support Alberta food companies of all sizes as they grow and thrive. He helps food businesses navigate the complex retail and food distribution networks and processes as they scale their product sales. Dave also works closely with the Alberta Food Centre, connecting companies to the services and support available at the Centre.
The Alberta Food Centre provides a wide range of support at its 165,000 sq. ft. facility in Leduc, including culinary and benchtop/lab technical services, consumer taste panels, and interim pilot-scale production capabilities. The facility operates under CFIA oversight to support food products sold across Canada and for export. The Centre also offers 10 leasable food processing suites for companies to run their own production, with several suites designed for specialized activities such as protein fractionation, spray drying, and high volume cooked and frozen products.
Dave’s private-sector experience includes 30 years as a skilled retail executive with Sobeys, Safeway, and Federated Co-operatives. He has led a set of high-growth, award winning snack food companies across North America. Dave is a former Board member of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) and a current Board member of the Calgary Food & Drug Executives.
Karen Proud, President & Adjudicator, Office of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct
Joya Sauder, Senior Business Officer, Innovation Ecosystems, Alberta Region
Prairies Economic Development Canada / Government of Canada
With a background in international development and regional economic development, Joya has extensive experience driving growth in the agri-food sector both regionally and internationally. As a Senior Business Officer with Prairies Economic Development Canada, she currently leads strategic regional agri-food investment initiatives for Alberta, with a focus on scaling food and beverage companies.
Dean Voykin, CPA, CA, Partner, Private Enterprise | MNP
Dean Voykin is a member of MNP’s Private Enterprise Services team in Calgary. Dean works one-on-one with clients as their trusted advisor in a variety of sectors, including food and beverage processing, agri-business, hospitality, real estate and construction, professional services, and investment holdings. Strongly committed to his clients’ success, he delivers timely, tailored solutions to help clients achieve both their business and personal goals. Further, Dean brings in other Firm members to deliver specialized assistance when it is in the client’s best interests.
Dean’s services include accounting and assurance, review and compilation engagements and business advisory. He also does private company tax compliance, tax planning and remuneration planning for owner-managed private corporations.
Dean earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Thompson Rivers University in 2003. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), qualifying as a Chartered Accountant (CA) in 2006.
Dean is past president of Junior Chamber International – Calgary Jaycees.
Colin Wenngatz, Partner | MNP Digital
Colin Wenngatz leads MNP’s Data & AI Team – supporting MNP’s clients across the Country through the development and implementation of innovative data-driven solutions. Colin draws on over 20 years of experience in corporate strategy, analytics, and program management across varying industries. His specialized focus is on implementing analytical platforms and tools to generate data-driven and actionable insights – aligning technology with core business objectives to drive innovation.
In addition to leading MNP’s Data & AI team, Colin also leads MNP’s Data Analytics and Innovation program – supporting MNP in continuing to innovate through the use of data analytics and AI. This includes the implementation of an industry leading data platform, the development of reporting and insights tools, as well as the implementation of key artificial intelligence capabilities.
Prior to joining MNP in 2013, Colin worked extensively in both the Retail and Supply Chain industries, holding various management roles in Corporate Strategy, Data Analytics, Digital Transformation, as well as Finance & Operations.
Colin holds both a Bachelor of Arts as well as a Masters of Business from the University of Calgary, and is involved in various volunteer capacities at the University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business as well as local Technology Accelerators.
Breakout Presenters
Tushar Arifin, Senior Commercial Account Manager, BDC
Tushar Arifin is a Senior Commercial Account Manager with BDC’s Mid‑Market Commercial Financing team, supporting entrepreneurs across Calgary and the surrounding region. With over a decade of experience in Canadian commercial banking, he works closely with business owners to structure flexible financing solutions, provide strategic advisory support, and access growth‑focused capital.
Tushar’s professional expertise spans mid‑market commercial financing, healthcare sector clients, business banking, and personal financial advisory. Prior to joining BDC, he spent more than 11 years at RBC in progressive commercial and business banking roles, advising diverse industries, and supporting business expansion. His work is grounded in a relationship‑driven approach, continuous learning, and a strong commitment to financial literacy.
As Canada’s only financial institution dedicated exclusively to entrepreneurs, BDC plays a central role in supporting business growth nationwide, and Tushar brings this entrepreneur‑first perspective to discussions on financing, scale, and long‑term sustainability.
Tanguy Etoga, Founder & CEO | Normex
Tanguy Etoga founded NORMEX with a clear mission: to transform how the food industry protects people. Early in his career in food safety and operations, he saw firsthand how audits, supplier challenges, and manual compliance systems drained teams and distracted from what truly matters — protecting consumers. That realization reshaped his path.
Determined to make food safety simpler, more proactive, and more human, Tanguy built NORMEX to move quality and compliance out of spreadsheets and binders into real-time, actionable workflows. His approach goes beyond software; it centers on building cultures where ownership, vigilance, and pride in protecting others are embedded into daily operations.
Today, Tanguy leads NORMEX as a global partner to food businesses of all sizes, helping organizations move beyond checking boxes to making safety a core value — protecting every link in the food chain.
https://normex.ca
Greg Hastings, Director & Founder | RIVR Solutions
Greg Hastings is a proactive professional with extensive Quality Assurance, Continuous Improvement, Operations and Process Management experience. With 30 years of leadership and manufacturing experience, Greg is a skilled problem solver, communicator, and organizer with a commitment to customer satisfaction.
As a lean practitioner, Greg has held Operations and Quality Assurance positions in the Semiconductor, Factory Automation, Transportation, and most recently Aerospace Industries. With a focus on research and change management through his Masters Degree, Greg has been trained in Lean Manufacturing by the Delphi Institute in Detroit, MI. He has over 125 kaizen events under his belt, ranging from floor layout to tool room cost reduction, to office waste elimination. Greg is a proven leader in Quality assurance implementing and maintaining ISO 9001 and AS 9100 quality systems in six different organizations.
As a leader and participant of a Lean Enterprise Consortium, Greg has been exposed to many different industries; solving problems and reducing waste in those industries. He established visual production planning tools, visual controls, and Kanban systems in order to manage operations on-site on the production floor. As a Project Manager, Greg has managed technical issues, schedules, and customer expectations for projects with companies such as Intel, IBM, KLA-Tencor, Bell Helicopter, SpaceX, and Boeing.
With every system implemented it takes solid leadership to execute. Greg embraces a Culture of Continuous Improvement, and teaches leaders to coach and empower their employees. Greg also teaches metric driven management and has a proven track record of leading change to improve cost, quality, and delivery metrics to best-in-class levels.
Amy Hosking, Food Safety Consultant | Food Safety Solutions
Danni Kneeland, Director | Food Safety Solutions
Danni is one of the co-founders of Food Safety Solutions. She has extensive knowledge and hands on experience in all aspects of food safety including operational food safety management, auditing and regulatory compliance. Danni loves working with industry leaders to help them build and manage sustainable food safety programs.
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