Experience

Independent Consultant

• United States
• Technology, Information and Internet
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Business Consultant

  • Jan 2012 - Present

  As an experienced professional with an extensive personal and business network, I am often called upon to act as a trusted advisor for companies seeking to expand into Southeast Asia. I am open to such engagements when there is a fit in philosophy and a mutual understanding of the value that can be created. Southeast Asia is a rapidly growing market with significant opportunities for service providers and investors. I can provide valuable assistance in several areas, including: 🅐 Investment and market entry strategy development and execution in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia 🅑 Conducting due diligence on local entities, business practices, and key persons, with a particular focus on Vietnam 🅒 Setting up and managing offshore business structures that are appropriate and defensible 🅓 Providing business consulting services, managing efforts as required 🅔 Advising on private equity, M&A, public listings, and exit strategies. My extensive network and on-the-ground experience in Southeast Asia allow me to provide valuable insights and recommendations to companies seeking to expand into this dynamic and rapidly growing region. If you are considering entering the Southeast Asian market, please feel free to reach out to me to discuss how I can assist you in achieving your business objectives. Show less



Pudgimelon Learning Centers

• Mentor

  • Sep 2010 - Sep 2017

  As a key member of Pudgimelon Learning Centers, I played a critical role in the company's mission to become the leading provider of English-language education for K-12 students in Bangkok, Thailand. My responsibilities included troubleshooting, providing perspective, and setting the course for the President and Founder, George Carroll. In addition, I provided valuable guidance and support during the perpetual post-Thaksin Shinawatra protests in Bangkok, Thailand. During this time, I assisted the Founder in exiting from non-performing centers and advised on the business turn-around. My experience at Pudgimelon Learning Centers has honed my skills in crisis management, strategic planning, and business turnarounds. Show less



Beach Travellers

• Canada
• Travel Arrangements
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Mentor

  • Jul 2010 - Sep 2014

  As a strategic advisor and mentor, I played a critical role in the success of Beach Travelers, a unique travel company specializing in adventure travel to the world's most exotic locations, including Thailand, Bali, Brazil, and Costa Rica. Beach Travelers provides exclusive adventure trips for aspiring young travelers, and it was my pleasure to work with the Co-Founder and CEO, TJ Hermiston, until his exit from the company in 2014. During my time with Beach Travelers, I provided valuable advice, perspective, and mentorship to help guide the company's growth and success. My experience in the travel industry has provided me with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that travel companies face, and I am passionate about helping young entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. Show less



Urban Mixer

• Singapore
• Environmental Services

• President

  • Aug 2004 - Sep 2013

  Urban Mixer was a social network for young, urban professionals who lived in the Vancouver, Calgary and Seattle areas. Tagline: Urban Mixer was the cure for the common social life. From a tech perspective, Urban Mixer's claim to fame was in the aggregation and presentation of diverse and complete event information. If you ever looked at event information on Facebook or other social networks, you may have noticed that in a lot of cases, the information was inconsistent, incomplete, not compelling, lame, etc. Using scraping, machine learning and nascent in-house developed AI technologies as well as a lot of elbow grease™, Urban Mixer became the best source for information to the end-user. The key ingredient for making Urban Mixer a reality was not only the ability to capture information and make it better than even the original source, but we also made the site useful from every potential user/stakeholder group (event planners, promoters, ticketing platforms and the end-user seeking event information), taking perspective from industry contacts and know-how in the event planning and promotion industry. As of now (2023), the Urban Mixer project is currently on hold as I have been focused on other projects, the business model and technologies used are still defensible and relevant today, and I may revisit it in the future. Show less



Clear Choice Networks Inc.

• President

  • Jul 1997 - Mar 2011

  Clear Choice Networks Inc. was founded in 1997 with the aim of delivering data center, hosting, and infrastructure services to its clients. One year later, the company pivoted to a subscription-based model for application hosting, expanding its service offerings. In 1999, the company was sold, and I continued to serve on the board until my semi-retirement in 2011. Clear Choice Networks Inc. was founded in 1997 with the aim of delivering data center, hosting, and infrastructure services to its clients. One year later, the company pivoted to a subscription-based model for application hosting, expanding its service offerings. In 1999, the company was sold, and I continued to serve on the board until my semi-retirement in 2011.



Sirius Genomics Inc.

• Advisor, Information Technology Expert

  • Jan 2006 - Nov 2009

  Sirius Genomics was a private biotechnology company located in Vancouver, Canada, which was focused on developing rapid, DNA-based companion diagnostic and pharmacogenetic tests for acute medical conditions. The Company's approach involved correlating patient genetics with clinical information to create personalized medicine tailored to a patient's unique DNA. Simply put, they were working on developing medicines based on an individual's DNA. I was involved with Sirius Genomics from the original licensing of the technology with Tm Bioscience Corporation in 2006 until the spinoff and commercialization of the company's intellectual property to Roche in 2009. Show less



Metasoft Systems Inc.

• Canada
• Information Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Chief Technology Officer

  • Jun 1996 - Sep 2007

  Metasoft, a Top 100 Canadian Independent Software Company recognized by the Branham Group/Financial Post, began as an Information Technology consulting and software development firm. The company has two successful business units that operate independently: Imager, a software development division that specializes in providing imaging software components (initially based on the TIFF format) to leading technology corporations (Microsoft, Lotus, IBM, Oracle), IT departments, and software developers worldwide. BIG OnLine, a fundraising division that provides an online searchable database of corporate, foundation, and government grant-making information to nonprofit and charitable fundraisers across North America. FoundationSearch, the only product of its kind on the market today, is a fully searchable, online database containing the tax returns (Form 990PF) of every registered private Foundation in the US. As Metasoft's CTO, I helped found BIG OnLine and worked with the President, Trevor Skillen, on a series of investments and acquisitions during my 9-year term with the company. Show less



Entrepreneurs'​ Organization

• Non-profit Organizations

• President & Learning Chair

  • Jun 2005 - May 2006

  The Emerging Entrepreneurs' Organization (EEO), owned by the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), aimed to become the leading global learning community for emerging entrepreneurs. EEO provided emerging entrepreneurs with access to the global entrepreneurial community, assisting them in developing their companies and obtaining crucial leadership skills for lifelong business and personal success. As a part of EO, EEO members could take advantage of the world's foremost global learning community, comprising 6,000 entrepreneurs in over 40 countries worldwide. During my tenure as the President and Learning Chair, I organized and managed various captivating and informative events that catered to the chapter's membership. These events included learning sessions, social gatherings, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Show less



SSID AG

• IT System Testing and Evaluation

• Vorstand

  • Oct 2003 - Sep 2005

  I held the position of Director at a Venture Technology firm based in Bern, with additional offices in Tokyo, Japan and Vancouver, Canada. The firm's portfolio consisted of companies based in Canada, the United States, Columbia, Ukraine, Korea, and Japan. Our primary focus was to identify and work with early-stage companies and exceptional entrepreneurs to fill technology gaps in their businesses by providing early-stage venture or angel financing. During my tenure, we achieved three successful pre-Series A exits, including a security monitoring and automated penetration testing business in 2003, an IP telephony venture in 2004 (the largest acquisition in the voice communications industry), and a rubber technology venture in 2005. Show less



Telus New Ventures

• Member of the Jury

  • Sep 2000 - Jan 2005

  TELUS New Ventures BC is a large-scale technology business idea competition in North America. Over 90 participants take part in a four-round contest that includes business education seminars and networking events, as they strive to complete a final venture plan. The jury, comprised of venture capitalists, financiers, and angel investors, must be convinced that the business idea is commercially viable and that the participants could execute it in the marketplace in order to win. The non-profit BC Venture Society operates TELUS New Ventures BC, which was established in 2000 by Simon Fraser University (SFU) Business. The competition is made possible through the generous support of private and public sponsors, as well as over 150 volunteer mentors, judges, and workshop leaders. Show less



Clear Choice Technologies, Inc.

• United States
• Telecommunications
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Founder, President

  • Aug 1993 - Sep 2004

  Clear Choice Technologies Inc. was established in 1993 and has since expanded to encompass seven operating divisions, with a global presence in multiple offices. The company's area of specialization is in providing exceptional technical support services to its clients, with a focus on Networks, Systems Integration and Administration, Databases and Project Management. Their unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction is at the core of their expertise. Clear Choice Technologies Inc. was established in 1993 and has since expanded to encompass seven operating divisions, with a global presence in multiple offices. The company's area of specialization is in providing exceptional technical support services to its clients, with a focus on Networks, Systems Integration and Administration, Databases and Project Management. Their unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction is at the core of their expertise.



Greater Vancouver Board of Trade

• Canada
• Public Policy Offices
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Mentor, Leaders of Tomorrow

  • Jan 1999 - Aug 2002

  The Vancouver Board of Trade's mentorship program, The Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT), was established in 1999 to link promising post-secondary students with influential industry leaders, and has earned a reputation as the most distinguished mentorship initiative in British Columbia. LOT's core components encompass guidance, leadership, networking, and community service. During my tenure as a mentor, I collaborated with a number of mentees who were pursuing their studies. It is gratifying to know that all of my mentees, now running prosperous enterprises, are dispersed throughout the globe. Show less



CobraTech Industries Limited

• Chief Technology Officer

  • Aug 1998 - Jun 2002

  CobraTech was a company focused on providing IT security consultancy services and security software products for cryptography. It was spun out from NASDAQ-listed JAWZ Inc., which was based in Calgary. CobraTech's primary objective was to expand in the Asia Pacific region, and it had offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo, Japan. The company experienced rapid growth and was sold in 2001. Today, most of CobraTech's former Japanese personnel work at NTT in Tokyo Opera City, while its other employees have gone on to become leaders and notable figures in the field of digital security. Show less



Delta Capital Technologies Inc.

• Director

  • Jan 1997 - Dec 2000

  Terry Butchart and Michael Horsey led a publicly traded technology acquisition firm (M&A), where I spent most of my time conducting due diligence on acquisition and investment targets. As a board member of every invested company, I served as a rational counterbalance to both the founders' and investors' interests. The firm's notable acquisitions and investments include A1 Internet Broadcast Services, a platform for online video marketing, DVBS (Digital Video Broadcast Systems), an online video technology company, SiCom Solutions Inc., an online shopping company with machine learning and AI features, and JAWZ Inc., a cryptography company. Although these technologies may seem mundane today, in 1997 they were considered cutting-edge and nothing like them had existed before. Show less



Raptor Capital Corporation

• Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals

• Mergers and Acquisitions Intern

  • Mar 1996 - May 1999

  In the early 1990s, a resource sector company led by Norman J. Mackenzie, Neil Kennedy and Milton Erickson began investing in the tech sector. As they lacked knowledge in this field, I was hired to keep them informed on the latest developments. My responsibilities included reviewing business plans, conducting due diligence, and verifying the total addressable market (TAM) size claims made by founders seeking funding. In the early 1990s, a resource sector company led by Norman J. Mackenzie, Neil Kennedy and Milton Erickson began investing in the tech sector. As they lacked knowledge in this field, I was hired to keep them informed on the latest developments. My responsibilities included reviewing business plans, conducting due diligence, and verifying the total addressable market (TAM) size claims made by founders seeking funding.