Meet the Co-Founders

Founder of Nish Synergies Advisory Group

Alicia Dubois joined the Royal BC Museum as Chief Executive Officer in February 2022 and brings with her a wealth of leadership experience. Alicia has extensive experience at the senior executive level working for corporations across Canada. Her depth of expertise includes a strong focus on championing diversity and inclusion and intercultural understanding within the organizations she has helped lead.

Before joining the Royal BC Museum, Alicia practiced law for just over 10 years in both Calgary and Toronto. Following her legal career, she turned to finance and joined the executive team at CIBC where she developed and executed a national strategy for CIBC while leading a team of experts. More recently, Alicia was the Chief Executive Officer for the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation in Calgary, Alberta and founded Nish Synergies Advisory Group to support the creation of synergistic, lasting business partnerships with shared outcomes and measurable social impact for underrepresented economic partners and communities.

Passionate about enhancing the positive national narrative around Indigenous business and partnerships, Alicia will continue to advance these conversations in her new role, through speaking engagements and best practice sharing with industry, governments, and diverse audiences across the country.

Alicia is the co-Chair of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business and more recently joined the board of Green Impact Partners, Inc. (TSXV). She also supports the global efforts of the Regional Development and Multi-level Governance Division of the OECD with respect to Indigenous economic participation. Alicia is on the University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business Management Advisory Council, is a co-visionary for the Prosperity Project, supports the Management Team of the Hydrogen Hub and is on the Advisory Council for the Business Council of Canada’s Coalition for a Better Future. In 2019, Alicia was honoured with the National Aboriginal Trust Officers Association’s inaugural Award of Distinction for her commitment to Indigenous prosperity and self-determination.

Head, Diversity & Indigenous Board Practice at Leaders International

As the Head of Leaders International’s national Diversity & Indigenous Board Practice, Ms. LaRose brings twenty-five years of experience leading executive search engagements across a broad range of industries and sectors throughout Canada and internationally.

A Métis Anishinaabe citizen and pioneer of Indigenous executive search, Ms. LaRose speaks regularly at national associations and conferences on topics related to best practices in executive and board search engagements.

Ms. LaRose is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and a Certified Professional in Human Resources (CPHR). She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) from the Directors Education College of The Haskayne School of Business and is an active member in the ICD Manitoba chapter. Ms. Brenda LaRose is a co-founder of SheDay (est. 2015), an annual conference that brings pre-executive, executive and entrepreneurial women who aspire to leadership roles in business, non-profit organizations and the community.

Vice-President of indigenous Services at MNP

Clayton Norris, CAFM, MBA, CPA, CMA, is the Vice-President of Indigenous Services and National Leader for Indigenous Audit Services for MNP. He has been the team leader for a variety of management and financial advisory projects with Indigenous Nations, businesses and individuals.

Clayton has extensive experience in advisory services working with Indigenous communities providing accounting, tax and consulting services. With nearly 300 members, Clayton’s team has become one of the largest in North America serving First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities and businesses.

Clayton is on the Board of Directors at MNP and is on the Board of the Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation.

CEO of Nunasi Corporation

Clint, an Inuk from Labrador, is CEO of Nunasi Corporation, an Inuit Development Corporation which is owned by the three Regional Inuit Associations in Nunavut, and has investments across a range of industries. Clint previously served as VP, Aboriginal Affairs at TD, where he built the Aboriginal business portfolio with a focus on business banking and wealth management. He also chaired the Board of Nunatsiavut Group of Companies, which is the economic arm of Nunatsiavut Government.

Clint also served as CEO for the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business and North35 Capital Partners. Clint combines his extensive banking and Indigenous business experience with a passion for transforming Indigenous organizations to position them as leaders in their industries.

Senior Director, Indigenous Infrastructure at Canada Infrastructure Bank

Hillary leads the Canada Infrastructure Banks (CIB) relationships with First Nation, Métis, and Inuit communities across Canada. Hillary joined the CIB in March 2020 after serving as the Director General of Innovation and Services at Indigenous Services Canada.

Previously, Hillary spent 15 years with the Ontario Public Service in several senior roles across Indigenous Affairs, Energy and Infrastructure and Natural Resources. Hillary has a proven track record of building linkages among government, industry and Indigenous interests. Hillary is Métis and has been an active member of the urban Indigenous community of Toronto through her volunteer roles at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, Red Sky Performance and the Downie Wenjak Fund.

Hope Regimbald is a proud and active citizen of the Woodland Cree First Nation. She specializes in community engagement, communications, and influencing organizational inclusion of Indigenous world view. Her career in energy development has focused on major projects in Canada where she has supported consultation, agreement implementation, building strategic partnerships and incorporating community needs into project strategy.

Hope has engaged with First Nations nationally as manager of the National Day of Healing and reconciliation and the National Addictions Awareness Week, supported award winning film productions with Bearpaw Media, and has worked in some of Canada’s largest major projects, including her current role as Indigenous Relations Advisor with LNG Canada in Kitimat, BC.

Hope honors her mixed ancestry, walking in two worlds and advancing reconciliation into action. She is committed to economic reconciliation and works toward building healthy, independent, sustainable Indigenous communities through connection to opportunities and sustainable economic development.

An active volunteer in her community, Hope has supported efforts by the Woodland Cree Elders to become a formal committee, where they now deliver an annual cultural and mental health camp for families. She assisted the Peace River Aboriginal Interagency Committee in building the local script for their regional Blanket Exercise and drafted the Reconciliation Strategy adopted by her hometown of Peace River, which recently resulted in the community’s permanent acknowledgment of Treaty history, and the raising of Indigenous flags in the town centre.

Hope is an alumnus of the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and is a graduate of the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership Program with COADY Institute at St. Francis Xavier University. She has also completed courses in Indigenous Leadership at the Banff Centre.

Sr. Associate Brand Manager, Starbucks by Nespresso at Nestlé

Kalina (Dene and Métis) comes from a family of leaders. Her grandmother Laura Lennie was a leader within the Métis community, her aunt Ethel Blondin-Andrew was the first First Nations woman elected to Parliament and her uncle Norman Yakeleya is the Dene National Chief. She uses these achievements and stories of success from her family as inspiration and guidance for her own leadership. Kalina is originally from Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories and belongs to the Tulita Dene First Nations Band.

Prior to pursuing her MBA at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, Kalina worked in Marketing and Communications at Cargill and at her alma mater Dartmouth College as a President Fellow. Kalina has spent 5+ years developing marketing strategies, leading cross functional teams and managing strategic customer partners. Her specialties include consumer insights, customer relations and project management. Kalina is a Sr. Associate Brand Manager on the Starbucks by Nespresso brand based in Seattle, WA.

Director, Economic Policy at First Nations Major Project Coalition

Mark (Cook’s Ferry Indian Band, Nlaka’pamux Nation) is the Director, Economic Policy and Initiatives to the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, a national 70+ Indigenous nation collective seeking ownership of major projects such as pipelines and electric infrastructure. Mark owns Brookmere Management Group (BMG), through which he is engaged as the Chair of the First Nations Limited Partnership (Pipelines), a 16-First Nations $1 billion commercial partnership with Chevron’s Kitimat LNG project.

In addition, Mark informs Indigenous governments on the establishment of sovereign wealth funds/trusts to capture and invest revenue from resource extraction activities. He currently manages an eight-figure fund shared by eight communities.

Paul Desmarais III is the Chairman and CEO of Sagard, an alternative asset management platform active in venture capital, private equity, private credit, healthcare royalties and private wealth.

Paul took the helm of Sagard in 2016, along with a handful of close partners bound by a common vision: partnering with entrepreneurs to catalyze transformation in our investments and communities. In five years, Sagard has experienced outstanding growth, with assets under management increasing eightfold to over $8B, more than 120 professionals joining its ranks, and over 50 companies added to the portfolio.

Paul is dedicated to helping build a better business world. He is Co-Founder of the Black Wealth Club, where emerging Black leaders go to learn about creating wealth and reinvesting it in their communities. Under Paul’s leadership, Sagard has committed to a more sustainable financial system by becoming a signatory of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, enlisting as a CREO participant, and embarking on its journey to carbon neutrality. Paul will also co-chair the Centraide (United Way) campaign in 2022.

Paul is a board member of the Glenbow Museum and Alpine Canada and serves as Chair to the Next Canada Emeritus board of advisors. He is a recipient of the Duke of Edinborough Award for his work chairing the fundraising campaign for the Kenojuak Culture Center. He was formerly a board member of the Rideau Hall Foundation. Paul also co-founded Young Canadians in Finance and co-chaired the True Patriot Love Expedition to the magnetic North Pole.

President & CEO of Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business

Tabatha is Anishinaabe and a proud member of Nipissing First Nation near North Bay, Ontario. She is currently the President & CEO of Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business working with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal businesses to help strengthen a prosperous Indigenous economy and Canadian market. Also, a member of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce board, Tabatha is committed to working with members to improve business competitiveness across all industry sectors. Prior to her current role as CEO, Tabatha joined CCAB in the fall of 2018 as Chief Operating Officer.

Tabatha, an electrical engineer from the University of Waterloo, led the First Nations and Métis Relations team at the IESO, Ontario’s electricity system operator. Tabatha sits as a member on both the Positive Energy Advisory Council and the C.D. Howe Institute’s Energy Policy program.

As a testament to her passion to better the lives of Indigenous people and stay connected to her community, Tabatha serves as a director on the board of Wigwamen Housing Inc.; the oldest and largest urban Indigenous housing provider in Ontario.

Chief of Staff, Chairman and CEO at Sagard

Mariama Dupuis is Chief of Staff, Chairman and CEO, at Sagard and joined the firm in 2021. Mariama supports the CEO in key strategic initiatives, such as business development, ESG, communications and PR. She is also responsible for managing Sagard’s network and ecosystem, as well as coordinating the successful completion of strategic objectives.

Prior to Sagard, Mariama was interim CFO and Senior Director of Strategy and Finance at Just For Laughs Group, a live entertainment and media production company, where she oversaw all aspects of financial and strategic planning and implementation post-acquisition.

Mariama holds a MBA and a B.A. in Political Science and International Development from McGill University, and served on the board of directors of Partenariat du Quartier des Spectacles, an entity that manages Montreal’s downtown cultural district.