Meet our Mentors
Your mentors will provide you with guidance, connect you with their network of potential clients and other industry professionals, and keep you accountable while helping you reach your business goals!
Specialty one-time mentoring sessions with industry-specific professionals may be arranged separately if the opportunity and demand arise.
Bernie Aho | Mentor
CEO – Co-Founder – Critiq
Bernie has over 18 years of entrepreneurship experience in leading tech industry businesses. Currently, he is the driving force behind the look and feel of Critiq and provides business insight, strategy, and leadership across all teams. An avid photographer, designer, and gamer, Bernie previously co-founded TimeHero and the award-winning cloud-based annotation and marketing review tool ConceptShare which quickly became a leader in Creative Operations management.
- Product Development
- User Experience Design
- Business Development
- Marketing Management
- Business Strategy
- Mobile and Web Applications
Karen Hastie | Mentor
CEO – Your Sales Company
Karen is a seasoned business professional with over three decades of experience in owning and operating businesses. Currently serving as the CEO of Your Sales Company, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table, offering invaluable insights and solutions to diverse business challenges.
In addition to her role at Your Sales Company, Karen is the visionary creator and founder of Chamber Perks App™, an innovative platform utilized by Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade across Canada to promote and support local businesses. Her innovative approach has revolutionized how individuals and companies connect with and empower their business community.
Driven by her passion to educate and empower businesses and people, Karen is also the Founder of Serial Seller™ training workshops. Through these workshops, she shares her extensive knowledge in business analysis, branding, engagement, and selling strategies, empowering entrepreneurs and professionals to unlock their full potential and achieve unprecedented success.
With a track record of leadership, innovation, and impact, Karen continues to inspire others to reach new heights of excellence.
- Business Consulting
- Marketing Consulting
- Project Management
- Strategic Planning
- Brand Consulting
- Pricing Strategy
Lynne Dupuis, M.A.
CEO of LMDSolutions
Lynne Dupuis, M.A., is a seasoned governance and operations consultant and CEO of LMDSolutions, a bilingual firm specializing in strategic governance, planning, policy development, change management, and organizational restructuring. With over 13 years as an entrepreneur and 25 years of governance experience, she helps organizations and businesses establish collaborative structures, effective decision-making frameworks, and progressive governance models tailored to complex contexts.
She has worked with nonprofit organizations, businesses, government institutions, health networks, and community groups, bringing extensive expertise in inter-institutional partnership facilitation, multi-stakeholder management, and community engagement. She understands institutional recognition challenges and the political alignment required for long-term viability. Her notable collaborations include the City of Greater Sudbury, Place des Arts, Early Years Centres, the Communauté du Trille blanc, the AFO, and several Francophone networks in health and immigration. She has received multiple awards recognizing her leadership, entrepreneurship and business.
She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Sociology and completed two years of doctoral studies, reinforcing her approach grounded in institutional dynamics and regional realities.
- Strategic governance and decision-making frameworks
- Development of collaborative and adaptive models
- Public policy, Francophone affairs, and ministerial services
- Strategic planning and change management
- Facilitation of multi-stakeholder and consensus-building processes
- Community and inter-institutional engagement
- Contextual, institutional, and territorial analysis
Matthieu Bonin | Coach
Communication & Speaking Coach
Matthieu is a public speaker, mental health advocate, author, and adventurer. In 2022, he stage-swam 154km around Manitoulin Island to raise funds for MS research. This March, he published his book, Light From Darkness, in which he describes his struggles with mental health and how he overcame these challenges. Currently, he is a sought-after speaker.
Matthieu has partnered with many institutions, including The Regional Business Centre, Laurentian University, Cambrian College, Nipissing University, CSCNO, CSPGNO, AEFO, Spark Employment Services, Stingray Radio, John W. Financial, Nickel City Ninjas and hopefully you.
- Public Speaking
- Effective Communication
- How to Attract the Right People
- Networking