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.
Don Duval | Mentor
CEO – Principal, Head of Mining, Evok Innovations
Don has spent nearly three decades leading, growing, and transforming companies and organizations around the world. Currently, Don serves as Principal, Head of Mining, for Evok Innovations – a venture capital fund investing in breakthrough technologies to transform mining, energy, and other foundational industries.
Don has spent nearly three decades leading, growing, and transforming companies and organizations around the world. Currently, Don serves as Principal, Head of Mining, for Evok Innovations – a venture capital fund investing in breakthrough technologies to transform mining, energy, and other foundational industries.
Prior to Evok, Don spent 14 years as the CEO of NORCAT, the world’s leading technology and innovation hub serving the global mining industry. In addition to growing the organization into a market leader, he spearheaded the development of the NORCAT Underground Centre – the world’s only operating mine that serves as a place for companies to develop, test, and demonstrate / de-risk emerging technologies.
Prior to NORCAT, Don was the EVP Strategy and Operations at the MaRS Discovery District, was an Investment Director at the MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, and founded and served as the Managing Director of the Catalyst Fund, a seed-stage venture fund headquartered in Sudbury, Ontario. In addition, he co-founded a supply chain software company and exited in 2005. Don started his career working with both Andersen and Deloitte Consulting.
Don has served on multiple boards and currently supports the Creative Destruction Lab’s Mining and Minerals group and the NORCAT Underground Centre’s mining technology and innovation program. He is a member of YPO Toronto, holds the ICD.D designation, and has received multiple awards including the Bell Business Excellence Award for CEO of the Year and the Queen’s University Alumni Association Humanitarian of the Year.
Don holds a Masters in Engineering and Management from MIT, a Masters of Applied Science from the University of Toronto, and a BScH in Chemistry from Queen’s University.
Giah Sumalde | Mentor
Founder – GS Branding and Marketing Solutions
Marketing and Communications Manager – Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation
Giah Sumalde is the founder of GS Branding and Marketing Solutions, a brand and marketing strategy consultancy with over 15 years of experience helping entrepreneurs, business owners, and corporate marketing teams define who they are, who they’re for, and how to show up consistently across every touchpoint.
Giah Sumalde is the founder of GS Branding and Marketing Solutions, a brand and marketing strategy consultancy with over 15 years of experience helping entrepreneurs, business owners, and corporate marketing teams define who they are, who they’re for, and how to show up consistently across every touchpoint.
A dynamic marketing and communications professional, Giah currently serves as Marketing and Communications Manager at the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI). She specializes in strategy, planning, and execution with deep roots in the mining industry, where she has built a reputation for crafting impactful campaigns that drive engagement and position organizations for long-term success.
Beyond client work, Giah is a committed advocate for diversity and women’s empowerment. She serves as Executive Director of the CIM Sudbury Branch, Communications Advisor Committee Member for the OMA, Board Member of the Women in Mining Sudbury chapter, and Vice Chair of the Sudbury Women’s Centre, where she brings strategic insight to industry communications and drives meaningful change.
Giah’s work is grounded in one belief: clarity builds trust, and trust builds everything else.
- Brand & Marketing Strategy
- Marketing & Communications
- Digital Presence & Content Strategy
- Mining Industry Marketing
- Campaign Planning & Execution
- Personal Branding
- Networking
- Leadership & Industry Advocacy
- Corporate Event Planning
- Diversity & Women’s Empowerment
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.
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
Natalia Thawe | IP Mentor
Founder and principal lawyer of Thawe Intellectual Property Law
Natalia is the founder and principal lawyer of Thawe Intellectual Property Law, a boutique IP law firm. Natalia is an IP lawyer and registered Canadian and US patent agent, and has been repeatedly recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada™. She advises clients across industries including life sciences, technology, and consumer product sectors on protecting, managing, and commercializing their innovations.
Natalia assists clients with patents, trademarks, copyright, trade secrets, IP strategy, and IP-related agreements. She is dedicated to understanding each client’s specific business goals and providing a legal strategy that is designed to protect and maximize the value of their IP assets.
Business Incubator Previous Mentors
Thank you to the following past mentors who had contributed to the program.
Karen Hastie | Past Mentor
CEO – Your Sales Company
Bernie Aho | Past Mentor
CEO – Co-Founder – Critiq
Marie-Eve Pépin | Past Mentor
President of Missile Communications