Wayne is the Director of Social Finance and Impact Investing at Definity Foundation working on shifting systems to work for people and the planet. He has played multiple roles across the private, public, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors within Canada and in sub-Saharan Africa.

Kira is a compassionate and strategic leader focussed on improving the systems that drive how we own, steward, and develop land. In her role as Chief Real Estate Investment Officer for Sacha Investments Ltd, she sources impact investment opportunities in affordable housing, regenerative agriculture, and eco-forestry for Western Canada. She has a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning and 25 years of practice, including at the City of Vancouver and Vancity Credit Union. Kira is a founding board member of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre. She has a passion for finding creative ways to realise everyone’s fundamental right to flourish. She also loves downhill skiing, cooking, and riding her bike to get around the city.

Leah is passionate about impact investing and enabling the growth of Canadian technology. In her current role with Wittington Ventures’ Innovation Fund, she invests in seed-stage deeptech climate and health ventures advancing their impact missions in Canada. Leah brings over a decade of experience supporting Canadian cleantech startups through roles at MaRS Discovery District and Export Development Canada, helping ventures navigate their capital journeys across food and agtech, renewable energy, alternative materials, the circular economy, and more. Leah holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business and an undergraduate degree in International Business from Carleton University, and remains active in the Schulich Startups community as a member of its VC Advisory Council. She was recognized by Corporate Knights as one of Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders (2022).

Zack Koscielny is a 5th generation farmer from Strathclair, MB. Zack operates a mixed livestock & grain farm with his wife, son, and his parents. Taking a regenerative approach, Zack hopes to improve the resiliency, productivity & profitability of the family operation to ensure opportunities are available on the farm for future generations.

Cora began her career with the investments team at Export Development Canada which invested in high-growth Canadian companies with international ambitions. She then joined InvestEco in 2019 and is now a Partner. She works across the investment cycle from pipeline development, to running diligence, to post-investment board work. She also has some non-profit and infrastructure investing experience and is a CFA.

Daniel Bacon is the VP of Investments at Area One Farms, Canada’s largest independent farmland investment manager. Area One partners with farmers to expand their farms and improve their land’s productivity through a unique “win-win” equity partnership model with Canadian farmers, investing alongside them in sustainable, regenerative farming. Area One manages $800 million of assets across five funds and over 200,000 acres of farmland.

Eoin Callan is Managing Director of the Bloom Local Food Fund, where he leads investments in regenerative agriculture and nature tech to advance food system transformation. His work focuses on capital orchestration: bringing together catalytic, private, and institutional capital to finance the transition to more resilient and regenerative food systems. He has spent over two decades mobilizing capital and shaping investment ecosystems, including as a board member of a $100 billion pension fund, and also served as a Financial Times economics correspondent At Bloom, he works at the intersection of capital and systems change, translating biodiversity and natural capital objectives into investable opportunities. Eoin is an active contributor to Canada’s emerging regenerative investment ecosystem, including initiatives like RFSI Canada, which aim to connect stakeholders and accelerate capital flows into regenerative food systems.

Dana is committed to fostering thoughtful approaches to complex systems, both human and ecological. She is Chair of the Human Venture Institute and is an Associate delivering programs and workshops over the last decade. She is also an Accredited Professional with the Savory Institute and the Managing Director of Holistic Management Canada where she works with land managers and organizations to build ecologically, economically, and socially thriving futures. Through all of her work Dana is passionate about helping people build resilience, resourcefulness, and adaptability. She was also integral in bringing the Ecological Outcome Verification program to Canada to measure regeneration on farms and demonstrate real impact.

Eric Agyemang is the Founder and Managing Partner of Maple Bridge Ventures, one of Canada’s first institutional-grade venture capital firms dedicated to backing immigrant founders building in critical sectors including agri-food, health, and enterprise technology. With over a decade of experience in international trade finance and investment, including nearly 10 years at Export Development Canada (EDC), Eric brings a global perspective to capital deployment and market expansion. He has supported hundreds of Canadian companies in scaling internationally and structuring complex financing across global markets. His work focuses on investing in high-potential early-stage founders driving innovation across the agri-food value chain, from production and climate-resilient, precision agriculture through to supply chains and enabling technologies. He is particularly interested in how capital and technology can support farmers and operators in building more resilient, scalable food systems, and in accelerating the next generation of innovation across Canada’s food and agriculture sectors. Maple Bridge operates at the intersection of venture capital and food systems transformation, grounded in the belief that backing immigrant founders and global talent strengthens local communities while driving long-term economic resilience. Eric’s perspective is shaped by both operating and investing experience, with a focus on disciplined capital, global insight, and long-term value creation.

Duncan is a 4th generation business family member, investor, and founder from Victoria, BC. He has been involved in a wide range of investment and operations activity, including venture and private equity investment, real estate development, and consulting. He is the co-founder of Coeuraj Management and Coeuraj Capital, respectively a consulting firm and private investment firm, both of which are focused on the theme of multi-stakeholder collaboration and applying systems thinking to complex problems.

Leah Blechschmidt is Nature United’s Corporate Engagement Advisor for Agriculture, where she works at the intersection of producers, markets, and sustainability outcomes. She partners closely with stakeholders living, sourcing, and working in Canada to identify and remove market-system barriers to advancing sustainable agriculture. Leah’s work focuses on aligning what producers need on the ground with the sourcing goals of downstream partners, helping ensure that shared investments and actions are practical, impactful, and moving the sector in the same direction.

Sara Dent and the team at Young Agrarians (YA) work year round to grow farmers! With less than 9% of farmers in Canada under 35, succession is one of the biggest challenges facing the future of our food systems today. Sara has 25 years of experience developing programs, fundraising, building community, and acting as an agent for change. Sara began farming in 2006 and spent five years on the land, learning how to grow food and animals, and studying and applying agro-ecological theory. In 2012, Sara Dent and Seann Dory Co-Founded YA. Now in year 15, YA offers six program streams to support the next generation to grow food and farm. YA is the now the largest organization in Canada delivering programs to support new and young farmers (18+) in start-up. YA programs are free and by contribution and include: online resources and e-learning, community building events on and off farms, on-farm apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture, land access resources and the B.C. Land Matching Program (pairing up people with land with people seeking land), business mentorships and policy advocacy. Sara was recognized by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in 2025 with a King Charles III award, in 2023 as an Ashoka Canada Fellow, and in 2018-19 as a BALLE (now Common Future) Fellow.

Jill Bester is a Canadian financial professional and Partner at Genus Capital Management, where she serves as a Client Relationship Manager. Based in Nanaimo British Columbia, she works with individuals and organizations, from Ucluelet British Columbia to Halifax Nova Scotia, to develop tailored investment strategies that align with both financial objectives and personal values. Jill holds the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designations, underscoring her expertise in portfolio construction, wealth management, and long-term financial planning. Her approach emphasizes building trusted relationships with clients, ensuring that investment decisions are transparent, informed, and aligned with each client’s unique circumstances. In addition to her professional work, Jill has been engaged in initiatives that reflect a broader commitment to social impact and gender equity. She has served as a delegate in New York at the Commission on the Status of Women Conference, a global gathering organized by the United Nations focused on advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women. Despite her professional and community accomplishments, Jill considers her proudest achievement to be her legacy—her children: three remarkable young adults who are thriving in a world filled with uncertainty. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and taking advantage of the natural beauty of British Columbia through activities such as boating, skiing, and golfing.

Afua Asantewaa is Executive Director of Inclusive Prosperity, a social finance nonprofit advancing equitable access to land and capital for African Canadian and other racialized equity-deserving farmers. Through initiatives such as the African Canadian Farmers Fund (ACFF) and the Nourish Fund, Inclusive Prosperity uses blended finance models to address systemic barriers facing early-stage, smallholder, and community-scale regenerative producers, pairing catalytic capital with pathways to land access and long-term farm viability. A sustainable farmer with over a decade of leadership in community food systems, including with Afri-Can FoodBasket, FoodShare Toronto, and Food Secure Canada, she works at the intersection of regenerative agriculture, food sovereignty, and investment to build climate-resilient, community-rooted farm enterprises and support a just transition in food systems.

Geoff is a sustainability advisor and Director at Quinn+Partners, where he leads the firm’s food and agriculture practice. His experience in this space includes measurement and disclosure of environmental impacts as well as developing climate and nature focused transition plans. An experienced consultant to corporate and investor clients, he advises on strategy, performance measurement and reporting. He has supported organizations across the food value chain including investors, producers, processors and retailers, as well as clients in other sectors such as infrastructure, real estate, energy and transportation.

Chelsi is a botanist who loves to garden, hike and enjoy time spent outdoors. Working for Nature Conservancy of Canada as a Stewardship Coordinator allows her to do just that. She is a Technical Agrologist, Board Member on the MB Forage and Grassland Association and the Western Manitoba Science Fair Committee. She lives in the southwest corner of the province (Hartney) with my husband, two sons and golden retriever, where they help with the succession of the family grain farm. They implement regenerative practices and mindset towards their farming operation. By doing so, they become better environmental stewards of the land, increase biodiversity and soil health and can manage the farm for many generations to come.

Laura Melly applies her experience in systemic investing, corporate finance, and strategic planning as an impact investor, ecosystem builder and change catalyst, primarily to bolster Canada’s food resiliency. She identifies gaps, assesses a system’s leverage points, and co-creates priority interventions with local, regional, provincial and TransCanada collaborators. She has been involved in multiple scales and systems, ranging from global institutions (Bristol-Myers Squibb, JP Morgan, Continental Grain, Fortune 500 consulting clients) to venture start-ups, charities, and community-led enterprises. With dual US-Canadian citizenship, she brings a cross-border perspective and additional networking, fundraising, and market development.

Karen Ross has worked with farmers and policy makers on sustainable food systems for over 15 years, with a strong focus on supporting farmers to improve environmental outcomes and meet the challenges of climate change. As Executive Director of Farmers for Climate Solutions (FCS)—Canada’s first pan-Canadian coalition dedicated to supporting farmers and ranchers to thrive in a changing climate—Karen has built strong and diverse networks of advisors and partners across the agriculture sector in Canada. She has served in various advisory roles to the government on the subject, and has been appointed by Cabinet as a member of the Net-Zero Advisory Body. With a PhD and advanced degrees in agrarian political ecology and environmental biology and as an author on several peer-reviewed papers, Karen has a firm grounding in the value of credible research to inform farmer decision making, policy and programs in the field.

Dr. Lysa Porth is CEO of AIRM Consulting, Co-Founder of Agi3, and Professor of Finance at the University of Guelph; her work focuses on agricultural insurance and reinsurance, AI, climate risk, and risk management in Canada and internationally. A former Dean of the Lang School of Business and Economics at the University of Guelph, she also serves as Adjunct Professor at the University of Waterloo and the University of Manitoba, sits on the Society of Actuaries’ Climate Risk Committee and the board of EMILI, and advises on agricultural insurance and business risk management.