Mark Coombs (JD'15), CEO and co-founder of Sleepout, shares his journey as an entrepreneur. Sleepout is a sleep-aid e-commerce company, who's first product is a patent-pending blackout curtain that temporarily darkens any room for sleep. Watch the full episode here.

Before Sleepout, Mark led revenue functions at Kira Systems and Blue J Legal, two Canadian legal-tech startups. Mark is a lawyer who ventured from practicing insurance law in Toronto, to the world of tech startups, to launching his own business during the pandemic. Mark graduated from UNB Law School in 2015 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2016.

Betty Blanchard, owner of My Closet Consignment Inc & My Home Consignment, shares her journey as an entrepreneur. Watch the full episode here

September 2017, Betty decided after her long career in Hospitality Sales and Marketing to leave that industry and open My Closet Consignment. May 2020 after a Covid delay, her second store, My Home Consignment finally opened. My Closet received a Fredericton Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award in 2019 in the Start Up category. In 2018 she was recognized at one of Canada’s 50 Over 50 Entrepreneurs.

Betty believes in being involved in the Fredericton Community and currently sit on the Board of Directors for the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, she also plays a major role in the Sara Burns Forever Fund committee and until recently was a Board of Director for Business Fredericton North.

Betty and her Business Partner husband Rob are planning their next expansion and hope to open new stores in New Brunswick by 2022. They have two adult children, Dara and Noah, that both live in Ottawa.

In 2018, Betty was recognized as one of Canada’s 50 over 50 entrepreneurs. Recently, My Closet Consignment was awarded the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards in the Start Up category. Rob and Betty are parents to two grown children that currently live in Ottawa starting their careers.

William Stanley is a pioneer in the Canadian cable industry, with 36 years of cable television communications experience, including five years in Kansas, before returning to New Brunswick in 1970 to co-found Fundy Cable, which grew to serve 98% of cable customers in NB.

If you watched cable TV in the 1970s, its because of Mr. Stanley's novel developments, which led to industry-wide business models and solutions. This helped extend cable and information technology services from urban centres to mixed-urban and rural areas. Bill Stanley grew Fundy Cable to become Atlantic Canada's largest and Canada's sixth-largest cable company.

Mr. Stanley was also a co-founder and chairman of Atlantic Hydrogen, which researched a novel, non-thermal plasma technology called CarbonSaver, which decarbonizes natural gas to reduce greenhouse gases and produce high-value carbon. Bill also founded the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance and was also involved with the Saint John YM-YWCA and the University of New Brunswick’s Business Advisory Council. Bill is a proud alumni of UNB and graduated in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.

Watch the full episode here

Nov. 20 | Adetunji Adelakun, the CEO of Scantranx Technologies, joins us to share his journey as an entrepreneur on the Speaker Series Livestream on Facebook. Adetunji will also be a judge for the 2021 Apex Business Plan competition! A seasoned Software Engineer, Adetunji has over 11 years of rich experience in world class IT firms in Canada, Europe and Africa.

His IT work experience spans multiple industries and he has successfully managed projects in the Finance, Retail and the eCommerce industry. He is passionate about providing innovative solutions for small and medium-sized businesses for rapid business growth. Scantranx Technologies is a cloud based omnichannel retail software platform, and was awarded the best software idea by Intel. Adetunji is the only entrepreneur from New Brunswick selected as a Canadian Delegation to the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance Summit (YEA) 2020. Watch the recorded episode.

Nov. 6 | Peter Harrington, Founder and CEO of Venture Simulations Ltd., joins us online to share his experiences as an entrepreneur on our Speaker Series Online Livestream. Students and other UNB community members joined the conversation and asked Peter questions.

Serial entrepreneur, Peter has been creating and growing companies since graduation in York (UK) in 1989. For over three decades he has employed over a 1,000 people and created and built businesses in the fields of research, marketing, design, print, consultancy and education technology. Back in 2005, Peter founded 'Venture Simulations Ltd' with his brother Paul. This company develops and supplies the award-winning SimVenture business simulation learning solutions to education and corporate clients in 40+ countries. Peter also provides support as an Entrepreneur in Residence at London South Bank University and the London School of Economics.

To support entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship education around the world, Peter also publishes the 'Startup Survival Podcast' as well as the Blog, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to Entrepreneurship'.

Oct. 31 | Curtis Kennedy (TME'17), Founder and CEO of Vertiball, joins us online to share his experiences as an entrepreneur on the first ever Speaker Series Online Livestream as an entrepreneur making a global impact!

Curtis started working on inventions at the age of seven and filed his first patent application at the age of nineteen. He is passionate about first principle design thinking and its ability to result in meaningful innovation. He completed the Master in Technology Management & Entrepreneurship from the University of New Brunswick and is pursuing Mechanical Engineering at UNB as a part-time student.

In his third year of studies he started developing a personal muscle care device that came to be known as Vertiball. Curtis used the UNB Makerspace to make hundreds of prototypes before finalizing the product design for mass-manufacturing. In the 12 months since its launch, Vertiball has realized over $1.6 million in sales.

Curtis’s achievements included Tingley-McGovern Award in Entrepreneurship (2017), Winner of NBEX Business Plan Competition (2017), Winner of Apex Business Plan Competition (2018), Winner of Canada’s Business Model Competition (2018), Semi-Finalist at the International Business Model Competition (2018) and UNB Technology Management & Entrepreneurship Student Leader Award (2018).

August 27 | In this episode Kathy Malley (BEd''79), Vice President of Malley Industries Inc, talks about the "Embracing Change and Building Relationships". Kathy attained a Bachelor of Education from the University of New Brunswick following studies in fashion merchandising and design at Ryerson.

Among the many hats she wears as Vice President of the family-owned business, Kathy contributes to the company’s strategic management through her public relations and human resources expertise. Prior to joining Malley Industries in 1999, she established a public relations consultancy that provided media relations and editorial services to clients in the financial services, transportation, technology and manufacturing sectors.

An Accredited Public Relations practitioner (APR), Kathy has served as Chief Examiner of Accreditation for the Canadian Public Relations Society and on the Society’s National Council on Accreditation. In 2013 she was honoured with an Outstanding Achievement Award and was inducted into the CPRS College of Fellows. Kathy is Chair of the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW), a national organization dedicated to employment for persons with disabilities and serves on the Greater Moncton Romeo LeBlanc International Airport Board.

Her involvement with the University of New Brunswick’s International Business and Entrepreneurship Centre and its APEX Business Plan Competition spans more than a decade. In 2008 she and her husband, Terry, were co-honoured with a Certificate of Appreciation from UNB’s Faculty of Management. Partners in business and in life, Kathy and Terry, have raised two wonderful children; Myles and Kayla, both of whom work with the family business.

August 27 | In this episode Terry Malley (BA'81), President and CEO of Malley Industries Inc, talks about the "Freedom and satisfaction in growing your own business". Born and raised in Moncton, NB, Terry holds Master Degree in Organizational Management from Crandall University, a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of New Brunswick, a Master Certificate in Project Management through York University. A family business, Malley Industries Inc. is one of Canada’s premier manufacturers of ambulances, vehicles for persons with disabilities, commercial vehicles and specialized law enforcement vehicles. Terry became President and CEO in January of 2000.

Terry is very community minded and believes in giving back to the community by volunteering. He has served on the NBCC Board of Governors, the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, the Canadian Space Agency Board, and is a member of the New Brunswick Business Council. He also serves on the advisory board for the UNB Faculty of Management, among others. Terry has been recognized numerous times for his contribution to business and entrepreneurship. In 2014 he was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in manufacturing for the Atlantic Region.

He was five times named one of Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 CEOs by Atlantic Business Magazine and in 2010 was inducted into the Atlantic Business CEO Top 50 Hall of Fame. He has been honoured with the Harvey Webber Commemorative Award for contributing to the enhancement of the Chamber of Commerce Movement in the Atlantic Region as well as receiving the Better Business Bureau Award for Business Ethics. He has received the Greater Moncton Excellence Award for Community Service and the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium Award for Outstanding Member Contribution.

In his spare time Terry is very involved in the collector car hobby as an organizer of the Atlantic Nationals Automotive Extravaganza. He is also an avid reader, usually reading a book per week, generally business books and British crime novels, as well as numerous business periodicals. Terry is happily married to wife Kathy with two adult children; Myles and Kayla.

August 17 | In this episode Anne-Marie Gammon (BBA'83) talks about building a sustainable career. Born and raised in Penobsquis, N.B., Anne-Marie, MBA, FCPA, FCMA is the inaugural President & Chief Executive Officer of CPA Atlantic School of Business. Bringing over 25 years of senior financial management experience within diverse industries including education, real estate, automotive, aerospace and oil, Anne-Marie is also the past Director, Operations, Education Services with the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, Vice President, Program Development for the Certified Management Accountants of Canada and was previously Vice-President, Financial Reporting for ING Real Estate Canada.

An experienced educator with over 20 years of experience delivering the CMA Professional Program, Anne-Marie served on the national CPA Certification Steering Committee established to develop the new pre-certification program to support the unification of the accounting profession in Canada. She has continued to work on various national committees to advance the certification program leading to the chartered professional accountant designation.

Actively involved in her community as a volunteer, Anne-Marie is the past President of Financial Executives International Canada - Atlantic Chapter. She is also past President of CMA Nova Scotia, past Chair of the CMA Canada Research Foundation and past Vice President, At Large with the Canadian Academic Accounting Association. A chartered professional accountant, Anne-Marie has a BBA from the University of New Brunswick and subsequently received her CMA designation in New Brunswick in 1990.

A strong believer in life-long learning, Anne-Marie received her Master of Business Administration from Edinburgh Business School, UK in 2012 and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration there. She was nationally recognized with the prestigious Fellow of the Society of Management Accountants’ designation in 2003 followed by the award of Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia in 2015. Anne-Marie is one of the eldest of ten children born to Dutch immigrants who settled as dairy farmers in New Brunswick. She now lives in Bedford, NS with her husband, Blake and has a son, Jonathan who resides in Toronto, ON.

UNB recognized Anne-Marie's accomplishments in 2019 with the Certificate of Achievement.

July 31 | In this episode, Habib Dable talks about managing a publicly-traded company. Habib Dable joined Acceleron Pharma in December 2016 as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer and member of its Board of Directors. Mr. Dable is also currently a member of the Board of Directors of Millendo Therapeutics, also listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, and recently served on the Board of Directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization.

For over 25 years, Habib Dable has increased profits and expanded market share for organizations in the pharmaceutical industry—from “big pharma” corporations to smaller biotech firms. Prior to joining Acceleron Pharma, Mr. Dable served as President of U.S. Pharmaceuticals at Bayer. During his 22-year tenure there, Mr. Dable held positions of increasing responsibility. Mr. Dable has negotiated deals, managed partnerships, and launched billion-dollar products, including Eylea®, Stivarga®, and Xofigo®, and positioned mature brands for heightened success.

Mr. Dable completed both the BBA and MBA with UNB's Faculty of Management and received UNB's Certificate of Achievment in 2016.

July 6 | In this episode, Muthu Singaram talks about building a start-up, as a career, and shares his journey as an entrepreneur. Muthu Singaram is the CEO of the IIT Madras Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre Incubator, founder of multiple start-ups including VibaZone, & Start-up Podium. A lifelong learner and an author of two books on entrepreneurship & incubation, Muthu joins us from Chennai, India.

June 22 | In this episode, Brian Flood talks about the early days of Q1 Labs and his journey as an entrepreneur. In 2001, Brian founded the tech start-up Q1 Labs, a network security company that grew to be a world leader in just ten years, employing hundreds of New Brunswickers.

In 2011, IBM bought Q1 Labs for over $600 million, one of the largest acquisitions in New Brunswick’s history ever. To this day Q1 Labs is considered one of Canada’s most important IT success stories.

Brian completed the BBA degree at UNB's Faculty of Management in 1983. UNB recognized his accomplishments in 2006 with the Certificate of Achievement.

March 11 | Stephanie Fox, Vice President of the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation, joined us on campus to speak on the ever-changing landscape of the philanthropic sector with their presentation on the "Business of Philanthropy".

An alumna of the University of New Brunswick, Stephanie’s career has been spent combining her ambitions in business with her wanting to positively impact the lives of others. Stephanie began her career in philanthropy with United Way, serving as their Campaign Director and then Community Development Director before broadening her experience to higher-ed Advancement as a Director with St. Thomas University. In 2015 she welcomed more change by transitioning to healthcare philanthropy.

Recognizing how critical life-long learning is, Stephanie graduated from United Way Worldwide’s Global Resident Fellows Program, is a 21inc alumna, participated as a Summer Scholar with Council for Advancement and Support of Education at Dartmouth College on full scholarship and recently completed studies in personal and organizational leadership through Stanford University’s Continuing Studies program. She holds her CFRE designation and was internationally recognized in the 2019 Association for Healthcare Philanthropy Top 40 Under 40 Class!

Stephanie was joined by Hance Colburne, Communications Director of the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation, who spoke about the important role communications strategy plays in philanthropic growth.

Always interested in broadcasting, Hance has a Bachelor of Applied Arts from the Radio and Television Arts program at Ryerson University, and has worked in private radio, at the University of King's College, Global Television Maritimes, A-Channel Edmonton, CBC in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and the Government of Nova Scotia.