Leili Tafaghodi is an Associate Professor in Materials Science and Engineering Department at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. Her research expertise includes sustainable materials processing, and reutilization and recycling of waste materials. Prior to joining McMaster, she was an Assistant Professor and the Extractive Metallurgy Industry Chair at the University of British Columbia. She obtained her PhD on thermodynamics at the University of Toronto. 

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A photo credit of Georgia Kirkos/McMaster University

Bruce brings over 40 years of financial management experience, primarily with early-stage technology companies, both public and private.  He has been Chief Financial Officer of numerous companies, including: Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. (NYSE:LICY), TrustPoint Innovation Technologies, Ltd. (subsequently acquired by Escrypt Canada, a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH), Redline Communications Limited (TSX:RDL), MyScreen Mobile, Inc. (OTCQB:MYSL), and many more.

During his career, Bruce has participated in numerous financing transactions generating in close to $1 billion of capital; successfully listed companies on the NYSE, TSX and Nasdaq; and completed several cross-border M&A transactions.  He is experienced in establishing the financial reporting and disclosure infrastructures required of public companies and in implementing sound internal controls and corporate governance procedures.

Bruce graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a Canadian CA and CPA.  From 2005-2012 he was a member of the CPA Canada’s “Performance Reporting Board”, whose mandate is to promote best practices and thought leadership in financial reporting beyond traditional financial statements, and was also a member of the Committee’s “Small Company Advisory Group” from 2011-2015.

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Mike Outwin is an entrepreneur and venture capital investor. He has spent his career working with scientists and industry experts to build and invest in promising breakthrough technology companies at the intersection of biological and physical sciences.

Mike is Co-founder and CEO at Jetti Resources, which unlocks vast stranded copper resources utilizing its catalytic technology.

In addition to Jetti, Mike is a member of the founding team at GreatPoint Ventures, a leading early-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco, with over $1 billion under management, where he now serves as a strategic advisor. Mike is also a Commissioner at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.

Neil Zeller is a senior finance and venture executive with over 20 years of experience serving emerging growth businesses as an investment banker and operating lead.  He worked with boutique banking firms in San Francisco and New York supporting venture and private equity firms and their portfolio companies with M&A and capital raising advisory before co-founding several start-ups in the clean-tech industry, holding senior roles.  

He later founded Directional Group as a platform for advising on financial and strategic initiatives, including; growth strategy, corporate development, equity and debt capital raising, acquisitions, liquidity events, and financial operations.  He often serves in interim and fractional leadership roles. 

Early in his career, Neil managed large commercial and industrial developments as a construction project manager. He has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Civil Engineering degree from the Johns Hopkins University.  

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Ben has been an owner and senior manager of industrial recycling and real estate development companies for nearly 20 years. Ben has successfully launched multiple projects and secured over $100 million in financing.

Ben brings a global perspective into the team, and he works with global industrial and family-office clients on waste and energy issues, and he speaks and consults on efficiency and waste reduction in the US and abroad. He has led or vetted projects involving anaerobic digestion, landfill gas, biomass, waste-to-fuels, and by-products recycling. He has an MBA from the University of Washington and a BA from Reed College.

Dr. Choi is the president at Yakum Consulting and an adjunct professor at Queen’s University. He obtained a PhD from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He is a recipient of Sherritt Hydrometallurgy Award and Processing Innovation Metallurgy Award from MetSoc.

As a technology leader and creative, holistic problem solver, Dr. Choi takes a deeper dive into process and technology. This is what he has done for 30 years for big mining companies such as Barrick Gold, Falconbridge, Noranda and Korea Zinc. As a big picture thinker, he possesses a profound understanding of operations, planning, technology and plant expertise. Dr. Choi has pushed the boundaries in technology and innovation breaking conventional industry paradigms through value creation and transformational change.

Value creation is at the forefront as a Technology Innovator and Leader. Dr. Choi’s ability to liaise and tap into new innovations developed both in university and in Industry allowed him to execute innovative technology solutions across the mine value chain. The combination of Research & Innovation with practical experience in mining technology has allowed him to patent unique, innovative solutions, such as various non-cyanide gold leaching systems that reduce environmental risk.

Adam has worked in the recycling industry for over 15 years and grew up around it as he represents the fourth generation as the President at Manitoba Corporation, a non-ferrous metal recycling facility. In addition to Manitoba, Adam is the President of a sister company, Sunnking Inc. which focuses on ITAD and Electronics recycling. 

Adam is the President of Sunnking/Manitoba Corporation, current Chair of the ISRI Electronics Division, current Co-Chair of the ISRI Membership Committee, current Treasurer of the ISRI Empire Chapter, member of the REMADE Governance Board and Strategic Advisory Committee, and also serves on the advisory board for Camp Good Days and Special times, an organization aimed and providing year-round activities and programming for children with cancer.

Kunal Phalpher is a seasoned cleantech executive who has worked across sectors such as renewable energy, battery production and battery materials. Most recently Kunal held the position of President of Li-Metal, an innovator in anode materials for next-generation batteries. Prior to that Kunal was the Chief Commercial Officer, followed by the Chief Strategy Officer, of Li-Cycle, a leading lithium-ion battery recycling company closing the loop on critical battery materials. Kunal joined Li-Cycle at its infancy as one of the first employees and helped guide the company through its R&D phase to commercialization. Prior to these roles, Kunal held several roles focused on strategy and business development in the cleantech space both in Canada and Germany. Kunal holds an MBA from University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, and a B.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from University of Toronto.