DAVID GREENALL, 38
Ottawa practice leader – sustainability and climate change, Deloitte
Company profile: Deloitte assists organizations with maximizing business growth, profitability and value through the management of social and environmental performance.
Education: Master of Environmental Management, York University (1999).
Biggest biz achievement: Founding and growing the Carbon Disclosure Project Canada - I led a consortium of major institutional investors, pension funds and asset managers with the objective of improving capital market disclosure of climate risk by publicly traded companies.
Biggest biz obstacle: Getting clients to recognize the business value of sustainability - it is often seen as a cost or as PR, when in fact effectively managing social and environmental performance is integral to business success.
Biggest lesson learned in business: Believe in yourself – I have encountered many naysayers in my career. If I had listened to them, I would not be where I am today.
Three words that best describe you: Determined, conscientious, fair.
Charitable or non-profit involvement: I am on the board of directors of Thinking in Pictures Educational Services – a non-profit educational and therapeutic service that provides support to children aged two to 18 years who have pervasive developmental disorder and related or additional exceptionalities.
Biggest influence: A tie between Paul Hawken and John Elkington – both thought leaders in the area of business sustainability. Their work shaped my perspective early on in my career.
First job: Waiter at Swiss Chalet.
Favourite pastime: Spending time with my three children.
DAVID HOLLINGSWORTH, 39
Personal injury lawyer
Company profile: Personal injury law.
Education: LL.B Bachelor of Laws, University of Ottawa (1997).
Biggest biz achievement: Building a successful law practice of over 200 files, with seven full- and part-time staff.
Biggest biz obstacle: Juggling the management of the business aspects while providing top-notch legal services.
Biggest lesson learned in business: Do the best you can with the time you have for each task, then move on.
Three words that best describe you: Honest, tough, fair.
Charitable or non-profit involvement: Reach Canada – providing people with disabilities free legal and educational services.
Biggest influence: Eric Williams was my mentor when I was an articling student. He taught me the importance of doing the absolute best that I could on each file and not to worry about money.
First job: Dairy Queen sundae maker.
Favourite pastime: Going to my kids' sporting activities.
Favourite travel destination: Greek Islands.
Favourite book: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
Favourite movie: Pulp Fiction.
ROB IMBEAULT, 38
CEO and director of strategic initiatives, 10Count Consulting Inc.
Company profile: We develop and implement custom enterprise-level software.
Biggest biz achievement: Our first year where the 10Count team turned a failing company in to a thriving young profitable business. It involved a lot of late nights and sacrifices, and I wouldn't change those memories for the world.
Biggest biz obstacle: Time management – it's hard to stop working when you love what you do.
Biggest lesson learned in business: Your staff is your business. Understand the goals of your team and help them to achieve them. Find great people, set some goals and stay the hell out of their way!
Three words that best describe you: Ambitious, compassionate, generous
Charitable or non-profit involvement: Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.
Biggest influence: George Imbeault, my grandfather. He was a WWII veteran, owned one of the "original 6" Canadian Tires among other businesses, flew planes, handed Terry Fox a cheque during his run. Lost him to cancer. It changed my life.
First job: Footlocker. Awful place to work, but made some lifelong friendships.
Favourite pastime: Driving. It can be a solace or an exhilaration.
Favourite travel destination: Anywhere. I love road trips with little planned.
Favourite movie: Fight Club.
KATHERINE LAFFERTY, 39
Executive director, Canadian Stroke Network and co-owner, Watson's Pharmacy and Wellness Centre
Company profile: CSN is national network of researchers and clinicians focused on reducing the impact of stroke; Watson's is an independent compounding pharmacy.
Education: Masters in Business Administration, Carnegie Mellon University (1995).
Biggest biz achievement: CSN: mobilizing Canadian researchers, clinicians, volunteers, and policy-makers to make measurable, tangible improvements in stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Watson's: becoming a destination pharmacy with a loyal, and growing, customer base and strong brand recognition in just three years.
Biggest biz obstacle: At CSN, learning how to make things happen within the administrative structure created by provincial and federal governments; at Watson's, learning which suppliers of goods and services you can actually trust.
Biggest lesson learned in business: Don't be afraid to do something big. If you have crafted an idea or concept based on careful homework, and you have surrounded yourself with great people, don't take "no" for an answer.
Three words that best describe you: Positive, energetic, organized.
Charitable or non-profit involvement: Russian Orthodox Memorial Church, Ottawa.
Biggest Influence: My father (Patrick) who has tremendous vision and patience, and is a champion of the life sciences sector, and my mother (Vera) who inspires me to excel at all aspects of my life and to attack everything with passion.
First job: Counsellor at Camp Tawingo.
Favourite pastime: Spending time with my children.
Favourite travel destination: Anywhere in Europe.
Favourite book: The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Emmuska Orczy.
Favourite movie: Star Wars (the original).
ERIC LANG, 39
President, Knor Plast Inc.
Company profile: We are a processor and recycler of industrial plastics.
Education: EMBA, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa (2007).
Biggest biz achievement: Listed as 10th fastest growing company in Canada in Profit Magazine's Profit 100.
Biggest biz obstacle: Managing a 100-per-cent growth rate for five consecutive years.
Biggest lesson learned in business: Not everyone operates best under the same situations as I would. Most people want to have parameters, and boundaries and to be told what to do.
Three words that best describe you: Adaptable, extensive, prototype.
Charitable or non-profit involvement: The Entrepreneurs Organization, Ottawa chapter.
Biggest influence: My first partner. After only a few months working with him I found that he was being less than honest. After our confrontation he said I would be out of business with in a couple of months, and I've spent the next several years proving him wrong.
First job: Born with a job – I was raised on a dairy farm.
Favourite pastime: Lazy afternoons in bed.
Favourite travel destination: Thailand.
Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Persig.
Favourite movie: Spaghetti westerns.
CATHY LEWIS, 37
Program manager, Abbott Point of Care
Company profile: Abbott Point of Care manufactures the i-STAT System, a handheld blood analyzer that provides lab-quality results within minutes to accelerate patient decision-making.
Education: MBA, Telfer School of Business, University of Ottawa (2007).
Biggest biz achievement: Implementing a microelectronics apprenticeship program for 400 Abbott Point of Care employees and supporting 30 apprentices to earn their high school diploma.
Biggest biz obstacle: My impatience can clash with regulations and complex processes.
Biggest lesson learned in business: Surround yourself with brilliant people and give them the support and freedom to excel and grow. Delegate and build capacity in others.
Three words that best describe you: Genuine, enthusiastic, committed.
Charitable or non-profit involvement: iSisters Technology Mentoring founded in 2001 now has six computer labs in Ottawa where women in need access free technology mentoring courses. 2010 will see our 1000th graduate. I am a director and co-founder.
Biggest influence: My students are my biggest influence. I learn from them every day and have throughout my career whether they are 5 or 65.
First job: Ice cream scooper at Stoney Creek Dairy.
Favourite pastime: Cooking and being sporty.
Favourite travel destination: So far, India.
Favourite book: I use my Ottawa Public Library card more than my Visa, but the last book I read was The Kind Diet, by Alicia Silverstone.
Favourite movie: Tie between Gone with the Wind and Finding Nemo.
TRAVIS LINDGREN, 39
President and general manager, Learning Tree International
Company profile: Learning Tree International is a world leader in hands-on training for management and technology professionals.
Education: MBA, Touro University (1998); CMA, Certified Management Accountants of Ontario (2008).
Biggest biz achievement: Managing business and employee morale through the present economic downturn and the dot-com decline in early 2000s.
Biggest biz obstacle: This recession is a big obstacle right now and has required the team to dig deep and find our way to not only survive and keep the integrity of our business intact, but grow and take market share as the market recovers.
Biggest lesson learned in business: Every company has the ability and the answers to their challenges inside their company. They just need to create a culture that allows for ideas, opportunities, challenges and solutions to bubble up.
Three words that best describe you: Zest. Resolute. Clumsy.
Charitable or non-profit involvement: Leitrim Minor Hockey Association
Biggest influence: My parents. Their attitude and compassion are unmatched. No matter what the setback, they have always had a positive spirit and focus and gave me the tools to have a similar outlook.
First job: Paperboy for the Vancouver Province.
Favourite pastime: Does running arena-to-arena count? Seriously, being with family is the best by far.
Favourite travel destination: Prince Edward County.
Favourite book: The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton.
Favourite movie: Dodgeball.
MAHESH MANI, 34
Partner, KPMG LLP
Company profile: A full service audit, tax and advisory firm.
Education: Master of Accounting, University of Waterloo (1999).
Biggest biz achievement: Having had the opportunity to have worked in different places and to have met and worked with so many different cultures and people before coming to Ottawa.
Biggest biz obstacle: Being new to Ottawa, the challenge of building new contacts and proving myself in a new city.
Biggest lesson learned in business: To be inclusive. I learned this a long time ago from a great mentor who taught me the importance of including your team in key decisions, meetings and communications.
Three words that best describe you: Practical, hardworking, honest.
Charitable or non-profit involvement: CHEO Foundation, Thirteen Strings Music Orchestra, Indo-Canada Ottawa Business Chamber.
Biggest Influence: I've been fortunate to have had a number of mentors within KPMG over my career who have invested their time to help ensure that I was getting the most of our my career. Also my father, by his example.
First job: Paper route.
Favourite pastime: Swimming lessons with my son.
Favourite travel destination: Anywhere a plane will take me.
Favourite book: Long Walk to Freedom, by Nelson Mandela.
Favourite movie: Rudy or Lord of the Rings, depending on my mood!
PETER MCINTOSH, 39
President, The McIntosh Group (McIntosh & Watts, Rob McIntosh)
Company profile: Retailer and wholesaler of tablewear and gifts.
Education: Honours Business Administration, University of Western Ontario (1994).
Biggest biz achievement: Developing a successful catalogue operation from scratch.
Biggest biz obstacle: Industry challenges, both in the retail industry and brand-name tableware business. Shifting customer preferences force constant change.
Biggest lesson learned in business: Control your destiny – don't put your destiny in the hands of others.
Three words that best describe you: Integrity, persistent, optimistic.
Charitable or non-profit involvement: CAA North and East Auto Club.
Biggest influence: My father was an incredible role model, an original merchant with vision and high standards.
First job: Waterslide attendant.
Favourite pastime: Spending time with my family.
Favourite travel destination: Our cottage.
Favourite book: The Stand, by Stephen King.
Favourite movie: Old School.
COLLEEN M. MCQUARRIE, 35
Clinic director, naturopathic doctor, Ottawa Integrative Health Centre
Company profile: The OIHC is Eastern Ontario's largest integrative naturopathic care centre, providing patients with individualized testing and assessments along with collaborative, multi-disciplinary and innovative treatment strategies.
Education: Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (2002).
Biggest biz achievement: Growing to provide a full service family practice, with Ottawa's largest group of NDs and RMTs, as well as its only naturopathic oncologist, in a way that has empowered our patients, staff and associates to achieve optimal health and the most from their lives.
Biggest biz obstacle: Overcoming common misconceptions about complementary and alternative medicine in general, and naturopathic medicine in particular. Also it has been difficult to overcome the current sensibility that health care should be provided, free of charge, and free of responsibility, to everyone - it takes most of us time to recognize that our health is an investment, that requires maintenance.
Biggest lesson learned in business: You are only as strong as your greatest weakness - so surround yourself with experts in the areas you know the least about to act as your board of directors.
Three words that best describe you: Empathetic, supportive, invested.
Charitable or non-profit involvement: The CAND and the CCNM, From Belly to Baby.
Biggest influence: My good friend Iva – she has broken the rules to set the bar higher, and just innately knows success.
First job: Technically a babysitter, but my first payroll job was a corn detassler.
Favourite pastime: Spending time with my husband, doing anything that doesn't involve watching sports!
Favourite travel destination: Dominican Republic.
Favourite book: The Birth House, by Amy Mckay.
Favourite movie: Patch Adams.
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