Join Canadian Club Toronto on October 1st when industry giants Sabrina Geremia (VP and Country Manager, Google Canada) and Gillian Riley (President and CEO, Tangerine Bank and Executive Sponsor of The Scotiabank Women Initiative) provide their valuable insight and tools for women in tech with tips and strategies for navigating startups and preparing for VC funding pitches. This discussion will be moderated by Arati Sharma (Director of Product Marketing, Shopify).
You will receive the event link on the morning of the event.
Gillian Riley
President and CEO, Tangerine Bank and Executive Sponsor of The Scotiabank Women Initiative
Gillian Riley is President & CEO, Tangerine. She was appointed to this role in December 18, 2018, with responsibility for setting and driving Tangerine’s strategic objectives to solidify its position as Canada’s leading digital bank. She is also the Chair of Roynat Capital and the Executive Sponsor of The Scotiabank Women Initiative.
Since joining Scotiabank in 1994, Gillian has held senior leadership positions in Retail, Small Business, Commercial Banking and Operations groups. In her previous position as Executive Vice President, Canadian Commercial Banking, Gillian directed the management of several integrated businesses providing corporate finance solutions to businesses across Canada.
Gillian holds an MBA from the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford in Connecticut and a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. She is the Past President of the Canadian Club of Toronto and a Director of the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation.
Sabrina Geremia
VP and Country Manager, Google Canada
The open web presents an unprecedented economic opportunity for Canada. As VP & Country Manager for Google, Sabrina and her team are focused on helping Canadian businesses grow.
A 14 year veteran at Google, Sabrina is a firm believer that technology, when thoughtfully applied, can be a bridge to building a better Canada. Sabrina has championed numerous programs in Canada aimed at helping Canadians and Canadian businesses thrive in the digital economy, and grow their digital skills.
Sabrina is a member of the Business Council of Canada and a board member of the Future Skills Centre, an organization dedicated to helping Canadians gain the skills needed to thrive in the evolving workforce. She also served on the boards of Ryerson DMZ, North America’s top University Start-Up Incubator and the Canadian Marketing Association.
Sabrina is the 2020 recipient of Women in Communications and Technology’s (WCT) Woman of the Year award, was recognized by the Women’s Executive Council (WXN) as one of Canada’s top 100 most powerful women in 2015, and was the recipient of the 2014 Women in Communication Technology Diversity award. She is also an advisor to Move the Dial, an initiative to encourage more women in tech.
Sabrina’s insights are based on over 25 years of international marketing, technology sales and general management experience at Procter & Gamble (Italy), Reckitt Benckiser (UK/global), Ask Jeeves (UK), a mobile startup called Incirco (UK) and Google (UK & Canada).
Sabrina is a business graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada and the University of Pavia in Italy and lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.
Arati Sharma
Director of Product Marketing, Shopify
Arati Sharma leads Product Marketing at Shopify, where she is responsible for to market strategy and campaigns for Shopify’s products to a global audience of thriving entrepreneurs. Prior to her current role, Arati led Offline, Experiential, and Community Marketing for Shopify, and is credited with starting the company’s annual conference, Shopify Unite.
She joined the Shopify rocketship in August 2013, through the acquisition of Jet Cooper where she lead operations, culture, and strategic projects.
An active angel investor, Arati’s focused on supporting Canadian-based, women-led companies. When not talking product or mentoring early-stage startups, you can find her trying to replicate new recipes she’s discovered on her travels.
