Meet the judges
Our Three Minute Thesis (3MT) judges bring a wealth of expertise from the public and private sectors. Their diverse backgrounds in industry and innovation make them well-equipped to evaluate participants’ ability to communicate complex ideas in a clear, engaging, and impactful way. We are grateful for their time and commitment in supporting our graduate students as they take on this exciting challenge.
Heats (Wednesday, March 18)
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Andrew Jia
Affiliation
Partner, Kung, Lo & Jia LLP
Bio
Andrew is a litigation lawyer and partner at Kung, Lo & Jia LLP, a growing law firm located in Markham. Andrew has litigated on files worth over $100 million, and acts on a variety of matters, big and small. Sometimes soft spoken, sometimes fierce, Andrew prides himself in his ability to find practical, solutions-focused strategies to provide results that balance cost and outcome.
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Jean Marc Leclerc
Affiliation
President and CEO (Retired), Honda Canada
Bio
Jean Marc Leclerc's career in the auto industry spans 40 years, with 30 of those
at Honda Canada. He recently retired from Honda Canada as President
and CEO, a position he held since April 2020. In this role, he was responsible
for setting the overall direction for Honda in Canada and leading the company’s
Canadian sales, marketing, and manufacturing operations.
Under his leadership, Honda Canada has navigated significant challenges,
including the ongoing impacts of the pandemic and supply chain issues. He
has transformed the company's sales and profit structures to prepare it for the
economic, social, and technological shifts disrupting the industry, and Honda’s
transition toward an electrified future. This included negotiating provincial and
federal support to attract Honda’s generational $15 billion investment in a
complete electrification supply chain in Canada, the largest automotive
investment in Canadian history and Honda’s largest investment in North
America. His leadership and vision have positioned Honda Canada for
continued success and growth in the automotive, powersports, and power
equipment industries. -
Tracie Kenzora
Affiliation
General Manager, USANA Health Sciences Canada
Bio
Tracie’s love of direct sales began in her University days in Guelph, selling Avon door-to-door to help put herself through school. Since, Tracie has been sharing her passion for coaching and developing leaders both within the field and corporately for over 30 years.
Tracie was honoured by the Direct Sellers Association of Canada with the Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her contributions to the direct selling industry, having volunteered and served on multiple Committees, Boards, and as Chair of the DSA Canada.
Tracie found her “true home” when she joined USANA a few years ago, as she continued her passion to help entrepreneurs realize their full potential while maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
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...more judges still to come!
Check back soon.
Finals (Thursday, March 19)
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Alex Talmor
Affiliation
President, GlassHouse Systems
Bio
Alex Talmor serves as the President of GlassHouse Systems, a privately held North American company specializing in designing, building, managing, and securing Hybrid Cloud infrastructure for mid-market and large enterprise customers. The company is headquartered in Toronto, with a subsidiary in the US, and over 120 employees.
Alex earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering from the Technion and an MBA from Schulich. After 9 years in sales at IBM, Alex continued to develop his career at GlassHouse Systems, where he continued to advance, ultimately assuming leadership in 2022.
Alex is married with three children. Outside his professional responsibilities, Alex is active in the community through volunteering with various organizations and enjoys hiking and playing pickleball in his spare time. -
Janet Bannister
Affiliation
Founder & Managing Partner, Staircase Ventures
Bio
Janet Bannister is the Founder and Managing Partner of Staircase Ventures, investing in Canada’s most promising early-stage technology companies. Staircase is built on the belief that founders are the bedrock of great companies, and provides hands-on support to accelerate founder development and performance. Staircase Ventures is backed by leading institutional investors and successful entrepreneurs.
Previously, Janet was Managing Partner at Real Ventures, one of Canada’s most active early-stage venture firms, and is a graduate of the Kauffman Fellows program, a global network of top venture investors and innovation leaders. Janet is deeply engaged in Canada’s innovation ecosystem as Co-Chair of C100 and a board member of Ivey Business School and LEAP.
Earlier in her career, Janet launched Kijiji in Canada and later led Kijiji Global, expanding the platform internationally. She also spent four years at eBay in Silicon Valley and began her career at Procter & Gamble and McKinsey & Company. In June 2025, Ontario Tech University awarded Janet an Honorary Degree in recognition of her leadership and contributions to innovation and business growth in Canada. -
Stephen Beatty
Affiliation
Consultant, Beattyblog.ca
Bio
In a career that included managing the Canadian government’s legislative agenda and Parliamentary strategy in the 1980s, leading the Canadian Apparel Manufacturers Institute (CAMI) through the transition from the Canada-US FTA to NAFTA, and steering communications and business strategy as Vice President and Corporate Secretary of Toyota Canada Inc., Stephen Beatty has deep experience at the intersection of industry and government. Following his December 2024 retirement from Toyota, he now shares timely insights on his website and on LinkedIn.
In association with Trade Facilitation Services in Ottawa, Stephen helps companies understand how to navigate the complex rules governing international trade.
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...more judges still to come!
Check back soon.