Leadership Team

Nasheen Liu, Managing Partner and SVP, CIO Strategy

Ms. Liu’s strong reputation in the Technology community is built upon her proven track record as a leader who practices what she preaches. Results driven, focused, determined and creative, Ms. Liu approaches marketing and business development with integrity, sound common-sense principles and unconventional strategy. Ms. Liu’s expertise in Corporate, Field, Industry, Product and Social Media Marketing makes her a well-rounded knowledge expert and an excellent communicator.

A seasoned and sought-after executive, Ms. Liu has two decades of success in strategy development, marketing, and client engagement. Prior to joining The IT Media Group, she worked at Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc., heading up Sun’s software marketing nationally. Previously, Ms. Liu held key marketing positions at leading Canadian software companies such as Workbrain and Platform Computing.

As Managing Partner and VP, Strategy, Ms. Liu spearheads The IT Media Group’s overall business plan and leads executive marketing consulting services.

SPECIALTIES

Consulting to IT marketing organizations, including marketing plan & campaign strategy development; business development and customer engagement; effective messaging and positioning; developing methodologies for working successfully with the sales team; motivational speaking

John Pickett, VP, Executive Programs

With many years of experience leading editorial activities and chairing IT executive events at Canada’s top IT publishing company, Mr. Pickett is a highly skilled speaker, writer, events facilitator, advisor and CIO community advocate. Long-time host of the popular “Frankly Speaking…” series of IT breakfast events, he is one of Canada’s most recognized IT media figures. Mr. Pickett was the founding editor of ComputerWorld Canada and CIO Canada magazines. He is a frequent guest speaker and media source on information technology.

Prior to his media career, Mr. Pickett enjoyed a successful career in information systems and management consulting, and held senior management positions with prominent Canadian and UK-based companies.

As VP, Executive Programs, Mr. Pickett leads the effort of championing the role of the Canadian business and technology community and facilitating their ongoing, meaningful dialogues to solve their common challenges.

SPECIALTIES

Event facilitation, hosting and public speaking; stimulating executive group interaction and CIO/vendor dialogue; developing compelling technical and management content; media consulting; writing and editing

David Carey, VP, Content

Mr. Carey is an award winning writer and one of Canada’s leading publishing professionals in the field of IT management. His career includes 20 years at the helm of two of the country’s most important IT management magazines, CIO Canada and Canadian Datasystems.

Mr. Carey is well connected with the Canadian IT management community, having interviewed hundreds of IT executives and written over a hundred in-depth IT case studies on public and private organizations from coast to coast. He was a driving force in the creation of the Canadian Information Productivity Awards (CIPA), the country’s leading awards program for IT management, and he helped launch The CIO Xchange, one of the country’s first facilitated information-sharing groups for CIOs.

As VP, Content, Mr. Carey provides oversight of all editorial services at The IT Media Group including the creation of case studies, whitepapers, sales & marketing collateral, and Web content.

SPECIALTIES

All aspects of IT publishing project management including planning, interviewing, writing, editing, art direction supervision and print production; Canadian IT management market knowledge-expert; high-tech media relations consulting, including campaign planning and content creation

Jeff Ishii, Chief Technologist and VP of Operations

Externally ranked by Heidrick & Struggles to be in the top 5% of executives for achievement of results, customer centricity and business acumen, Mr. Ishii helps organizations solve their most important issues. His action-oriented style coupled with a strategic mindset has resulted in consistently high performance outcomes for his clients.

Mr. Ishii’s career spans 30 years of management consulting, professional services and IT operations delivery. He has always been at the forefront of technology by implementing unique and creative solutions that have produced sustained value. He translates business goals into actionable project plans while making sound choices and decisions.

As Chief Technologist, Mr. Ishii keeps abreast of current and future IT practices and trends that affect various industries. He proactively studies industry and marketplace developments to advise clients of relevant changes that affect their business. As VP, Operations, he provides oversight of the company’s priorities to ensure ongoing success.

SPECIALTIES

IT outsourcing (service management, costing and optimization, P&L management, strategic planning, technology innovation, benchmarking); professional services (resource management, proposal review and quality assurance, project delivery); management consulting (technology strategy, mission critical systems)

Advisory Board

Our advisory board provides guidance on compelling issues and topics for CIOs and the vendors that serve them, ensuring that we remain relevant and valuable to both communities.

Maria Aiello

Maria Aiello is Global Head of Private Markets & Real Estate Technology at Manulife. She joined Manulife from PwC, as Vice President leading the Real Estate Technology Advisory practice. Prior to joining PwC, Maria held CIO positions at Morguard Corporation and Regal Lifestyle Communities (acquired by Revera in 2015).

Maria is a strong advocate of the CIO and real estate communities and was active in the initial launch of the One Million Acts of Innovation. Her previous positions include: Vice President of the Toronto Chapter of the CIO Association; chair of the Real Estate CanTech Conference; panel moderator for the Homebuilder and Renovator Expo; and advisor for the Realcomm Conference. She was nominated one of the Top 35 People to Watch by Realcomm. Maria has been featured in CIO Magazine and has appeared in interviews produced by IT Canada, The IT Media Group, and IT World Canada. In addition, for most of her career, Maria has either participated or led various peer groups in North America for Real Estate. As a result, she has strong relationships with peers globally and most of the technology vendors and service providers in the industry.

Maria is a graduate of McMaster University with Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and French. Maria has also completed Innovation and Project Leadership Executive courses with Queen’s Business school along with Leadership and Strategy Education with the Rotman School of Business.

Monique Allen

Monique is the Executive Vice President, Data & Technology at OMERS. Reporting to the President and Chief Pension Officer, she is accountable for defining and implementing the data and technology strategic vision of the organization. Prior to joining OMERS, Monique was the Senior Vice President, Technology Enabled Managed Services at Finastra. Monique brings 20 years of experience in technology, product management and P&L roles in the financial technology industry.

Monique is an advocate for giving back to the community through volunteerism and mentorship where she has held community leadership roles for the United Way, D+H's Women's Network, and Junior Achievement of Central Ontario.

Monique holds an Honours BSc from the University of Waterloo, an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University, and is an Executive Development alumni of the Rotman School of Business.

Dr. Peter Carr

Peter Carr Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Management Sciences in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Canada’s leading university for science and technology. Peter is author and director of three online certificate programmes from the University of Waterloo in Project Leadership, Technology Entrepreneurship and Social Media for Business Performance and researches and consults in these areas. The certificates are delivered online to students in countries throughout the world. He has also authored a Masters project management course that involves students working in virtual teams with the world’s major aid organisations on projects involving technology-based third world development.

Peter acquired his PhD from Cranfield University in the UK where his studies focused on Manufacturing Systems Engineering and particularly the implementation of lean operations and supply chain environments in both the manufacturing and service sectors. He lives in Toronto, Canada.

Melissa Carvalho

Melissa is RBC’s Global Cyber Security Vice President, leading the Cyber Security Planning Office and the bank’s Global Identity and Access Management group, a large team of security professionals providing cyber solutions and services for RBC’s 86,000 employees and 17 million clients.

Melissa is internationally recognized for successfully delivering critical, high-impact initiatives for large organizations. Throughout her career, she has developed and implemented identity strategies to promote organizational growth and improve operational efficiency, including implementing identity programs at Canada’s five major banks and consulting on over 50 IAM programs across North America. Known as an adept and innovative leader with extensive experience in managing all aspects of information technology, she consistently leads and motivates individuals to maximize productivity while managing relationships with diverse stakeholder groups.

Melissa is part of several groups that look to create a more diverse and inclusive environments within RBC and outside the organization. Within the bank, Melissa is the RBC Technology and Operations Co-lead for the LGBTQ+ leadership team and is known for promoting an environment of equality for all where everyone is comfortable to bring their ‘true self’ to work. Melissa is also the Canadian Ambassador for Women in Identity, a global non-profit organization focused on breaking bias to create a world where “Digital identity solutions built for everyone are built by everyone”. With Women in Identity, Melissa combines her two passions, advancing people and advancing technology. She looks to bring people together and create new opportunities for a future without biases.

John Comacchio

John is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Teknion Corporation. He is a member of the IDC CIO Research Review Board, Masergy Customer Advisory Board, OKTA CIO Advisory Board, and the Institute of Corporate Directors. Previously, John was a Principal in the e-Integration Practice of KPMG Consulting, General Manager of the Toronto office of professional services firm US Interactive, and Information Technology Officer at Nissan Canada.

John is responsible for providing enterprise-wide technology vision, leadership and management, and for the planning, development and implementation of information technology initiatives. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Ability Online Network, a non-profit organization that helps kids with disabilities or chronic illnesses accomplish great things by connecting them to a supportive online community for friendship, support and skill development opportunities.

John holds a Master of Business Administration, granted by the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.

Michelle Dennedy

Michelle is a start-up CEO, Author and Privacy “Jedi” having served as the Vice President and Chief Privacy Officer at Cisco and the Founder of The iDennedy Project, a consulting and advisory company helping to bring privacy and security products to market and to advance small information based companies’ business objectives. Michelle is also a founder and editor-in-chief of a new media site—TheIdentityProject.com—that was started as the ultimate source for individuals and companies who wish to debate, learn, lead, innovate and drive the concept of Identity in all its forms and facets.

Previously, Michelle was the Vice President and Chief Privacy Officer at Intel after serving as Vice President of Security & Privacy Solutions for the Oracle Corporation. Before the Oracle acquisition of Sun Microsystems, Inc, Michelle was Chief Data Governance Officer within the Cloud Computing division at Sun.

Michelle has a JD from Fordham University School of Law and a BS degree with honors from The Ohio State University. In 2009, she was awarded the Goodwin Procter-IAPP Vanguard award for lifetime achievement and the EWF – CSO Magazine Woman of Influence award for work in the privacy and security fields.

Paul Lewis

Paul is the Chief Technology Officer of Pythian, where he drives long term technology strategy and helps customers realize business outcomes throughout their digital transformation journeys. In addition, Paul steers technical innovations that continue to expand partner relationships in cloud and data. Before Pythian, Paul managed multidisciplinary teams as CIO/CTO and Senior Executive Technologist at Basi100, Filogix, D+H, and Hitachi Vantara.

Paul is passionate about technology evangelism, executive advocacy, and strategy related to digital transformation and IT operations. Interested parties can find his thought leadership in various technology and industry publications, including Forbes Insights and Edge Computing Association.

In addition to the IT Media Group, Paul serves as a member of the Masters of Business Analytics (MBAN) and Masters of Management in Artificial Intelligence (MMAI) advisory board at the Schulich School of Business, providing guidance on compelling issues and topics.

Ted Maulucci

Ted Maulucci is the President at SmartOne Solutions, a company committed to enhancing the living experience for communities through technology. Ted was previously Chief Information Officer for the Tridel Group of Companies and was named "Private Sector CIO of the Year" in 2016.

Ted is passionate about contributing and advancing innovation across Canada through partnerships and collaboration. He has been recognized with several international and local awards for IT leadership, IT application development for the real estate industry, smart buildings, and innovation. Some notable awards are the “Top Ten Best in Class CIO’s in North America” by Computerworld, CIPA Gold Award of Excellence for application development in the real estate industry, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for promoting Canadian innovation, and the Mid-Career Award from the University of Toronto for industry and social contribution in an engineering career.

Ted has an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business with a specialization in Real Property Development.

Frances Newbigin

Frances is a senior executive in the technology industry having served as Vice President Transformation Solutions at OnX Enterprise Solutions. Previously she held the role of Vice President of Enterprise Software for Canada at Hewlett-Packard Canada. Prior to joining HP, Frances was Vice President of Sun Microsystems of Canada’s software and technical sales, successfully driving market penetration and revenue growth for Sun’s enterprise software solutions.

Prior to joining Sun, Frances held Country Manager positions at Bachman Information Systems, Logic Works, and NetDynamics – all successful Canadian divisions of US-based software firms. She has been instrumental in supporting a number of these software organizations in their successful pursuit of an IPO.

Frances has more than 20 years of stellar leadership experience in the software technology industry and holds an Economics/Commerce Honours B.A. from the University of Waterloo. Outside of her professional pursuits, Frances’ chief enjoyment is spending time with her family.

Helen S. Polatajko

Helen is a highly sought-after Board Director at a number of organizations in the public and private sectors. Previously, Helen served as Vice President, Information and Technology at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and she was Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer at CIBC Mellon. Prior to joining CIBC Mellon, she was CIO at a former Mellon subsidiary in Houston,Texas.

In 1996, Helen was recognized by the McGraw-Hill group of companies as one of the Top 100 Women in Computing, acknowledging her achievements and contributions to information services and technology. In May 2003, she was featured on the cover of CIO Canada for an article entitled “Fusing Business and Technology.” Since 2004, Helen has served on the judging panel of the Canadian Information Productivity Awards (CIPA). In 2005, she joined the CIO Executive Council as an advisory board representative.

Helen received her education from The University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from The Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware.

Ernest Solomon

Ernest is the Chief Information Officer with LAWPRO bringing two decades of experience directing technology services and business management plans for the financial services, insurance, and healthcare industries. His proficiency in digital transformation, technology innovation, and the development of customer-focused service cultures drives the technology strategy for the company.

Previously, he served as the Head of IT Americas at Roche where he led IT operations and the vendor management office for Canada, US, and Latin America. Prior to joining Roche, he held positions at BMO as Head of Service Delivery and HP Enterprise, where he was an Account Delivery Executive.

Ernest holds a Master of Business Administrationfrom the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.

Mission

The IT Media Group’s mission is to support and add value to the CIO community while providing a wide range of opportunities for direct engagement between IT vendors and CIOs, enabling them to share knowledge and opinions, provide thought leadership, build relationships, and engage in a dialogue of benefit to both parties.

As IT becomes fully integrated into business strategy and operations, so the constellation of purchasing influencers broadens and the challenge for vendors becomes more complex. The central figure in the buying constellation is often the CIO. With an expanding mandate, CIOs are among today’s busiest executives. Their time is precious and guarded, making it difficult for vendors to get their voice heard above the many others clamouring for the CIO’s attention.

CIOs value the knowledge, thought leadership and support that vendors can provide but they often deny access to them because of severe time constraints and a perceived lack of value from typical sales calls. What’s needed by both parties are opportunities for connection and dialogue that come with the promise of true value for time invested.

One of our key objectives is to provide compelling opportunities for engagement between CIOs and vendors, delivering on the value-for-time promise. By respecting the CIO’s time and providing good business value, we are able to keep their doors open, enabling our vendor clients to build new CIO relationships and re-energize old ones.

Culture

At IT Media Group we believe in maintaining a work environment that is built on mutual respect, integrity, creativity, and collaboration. We reward hard work with flexibility and support. We encourage out-of-box thinking and innovative approaches to achieve superlative results. We see people as our most valuable asset.

Our clients and our CIO management associates are both our trusted partners. Everything we do must provide genuine value to our clients and the CIO community.

We take our social responsibilities seriously. We respect the environment in our day-to-day activities and our work, believing that consciously and collectively we can help make the world a better place.