ABOUT

Emily Smiley is a nationally recognized leader in entrepreneurship, inclusive investment, and economic systems change. As Executive Director of Movement51, she leads national programs advancing investor education and access to capital for women and gender-diverse founders. Her background includes senior leadership roles at the DMZ, where she stewarded multimillion-dollar funding partnerships, collaborated with advisory boards, and oversaw governance reporting. Emily contributes strengths in strategy, risk oversight, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and policy-informed approaches to inclusive economic growth.

Erin Crampton is a regenerative food systems expert with extensive experience across farming, food processing, logistics, distribution, and agricultural policy. She has operated food processing businesses, built regenerative supply chains, and scaled a multimillion-dollar grocery operation while shortening regional value chains and managing hundreds of SKUs. Erin has developed alternative finance tools for regenerative agriculture and advises investors and farmer organizations on ecosystem-level transitions. She brings deep sector knowledge, sustainability governance insight, and a commitment to equitable regional food economies. 

Manda Razafimahefa is an impact investment and sustainable finance leader with experience managing multi-million-dollar portfolios, structuring investments for underrepresented founders, and designing equitable capital frameworks. Her background includes roles in Quebec’s social economy financing ecosystem, private equity in emerging markets, and ESG advisory for institutional investors. Manda brings strong expertise in due diligence, risk analysis, impact measurement, and investor relations, with a career rooted in expanding access to capital for diverse entrepreneurs in agri-food and innovation sectors. 

Melanie Rupp is a national leader in women’s entrepreneurship finance with more than 15 years in commercial banking and a decade advising women-led ventures. She oversees a national loan fund for women founders and is an active early-stage investor through Women’s Equity Lab. Her expertise spans credit adjudication, business advising, capital strategy, and partnerships across Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystems, including SSFPA, SVX, and Community Futures organizations. Melanie brings deep governance experience and a strong commitment to dismantling barriers to capital for equity-deserving food processors. 

Peter Gosselin is a Métis executive leader and serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience advancing Indigenous economic development, entrepreneurship, procurement strategies, and social impact investing. He has founded and led multiple food sector businesses—including Indigenous Food and Beverages Canada and the Salay Indigenous Foods brand—bringing Indigenous products to national and international markets. His career in federal and provincial governments includes designing policies, programs, and accountability frameworks supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs. Peter brings deep governance experience, sector knowledge, and a lifelong commitment to Indigenous economic sovereignty within food systems. 

Dr. Ron Wasik brings over 25 years of senior leadership experience across Canada’s agri-food sector, spanning food science, manufacturing, fast-food supply chains, and quality oversight. His career includes responsibility for food safety and compliance for infant formula manufacturers and national food service chains serving millions of meals annually. He now teaches, consults, and advises food processing organizations, offering deep technical expertise in safety, regulatory systems, and operational risk management. Ron also has more than 35 years of community leadership, governance participation, and capacity-building experience, strengthening the Fund’s oversight of food manufacturing and supply-chain investments.