Kevin d'Entremont

President and CEO

Kevin d’Entremont is the President and CEO of TECHNATION, the tech industry association of Canada. Kevin’s unique career brings over 25 years of experience of public‑sector insight, private‑sector leadership, and deep national convening expertise. He is widely recognized for his ability to build strategic relationships, accelerate opportunity development, and strengthen the reach and relevance of Canada’s technology sector across all levels of government.

Prior to joining TECHNATION, Kevin was a partner in McKinsey’s Public Sector practice in Canada where he led client development across federal, provincial, and municipal governments, helping to facilitate strategic relationships and thought leadership within the public sector. Previously, he also led business development at Accenture’s Canadian federal practice, served as Executive Director of GTEC, Canada’s pre-eminent technology event and owned and operated a technology and business events company where he founded several high profile B2B and B2C events.

Kevin also brings first-hand experience in government, having held roles in federal and municipal governments, including as a personal assistant to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, a writer for the Hon. Tom Siddon, Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, a spokesperson with the Canadian Transportation Agency, and a Commercial Specialist with the US Department of Commerce at the US Embassy in Ottawa.

Kevin lives in Ottawa and is actively involved in the business and community organizations, including serving on the Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s President’s Breakfast Cabinet, and a head coach with the Capital City Condors. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from the University of Ottawa.

Denise Shortt

Executive Vice President, Industry Development and Diversity Initiatives

Denise Shortt is an internationally respected writer, researcher and speaker specializing in information technology, gender issues, entrepreneurship and innovation. Denise co-authored Technology with Curves: Women Reshaping the Digital Landscape (HarperCollins, 2000) and Innovation Nation: Canadian Leadership from Java to Jurassic Park (Wiley & Sons, 2002).

Denise is also a former faculty member of Ryerson University’s School of Information Technology Management and helped to found Ryerson’s Diversity Institute which specializes in gender research. She also founded SwingThink, a marketing and communications company focused on online community building, social media and gender research. Denise was co-founder and President of Wired Woman Toronto (launched in 1996) and currently sits on the Board of Directors for Women in Communications and Technology (WCT). She has a Masters in Technology from Harvard University and studied gender and technology at MIT. Denise was recently awarded a CWC Leadership Award for her life-time of work as a champion for the advancement of women.

Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia

Executive Vice President, Public Policy

Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia is a seasoned multilingual policy professional and executive leader with over 25 years of experience across the private, public, non-profit and academic sectors. Originally from Germany, her career spans six countries and five continents, with a strong record of building cross-sector and cross-border collaboration in technology, economic development and public policy.

Most recently, Ulrike served as the Diversity Institute’s Senior Director, Innovation, Digital Transformation & Global Affairs and Interim Executive Director of the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH). Her work supported inclusive innovation with a focus on small and medium enterprises and digital transformation, as well as partnership development, knowledge mobilization, and strengthening connections between research, policy, industry and practice — particularly in areas related to technology adoption, scale-up growth and skills development.

Prior, Ulrike served as Senior Director, Digital Economy, Technology and Innovation at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, where she led federal policy files on AI, cybersecurity, telecommunications, quantum, online safety, digital transformation, and privacy and data protection. She also established and led national advisory bodies including the Cyber Security Council, the Future of Artificial Intelligence Council, and the Digital Economy Committee, engaging close to 200 organizations from across Canada’s business community. She also founded the Chamber’s Health Innovation Committee and biomanufacturing and life sciences portfolio and later added responsibility for the Privacy and Digital Trade Council.

Prior to her work with the Canadian Chamber, Ulrike was President and CEO of Digital Nova Scotia where she transformed the organization into a thriving provincial tech association. She has also held government roles including with the Government of Nova Scotia, Innovacorp, as well as several executive leadership roles in the global tech industry, including Intel, Compaq/HP, McAfee, and others. Ulrike has also served on numerous boards and advisory committees focused on technology and innovation, and continues to actively serve in this capacity.

An avid advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and careers in STEAM, Ulrike is a tireless connector who builds bridges between people and jobs, industry and government, and companies to opportunities domestically and globally. She has been recognized with numerous features and awards including WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada Hall of Fame, Atlantic Business Magazine Top 50 CEO, RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant, East Coast Top 25 Immigrant, Halifax Top 5 Immigrant Women Influencers, WCT Top 15 Leadership Excellence in Canada: Innovator, Progress Women of Excellence: Innovator/Entrepreneur, Canada’s Top 40 Change-Makers: Canadian Living Magazine, Mannesmann Teaching Award & Fulbright Scholarship while pursuing her M.A. in the United States, 2017 “Canada 150 Women”.

Elaine Huesing

Executive Director, Health

As the lead for Health (formerly ITAC Health), Elaine helps members navigate the ICT challenges and opportunities of the health sector both nationally and globally. Having been a part of the founding team for CHITTA, now known as TECHNATION’s Health Division, the Alberta Network for Health Information exchange (ANHIX) and the Canadian Health Informatics Awards (CHIA) Gala which celebrate the innovations in the Canadian healthcare sector, she brings over 30 years of experience to the health Members. Elaine is the Editor and Publisher of HIM&CC, the official journal of TECHNATION’S Health programming and Digital Health Canada and the CEO for IMIA, The International Medical Informatics Association.

Sandi Campbell

Executive Director, Future Workforce Development Operations

As Executive Director of the Future Workforce Development (FWD) division, Sandi leads the delivery of programming that addresses the needs of Canada’s tech talent pipeline, through funding initiatives from the federal government.

Leveraging 25 years of program management and team leadership experience, Sandi provides ongoing oversight of TECHNATION programs and initiatives, while leading a team of over 20 individuals.  Her insight and expertise empower her team to offer greater opportunities to Canadians through focused, industry-leading programs, that benefit industry, government, and academia alike.

Since starting with TECHNATION, Sandi and her team have launched industry-leading programs and initiatives, including CareerFinder, Career Ready Program, Municipal Cyber Best Practices and more.

Her experience includes working for tier-one financial institutions, not-for-profit and public sector enterprises. Sandi is a Certified Project Manager, and holds a BA Certification through IIBA, a Certification of Telecommunications Management through Ryerson University, as well as Diploma in Fashion through Centennial College.

Brett Hotas

Executive Director, Future Workforce Development Strategy

Brett is a nationally recognized leader in future workforce development, known for designing bold, equity-centered programs that bridge the gap between education and employment. As Executive Director of Future Workforce Development Strategy at TECHNATION, he has led some of Canada’s most innovative Work Integrated Learning (WIL) and experiential programs, securing over $250M in public funding to support the success of tens of thousands of students and employers nationwide.

With over 15 years of cross-sector experience, Brett works at the intersection of policy, technology, education, and economic development. He has built scalable WIL ecosystems in collaboration with government, industry, and academia, launched one of Canada’s largest cybersecurity ‘Future Talent’ challenges, and designed more than 100 skills and entrepreneurship workshops to bridge entry-level skill gaps.

A recognized advocate for inclusive innovation, Brett draws on a background in HR and DEI – and lived experience as someone of Métis and European ancestry – to increase Indigenous and under-represented student participation in Canada’s tech workforce. His work directly supports the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and strengthens pathways for equity-deserving communities in digital careers.

Brett’s work is driven by a belief that inclusive systems don’t just happen – they’re designed. With every initiative, he seeks to shift the structures that limit access, and build future-ready pathways for talent that reflect the full diversity of Canada.