What does your dream job look like now?

Nako Mbelle is the Founder and CEO of Fintech Recruiters located in Toronto. She started the firm in 2014 to meet the growing demand for experienced Financial Technology professionals at startups that were disrupting the financial services space. She has worked with pioneering FinTech startups and mid-sized innovative financial technology companies in New York, Toronto, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco, London, Hong Kong and Singapore. 

Before her recruiting career, she worked in the technology sector as a business development and sales representative. She has held various roles in strategy, sales and marketing analytics in tech startups and mid-sized companies. She finds joy in connecting job seekers with fulfilling career opportunities at disruptive Fintech startups.

Inder Bedi, founder of vegan accessory label MATT & NAT, has returned to the fashion space with a new vision. Enter BEDI, his latest Montreal-based venture that offers elevated everyday wares including bags, knits and outerwear crafted in Canada from textiles like Econyl (fabricated from nylon waste such as fishing nets), scrapped seatbelts from the automotive and aviation industries, and Desserto’s innovative leather made from cactus leaves.

Specializing in finance and partnerships, Toumaï Kafri has led humanitarian relief teams to onset emergencies and worked on ongoing programs in different parts of the world. Her work has taken her to Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, France, South Sudan, and Haiti. She also oversaw the design and implementation of financial management systems for several humanitarian NGOs.

Based in New York, Toumaï is currently pursuing a master’s degree in International Relations at Columbia University, concentrating on human rights and humanitarian policy. She is a proud Concordia alumna and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the John Molson School of Business.  

Heba Al Ayouby is a senior global recruiter for the International Rescue Committee, a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization.

A human resources specialist, Heba has worked in the humanitarian aid field since 2016 and has worked in international recruitment since 2010. She resides in Amman, Jordan, and works with over 40 countries.

Heba holds a BA in political science and human relations from Concordia University and an MBA from Hult International Business school in London. She is passionate about bridging the gap and helping individuals realize their career goals.

jake moore is an intermedia artist whose primary medium is space. She works at the intersection of material, gesture, text, and vocality to make exhibitions, events and other kinds of interventions public.

Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, she gained early art and life experience as the singer in the all-female punk rock band, The Ruggedy Annes; sonic potential has informed her practice ever since.

Her investment in social and cultural practices has lead to positions in organizations as varied in size and intention as MAWA (Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art) in Winnipeg, Studio XX in Montréal, and the FOFA Gallery at Concordia University with active feminist and decolonizing intentions.

She is currently a PhD Candidate in Art History and Communication Studies at McGill University. She has exhibited nationally, highlights include The Walter Philips Gallery and La Triennale québécoise 2011. While moore considers her primary medium to be space and its occupation, this idea ex­pands the understanding of her artistic practice to include her administrative projects and other acts of building capacity as a sculptural method, one of changing the form and volume of public spaces.

Before stepping into her current role as coordinator of content strategy for the Montreal Canadiens, Safia Ahmad honed her skills in roles with the Laval Rocket and Les Canadiennes de Montréal.

Born and raised in Montreal, she started her own podcast called Away From The Play with professional hockey player Melanie Desrochers. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Graduate Diploma in Journalism at Concordia University, where she wrote for The Link.

Lauren Chang MacLean oversees the Labour & Employment, Human Rights and Privacy teams and portfolios at Metrolinx, the Government of Ontario agency that manages public transit across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.

She is the legal lead to Metrolinx’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes navigating the organization through a novel and shifting regulatory regime, as well as new legal concepts and areas of law (for example, vaccine mandates).

Previous to joining Metrolinx, Lauren worked in private practice at a law firm that specializes in management-side labour, employment and human rights law. Lauren earned a joint honours bachelor of Creative Writing and English Literature from Concordia University, graduating in 2005.

50 under 50 profile >

As a Partner at VICE and the Chief Growth Officer of VIRTUE Worldwide Erik Lavoie is currently responsible for the expansion of VICE’s creative agency business and the launching of their Global Partner Team within VICE.

With production hubs all over the world, VICE creates over 2,400 pieces of content per week in 25 languages. Oh and he also likes to bike, eat and travel. In that order.