Headquarters:
2000 Meadowvale Rd., Toronto, ON M1B 5K7
Year founded:
1974
Number of employees:
717
Phone:
416 392 5900
Email:
info@torontozoo.ca
Website:
torontozoo.com
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/toronto-zoo
“We target wealth managers and RIAs that are looking for ways to differentiate in their offering and cater to a growing number of high-net-worth individuals looking for alternative investment vehicles such as private equity investment”
Kevin Collins
CEO and Founder
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TORONTO ZOO
Dolf DeJong
Chief Executive Officer
Jennifer Tracey
Chief Operations Officer
Valerie Peticca
Chief Human Resources Officer
Leadership
Dolf DeJong, with a deep passion for nature conservation and a hopeful outlook, has built a remarkable career in wildlife protection and education. Since becoming the CEO of the Toronto Zoo in September 2018, he has focused on strengthening the zoo’s community ties to align with its new strategic plan. This plan emphasizes conservation science and better serving wildlife populations through four key areas: fostering a sense of belonging, advocating for wildlife, preserving species for the future, and creating impactful experiences. DeJong holds a Master’s in Environmental Studies, a Bachelor of Education, and an Honours Bachelor of Science.
Chief Executive Officer
Dolf DeJong
Jennifer Tracey serves as the COO at the Toronto Zoo, where she oversees daily operations, including wildlife care, guest experience, site operations, strategic communications, and learning and engagement. With a strong background in advocacy, crisis communications, and stakeholder relations, she has held senior roles in the Senate of Canada, the House of Commons, the Office of the Premier, and Ontario’s healthcare sector. Tracey also contributes to several boards and committees, including those at Centennial College, Destination Toronto, TIAO, and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Her leadership spans government, nonprofit, and tourism sectors, driving operational excellence to fulfill the zoo’s mission and vision.
Chief Operations Officer
Jennifer Tracey
Valerie Peticca is a seasoned human resources professional with over 20 years of experience, currently serving as the CHRO at the Toronto Zoo. Her career spans higher education and tourism, demonstrating her dedication to people-centric leadership and her ability to drive organizational transformation. Outside of her professional role, Peticca is passionate about community service and actively volunteers on boards supporting social services. She is committed to creating inclusive, resilient workplaces that prioritize holistic well-being and organizational excellence. She holds a Master’s in Human Resources Management, certifications in Workplace Mental Health and Alternative Dispute Resolution, and is a Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner.
Chief Human Resources Officer
Valerie Peticca
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“We target wealth managers and RIAs that are looking for ways to differentiate in their offering and cater to a growing number of high-net-worth individuals looking for alternative investment vehicles such as private equity investment”
Kevin Collins
CEO and Founder
“[Automation] has resulted in productivity gains far greater than 80 percent and allowed our customers to grow their business by handling a greater number of clients, client portfolios, and assets under management”
Kevin Collins
CEO and Founder
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Leadership
SPECIAL REPORT
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“[Automation] has resulted in productivity gains far greater than 80 percent and allowed our customers to grow their business by handling a greater number of clients, client portfolios, and assets under management”
Kevin Collins
CEO and Founder
“We target wealth managers and RIAs that are looking for ways to differentiate in their offering and cater to a growing number of high-net-worth individuals looking for alternative investment vehicles such as private equity investment”
Kevin Collins
CEO and Founder
Read on
Award Winner
Leadership
SPECIAL REPORT
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Jamie Austin
Chief Transformation Officer
Jamie Austin is the Chief Transformation Officer at your Toronto Zoo, leading its physical, digital, environmental, and financial transformation. He oversees a $70 million annual operating budget and a $300 million 10-year capital program focused on achieving net-zero emissions and positioning the Zoo as a leader in innovation. With over 20 years of public sector leadership, he brings deep expertise in service delivery, financial management, and partnership development in the delivery of complex projects and deployment of emerging and sustainable technologies. Alongside his commitment to wildlife conservation, Jamie holds a Master’s in Planning and Bachelor’s in Geography and Urban Studies.
Chief Transformation Officer
Jamie Austin
Gabriela Mastromonaco
Chief Science Officer
Gabriela Mastromonaco has spent more than 25 years working with assisted reproductive technologies in wildlife species, following her PhD at the University of Guelph. As Reproductive Biologist at your Toronto Zoo, she has implemented research projects to investigate fundamental questions on the reproductive biology of non-domestic species with the goal of integrating results into conservation management programs. In her current role as Chief Science Officer, she works to build multi-disciplinary collaborations to support species recovery strategies ex situ and in situ. Gabriela maintains adjunct professor positions at four Canadian universities as part of her commitment to the training of future scientists and conservationists.
Chief Science Officer
Gabriela Mastromonaco
More than a tourist attraction, your Toronto Zoo’s mission is connecting people, animals, conservation science, and traditional knowledge to fight extinction. We are Guardians of Wild, supporting wildlife from the Savanna to Scarborough through a number of leading programs aimed at helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day and attracts more than 1.3 million guests each year. Our vision is a world where people, wildlife, and wild spaces thrive; join us today as a Guardian of Wild. Toronto Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo has also achieved the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Certificate of Good Animal Practice® and is inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA).
“[Automation] has resulted in productivity gains far greater than 80 percent and allowed our customers to grow their business by handling a greater number of clients, client portfolios, and assets under management”
Kevin Collins
CEO and Founder
Alex Ventura
Head of Marketing
Dave Longbottom
Chief Technology Officer
Karen Bannister, CM
Vice President, Marketing
Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Alex Ventura has a wealth of experience and passion for martech across the financial services sector – including B2B and B2C – with a focus on delivering exemplary omnichannel experiences. Alex is responsible for driving brands in the digital age with strategies that evoke a brand’s personality and corresponding values. Mapping customer journeys encompassing systematic and programmatic technologies has been key to his successful strategies.
Head of Marketing
Alex Ventura
With a superior understanding of web design and architecture, Dave Longbottom has been pivotal in orchestrating the development of new technologies, which are aligned with business objectives, and pioneering industry-leading solutions. Dave’s tenacity to push the status quo has led to the development of innovative solutions encompassing the latest emerging technological trends and cyber security frameworks.
Chief Technology Officer
Dave Longbottom
Karen Bannister has over 20 years of marketing expertise and has a Chartered Marketer designation from the Canadian Marketing Association. She is a strategic marketing leader with a career record of success in developing and executing effective marketing strategies, growing revenue, and overseeing multi-talented teams. She also holds five certifications for marketing and brand management.
Karen has successfully completed the Mini-MBA, Essentials of Management program at Schulich School of Business, and most recently completed the Communications and Leadership Program at The Ivey Academy.
Vice President, Marketing
Karen Bannister, CM
Greg McAweeney is an accomplished commercial leader with over 20 years of experience spanning digital strategy, customer experience, strategic marketing, brand building and B2C/B2B sales across financial services, telecommunications and insurance. He joined Helia in 2022 as chief commercial officer, where he leads growth strategy and drives key partnerships. Prior to Helia, McAweeney served as CCO at HCF and held senior sales and service roles at Rabobank across Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA from University College Dublin and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
Chief Commercial Officer
Greg McAweeney
Alex Ventura has a wealth of experience and passion for martech across the financial services sector – including B2B and B2C – with a focus on delivering exemplary omnichannel experiences. Alex is responsible for driving brands in the digital age with strategies that evoke a brand’s personality and corresponding values. Mapping customer journeys encompassing systematic and programmatic technologies has been key to his successful strategies.
Head of Marketing
Alex Ventura
With a superior understanding of web design and architecture, Dave Longbottom has been pivotal in orchestrating the development of new technologies, which are aligned with business objectives, and pioneering industry-leading solutions. Dave’s tenacity to push the status quo has led to the development of innovative solutions encompassing the latest emerging technological trends and cyber security frameworks.
Chief Technology Officer
Dave Longbottom
Karen Bannister has over 20 years of marketing expertise and has a Chartered Marketer designation from the Canadian Marketing Association. She is a strategic marketing leader with a career record of success in developing and executing effective marketing strategies, growing revenue, and overseeing multi-talented teams. She also holds five certifications for marketing and brand management.
Karen has successfully completed the Mini-MBA, Essentials of Management program at Schulich
School of Business, and most recently completed the Communications and Leadership Program at
The Ivey Academy.
Vice President, Marketing
Karen Bannister, CM
Sarah M Stewart has more than 15 years of strategic leasing and customer care experience in residential property management. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Centurion’s national leasing platforms, residential lead generation, and overall customer experience excellence through operation of the company’s internal customer service department.
Associate Vice President, Leasing and
Call Centre Operations
Sarah M Stewart
Sonia Ahuja
Chief Operating Officer
Sanjay Mehta
EVP and Chief Market Officer
John Laurie
Chief Partnership Officer
Anthony Dippolito
Chief Wellness Officer
Alex Ventura has a wealth of experience and passion for martech across the financial services sector – including B2B and B2C – with a focus on delivering exemplary omnichannel experiences. Alex is responsible for driving brands in the digital age with strategies that evoke a brand’s personality and corresponding values. Mapping customer journeys encompassing systematic and programmatic technologies has been key to his successful strategies.
Head of Marketing
Alex Ventura
With a superior understanding of web design and architecture, Dave Longbottom has been pivotal in orchestrating the development of new technologies, which are aligned with business objectives, and pioneering industry-leading solutions. Dave’s tenacity to push the status quo has led to the development of innovative solutions encompassing the latest emerging technological trends and cyber security frameworks.
Chief Technology Officer
Dave Longbottom
Karen Bannister has over 20 years of marketing expertise and has a Chartered Marketer designation from the Canadian Marketing Association. She is a strategic marketing leader with a career record of success in developing and executing effective marketing strategies, growing revenue, and overseeing multi-talented teams. She also holds five certifications for marketing and brand management.
Karen has successfully completed the
Mini-MBA, Essentials of Management program at Schulich School of Business, and most recently completed the Communications and Leadership Program at The Ivey Academy.
Vice President, Marketing
Karen Bannister, CM
Sarah M Stewart has more than 15 years
of strategic leasing and customer care experience in residential property management. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Centurion’s national leasing platforms, residential lead generation, and overall customer experience excellence through operation
of the company’s internal customer
service department.
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Sarah M Stewart
Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Karen Bannister, CM
Vice President, Marketing
Dave Longbottom
Chief Technology Officer
Alex Ventura
Head of Marketing
Damian Palovick
Senior Vice President of Underwriting
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Dr. Mary Lavoie
Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Mark Bernacki
Chief Underwriting Officer
Ryan Armijo
Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division
Bob Petrilli
President, Underwriting Division
“There has also been a determined approach to leverage automation as much as possible to significantly reduce overhead and eliminate ‘burnout’ for our customers and their employees,” explains Collins. “This has resulted in productivity gains far greater than 80 percent and allowed our customers to grow their business by handling a greater number of clients, client portfolios, and assets under management.”
Naturally for a dynamic firm, Charli Capital is focused on the future. There are plans to launch a next generation AI platform that can facilitate the intelligent matchmaking of private investors and promising private companies.
Collins adds, “The team moves fast – extraordinarily fast – and is disciplined to ensure that it doesn’t drop the ball, is prepared for future advancements, and embraces an eyes-wide-open fail-fast mentality for learning.”
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Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President, Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Karen Bannister, CM
Vice President, Marketing
Dave Longbottom
Chief Technology Officer
Alex Ventura
Head of Marketing
Gabriela Mastromonaco
Chief Science Officer
Jamie Austin
Chief Transformation Officer
Valerie Peticca
Chief Human Resources Officer
Jennifer Tracey
Chief Operations Officer
Dolf DeJong
Chief Executive Officer