ABC State of the City Event

Shawn Allen

Shawn Allen, a distinguished leader in Canadian finance, and a proud advocate for the Scarborough community, where he was born, raised, and still calls home. In 2008, he founded Matrix Mortgage Global, revolutionizing private lending in Canada and propelling the company to become the nation’s leading private lending brokerage. His groundbreaking leadership has earned him a wealth of accolades, including induction into the Scarborough Walk of Fame, five consecutive Broker of the Year awards, and recognition on the Growth 500 list as Canada’s fastest-growing mortgage brokerage. He has also been honored three times as a Top 100 Global Mortgage Broker and celebrated as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Black Canadians in both 2022 and 2023.

Shawn’s influence extends far beyond finance. In 2023 and 2024, he hosted the Toronto Business Summits at UTSC, as well as the Affordable Housing Summit in 2024. His forward-thinking vision will bring the Affordable Housing Summit to Queen’s Park in 2025, highlighting his commitment to addressing the housing crisis and driving systemic change.

Deeply invested in the next generation, Shawn established The Shawn Allen Award to support students in the Faculty of Management and International Business, reflecting his passion for education and his belief in fostering talent to build a better future.

Shawn also dedicates himself to community leadership. He serves as the President of the Scarborough Business Association and Executive Director of Matrix Cares, his philanthropic initiative. Additionally, he sits on the Board of Directors for the East Scarborough Boys and Girls Club, the Canadian Asian Pacific Association, and the Caribbean CARICOM Business Trade Association, while also contributing to the Economic Development Committee of the Scarborough Community Renewal Organization.

Through his unwavering dedication to innovation, empowerment, and community betterment, Shawn Allen continues to be a driving force for change, setting a standard of excellence that inspires both the financial industry and the Scarborough community.

Janet Bannister

Janet is the Founder and Managing Partner of Staircase Ventures, which invests in Canada’s most promising early-stage technology companies. Staircase recognizes that founders are the bedrock upon which companies are built, and therefore provides unparalleled support to accelerate founders’ development and performance. Staircase Ventures is backed by leading institutional investors and successful entrepreneurs.

Prior to launching Staircase Ventures, Janet was Managing Partner at Real Ventures, one of Canada’s largest and most active early-stage investors. Janet is also a graduate of the prestigious Kauffman Fellows program, a global network of the world’s top 1% of venture investors and innovation leaders.

In addition, Janet is very active in the Canadian tech ecosystem; she is the Co-Chair of C100 and on the Boards of the Ivey Business School and LEAP, a social venture accelerator. She is a mentor at Creative Destruction Lab and advisor to One Eleven. In addition, Janet was Honorary Co-Chair of the Princess Margaret Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2023, the largest single fundraising event in Canada.

Janet has won numerous awards and recognition including Toronto Region Builder of the Year Award for 2023, Business Insider’s 2024 and 2023 “Best Women Early-Stage Investors”, Venture Capital Journal’s 2021 “Women of Influence in Private Markets”, Pitchbook’s 2021 “Female Founders & Investors to Know”, and American Bankers’ 2019 “Most Influential Women in Payments”.

In 2004, Janet launched Kijiji.ca and grew it to become one of the most visited websites in Canada. Subsequently, she led the Kijiji Global business, launching the website in new countries and accelerating growth in North America, Europe, and Asia. Janet also spent four years at eBay in Silicon Valley where she helped transform eBay from a collectibles-focused site to a mainstream marketplace, growing the business four-fold, year-over-year, for four years. She started her career as a Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble and then joined McKinsey & Co. where she was an Engagement Manager. She also founded and built a successful consulting business and was CEO at a venture-backed start-up.

Janet was a varsity long-distance runner at Western University, where she completed her business degree at Ivey, earning the Gold Medal. Post university, she took up the sport of triathlon, and two years later, became Canada’s National triathlon champion. She competed internationally on the National team for several years while working full time. Janet is married with a 19-year old son.

Brad Bradford

Brad Bradford is the City Councillor for Ward 19, Beaches–East York.

Brad believes that as our city grows, we must work hard to ensure that everyone can afford to build a good life here. He has a passion for tackling our housing crisis, fighting gridlock, and making our streets and neighbourhoods safer.

Brad brings an energetic and common-sense approach to City Hall, with a focus on removing bureaucratic barriers, treating taxpayer dollars with respect, and making local government deliver more for Torontonians. He is a champion for Toronto’s small businesses and has led efforts to unlock economic opportunities and create more good jobs.

With experience as an urban planner, Brad has been the driving force behind important housing initiatives like accelerating and streamlining the approvals process, enabling office-to-residential conversions, building more modular housing, increasing density on major streets and avenues, eliminating the “wedding cake” angular plane from midrise buildings, and reducing the cost to build purpose-built rental homes and multiplexes.

Brad, his wife Kathryn, and their daughters Briar and Bronwyn are proud to call Beaches–East York home.

Eric Lombardi

Eric Lombardi stands at the forefront of urban development and advocacy as the founder and president of More Neighbours Toronto, a volunteer organization committed to ending the housing crisis. He is also a regular contributor in The Hub and The Toronto Star. Professionally, he specializes in strategy management consulting in the finance and technology sectors.

Sabrina Maddeaux

Sabrina Maddeaux is a National Magazine Award winner and political columnist whose work has appeared in the National Post, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and many other outlets. She frequently appears on Canada’s top radio and TV programs, as well as thought leadership forums, to provide political and economic analysis, often from a millennial perspective. In 2022, she was indefinitely banned from Russia under sanctions imposed by President Vladimir Putin as a result of her writing on the Ukraine invasion and international corruption.