Expert problem solvers, creative thinkers

Samir Shah

Samir is a seasoned business advisor with over 20 years of experience advising public and private sector clients across Canada.  Samir leads Deetken’s data science practice, Deetken Horizon, where he enjoys working at the intersection between advanced analytics and business strategy. 

Prior to co-founding Deetken, Samir was deeply involved in the commercialization of new technologies at Blackberry, including smart phone technology and NEC Moli Energy rechargeable battery technology.  Samir holds a BASc in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and an MBA in Finance from Queen’s University. 

In addition to his management responsibilities, Samir is a member of the board for Deetken Impact, Deetken’s impact investing branch, and Livecare Health, a health-tech startup.  He also tutors and mentors young refugees who have recently arrived in Canada. Samir is a sports fanatic with interests ranging from soccer and football to cricket. He is often talking sports in the office or brokering the next office pool. In his free time, Samir enjoys travelling and making the most of BC’s amazing outdoor activities with his wife and two kids.

Contact Samir at sshah@deetken.com

André Powell

André’s principle areas of interest include financial analysis, behavioural economics, and complex negotiation.  Prior to co-founding Deetken, André was a Senior Associate at Booz & Co and an analyst with Accenture’s strategy and finance practice. André received a BA from Queen’s University and an MA in Economics from the University of British Columbia. André is a member of the board of the YMCA of Greater Vancouver. He is also a member of the investment committee for Deetken Impact, Deetken’s impact investing branch, which focuses on social and environmental impact investing in Latin American and the Caribbean. In his free time, André likes to spend time with his three sons and his wife.

Contact André at apowell@deetken.com

Elise Lepine

Elise joined Deetken in 2015. Her areas of interest include economic analysis, incentive design, and strategic decision-making. Prior to joining Deetken, Elise worked with a microeconomic development research office in Kenya and in organizational planning with the Environment Agency of Iceland in Reykjavik. Elise holds a BA from McGill University and an MA in Economics from the University of British Columbia. In her free time, Elise likes to head into the woods or to the coastline for backcountry camping.

Contact Elise at elepine@deetken.com

Ana Mak

Ana brings a combination of broad strategy advisory expertise and a long track record of fostering high performance for individuals and teams.  As the Director of Growth at Deetken, Ana advances our team culture, provides leadership and skill development, and leads talent recruitment. In addition, Ana is part of the senior management team advising on strategic growth opportunities and talent initiatives. 

Prior to her transition to Deetken’s Director of Growth, Ana provided business advisory services for almost 20 years to large organizations, primarily in the public sector. Ana has substantial experience leading teams to enable high quality strategic and transformational change based on a rigorous fact base. 

Ana holds a BCom and MSc in Management Science from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. Ana volunteers as a board member of a large not-for-profit seniors housing provider committed to caring for the well-being of over 2500 seniors in supportive communities alongside 1800 team members throughout British Columbia. In her free time, Ana enjoys having fun with her husband and two young kiddos, learning to find time for herself again, and organizing.

Contact Ana at amak@deetken.com

Julian Whike

Julian has over 20 years of strategy consulting experience. His specialty areas include operational strategy, business case development, agile transformation, and performance management. He also leads Deetken’s labour market research and analysis practice.

Julian is passionate about blending rigorous analysis with deeply intentional facilitation to build winning strategies for his clients. Early in his career, Julian worked as a policy analyst for the Government of Canada in multiple departments, both in Ottawa and Vancouver. Julian completed his BA in Political Economy from Princeton University and his MA in Political Science (Public Policy) from the University of Toronto. He holds the Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) designation.

Julian is deeply committed to working with community partners to help all individuals achieve their quality of life aspirations. He currently serves as board chair of the BC Centre for Ability, a leading BC-based non-profit organization that provides family-centred and vocational services to people with disabilities. Julian enjoys spending time outside and exploring his East Vancouver neighbourhood with his family.

Contact Julian at jwhike@deetken.com

Frank Catala

Frank’s areas of interest include financial and economic analysis for large complex projects and deals. Prior to joining Deetken, Frank worked as an independent consultant between 2003 and 2007. Prior to 2003, Frank was a member of Ernst & Young’s management consulting practice. Frank holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Victoria and a MA in Economics from the University of Waterloo.  Frank has recently volunteered as a board of director member for a Central American micro-lender focused on advancing the economic position of Indigenous women.  Frank volunteers locally as a high school basketball coach for a girls’ program. In his free time, Frank enjoys being involved in basketball, whether as a coach, player or fan.

Contact Frank at fcatala@deetken.com

Kristiana Powell

Kristiana’s areas of interest include business development, labour market research and analysis, workforce planning, organizational transformation and community development. Prior to joining Deetken, Kristiana worked with Canadian non-governmental organizations (2002 to 2007) and with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (2007 to 2013) and Department of Political Affairs (2013 to 2015). She holds a BA in Arts and Science from McMaster University and an MA in Political Science (International Relations) from the University of Toronto.  

Kristiana recently served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Canadian International Council, an independent non-partisan membership organization and think tank focused on advancing constructive dialogue on Canada’s place in the world. In her free time, Kristiana likes hanging out with her young daughter, sipping lattes with her husband, and going for long runs all on her own.

Contact Kristiana at kpowell@deetken.com

Serge Gosselin

Serge’s areas of interest include software engineering, data science, and cloud infrastructure. Between 2012 and 2017, Serge was focused on developing Computational Geometry algorithms using Engineering Simulations.  From 2009 to 2011, he worked in the field of Quantitative Finance. Serge holds a B.Eng. (Mechanical) from Université Laval, and a MASc and a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia. In his free time, Serge enjoys skiing powder, riding his mountain bike, trying to fix his old cars, and spending time with his family.

Contact Serge at sgosselin@deetken.com

Vikash Raniga

Vikash’s areas of focus include M&A/transaction advisory, financial and business modelling, and procurement and negotiation support. Vikash holds a BCom in Finance from the University of British Columbia.

Contact Vikash at vraniga@deetken.com

Colin Spear

Colin’s areas of interest include data analysis, modeling and prediction, labour market research and analysis, and financial modeling. Prior to joining Deetken, Colin completed PhD coursework at the University of British Columbia and researched long-run economic development at the University of Zurich. Colin holds a BA from Fort Lewis College and a MA in Applied Economic Analysis from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona Graduate School of Economics). Outside of work, Colin enjoys reading novels and making food, bread and music.

Contact Colin at cspear@deetken.com

June Sun

June‘s areas of interest include data-driven business analysis, machine learning, advanced modeling, operational optimization and simulation. She holds a Bachelor of Art in Business English from Xi’an International Studies University in China, a MA in Business Analytics from the University of British Columbia and a certificate from the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CICPA). Prior to joining Deetken, June spent three years as a manager with KPMG China, where she led Merger and Acquisition, Due Diligence and Audit teams. June is a big fan of outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking and playing tennis.

Contact June at jsun@deetken.com

Tom Reimer

Tom’s areas of interest include machine learning, advanced analytics, and solution development. Prior to joining Deetken, Tom was a Research Assistant in the Math and Economics Departments at the University of British Columbia. Tom holds a BA in Math and Economics from the University of British Columbia and a MA in Economics from the University of British Columbia. In his free time, Tom enjoys growing vegetables and going on adventures with his wife and daughter.

Contact Tom at treimer@deetken.com

Becca Zalmanowitz

Becca’s areas of interest include strategic decision-making, business case development and operational design. Prior to joining Deetken, Becca worked in transfer pricing for KPMG, and as a research analyst for a local private equity firm. Becca holds a BA (Honours) in Economics from the University of Alberta and an MA in Economics from the University of British Columbia. Outside of work, Becca enjoys snowboarding, biking, surfing, camping and hanging out with friends.

Contact Becca at bzalmanowitz@deetken.com

Suiki Zhang

Suiki leads Deetken’s office operations and ensures the team is effective and efficient. Beyond office operations, Suiki enjoys contributing to key growth initiatives, including marketing and communications, promotions, human resources, and business development. Prior to joining Deetken, Suiki worked as a payroll administrator for a mining company. Suiki holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia, majoring in Behavioural Neuroscience and minoring in Commerce. As part of her contribution to the community, Suiki serves as a TV host for The Kidney Foundation of Canada and an emcee for numerous charity events. In her free time, Suiki likes playing boardgames with friends, playing music on the radio and selling milk tea in baby bottles.

Contact Suiki at szhang@deetken.com

Ethan Bondar

Ethan’s areas of interest include market research design and analysis, community development, and public sector advisory. Prior to joining Deetken, Ethan worked for a multinational research consulting firm (2016-2019), designing and managing research projects within the Lotteries & Gaming industry across North America. Ethan holds a BA in Economics from the University of British Columbia, and professional market research certification from the MRIA (Market Research and Intelligence Association). In his free time, Ethan practices playing and writing music, and also enjoys reading, cartooning, and cycling (weather permitting).

Contact Ethan at ebondar@deetken.com

Leonie Kalies

Leonie’s areas of interest include labour market research and analysis as well as gender equity research. Leonie recently graduated from the University of Flensburg. During her studies, Leonie worked as a business development manager for a start-up company and focused on developing a strategic approach to implementing artificial intelligence into aircraft manufacturing.  Leonie holds a BSc in Insurance and Actuarial Science from the Cologne University of Applied Science and an MA in International Management Studies from the University of Flensburg, Germany. 

As her contribution to her community, Leonie has supported local food distribution for people experiencing homelessness in Germany. She is currently looking for a new way to contribute to her community in Canada.  When not traveling or camping, Leonie likes to try out the coffee in one of Vancouver’s many cafes.

contact Leonie at lkalies@deetken.com

Ruben Schneider

Ruben has diverse interests, including the future of public transportation, government service provision, and the use and conservation of shared resources.

Prior to joining Deetken, Ruben worked as a Teaching Assistant where he engaged advanced undergraduate students on questions related to economic development. He also interned with a major development bank in South Africa.

Ruben holds an MA in Economics from Simon Fraser University and a BA in International Economics and Development from the University of Bayreuth, Germany.

To foster community on campus and beyond, Ruben has facilitated trips and events for international students studying in Germany. He also hosted a number of bands and solo musicians who had travelled from across the world to perform at a local community venue.   

In his spare time, Ruben loves to spend time with friends, play the guitar and explore nature, either on bike or on foot.

Contact Ruben at rschneider@deetken.com

Farhad Hussain

Farhad has over 20 years of leadership experience within strategic planning, industry intelligence, board engagement, enterprise risk management, and controllership functions. He has a solid understanding of the evolving technological environment, customer needs and regulatory constraints currently impacting both the public and private sectors. 

Prior to joining Deetken, Farhad was a Director of Corporate Development with TELUS Inc., leading its Enterprise Strategic Planning and Competitive Intelligence functions. He has also held challenging finance and consulting roles with Bell Canada, TD Canada Trust, and Deloitte & Touché Consulting.

Farhad received his Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University and his MBA (Finance) from Queen’s University. He is also a member of Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia and holds a CPA-CMA designation.

In his free time, Farhad likes to experiment with new cuisines and keep on top of the latest developments on the technology front.

Contact Farhad at fhussain@deetken.com

Jordan Hutchings

Jordan joined Deeken in August 2020. His areas of interest include mechanism design, environmental economics, and industrial organization. 

Prior to joining Deetken, Jordan worked at the Bank of Canada (2019), and as a research assistant at the University of British Columbia (2020) where he studied the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry in British Columbia.

Jordan holds a BA in Economics from Simon Fraser University and an MA in Economics from the University of British Columbia.

In his free time, Jordan enjoys spending time outside, either golfing and hiking in the summer or snowboarding in the winter. 

Mike Simpson

Mike’s key areas of interest include development and environmental economics as well as labour and tax policy. He is particularly interested in leveraging machine learning tools and techniques to surface unique insights related to these topics.

Prior to joining Deetken, Mike planted well over half a million trees and went on a multi-year journey around the world. More recently, he worked as a business intelligence analyst at J.D. Irving, a diverse group of performance-driven enterprises, where he conducted advanced analytics for the company’s IT department.    

Mike holds a B.Sc. in Economics and Statistics from the University of New Brunswick and an MA in Economics from the University of British Columbia. Additionally, he spent a year studying abroad at the University of Birmingham in the UK where he focused on Mathematics. 

Off the clock, Mike likes hiking in the mountains, travelling and going on adventures near and far.