Mazyar Mortazavi is principal with TAS DesignBuild. Mazyar received his undergrad in Environmental Studies and his Masters Degree in Architecture from the University of Waterloo. He has been involved with the family owned and managed business from a young age, his exposure to the industry started on construction sites and he has progressed into his present role as managing partner at TAS DesignBuild.
His passion of community based initiatives and deep understanding of the socio-cultural underpinnings of design and development have played an instrumental role in establishing TAS as a recognized industry leader.
Mazyar’s vision was instrumental in establishing TAS’ corporate philosophy, The Four Pillars of Sustainability™ that focuses on converging social, cultural, environmental and economic considerations in its development projects. TAS DesignBuild is also recognized as a leader in environmentally sustainable buildings; the company was awarded the coveted 2009 Green Builder of the Year by the Toronto Home Builder’s Association, BILD. Mazyar currently holds the Chair position at the Artscape Foundation Board.
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Shelley first experienced Synectics as a participant in an innovation project for a major cruise line and became so interested in the process of enriching and releasing creativity in teams that she joined Synecticsworld, a global pioneer in collaboration and innovation. Today, she helps her clients innovate from the perspective of a senior marketing and communications professional with more than 25 years experience on the client side, primarily in financial services and publishing.
An award-winning editor of the highest-circulation fashion and beauty magazine in Canada, FLARE, to producing a globally recognized annual report for ten consecutive years, Shelley is a hands-on, results-driven communications expert who loves the thrill of helping clients discover consumer insights and producing effective strategies that produce out-of the-ballpark results. Her publishing experience includes heading up marketing and communications at Maclean’s magazine, developing revenue-generating brand extensions for the Chatelaine brand and publishing Canada’s first new country music magazine.
Before joining Synecticsworld, she was at BMO Financial Group, where she was responsible for all employee communications and strategic communications such as the annual report and corporate responsibility report, corporate donations and the corporate information web sites.
A certified Neuro-linguistic Programming Practitioner, when she is not at work, her world revolves around her husband and two children. Her passions include running for travel and the arts. Past chair of the board of Theatre PasseMuraille, she is currently on the boards of the Artscape Foundation and FAST, an organization dedicated to educating grade school children about racism.
Alistair Mitchell is an independent strategy consultant focused on emerging media and information technology ventures. Past experience includes both corporate and entrepreneurial achievements. At Research In Motion, Alistair served as VP BlackBerry Messenger Platform & Integrated Service; and VP Multimedia Integration responsible for the development of music, video and photo software and services. Prior to BlackBerry, Mr. Mitchell co-founded Puretracks, one of North America’s first licensed digital music businesses. Recipient of the International Gabriel Award for broadcasting achievement, and a frequent speaker on the digital media sector, Mr. Mitchell holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Music from McGill University.
Kathleen Sharpe is a senior manager and administrator in government and the cultural sector. She has been Executive Director of the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund since its inception in 1999. The Fund, a unique program established to support cultural tourism attractions through a combination of grants and loans, has committed over $38 million to 350 organizations around the Province. Prior to OCAF, Kathleen was Director of the Culture Division of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, a post she held from 1991 until amalgamation of the municipality into the City of Toronto in 1998.
Kathleen’s leadership led to the adoption by Metro Council of its first comprehensive cultural policy, Metro’s Culture Plan, in 1994. She managed the transition of cultural programs and staff of 150 during the changeover from Metro to the new amalgamated City of Toronto. Kathleen has also held management positions at the Ontario College of Art and Design and The Banff Centre. Kathleen is Past Chair of Toronto Artscape, President of the Canadian Conference of the Arts (both volunteer positions) and President of SharpeCulture.
