Joint Forum of Corporate Members & Certified Suppliers

We invite you to participate in CAMSC’s first JOINT FORUM of Corporate Members and Certified Suppliers. The event will take place on March 2nd, from 2:00 to 3:30pm.

This session will present excellent opportunities for discussion about challenges faced by diverse owned businesses attempting to connect with corporations and some common challenges Corporate Members have in communication with suppliers.

The overall goal of the forum is to get a better understanding of the procedures involved in a successful partnership with the corporate members.

The session will give attendees an opportunity to get clear answers to some important questions that you may have and will also provide an opportunity for you to hear of the best practices to consider when working with a corporation/supplier.

Click here to register!

Meet the Panelist

John Castelhano, VP Strategic Sourcing North America, BGIS

John is a charismatic, passionate, innovative, and accomplished professional with over 30 years of Sourcing Leadership experience who is stimulated by challenges and diversity.

Since 2012 John has led the BGIS Strategic Sourcing team through several large-scale positive changes bringing innovation and energy to the way BGIS manages their supply chain. He has brought to life the vision of having his team be leveraged as a competitive advantage in securing new business opportunities and strengthening existing business relationships.

John has played an integral role in establishing and advancing the sustainable and diverse procurement program, guiding BGIS towards integrating social considerations in purchasing decisions to promote a more sustainable way of doing business. John’s leadership has been integral in advancing the BGIS Supplier Diversity & Inclusion program and initiatives which have exhibited steady year-over-year progress. As a Corporate member, BGIS have supported numerous initiatives, events, matchmaker sessions that have been organized and hosted by CAMSC and the other certification organizations. In 2020 John ensured the BGIS executive’s support and commitment to Supplier Diversity & Inclusion which greatly contributed to the BGIS advancement in the field. Each year, since 2016, BGIS spend with Diverse Suppliers has doubled – achieving $78.7M in 2021.

Most recently, John took on the role of Chair of the CAMSC Corporate member committee.

Nadine Shah, Sr Strategic Sourcing Manager, CBRE

Nadine has been with CBRE Global Workplace Solutions for over 5 years and is currently the Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager for the IBM Canada Limited / Kyndryl Canada Limited accounts. Nadine Shah brings over 20 years of Supply Chain Management experience in various industries, including manufacturing, telecommunication, and facility management.

Nadine holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management from Ryerson University. She is a longstanding member of Supply Chain Canada, receiving her Certified Supply Chain Management Professional designation in 2001.

Nadine is part of CBRE’s Global Supplier Diversity group, representing Canada as a Supplier Diversity Champion. In this role, she works with diverse suppliers to drive positive economic growth and impact in underrepresented communities.

Nadine is a volunteer at many professional committees and is active in her community as well. All her activities involve diversity and inclusion in one way or the other and she is proud of talking about them to everyone.

Jessica Grey, Global Supplier Diversity Lead, RBC Royal Bank

As RBC’s Global Supplier Diversity Lead, Jessica works with a team of procurement and business professionals across the globe, leading the bank’s Supplier Diversity strategy on the Global Procurement team within the Chief Administrative & Strategy Office. Before joining RBC in 2006, Jessica provided her brand of expertise to organizations including Rogers, Myron Manufacturing, Clearnet PCS Inc (now Telus), Laval life, Direct Energy, and Energy America.

With over 30 years of experience, she is known for her strong relationship building skills, bold approach, and ability to effectively engage teams. Jessica is energized by connecting with suppliers and finding ways to advance opportunity for underrepresented businesses (women, BIPOC, LGBT+, people with disabilities, service-disabled and veteran-owned) by promoting an inclusive supply chain and levelling the playing field for suppliers. She firmly believes that enabling economic inclusion strengthens local economies and creates value for communities.

Jessica is also passionate about volunteering. She has participated on the Board of Directors for several community associations, including the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC), has chaired a Federal Grant review committee with Tropicana Community Services, and leads athletic clinics for youth in Canada and the Caribbean.

Jessica was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and holds a Diploma in Business Administration from George Brown College, where she was also a varsity athlete in both soccer and basketball. Today, she continues her love for sports with her husband – her biggest fan – they have co-coached her son and daughter’s basketball rep teams as well, you can find her playing in various women’s baseball, soccer, and basketball leagues around the GTA.

Isvar Prashad, Founder and President, The Carter Benette Group

Entrepreneur and Investor

Isvar grew up in Montréal. He spent many years as an Executive for various multi-unit retailers, including the Hudson’s Bay Company. He helped launch fashion brands for the USA and Hong Kong-based fashion houses. A natural entrepreneur, he created his first million-dollar business in his twenties designing handbags sold worldwide. Over the last twenty years, Isvar has founded multiple fashion, health & wellness, technology and real estate businesses. Today Isvar is the founder and President of the award-winning, The Carter Benette Group – a national janitorial company based in Toronto, Ontario. An avid supporter of mentorship, Isvar has been a volunteer retail advisor to UNICEF, served as a youth advisor to Futurpreneur Canada, and was a mentor in several University entrepreneurship programs. He is frequently asked to comment on entrepreneurship and has been featured in print and digital articles, including the Globe and Mail, CTV News and more.

Rain Zhang, Director, Willowest Enterprise Co. Ltd

Rain Emily Zhang is self-made, award-winning entrepreneur. Moved to Canada with two young children in 2005, Rain started Willowest Enterprise Co. Ltd, specializing in institutional furniture and institutional linen. As a CAMSC certified supplier, Willowest has become a national wide supplier serving high-end hotels and incorporations. Rain was Deloitte start-up award winner of RBC Women Entrepreneur award in 2012.

As the first generation of immigrates, Rain works hard to find her passion and her path in this new culture. Rain has long history of the community services. She enjoys the volunteering and creating a sense of multi culture community. She believes that community is about everyone’s involvement. Her experiences tell her that being part of an engaging community gives us a sense of belonging. It enables us to share personal relatedness and support the perpetual growth of each other, our environment, and ourselves. by doing so, we all work together to make better world.

Dan Nguyen, Member Experience Manager, CAMSC

Dan Nguyen is the Member Experience Manager at CAMSC and is responsible for managing and championing the business relationships between Certified Suppliers, Corporate Members, and CAMSC Partners. CAMSC facilitates the growth of Indigenous and minority-owned businesses by connecting them to procurement opportunities to create a more inclusive and diverse supply chain while also driving economic value.

Dan has worked for almost a decade in the non-profit industry and is passionate about creating a transformative impact in organizations that are doing meaningful work to bring positive change in the world. Ranging from youth development to food insecurity, and now supplier diversity, Dan strives to bring innovative solutions and strategic implementation to his role and loves to bridge connections and create opportunities for folks to network and collaborate, and celebrate their diverse individual experiences and ethnic identities. Having parents who were both refugees from Vietnam, Dan recognizes the value of growth in adversity and hard work, while also appreciating the empowerment of receiving a hand-up as opposed to a handout, and wishes to share what he has received to those around him.