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About Us

Methodology

Servo Annex clients are a unique mix from technology start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. As Digital Advisors, we work with senior executives who are forward thinking, thoughtful and have a natural sense of curiosity.

Discretion is important both to us and our clients, so we do not disclose the nature of our advisory work nor our client list. However, we will provide references from those clients who explicitly allow, when finalizing advisory engagements.

The success of Servo Annex is built upon client satisfaction. As a general rule, new clients are referred to us from our current client base.

Sulemaan Ahmed, Co-Founder and Principal Educator

Sulemaan Ahmed is Servo-Annex’s Co-Founder and Principal Educator, and is passionate about coaching senior executives on how to use all digital platforms, social media and mobile tools.

A sought-after digital advisor, he has trained the C-suites of Fortune 500, Owner-Operated and privately held companies across the globe, and works closely with global organizations including Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and Entrepreneurs Organization (EO). Prior to founding Servo Annex, Sulemaan held senior positions at Apple, Sears and Air Canada.

As a result of a tweet of his that went viral, Sulemaan has also become an advocate for families whose children are affected by “no fly list” restrictions, a successful drive for change that gave him valuable first-hand experience with the power of social media in creating a movement. Once again leveraging his social media expertise in the face of need, he co-Founded and became the CEO of Conquer COVID-19, the largest grass-roots movement to source critical PPE supplies to front-line health care workers across Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, and raised over $2.4 Million and distributed over 3 Million pieces of PPE across the country in four months. Sulemaan served on the Board of Directors for White Ribbon for seven years. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of Virtual Gurus.

Khadija Cajee, Co-Founder

Khadija Cajee is the co-founder of No Fly List Kids, a group of parents with children who have been falsely flagged on Canada's No Fly List, after discovering her son had been Designated High Profile on this list since birth. The group has grown to represent a movement that has catapulted to the national stage and impacted federal national security legislation. She has testified federally on this issue and has pushed for meaningful change to the legislation.

She is the co-founder of Support Ontario Students with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) advocating for provincial legislated standards of care for children with T1D in Ontario schools.

Most recently during Wave 1 of the recent pandemic she was Co-Founder of Conquer COVID-19 (CC-19) which was the largest volunteer mobilization to procure PPE for front line health care workers and other groups at risk during the pandemic. It was a grassroots initiative comprised of physicians, business leaders, entrepreneurs, engineer, students and other volunteers who worked together to ensure frontline workers responsible for the health and wellbeing of Canadians have access to masks, gloves, and other supplies that are essential in treating patients and minimizing the spread of the virus.

Together the Conquer COVID-19 team raised over $2.38 Million in donated funds to purchase over 2 Million pieces of PPE equipment for front line healthcare workers. This was in addition to the 700,000 pieces of donated PPE equipment that were collected at PPE drives and subsequently distributed across Canada.

Khadija is an entrepreneur and Partner at Servo Annex Inc., a digital advisory firm serving C-suite clients. Having grown up in apartheid South Africa, Khadija has a keen interest in social justice, humans rights and civil rights.

If there is a box, you will not find her in it.

Amanda Paul, Head of Curriculum Development and Innovative Education

Amanda Paul is an experienced educator who specializes in digital media and integrated learning. Since starting her career in curriculum development and instructional design she has focused on enhancing students learning by engaging in 21st-century learning and progressive thinking. Amanda brings experience in both professional business environments as well as traditional classroom and learning situations. She has taught students utilizing both traditional and technologically enhanced learning mediums.

Advisory Board

Our Advisory Board is a mix of accomplished senior executives and entrepreneurs who have built, led and advised companies and senior leadership teams from technology startups to global brands. They act as a gauge of our current success, challenge us to continually deliver our best and serve as a compass for the future direction of Servo Annex.

David Betts

David Betts,
CEO, CSI GROUP OF COMPANIES

David Betts is business builder with 35 years of experience across a range of sectors in the service industry. As CEO of the CSI Group of Companies, he continues to find and introduce new, environmentally responsible and cost efficient methods of delivering facility management programs. A consummate pioneer, David helped…
X David Betts

David Betts,
CEO, CSI GROUP OF COMPANIES

David Betts is business builder with 35 years of experience across a range of sectors in the service industry. As CEO of the CSI Group of Companies, he continues to find and introduce new, environmentally responsible and cost efficient methods of delivering facility management programs.

A consummate pioneer, David helped lead the photography industry for many years through a continuous evolution and into the digital era. He transitioned to the travel industry holding senior leadership positions with Sears, Thomas Cook and BCD. During his tenure in travel he launched and developed numerous technologies to enhance business efficiencies and spearheaded the ongoing migration of retail travel to online distribution launching the first fully transactional website in Canada in 1998. He has been on the Servo Annex Advisory Board since its inception in 2012.

Never without a new concept in development, he still makes time for some travel, golf and a little fishing.

Alain Brisard

Alain Brisard,
Senior Manager, Content Production and Program Management, Apple

As a strategic innovator with a clear vision and voice, Alain Brisard has been a consistent leader in the digital, interactive and content space. With nearly twenty years of experience with Apple, he has been actively involved in driving their online branding and content efforts leading teams across the United…
X Alain Brisard

Alain Brisard,
Senior Manager, Content Production and Program Management, Apple

As a strategic innovator with a clear vision and voice, Alain Brisard has been a consistent leader in the digital, interactive and content space. With nearly twenty years of experience with Apple, he has been actively involved in driving their online branding and content efforts leading teams across the United States and Canada. His experience includes spearheading product launches of innovative devices and services including but not limited to the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, all Mac products and Apple Pay. 
Don’t let his calm demeanour fool you - he’s driven, successful, and committed to process improvements that result in providing the best end-user experience possible.

Linda Descano

Linda Descano,
Executive Vice President, Havas PR US

Linda Descano, CFA®, is an intrapreneurial executive and strategist distinguished for seeding, structuring and scaling cutting-edge programs that deliver results. As a conversation architect, Linda integrates content, communications, and community to create branded experiences that engage with audiences and drive action. Her mantra is simple: Propel with purpose. Practice grace.…
X Linda Descano

Linda Descano,
Executive Vice President, Havas PR US

Linda Descano, CFA®, is an intrapreneurial executive and strategist distinguished for seeding, structuring and scaling cutting-edge programs that deliver results.

As a conversation architect, Linda integrates content, communications, and community to create branded experiences that engage with audiences and drive action. Her mantra is simple: Propel with purpose. Practice grace. Show gratitude. Act with integrity. Raise a hand. Lend a hand. Have fun.

Over her career, Linda held a number of roles across different global businesses and functions at Citi, serving most recently as Managing Director and Global Head of Content Marketing and Social Media and President and CEO of Citi’s award-winning financial lifestyle community for women, Women & Co.

A LinkedIn Influencer, Linda speaks and writes on an array of leadership and marketing topics, and has been featured in Digiday, Ad Age, Business Insider, Social Media Today, and The Huffington Post, among others. Her honors include a 2014 Pinnacle of Leadership Award from Girl Scouts of Greater New York and 2013 Changing the Game Award from Advertising Women of New York.

Linda serves as President of the New York Women in Communications Foundation and an advisor to Servo Annex and Temple University’s Fox School of Business on its Masters of Science in Digital Innovation in Marketing degree program. She also is a trustee for The Nina Pennachietti Family Fund, formed in 2012 in honor of her maternal grandmother.

Tamara Paton

Tamara Paton,
Corporate Director, Ideavine

Tamara Paton is a corporate director and strategy consultant with expertise in financial services, retail and digital media. In addition to being a Servo Annex Advisory Board Member, Tamara serves on the board of directors of Carson-Dellosa Publishing, an educational publisher backed by Birch Hill Equity Partners. She is also…
X Tamara Paton

Tamara Paton,
Corporate Director, Ideavine

Tamara Paton is a corporate director and strategy consultant with expertise in financial services, retail and digital media. In addition to being a Servo Annex Advisory Board Member, Tamara serves on the board of directors of Carson-Dellosa Publishing, an educational publisher backed by Birch Hill Equity Partners. She is also a director on the boards of Meridian Credit Union and Mountain Equipment Co-op.

Outside of her work as a Corporate Director, Tamara facilitates strategy off-sites for senior teams and boards, continuing her past work as a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company. As boards of directors place increasing emphasis on risk, Tamara is becoming known for her uniquely integrated approach to financial and non-financial risk oversight.

Tamara earned a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Director designations.

Within her community, Tamara volunteers with the Niagara Health System and completes pro bono consulting assignments for non-profit organizations.

When she is not hard at work, you can find Tamara running progressively slower half marathons. Some of the related training involves chasing her two young children and enjoying life with her husband.

Imran Qidwai

Imran Qidwai,
Senior Solutions Architect, Intel Corp.

Imran is a technologist with recent IoT work in Precision Agriculture, Commercial Aviation Analytics, secure POS terminals, and SIM lifecycle management for IoT gateways. He has previously worked in mobile apps & entertainment services, clean tech and ICT in emerging economies. A seasoned entrepreneur, having started companies and helped many…
X Imran Qidwai

Imran Qidwai,
Senior Solutions Architect, Intel Corp.

Imran is a technologist with recent IoT work in Precision Agriculture, Commercial Aviation Analytics, secure POS terminals, and SIM lifecycle management for IoT gateways.

He has previously worked in mobile apps & entertainment services, clean tech and ICT in emerging economies. A seasoned entrepreneur, having started companies and helped many startups, including Servo Annex Inc., he is a founding charter member of OPEN, been active in MIT Enterprise Forum, and mentors and promotes leadership and entrepreneurship in formal and informal settings.

Lisa M. Shalett

Lisa M. Shalett,
Advisor to Startups, Angel Investor, Board Director, Brand Builder.

Lisa Shalett is a former Goldman Sachs Partner, known for being a visionary leader, innovator, brand builder, and growth driver. She currently is an advisor to startups, an angel investor, and serves on the boards of Brookfield Property Partners (NYSE: BPY), leading marketing compliance company PerformLine, and digital marketing agency…
X Lisa M. Shalett

Lisa M. Shalett,
Advisor to Startups, Angel Investor, Board Director, Brand Builder.

Lisa Shalett is a former Goldman Sachs Partner, known for being a visionary leader, innovator, brand builder, and growth driver. She currently is an advisor to startups, an angel investor, and serves on the boards of Brookfield Property Partners (NYSE: BPY), leading marketing compliance company PerformLine, and digital marketing agency Bully Pulpit Interactive.

Lisa spent 20 years at Goldman Sachs, where she began in 1995 as an Associate in Japanese Equities Sales, and went on to hold several leadership roles in the Equities Division, where she became a Partner in 2002. In 2006 Lisa was tapped to become COO of Global Compliance, and then of Legal and Internal Audit as well. In 2010, Lisa became the Global Head of Brand Marketing & Digital Strategy, and managed Goldman’s brand during the financial crisis. Lisa served as a change agent, leading the strategic development of the firm’s first corporate image advertising campaign and establishing Goldman’s presence in social media. She was recognized by Brand Innovators as one of the Top 50 Women Brand Marketers in 2013, and received the re:Gender Trailblazer Award in 2014.

Following her passion for media and technology, she joined Odyssey, an explosively growing millennials-focused social content platform as CMO from June 2015 through June 2016.

Lisa serves on the Advisory Board of Servo Annex, the Advisory Board of Duke University’s Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics, the International Advisory Board of French business school EDHEC, and the Steering Committee of the Kellogg School’s Center for Executive Women. She is a mentor in W.O.M.E.N. in America, which brings senior women together to mentor high potential women leaders, and serves as an International Selection Panelist for Endeavor, a non-profit that supports High-Impact Entrepreneurs in emerging economies. She is a frequent speaker and panelist, and has participated in the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit.

She earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, and BA, summa cum laude, in East Asian Studies from Harvard University. She lives in New York with her husband and two sons.

Charles Taerk

Charles Taerk,
President & CEO, Faircourt Asset Management

Charles Taerk is co-founder of Faircourt Asset Management Inc. and has been its President and CEO since its inception in 2002. Charles’ goal for Faircourt continues to be the creation of innovative tax efficient investment solutions for Canadian investors. The firm’s success has been noted in publications such as The…
X Charles Taerk

Charles Taerk,
President & CEO, Faircourt Asset Management

Charles Taerk is co-founder of Faircourt Asset Management Inc. and has been its President and CEO since its inception in 2002.

Charles’ goal for Faircourt continues to be the creation of innovative tax efficient investment solutions for Canadian investors. The firm’s success has been noted in publications such as The National Post, Globefund and The Fund Library with several innovations including the 2003 launch of Canada’s first “split trust”; in 2005 with the launch the Canada’s first series of principal protected notes that paid out tax efficient distributions; and in 2007, Faircourt was the first fund company in North America to launch a fund paying monthly tax efficient distributions to investors using equity securities of gold and precious metals companies

From 1998 to 2001, Charles was Managing Director for Charles Schwab Canada, Co. and a member of its Executive Committee. His responsibilities included leading the development of Investment Banking, Syndication as well as Institutional Research. As the leader of those groups, Charles was responsible for the launch of “canadaipo.com”, one of Canada’s first online communities that connected investment firms and their clients together to launch review and invest in initial public offerings of funds and companies.

Prior to that, Charles founded Faircourt Capital Corporation, a boutique corporate finance advisory business, assisting Canadian companies seeking growth oriented equity capital. Prior to that, he spent eight years with a major Canadian bank in the mid-market corporate lending area.

Charles graduated with a Masters in International Affairs (Economics) from the Graduate School of International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh in 1988. He received his B.A. from the University of Western Ontario in 1986.

Charles is also currently a Servo Annex Inc. Advisory Board Member.

Our Mandate

Our mandate is simple. We serve as digital advisors to Presidents and Senior Executives who want to accelerate their learning curve when it comes to digital and social media.