Christopher Archer, Ryerson University

Christopher Archer is a 4th Year Business Management at Ryerson, finishing Bachelor of Commerce double major in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. He is planning on attending graduate school in the near future looking to attain a Masters of Science in Cognitive Neuroscience with direct marketing applications, with a particular interest in neuromarketing. In his spare time, he is currently running a start-up company called IHM Solutions that is focusing on developing innovative products for the food services industry.

Christopher is an experienced motorcycle racer and is well known to do anything that will get the heart going! When the offer to join an expedition to Everest presented itself he couldn't pass it up. Christopher is quite excited at the idea to blend high level academic research - working with professors Dave Valliere and Norm O'Reilly - with the excitement and physical challenge of climbing a great Nepalese mountain.

Gerry Gaetz, Bank of Canada

Mr. Gaetz was appointed Chief of Banking Operations (DBO), effective October 2003. In this capacity, he is responsible for the Bank's Currency function and its Banking Services operations.

Born in Manitoba, Mr. Gaetz is a certified general accountant and holds a master of business administration (MBA) degree from the University of Ottawa, with concentration in business and marketing strategy. His MBA experience led to work assignments with the International Monetary Fund and the private sector.

This expedition combines many of Gerry's great passions: travel, adventure, fitness and hockey. An avid hockey player from age 5, and a minor hockey coach ever since his sons began to play, Gerry sees hockey as the greatest game on earth. His sons Matthew and Graeme, and his wife Tania will be cheering him on this adventure. Gerry's inspiration is his mom who, at 83, is still active and trains everyday.

Terry Kell, Kanatek Technologies

Terry Kell joined Kanatek in 1985 and for 20 years and has worked with the dedicated employees of the company to build Kanatek into a respected enterprise storage solutions company. His primary focus has been on the Sales and Marketing of Kanatek that have led to company doing business in 14 different countries worldwide.

Terry is the proud father of 4 children ages 8 through 14 and he very much enjoys participating in their numerous interests and activities. Terry sits on the board of directors for the Teen Ranch Foundation.

Lisa Koperqualuk, Makivik Corporation

Born in Puvirnituq, Quebec on the eastern shores of the Hudson Bay in 1962, Lisa was raised by her grandparents Lydia and Aisa Koperqualuk. Raised with traditional values, Lisa is also a thoroughly modern and progressive woman of the world.

Lisa is currently employed by Makivik Corporation as a Communications Officer and works out of the Makivik office in ville St. Laurent. Her experience of living outside of the north has lent her the capacity to bridge the three languages she works in, and she considers her position as an important medium for Inuit to express themselves to the non-Inuit world.

She is travelled, a martial arts enthusiast, a mother of two teenagers (:-), loves the outdoors, enjoys discovering new places, would love to have a baby daughter without all the pain and hard work it takes, and works to make Inuit visible as a participating society in the globe.

Nicole LeBlanc, Hewlett Packard

Nicole LeBlanc is an Enterprise Partner Business Manager for the HP's Sales Partner Organization and has responsibility for business partner sales, development & programs in the National Capital Region. With over 15 years experience in the Canadian computer industry she has held positions in enterprise sales, alliance management, channel development, and enterprise partner management in recent years.

Born and raised in Ottawa , she now lives in the Gatineau hills with her husband and two children. She is well traveled and her passion for adventure has taken her to many "off the beaten path" destinations.  She is an avid skier and Yoga enthusiast and loves the great outdoors.   Nepal  has been on her destination list for a long time so to Everest base camp and back in high spirits she shall go.

Gavin Lumsden, Rogers Television

Gavin Lumsden is a Supervising Producer with Rogers Television in Ottawa. In
this capacity, he has overseen the development and execution of over 1500
television programs, specialising in music, sports and events coverage -
over the last 8 years.

He joins the Kanatek expedition to capture on video
Dr Egan's attempt to become the oldest Canadian to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain. "Our goal is to trace Dr Egan's journey up the mountain, and exploring through his travails, a broad range of cultural, geographical, ecological, physiological, psychological and environmental phenomena, many of which have far- reaching, even global implications. We plan to capture images and interviews along the way and weave them into a full length documentary, to be showcased on Rogers Television later in the year". Mr Lumsden has shot extensively abroad, most notably documenting the National Arts Centre Orchestra's last two international tours in 2000 and 2003. He is an avid recreational runner, and is also heavily involved with various community organisations. He currently serves on the board of Candlelighters and OCUA, is Co-President of "Bringing HOPE to Other Communities", and president of Cause We Care, a non profit organisation which brought the inaugural Ottawa Citizen Urban Challenge to the capital, and raised over $13,000 for the Ottawa Chapter of Big Sisters, Big Brothers. This is Mr Lumsden's first trip to Nepal.

Peter Luk, Ryerson University

Peter Luk has been a professor at Ryerson University for 24 years, following a decade of sales and management experience in industry. His passion for the school is obvious and his dedication and service on its behalf considerable. Currently, Peter is the Director of Ryerson's School of Business Management , the largest of the 4 Schools in the Faculty of Business. He is also a former Director of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Well-travelled, Peter obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of PEI, his MBA from the University of Saskatchewan and his PhD from the University of Calgary. His research is largely in the area of tourism and service quality, including 2 major projects around the Everest Expedition. Peter has made a number of lifestyle changes to prepare for his climb to Base Camp, including a daily fitness regime and a recent climb of the CN Tower for charity.

Harold Mah, City of Toronto

Harold Mah has collected varied expertise in special event logistics, community programming, budget construction and staffing through his 15 years of work experience. A recent highlight to his resume is his involvement in the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto Rolling Stones Concert where he held the position of City of Toronto Lead. In this role Mah tackled the creation of a clear communication stream between the various organizing bodies consisting of various levels of government, private producers and organizations and various City of Toronto departments. He provided direct leadership by liaising with the host venue and stakeholders, orchestrating the event through weekly partners meetings and dealing with daily issue management. Mah put together the event which drew 400,000 plus spectators in 55 days.

Mah was also the City of Toronto Senior Project Manager for World Youth Day 2003 and the Papal Visit. Mah was the City Producer for the Way of the Cross Event which drew in excess of 250,000 spectators. The successful World Youth Week drew over 700,000 pilgrims to Toronto.

Other projects Mah has been involved in are the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Celebrate Toronto Street Festival, City of Toronto Millennium New Year 's Eve celebrations and the NHL All-star Game. He currently is the Event Support Manager for the City of Toronto and chair of the City of Toronto Events Support Team.

Mah's educational background, which includes a Bachelor of Recreation and Leisure Studies from Brock University and a Recreation Leadership Diploma from Humber College , shines through in his dedication to cultural, outdoor and sporting events. He has worked as a consultant for over 500 events such as jazz and art festivals, Eco Challenge Canada , Urban Adventure Races, the ITU Toronto World Cup Triathlon, numerous running races and Race Director for the Kids Can Too Triathlon (9 years).

On a personal level, Mah has completed numerous marathons and is a three time Ironman Finisher. He has climbed and mountaineered in the north eastern part of North America. Harold Mah is a highly sought expert and currently sits on a number of volunteer boards and committees.

John Nadeau, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University

John Nadeau's involvement in the expedition is focused on the beginning of the journey.  John is interested in the perceptions that tourists and trekkers hold toward Nepal as a tourist destination.  Nepal represents a unique case for studying tourism images because the high-profile Mount Everest  may be better known to most foreigners than the country itself.  His experience studying country images and their effect on consumer behaviour forms a unique basis for approaching this research.  John will remain in Kathmandu to gather the opinions of Nepal 's tourists as the rest of the group proceeds up Mount Everest.

John is currently a Ph.D. candidate with the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University.  His other main academic research interests include profitability in professional sport and media branding in diverse urban markets.

Norm O'Reilly, Ryerson University

Norm is a consummate athlete-educator who is actively involved in sports, most recently as a member of the mission support team for Canada's Olympic team in Athens , where he worked in the Athlete's Village. He is a triathlete, Ironman and marathon runner who takes every opportunity to compete in various national and world events to work on his mastery. Norm is as keen about learning as he is about sports. He has channelled his enormous talent and energy into building a deep understanding of how top athletes guide their success in a highly competitive business. Norm is educated in Kinesiology, Sports Administration, and Business Management and applies his skills on a daily basis.

Norm's appeal as an experienced athlete and educator has led to academic positions at Toronto 's Ryerson University , Laurentian University in Sudbury and a variety of speaking engagements at industry conferences nationwide. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Ryerson University 's School of Business Management in Toronto.

On top of his extensive academic experience, O'Reilly has held a number of prestigious professional positions including Event Manager for the Toronto 2008 Olympic Bid, Senior Policy Officer at Sport Canada and Founder and Managing Partner of OTM Knowledge Services Incorporated. His expertise is sought for seats on the boards of major sporting organizations including the Canadian Olympic Committee and Triathlon Canada.

O'Reilly has published theses and presented articles on topics including sports sponsorship, the profitability of sport franchises, the development of modern sports and the economic impact of amateur sports. One of O'Reilly's most recent research endeavours is a study entitled “The ‘Other Harsh Reality' of an Everest Climb: the Business Side,” which is expected to be completed in 2005 following a research expedition to Mount Everest.

Yvan Pouliot, Biogenie

Born in Quebec City, I am a 49-year old biologist working in the field of environmental sites remediation (clean-up) in northern Canada (www.biogenie-env.com) and in collaboration with aboriginal people. I have been traveling in different regions of the North for the last 15 years ( North-West Territories, Labrador, Nunavik, Nunavut, Norway, Svalbard).

For me, this expedition encompasses a mix of personal and professional interests and challenges. I plan to:

• carry out a study on human waste management at Base Camp;
• establish contact and learn more about the indigenous people of the Himalayas (Sherpa);
• observe the relation between the altitude in Nepal and the latitude in Canada (tree line, temperature, presence of snow in altitude, etc);
• live a great experience with the team members.
  
  

Wayne Reeves, City of Toronto

Wayne Reeves (b. 1959) is a policy analyst with the City of Toronto's Parks & Recreation Division.  Trained as a geographer, his job ranges from long-range strategic planning to short-term issue management. This work dovetails neatly with his passion for the outdoors - especially anything that involves hiking, backpacking, canoeing or skiing.  Recent highlights include: a 175 km rough walk at the north end of the Bruce Peninsula, completing the Bruce Trail and introducing his nephew to backpacking at the same time; an ascent of Mt. Rainier in Washington State; a month of trekking in central and north-western Iceland, where he proposed to his wife, Julia Madden; and a marriage in Algonquin Park (followed immediately by a paddling honeymoon). The Kanatek expedition will be Wayne 's first trip to Nepal and his first taste of life above 14,500 feet.

Elia Saikaly, Documentary Filmmaker

Elia started out his career in television as a teen-ager. A visionary from the age of 15, he got his start making movies with friends with dad’s camera. He has had the opportunity to experience being a musician, an actor, a model and a filmmaker. He is a graduate of Algonquin’s Television Broadcasting program here in Ottawa. Music videos, commercials and short films were what initially got him into this business.

At the age of 20, Elia was selected amongst thousands across the country for the MuchMusic VJ search held in 2000. He was a finalist thanks to his creative video submission where he received national attention. Following the contest Elia worked for MuchMusic as a videographer as the Ottawa correspondent. All of this while holding down a job as a cameraman at the NEWRO and completing his college degree.

Elia is familiar with both sides of the lens. He was cast to play the lead role in 2 successful series on MTV. He has also had the opportunity to travel as a working fitness model.

3 years ago Elia started REEL CONCEPTS. A video production company here in Ottawa. The business specializes in creative and innovative video production and multi media design.

On a personal note, Elia has always been into fitness and bodybuilding. At the age of 17, Elia set a world record for the dead-lift hoisting 525lbs. He has made fitness and health a part of his lifestyle.

“If your spirit can believe it and you mind can conceive it your body will do it."

Howard Sklivas, Network Sales Specialist - ProCurve Networking division of Hewlett Packard

Born in 1961 and raised in Montreal, Howard now resides in Ottawa with his wife, Julie, and three children. Formally trained as a programmer, Howard spent several years as a DBA and Systems Analyst before moving to the Sales and Marketing side of high technology. A self-taught weekend-warrior carpenter and photographer, Howard is also an avid skier, cyclist, scuba diver, canoe-tripper, has completed the Hawaiian Ironman three times, and trekked in New Zealand and Australia.

David Valliere, Associate Professor, School of Business Management, Ryerson University Expedition Research Director

David Valliere is an Associate Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at Ryerson University . He is also an award-winning sessional faculty member of the Schulich School of Business, York University where he teaches graduate courses in entrepreneurship and venture capital. He is a professional engineer by training, with undergraduate and masters-level degrees in mechanical and industrial engineering, and an MBA from Ivey (UWO).

He is currently completing his PhD in management at the Open University (UK), studying the cognitive and social psychological aspects of the early-stage capital markets and decision-making of entrepreneurs under risk. He has written books and numerous articles on the management of technology and high-growth firms. Prior to his academic career, he worked for 20 years in the high-tech and financial industries in large and small businesses. He has also served as an advisor or Director of numerous young, high-growth companies. This industry experience ha s given Valliere extensive managerial and coordination capabilities that he brings to his role on the expedition team.

He is an accomplished climber whose hobbies include international travel, trekking, and mountaineering. He has recently returned from trekking in Nepal and Bhutan where he reached the remote base camp of Mt. Jomolhari (at 16,100 ft).