Our Team

Our group consists of highly seasoned technology professionals who have successfully built, owned and operated technology ventures in the Canadian marketplace.

Leadership Team
A management team with a proven track record of executing.
Steve Magirias

STEVE MAGIRIAS

Chief Executive Officer

STEVE MAGIRIAS

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Steve joined DDC in February 2022 and is responsible for the overall leadership of the organization. He brings over 20 years of experience with both mature well-established organizations and entrepreneurial companies in a variety of industries including aerospace and defense, capital equipment and medical devices.

His background includes manufacturing, engineering, product development, continuous improvement and operations in wholesale, retail and direct to consumer markets having previously worked for Husky Injection Molding Systems, Curtiss Wright Corporation and Orthotic Holdings Inc.

Steve has a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from Ryerson University, an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University and is a licensed professional engineer.

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Paul-Di-Benedetto

PAUL DI BENEDETTO

Engineering Strategist

PAUL DI BENEDETTO

ENGINEERING STRATEGIST

Paul is responsible for overseeing DDC’s R&D, engineering, and technical operations. Along with his brother Tony, Paul has co-founded a number of high successful technology enterprises in the Canadian marketplace and has always led the technology oversight roles in all these entities. Paul is instrumental in implementing technology structures which maximize organizational growth to achieve maximum return on investments for all stakeholders. Paul brings over 15 years of technology architecture and engineering experience to the DDC’s management team.

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colacitti

GREG COLACITTI

Director, Field Operations

GREG COLACITTI

DIRECTOR, FIELD OPERATIONS

Greg is responsible for all Field Operations including customer project implementations and test range operations. Greg has been involved in building a number of manufacturing companies both in Canada and the United States and brings over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience in business development, marketing and executive leadership. Greg has been recognized for his keen ability to identify emerging trends and to formulate robust business models to maximize return on investment.

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Manish-Arora

MANISH ARORA

Chief Financial Officer

MANISH ARORA 

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Manish joined DDC in August 2019 and has oversight of the Finance and IT function.  He brings over 18 years of experience across a variety of industries including aerospace and automotive, having previously worked at organizations such as Cardinal Health, Martinrea International, and Vector Aerospace.      He brings substantial experience across all aspects of finance in fortune 500 public companies, demonstrating success in IFRS implementations, M&A, cost reduction, working capital optimization, and ERP implementations.

Manish graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Ryerson University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) who earned his designation in 2008.

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Sylvia Kolitsopoulos

SYLVIA KOLITSOPOULOS

Director, Sales & Marketing

SYLVIA KOLITSOPOULOS 

Director, Sales & Marketing

Sylvia Kolitsopoulos is a dynamic and empathetic leader with a track record of building high-performing sales teams. With over 15 years in sales and leadership, Sylvia joins Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) as Director of Sales and Marketing, bringing a wealth of experience from the MRO, safety, and tech industries.

With a unique background as a professional comedian turned business leader, Sylvia has delivered winning sales strategies driving transformational growth from tech start-ups to Fortune 500 companies like Grainger and WESCO international.  She has led teams that have secured multimillion-dollar contracts in the construction, mining, oil and gas, government, and healthcare sectors.

 Sylvia is a change agent, a mentor, and a proponent of inclusiveness and diversity with a passion for innovation and sustainability. She is excited to bring her experience to the drone delivery industry and support the growth and success of her new team at DDC.

When she is not working, Sylvia is training to acquire her PPL (Personal Pilot License), traveling the world, and writing new material for one day when she returns on stage to talk about her Greek family.

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JW

JIM WILLIAMS

Director, Regulatory Affairs USA

JIM WILLIAMS

DIRECTOR, REGULATORY AFFAIRS USA 

Jim Williams is the Founder and President of JHW Unmanned Solutions LLC. Jim advises his clients on issues related to aircraft and space operations with specific emphasis on all things related to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)—a.k.a. drones.

With over 40 years of experience in the Aerospace sector, Jim recently served as Manager of the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office   at the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This office functions as the single agency focal point for all UAS-related activities and is uniquely positioned to develop and coordinate solutions to UAS challenges across the FAA and with external organizations.

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Michael Poma

MICHAEL POMA

Director, Engineering

MICHAEL POMA

DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING

Michael brings over 18 years of aircraft modification experience with a strong background in aircraft systems, mechanical and electrical systems, project management as well as aircraft certification with Transport Canada, FAA and EASA. Michael is a licensed professional engineer (P.Eng) with a Bachelor of Engineering in Aerospace from Ryerson University.

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Mark-Wuennenberg

MARK WUENNENBERG

Vice President, Regulatory Affairs

MARK WIENNENBERG

VICE PRESIDENT, REGULATORY AFFAIRS

Mr. Wuennenberg is a 38-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force with over 4500 flight hours. He has over three decades of experience working on regulatory and Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) files, including UAS operations, regulatory and standards development, airworthiness, training and flight authorizations. Mark has created foundational UAS regulations for the Canadian Armed Forces, the United States Air Force and NATO. Most recently Mark was a civil aviation inspector and UAS SME with Transport Canada where he was instrumental in developing the current Canadian Aviation Regulations, Part IX. He holds an Airline Transport Pilots License and a Transport Canada RPAS pilot certificate. Mark is currently the VP of Regulatory Affairs at Drone Delivery Canada.

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Samira

SAMIRA FIROUZFAR

Human Resources Manager

SAMIRA FIROUZFAR

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

Samira joined DDC in September 2022 and is responsible for leading the organization’s Human Resources, Health and Safety, and Environmental Management systems. She brings over 15 years of experience in Human Resources in varied industries, including engineering, manufacturing, automotive and corporate services. She is a trusted HR leader with demonstrated success in team leadership, developing and implementing HR best practices, improving employee engagement, and delivering meaningful business results with excellence through data-driven analysis and continuous process improvement.

She has a Bachelor of Materials Engineering degree and is also an MBA candidate at the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management.

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Board of Directors
Drawing upon the experience of our board to drive success.
MichaelDellaFortuna

MICHAEL DELLA FORTUNA

Independent Director, Chair

MICHAEL DELLA FORTUNA

Independent Director, Chair

Michael is the Chief Executive Officer of Nexeya Canada – a provider of mission critical products and solutions for space, aviation and transportation applications. Prior to joining Nexeya Michael held VP and Director level roles in engineering, operations and sales & marketing for General Electric, SPAR Aerospace, Husky Injection Molding and Mircom. Michael was also a partner in nCompass Capital which launched and supported a number of ventures including PowerSure Techonologies, Platinum Coachworks, ShipForLess and EnviroBlue / ZipBinz. A licensed Professional Engineer and Accredited Risk Manager Michael received his degree from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as an Aerospace Engineering Officer.

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debbie-fischer

DEBBIE FISCHER

Independent Director

DEBBIE FISCHER

Independent Director

Ms. Fischer is a seasoned executive with deep business experience in healthcare, government, human resources and consulting, having worked with such organizations as Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, KPMG, Mount Sinai Hospital and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care,  as well as having served as Director or Chair on several boards. She has a B.Sc. in Neurobiology, a Master’s degree in Health Administration, a CHRE designation, and an ICD.d designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Ms. Fischer is the Chair of the Company’s Governance and Human Resources Committee.

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larry-taylor

LARRY TAYLOR

Independent Director

LARRY TAYLOR

Independent Director

Mr. Taylor is a seasoned executive with extensive business and board experience in consulting, financial services and technology, having worked with such organizations as Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Travelex, Dollar Financial Group, and numerous publicly-traded technology companies as Director or Chair. He has attended business and leadership programs at Northwestern University and Harvard University.  Mr. Taylor has Certified Management Consultant, Certified Professional Accountant and Certified Management Accountant designations.  Mr. Taylor is the Chair of the Company’s Audit Committee.

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vijay-kanwar

VIJAY KANWAR

Independent Director

VIJAY KANWAR

Independent Director

Mr. Kanwar’s accomplishments as an entrepreneur along with his participation on a number of high profile boards, have allowed him to develop his financial management acumen, and to accumulate significant experience in forming and implementing strategic plans. He is Co-Founder KMH Cardiology and Diagnostics Centres the largest provider of nuclear cardiology in North America. Mr. Kanwar is also Founder, President and Director of Lambardar Group ,a design and construction firm that owns and operate commercial real estate and medical facilities, as well as Founder of EHLinq Inc., which develops enterprise-level software for medical businesses. Mr. Kanwar currently serves on the board of, Business Development Bank of Canada and is a member of Audit Committee and Board Investment Committee. He serves on the board of governors of York University and is a member of York University board executive committee. He is Chair of Advisory Committee on Senior Level Retention and Compensation of the Treasury Board of Canada, Vijay has combined his business expertise with his connections across government and private industry, and his understanding of public-private partnerships, to champion and drive significant capital projects. He served as a Chair of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority Board, Vijay was able to guide Pearson airport to international passenger hub status; supporting several major infrastructure projects – e.g. terminal development, Union Station rail link – and spearheading the process to recruit new management, while improving traveler experience and significantly increasing net profits. He successfully managed the three levels of governments. Helping others to set and realize their goals is a major motivation for Vijay’s philanthropic work. Sitting on boards including Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment’s Foundation and is Vice Chair of MLSE Launchpad. Royal Ontario Museum, and Canada’s National Ballet School Foundation has been rewarding, and is in line with Vijay’s desire to contribute to a thriving, healthy community. Mr. Kanwar received his Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal for Community Service in 2012, 2009 New Pioneers Award for Entrepreneurship and Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the year award for Health Services in Ontario in 2006. Vijay credits his diverse educational background, including a Master of Laws earned from Osgoode Hall Law School, a Master of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management, and a Bachelor of Science earned from Punjabi University in India, with his ability to tackle a wide range of challenges and come up with creative, effective solutions. Vijay is proud to have grown his career and raised his family in Ontario, and is gratified to live in a province where diversity is valued, nurtured, and recognized as a strength.

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irwin

CHRIS IRWIN

Independent Director

CHRIS IRWIN

Independent Director

Chris practices securities and corporate/commercial law and has been the President of Irwin Professional Corporation since August, 2006. He advises a number of public companies on a variety of issues including continuous disclosure and regulatory issues; reverse-takeover transactions, initial public offerings and takeover bids. Mr. Irwin also advises boards of directors, including independent committees. Mr. Irwin is a director and/or officer of several public companies including: Seafield Resources Ltd.; Laramide Resources Ltd.; Roscan Minerals Corp.; Canada Lithium Corp.; Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc. and Ursa Major Minerals Incorporated. Mr. Irwin has served as a member of the independent committees for both Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc. and Seafield Resources Ltd.

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kevin-sherkin

KEVIN SHERKIN

Independent Director

KEVIN SHERKIN

Independent Director

Mr. Sherkin was called to the Ontario bar in 1987 after graduating from Osgood Hall with a J.D. in 1985. He is the founding member and is the current managing Director of Levine Sherkin Boussidan Professional Corporation. While his practice involves a wide range of civil litigation, Kevin’s focus has been primarily on business-related litigation. Mr. Sherkin has served as a director past for both private and public companies and in his previous board tenures he served on finance committees, compliance committees and compensation committees. Mr. Sherkin has strong ties to the Canadian business community

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Advisory Board
Providing strategic advice to our organization.
tony

TONY DI BENEDETTO

Business Strategy

TONY DI BENEDETTO

Business Strategy

Mr. Di Benedetto has been actively involved in the Canadian technology services sectors since the early 1990s and has built a number of technology companies including; internet hosting providers, managed service providers, wireless broadband networks and data center facilities. Mr. Di Benedetto is active in a number of other ventures which includes; Launch Capital Inc., and Di Benedetto Group. Mr. Di Benedetto brings over 17 years of IT entrepreneurship, technology mergers and acquisitions and capital markets experience, as well as experience working with governmental authorities, to the Company.

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richard-buzbuzian

RICHARD BUZBUZIAN

Capital Markets

RICHARD BUZBUZIAN

Capital Markets

Mr. Buzbuzian is a capital markets executive with over 20 years of experience in the technology and the resource sectors. Mr. Buzbuzian was previously responsible for assisting with the Company’s public offering processes and currently consults on and assists with strategic matters. Mr. Buzbuzian is a director of CT Developers and former President and Chief Executive Officer of Oriana Resources Corp., which became Hut 8 Mining.

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tim-strauss

TIM STRAUSS

CEO, Amerijet International

TIM STRAUSS

CEO of Amerijet International

Tim Strauss is currently the CEO of Amerijet International servicing 38 destinations throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America from its primary hub at the Miami International Airport.  He was previously with Air Canada as Vice President, Cargo in from 2017 to 2020, with oversight for all aspects of Air Canada’s cargo business, including leading, directing, developing and implementing customer-centric initiatives and solutions, and responsibility for commercial business and its profitability. Strauss has over 33 years of cargo experience in both the airline and freight forwarding industries. Strauss also held leadership roles in global sales and operations at Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and in Hawaiian Airlines. He began his career with Emery Worldwide in 1987 (now UPS Supply Chain Logistics) where he held roles of increasing responsibility, starting as a cargo handler and completing his tenure as Vice President of Transportation and Logistics. Mr. Strauss advanced his understanding of the logistics industry via studies in management at The Ohio State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Cambridge Institute.

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nico-buchholz_v2

NICO BUCHHOLZ

Special Advisory Board Member

NICO BUCHHOLZ

Special Advisory Board Member

Mr. Buchholz is an experienced executive with a background in civil and military aviation, aircraft leasing, aircraft fleet management, procurement, strategic development and technical operations, having worked with such organizations as Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Lufthansa, Bombardier, Delta Airlines, Southwest Air Cargo, and German Operating Aircraft Leasing. He received university education at the Technical University of Berlin in Air & Space Technology Engineering as well as Air Transport Management at Cranfield University (M.Sc.) and has taken management programs at the London Business School and Columbia University.

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nadine-miller

NADINE MILLER

Vice President, Project Development at JDS Energy & Mining

NADINE MILLER

VP of Project Development at JDS Energy & Mining  

Nadine is a professional engineer with 20 years of experience in engineering design and project management in the mining and transportation industries. She is the Vice President of Project Development at JDS Energy and Mining (JDS).  Prior to JDS she led the Business Development departments for two of the world’s largest engineering consulting firms Toronto Offices: Bantrel with the backing of Bantrel’s parent company, Bechtel; SNC-Lavalin’s Mining and Metallurgy. Nadine is a strong advocate on issues pertaining to women in engineering and received the 2017 Leading Women Building Communities Award for her work in this area. She also serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director for Wesdome Gold Mines and OMAI Gold Mines, and a Strategic Advisor at AWZ Ventures Inc., a venture capital fund (focused on investment in cyber security, intelligence and  physical security ​AI-based technologies). She graduated from: the University of Oxford with an MBA; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a Master of Engineering degree; and a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the University of Toronto.

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Stan-Kapashesit

STAN KAPASHESIT

Director, Economic Development, Moose Cree First Nation

STAN KAPASHESIT

Director of Economic Development, Moose Cree First Nation

Stan Kapashesit, Director of Economic Development for the Moose Cree First Nation is a proud member of this remote island community in Northern Ontario. Since beginning his tenure, Stan has researched and engaged the community in finding ways to help assist in the high cost of living in this area. One of the challenges is getting freight and items to the island community and when approached by Drone Delivery Canada in Spring of 2017, the Council felt it was worth exploring and being involved in new and innovative ways of the future. Moose Cree is a proactive community and feels that this opportunity can lead into more employment opportunities into the future as this field of innovation unfolds. One of the main objectives of this partnership is to help other remote Indigenous communities that are even more remote in utilizing this technology, as the plans are to make this community a hub and depot of the north.

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DR-SHELDONCHESKES

SHELDON CHESKES

Medical Director, Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Medicine
Michael Zara, President & CEO

MICHAEL ZAHRA

Special Advisory Board Member

MICHAEL ZAHRA

Michael is a seasoned executive and is an Advisor to the University of Toronto "The Hatchery" startup incubator. Prior to working at DDC as President & CEO, he was President of Staples Business Advantage, President of Yahoo and President of Schlumberger RMS, with prior technical positions at Alcatel & Motorola. He has over 35 years of business experience and has been on multiple corporate & not-for-profit boards including North York General Hospital & Junior Achievement. Michael has a B.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto, an M.B.A. in International Business from City University, Seattle and a P.Log from the Logistics Institute.  Michael was born in Toronto and is a world traveler having visited 57 countries.

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duncan-card-1

DUNCAN CARD

Partner, Bennett Jones

DUNCAN CARD

Partner, Bennett Jones

Mr. Card is a Senior Partner at the prestigious Canadian law firm of Bennett Jones LLP, where he Co-Chairs the Technology Law practice and Chairs its Government Contracting, Procurement and Intelligent Infrastructure practices from that firm’s Toronto and Ottawa offices.  The National Post, includes Duncan in its recently published 2019 rankings, “Best Lawyers in Canada” (Technology Law). The 2019 Canadian Legal Lexpert rankings, based on peer reviews, has included Duncan as one of Canada’s leading lawyers in both Computer Law and Technology Law for the last 15 years.  In 2018, Duncan was also named by Lexpert Magazine and Canadian Council For Public-Private Sector Partnerships as one of Canada’s leading infrastructure lawyers.

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Rob-M-e1466189545885

ROB MONTEMARANO

Partner & Vice President, Lakeview Group Ltd.

ROB MONTEMARANO

Partner & Vice President of Lakeview Group Ltd.

Mr. Montemarano is active in corporate finance in various industries such as mining, technology and real estate, and served as a director of several publicly traded companies.

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