Wesley Williams (a.k.a. Maestro Fresh Wes, Maestro), rapper, actor, author, motivational speaker (born 31 March 1968 in Toronto, ON). A pioneering hip-hop recording artist, Maestro Fresh Wes is often regarded as the “godfather of Canadian hip hop.”
Maestro has been nominated for 13 Juno Awards and won two, including the inaugural award for Rap Recording of the Year in 1991. He was named No. 1 on CBC Music’s 2013 list of the greatest Canadian rappers.
Arielle Kayabaga
London, Ontario’s Ward 13 Councillor
Arielle is an active public speaker, having worked with London Black History Committee and Regional HIV Aids Connection. She has served on and is a member of various local boards, including the Black History Month committee, the Urban League of London, Réseau-femmes du sud-ouest de l’Ontario, Association culturelle burundo-canadienne de London, and the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition.
Ashley Athill
CEO & Co-Founder of HRVSTR Cannabis Inc.
Ashley, an experienced cannabis cultivator and proud POC female business owner, is the Co-Founder and CEO of HRVSTR Cannabis, a Health Canada licensed craft cannabis cultivation facility that engages in the creation and cultivation of quality cannabis flower.
Ashley holds degrees in business, commercial cultivation and quality control, and have spent over 10 years in the industry. Her focus has always been on providing top shelf quality cannabis to the market while advocating for a level playing field for women and BIPOC communities.
Michael Athill
COO, of HRVSTR Cannabis Inc.
Michael is passionate about finding strategic solutions in the Cannabis space. With over a decade as a digital professional, he has managed teams, headed committees, and led projects with success being the only result.
Michael has taken that same attitude and knowledge and teamed up with one cannabis’ top female entrepreneurs to create a dream team known as HRVSTR.
Dr. Nord Mensah
Associate Dean, Fanshawe College – London South Campus
Professionally and personally driven to organizational and individual performance excellence through deliberate and effective leadership.
The title of Nord’s talk will be “Unlocking Potential – Talent Realization through Education”
‘Kapil Lakhotia,
LEDC Representative
Networking and Business Showcase
Face-to-face networking in our unique breakout rooms.BEP program introductions & closing remarksBEP Annual Awards Event (How to apply & nominate companies)Announcement about our next event & featured speaker.