Eugene Roman
Chief Information Officer
OpenText Corporation

Eugene is a graduate of University of Toronto. He has worked in the infocom industry for over 28 years. Currently the Chief Information Officer for Open Text Corporation, prior Group President Systems & Technology Bell Canada. He has successfully lead and managed large scale IT projects and advanced technology deployments. He has worked to pioneer deployment of advanced digital technologies in Canada. Eugene is also a former technical advisor to Hewlett-Packard, Sun and a number of smaller companies. Recently founded Rosewood Estates Winery to develop innovative high quality Niagara wines.

Eugene teaches about "The Emerging Digital World" from time to time at the University of Waterloo, McMaster and Queen's. He has also represented Canada internationally on trade missions and international forums on the digital future.

He loves beekeeping, candle making, fishing, and antique cars. He works to support kid's charities wherever he can. He believes that making a positive difference builds a better world!

Dan Debow
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Rypple

Daniel Debow is a co-CEO of Rypple. Daniel was one of the founders and the VP of Corporate Development and Marketing for Workbrain, an enterprise software company. He holds a JD and an MBA from the University of Toronto and an LLM in Law, Science & Technology from Stanford University. He's a huge music fan, plays the bass (badly), and spends far too much time online. He lives in Toronto with his wife.

George Roter
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Engineers Without Borders

George Roter has been recognized as one of Canada's emerging leaders in the non-profit sector. He strongly believes that Canadians are passionate about driving social change both within our country's borders and abroad. He has dedicated the past 8 years of his life to building organizations that engage a broad cross-section of Canadians, and specifically foster the involvement of our country's next generation of leaders.

Most of that dedication and effort has been focused on building Engineers Without Borders, an organization that, together with Parker Mitchell, he co-founded and where he continues to serve as Co-CEO. While completing his Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Waterloo, George became aware of the complex challenges facing three billion people around the world who live in poverty. He also saw an opportunity to mobilize engineers and their unique problem-solving approach as agents for social change. And so he co-founded Engineers Without Borders.

He has since learned that the challenges of poverty will not be solved overnight, nor with handouts. Since its inception in January 2000, EWB has taken the approach of building capacity of individuals and organizations in developing countries to be able to create sustainable change locally. To this end, EWB has sent over 200 volunteers on projects in 25 countries around the world. EWB also engages 18,000 members across the country who are helping Canada and Canadians be part of the solution through pro-poor actions, attitudes and policies. In recognition of the results it has achieved, EWB has won six major international awards.

George is a frequent speaker at conferences and events across North America and has recently been awarded the Public Policy Forum's prestigious Leaders for the Future Award (2007). In 2005 he was named one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 and in 2004 he was awarded a prestigious Action Canada Fellowship (2004) on public policy, which added to previous awards for his work with Engineers Without Borders (Canadian Bureau for International Education, 2002; University of Waterloo, 2000). He has been featured by Time magazine as one of Canada's next generation of social leaders (2001), and was a member of the delegation that accompanied the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean's, on her first State visit to Africa (2006). George serves on the Board of Directors for a number of non-profit organizations, including Volunteer Canada, the country's lead organization in promoting volunteerism.

When he is not working toward creating social change, George would like to think he can be found pounding the pavement in his running shoes or paddling his Old Towne canoe down the French River.