Meet Our Speakers and Panelists
Tarun K. Vasudeva
Introductory Remarks
President, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITAC) Alumni Canada
A veteran furniture industry leader with 21+ years of experience and community builder, Tarun holds key roles on several cultural and community boards. Beyond his professional success, Tarun is actively nurturing creativity and connection across Canada’s Indian diaspora.
Mayor Frank Scarpitti
Greetings on behalf of the City of Markham
Mayor, City of Markham
Mayor Frank Scarpitti was elected as Mayor of Markham in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. He is Markham’s longest serving Mayor.
Mr. Scarpitti was first elected to Markham Council in 1985, as a Regional Councillor. In total, the people of Markham have elected him 10 times. He has served on both the Councils of the City of Markham and York Region for 30 years.
Mayor Scarpitti serves on York Regional Council and is the current Chair of York Region Rapid Transit Corporation (VIVA Transit). He is also Co-Chair of the New Inclusion Table, Vice-Chair of Transportation Services for York Region and sits on the Board of Directors for York Telecom Network.
He serves as a member of the board of Alectra, one of the largest municipally-owned electrical utilities in North America. Mayor Scarpitti gives his time to a number of non-profit organizations related to health, social programs, arts and culture. As Co-Chair of Markham Stouffville Hospital's Capital Campaign, his efforts contributed to surpassing the hospital's $50 million fundraising goal.
He led Markham’s initiative to secure the Markham Pan Am Centre and attract a Markham campus for York University. He is a strong advocate of internet voting, used in Markham since the 2003.
Mayor Scarpitti and his wife Nancy have three children.
Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh
Keynote Speaker
Acting, Consul General of India, Toronto
A Career Diplomat with the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Kapidhwaja specialises in handling India's diplomatic engagements with its key partner countries, with focus on political and commercial sectors. He is the Acting Consul General of India in Toronto. He has served in Indian Embassies in Kathmandu and Paris and handled foreign policy matters related to Maldives. Kapidhwaja has prior corporate experience and holds an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.
Pankaj Agrawal
Panel Moderator
Director - Data and Analytics, Aurora Cannabis
Immediate Past President, IIT Alumni Canada
Pankaj Agrawal, the immediate past president and board member of IIT Alumni Canada. A graduate of IIT Kanpur, Pankaj earned his degree in 2010 and was nominated for the prestigious Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal.
Pankaj is a passionate leader in Data and Analytics, and he was recently honoured as one of the Top 50 Tech Leaders of 2024 by the Canada India Tech Council , recognizing his significant contributions to the tech community.
Beyond his professional achievements, Pankaj actively serves on the board of the North America Chhattisgarh Association and is part of the steering committee for the Canada India Tech Council.
Nafis Ahmed
Panelist
Associate Director, Entrepreneurship
YSpace | York University
Nafis Ahmed is the Associate Director at YSpace, York University’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation Hub. In this role, he leads initiatives that foster startup growth, strengthen innovation ecosystems, and build inclusive entrepreneurial communities.
With experience supporting ventures across Canada and internationally, Nafis has worked with founders at every stage of their journey — from early ideation to global expansion. Prior to YSpace, he held roles at The DMZ and the Legal Innovation Zone, where he helped scale the world’s first legal tech incubator. An entrepreneur at heart, Nafis also Co-Founded NuLens Innovation, applying entrepreneurial frameworks to design and facilitate innovation projects and programs.
Deeply engaged in Canada’s startup and social innovation ecosystem, Nafis is passionate about helping individuals pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations and build ventures that create lasting, positive change. He’s motivated by helping others find confidence in their ideas and courage in their journey.
Payal Singh
Panelist
Founder, YoGPS
Payal Singh has over 20 years of global experience in strategy, marketing, and entrepreneurship. She has a master in management studies in Systems and an MBA from Schulich School of Business at York University.
Payal is the Co-Founder and CEO of YoPets—Canada’s first GPS tracking solution for pets—and YoGPS, one of Canada’s fastest-growing fleet telematics solutions for small businesses. Under her leadership, YoGPS has achieved an impressive 400% year-over-year revenue growth.
She has been recognized with numerous awards throughout her career, including Best National Performer in Product Development at TELUS, the Business Excellence Award from the Markham Board of Trade, and the Digital Innovation Award from Bell Canada. In 2023, Payal also won the SheBoot National Pitch Competition, earning $100,000 in funding.
Kundan Joshi
Panelist
CEO, The App Lab and The AI Labb
Chair, Canada India Tech Council, Canada AI Alliance
Kundan Joshi is the founder and CEO of TheAppLabb, a leading app innovation firm focused on strategy, design and development of apps & emerging technologies. TheAppLabb has built over 750 apps in the last 15 years through 8 global offices and over 250 employees. Some of their clients include Unilever, Samsung, Dell, Petro Canada, RBC, JBS, Hudson's Bay, and TIFF, among others. TheAppLabb received the 2019, 2020, and 2021 Top Mobile App Developer Award for Canada and US, as well as the 2019 Top 3 AI Developer Award by Clutch. TheAppLabb was also ranked among the Top 40 Best Workplaces in Canada by Globe and Mail Great Places to Work 2021.
Kundan received the 2018 RBC Entrepreneur of the Year Award and 2018 Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award. He is also a recipient of the 2018 EY Entrepreneur of Year Finalist Award; Top 150 Extraordinary Canadians Honour; 2017 Technology Achievement Award from Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce; 2016 Innovator of the Year award at Transformation Awards; and Young Entrepreneur award at South Asian Awards. Kundan is featured regularly on the Tech Panel of CBC News. He is a member & board member of YPO (Young Presidents Organization). He is an official member of Forbes Technology Council. Kundan serves as advisor on boards such as TRIEC, Centennial College, Lambton College, Peel College, and the US Federal Business Acceleration Program. Kundan graduated from Western University with a Software Engineering Degree. Kundan also serves as a partner, investor, and advisor to 52 tech startups.
Rahul Shukla
Panelist
Head of Coforge Canada
Board Member, IIT Kanpur Alumni Association
Rahul Shukla is a global business and technology leader with over 25 years of experience driving digital transformation, strategic growth, and operational excellence across multiple sectors. At TCS, he has led large-scale programs worth over $1B, delivering significant client value through modernization, analytics, and automation initiatives. Rahul has been instrumental in achieving $100M+ in client cost savings and driving 30% CAGR revenue growth. With deep expertise in mergers, acquisitions, and enterprise transformation, he continues to build strong C-suite partnerships and champion innovation-driven business outcomes.
Vinay Sharda
Program Conclusion
President, Destination Markham Corporation, Director, Economic Development, Culture & Entrepreneurship
Vinay Sharda is currently the President, Destination Markham Corporation and Director, Economic Development, Culture & Entrepreneurship. Vinay's career has spanned over 20 years in the public service, largely with the Ontario Public Service, in senior executive roles including Assistant Deputy Minister with Cabinet Office and Associate Deputy Minister at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Vinay also held two Vice President roles with regional transit agency, Metrolinx and VIA Rail.
Vinay joined Markham in October 2025, and is focused on supporting local businesses and fostering economic growth through strategic partnerships, cultural initiatives, and programs that drive innovation and entrepreneurship.
