Our Faculty

Adib Shadid, MBA is presently an Assistant Food and Beverage Manager at Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto; an Ottawa native, Adib came to Toronto in 2017.

After completing his undergraduate degree in Classical History at Carleton University, Adib moved to Switzerland to pursue a career in hospitality. He achieved his MBA as Valedictorian in International Hospitality and Service Industries Management from Glion Institute of Higher Education.

His experiences include quality enhancement projects at Kempinski corporate offices in Geneva, as well as managing the bar at the famous Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C.

Adib is passionate about luxury hotels, dine and drink experiences, and building relationships. In his spare time he enjoys history, travelling, cars, and spending time with his family.

Adnan is a professional accountant with more than 10 years of teaching experience at private career colleges, public colleges and university. He has also performed diligently in various industry roles too.

He specializes in teaching accounting and business subjects and runs an accounting practice helping individuals and businesses with accounting, book keeping, payroll, taxes, and consultancy.

Amir is a Ph.D. candidate at University of New South Wales (UNSW) Business School (Australia), a Professor of business studies (Canada), and a freelance management consultant. Following his engineering studies in industrial technology, Amir received his MBA from the University of Nottingham Business School (with Merit) and his PGDip.Bus from the Monash University School of Business & Economics (1st Class Honors).

Prior to doctorate studies, Amir was mainly engaged in technology transfer, industrial procurement, and management consultancy in petroleum, gas, and the petrochemical sectors in Iran. Over this period, he has been fortunate to be a part of several national & regional (Oman, & UAE) EPC projects and to lead the procurement department of JPPC (a subsidiary of National Iranian Petrochemical Company, NIPC) as the procurement director and head of national/international procurement negotiations.

Amir’s current research focuses on advanced organizational theories, management consultancy, corporate sustainability, and business ethics.

Aseem Singh graduated with BA (Hons) in Hotel Management from Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad. He started out his career with Marriott hotels, he rose through the ranks at Hyatt hotels and then became a part of the pre-opening hotel team at a Kempinski property.

Throughout his career, Aseem’s focus was on creating efficiencies in large event management operations which had many moving parts and stakeholders. He loves working with people and relishes eclectic viewpoints that bring clarity of thought and actionable insights.

Prior to his MBA from University of Victoria, Victoria BC, Aseem was a part of Expedia Group’s lodging partner services team. Besides being our faculty, he also advises technology startups on strategy and decision-making. He is an avid reader and enjoys listening to podcasts covering a multitude of ideas.

Dale is seasoned management professional with a superior record of driving substantial revenue growth and returning stagnant companies to renewed profitability. Dale is an innovative leader and idea generator with expertise in budget administration, team building, advanced management, business development, and finance in hospitality industries.

Expertly poised to deliver powerful strategies that infiltrate untapped markets and achieve measurable business improvements. Astutely identifies business potential, establishing foundations for successful start-ups. Acknowledged for successes in combining entrepreneurial vision, fairness, tenacity, integrity, and innovation, with corporate pragmatism.

David Pollack graduated with a BCOMM in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Ryerson University in Toronto, later obtaining his C.P.A. and C.M.A. designations in 2009. He has a broad base of experience in the hospitality industry, starting his career as food and beverage controller at Horseshoe Valley Resort. He then became a software trainer for Gary Jonas Computing, which provides a specific package for the club management field.

Most recently, he was accounting manager at Richtree Market Restaurants in Toronto. In addition, David has experience in the manufacturing and distribution industry through his role as a financial analyst, where he was responsible for the risk management of over $4 billion of customer and company insurable values.

Dr Brij Sharma holds a Ph.D (Human Resource Management) from Guru Jambheshwar University, M.Phil (Business Management), MBA (Human Resource Management) from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, India. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Counseling and Behavior Modification. He has more than 14 years of experience in research, teaching, and industry.

He has 7 years of teaching and training experience wherein he undertook graduate and postgraduate business management programs at college and university level. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he has been involved in research and has published research papers in many national and international academic journals.

His teaching and research interests are in the area of human resource management, organizational behavior, training and development of workforce, and motivation. He is a continuous learner and believes that learning is an unending process.

His philosophy of teaching is demonstrated by application based teaching when he creates an environment that allows supervised exploration. This method promotes learning that is both purposeful and enduring.

Djordje Teofilovic teaches the Diploma in Business Administration and the Diploma in Business Management programs at Toronto School of Management. He has years of teaching experience at post-secondary level with The Art Institute of Toronto, Trillium College, and London School of Business and Finance.

Djordje is Senior VP of Internationally Accepted Marketing Standards at International Institute of Marketing Professionals since 2010. He is leading a team responsible for the development of internationally accepted marketing standards. He also has years of entrepreneurial experience as a Founder and CEO of ethnic apparel company Mennwa.

Djordje earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the McNeese State University in USA and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Mount Mercy University in USA. He is pursuing his Doctorate in Marketing with Argosy University.

Haneef holds a master’s degree from the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is an affiliated member of the Association of International Accountants.

Haneef spent the early part of his career with a professional accounting firm. In 1986, he began his academic career as a lecturer in financial accounting and related subjects. His lecturing expertise in international accounting standards successfully prepared students for the ACCA, CIMA and ICSA professional examinations. Haneef has taught in China and Brunei, although he now confines his overseas lecturing to Malaysia

Janki has over a decade of experience in accounting, taxation, and consultation. She is a senior consultant with a mid-sized corporation. Janki assists small businesses by providing training to their staff to utilize technology and become more efficient. She also helps clients in manufacturing and the service industries to stay up to date on their cross-border reporting needs.

She graduated from Davenport University, Michigan, United States with a MBA in accounting. She believes in interactive teaching strategies, where she can also assess if students have truly mastered a concept. She involves students as active participants in the quest for knowledge and instills all concepts with real life examples. Through her teaching experience at private colleges, and as third generation teacher hailing from a teaching family, she brings with her a passion for supporting students. Currently Janki is pursuing a PhD to quench her thirst for research and intellectual thinking.

Kamila has years of experience in the field of accounting and auditing. She has also worked for an accountancy practice for four years. Kamila has many years of experience in teaching Law, Audit and Assurance, and Governance, Risk and Ethics.

Kenneth Sylvester, MBA has spent twenty years at a large global bank and investment bank subsidiaries and has held many leadership positions across various platforms. His roles have included; Global Private Banking Sr. Account Manager, Investment Advisor, Retail Bank Manager, and Operation Centre Manager.

For the past decade, Ken has been active in the higher education industry in North America and Asia, managing, teaching and consulting for large and small colleges in Canada and abroad. He is considered a Subject Matter Expert on economics, finance, investments, and accounting and his areas of interest include; statistics, data analytics, IoT, and emerging technologies.

Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Kenneth is a graduate of University of Liverpool, UK, with an MBA specializing in Finance and Accounting, a BA in Economics from York University in Toronto, Canada and his designations include Financial Planning (PFP), Trust and Estate Management, (STI), securities and previous licensures from securities commissions and insurance licencing boards. Mr Sylvester is still active in capital markets trading commodities, futures and options.

Larry Yarmolinsky has been actively involved in accounting education for over 25 years. Since 1985, Larry has been an Adjunct Professor at York University, where he has taught a number of courses in auditing and management accounting.

Larry has over 30 years of extensive auditing experience. He is an audit director with the Internal Audit Division of the Province of Ontario, a position he has held for the past 10 years.

Prior to this role, Larry was an audit manager with the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario, where he conducted numerous operational, value for money, and financial audits on ministries and government agencies. Larry obtained his Charted Accountant designation (CA) in Toronto, while working at Price Waterhouse Coopers.

Mahmood Ahmed Khan is a qualified member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and a business graduate. He has global teaching experience and has been teaching ACCA students since 2007.

He has worked closely with the ACCA officials at various national and international levels to deliver industry-demanded learning experiences to students. His students have achieved several nationwide and international place winner positions in ACCA. He holds a credit of teaching more than 5000 ACCA learners.

Malik has years of experience in accounting and taxation. He has been working in a senior role with one of Canada's leading accounting, tax and advisory firms.

He has many years of experience in teaching Corporate Finance, Financial Reporting, Audit and Assurance, Taxation and Performance Management.

Malvin’s career spanned over 25 years as a senior executive and portfolio manager responsible for managing investment portfolios for pension funds, mutual funds and other institutional clients at some of Canada’s leading asset management firms. A Chartered Financial Analyst he studied and was responsible for investing in many industries and hundreds of companies.

In 2001, he founded and was the former CEO and Chief Investment Officer of a financial services/investment management business with offices across Canada. The business was acquired by another firm in 2009.

In more recent years he taught at Humber College’s Business school courses such as finance, economics, business strategy, and ethics.

Over the years he published countless articles and was frequently quoted in various media; and authored two investment-related books.

Mario brings over 30 years of hospitality and tourism experience to the classroom, as well as entrepreneurial success and a passion for food and the hospitality industry.

He has worked in all areas of the industry, including launching and operating a start-up (Freshii), managing restaurants, owning a sports bar, and senior management roles in hotels.

Mario believes that experiential learning both supports academia and empowers students, and has developed a teaching philosophy which revolves around three distinct roles: Informant, Skill Developer, and Coach.

This means that as a teacher, he presents relevant theories and shows students how to apply them; provides them with essential tools to enhance their decision making and problem solving abilities; and encourages students to fully participate and ask many questions.

Khalil was a practicing member of ACCA and worked for years in Audit and Assurance. He held Senior Lecturer positions at several premium financial schools. Khalil is a widely respected authority on Financial Accounting, Management Accounting, Financial Management, Performance Management, Business Analysis, Corporate and Business Law, Audit and Assurance. His classes have seen exemplary pass rates.

Over a decade of lecturing experience and his unique style of conceptual teaching with simple examples made him a key asset to Toronto School of Management.

Teaching Philosophy

For me, teaching is to inspire the students first, then convey the whole idea conceptually with simple examples, answer their questions, help them to retain and present the knowledge through sufficient practice and class tests. People are inquisitive by their very nature. I always encourage to seeking the answers, as in this way we advance.

A final theme in my teaching philosophy, which I will emphasize, is personal contact with students to help them out in any problems they have with what they are learning.

Narges Abdeahad is completing her PhD in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo, ON. Her research interests focusus on the potential contribution of positive psychology to leisure studies to identify factors that foster wellbeing and personal growth through leisure involvement.

Her current work concentrates on the intramural recreation and personal strength as protective factors for enhancing mental wellbeing among university students. She completed her master’s degree in Tourism Policy and Planning at the University of Waterloo too. Her bachelor’s degree in education provided her with the opportunity to get involved with diverse students in different classes over 13 years. Her teaching experiences were further enhanced recently by the obtainment Certificate of University Teaching from University of Waterloo. Currently, she is also working as a researcher at Gambling Research Exchange Ontario (GREO) in Guelph, ON.

Nauman Sarwar has years of experience in finance and accounting. He also worked in a senior finance role for a community development finance organization.

After the completion of his ACCA qualification, he worked for an accountancy practice for three years. He has taught Accounting Information Systems to Master of Commerce students in the University of Gujrat Pakistan.

Dr. Patty Zakaria joined Toronto School of Management (TSoM) in 2018, where she teaches courses in research methods and business. She received her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in international relations and development studies with a minor in economics from the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada and Ph.D. in political science from Wayne State University in 2015 and an MA in industrial relations with a focus on Human Resource Management and Labour Relations from Wayne State University in 2006.

During her 10 years in academia, Dr. Zakaria taught at various universities in the United States, Canada and Croatia, and published research notes on corruption, anti-corruption measures, ethics, and nuclear proliferation and conflict behavior. Dr. Zakaria is also a research consultant and has completed projects for various organizations.

Rebecca has more than 20 years experience in the Financial Services sector spanning: Wealth Management, Strategy, Private Banking and Leadership. Rebecca has worked for several of Canada’s largest Financial Institutions and has had many significant accomplishments throughout her career in Financial Services.

Rebecca holds an MBA in Finance from Dalhousie University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers Association.

Most recently, Rebecca became a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, and after working with her Divorcing clients, she recognized the need in the marketplace for a comprehensive team of experienced Divorce professionals who work together to provide exceptional service to their clients. Rebecca Griffith is the Founder and President of the Divorce Solutions Group, a firm that mitigates the negative impact of a Divorce on both individuals and their families, from a financial, emotional, and legal perspective.

Dr. Said Azzam holds a BEng. in Computer Engineering (2003) and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Portsmouth, UK (2013). Over the past 10 years, he has been lecturing at top colleges in both Canada and the UK. His teaching interests and experience cover a wide range of subjects, such as big data, data mining, cloud computing, and machine learning.

Dr. Azzam has published over 20 papers, and his research domains include: artificial intelligence, big data, ontology, and business intelligence. He has a passion for educating and student development; and, strives to bring students to their maximum potential.

Shawn brings over 25 years of experience from the hospitality industry.

Shawn began his career with the McDonald's. He later moved to Kelsey's International brands where he spent over 10 years gaining experience in all areas of a restaurant, including Food and Beverage Management, Operations and Marketing. Shawn has over 15 years of Senior Management experience at various brands including Pizza Pizza, Turtle Jack's and Shoeless Joe’s, in both franchise and corporate environments.

Shawn began Crush Strategy Inc. in 2011 with Joel Sisson.

Sugandha Chatterjee, MA-ISS (Candidate 2019), MBA, BE-CSE has 10+ years of business consulting and senior management experience in multiple sectors including finance, sales and marketing, real estate, IT & ITES. She Has 3+ years of experience in academia working with undergraduates and faculties from the Business School, Arts School, and Communication & Development School of Ryerson University.

She is also a successful entrepreneur who owns and operates two small businesses in the field of doggie daycare and hospitality, one in India and another in Canada. Considering herself a professional student, Sugandha is an avid researcher and has presented as well as assisted main researchers with their papers in fields of the intersectionality of IT and women and sustainable & disaster tourism.

Sue is currently pursuing her research interests and second masters in immigration and settlement Studies from Ryerson University.

With over fifteen years of experience in the hospitality industry, Victor has built his career across three continents, specializing in hotels and F&B operations. He was F&B Director for a resort for more than five years, leading over 100 employees (kitchen and restaurant staff) and overseeing the operations of restaurants, bars, catering & events and room service.

His expertise in maximizing results and achieving high levels of customer satisfaction by empowering staff to create memorable experiences for guests. Victor has developed a passion for luxury and excellent service quality after he worked for Emirates Airline in Dubai. He also gained experience in coaching and teaching when he worked for a hotel-school in Brazil.

Currently, Yevgeniy (Eugene) Demchuk is enrolled in MA Tourism Management in Royal Roads University. He also received a BA in International Hotel Management from Royal Roads University, as well as a Diploma with Honors in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Seneca College.

Yevgeniy has over five years of experience in the hospitality industry, during which time he held multiple positions ranging from the front line, to management throughout the food and beverage division. These include a supervisor role in the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta, and most recently a bartender at Villa Eyrie Resort in British Columbia.

He is eager to contribute his passion and skills to the success of Toronto School of Management and its students as a Tourism and Hospitality specialist.