Home: Toronto, ON. Age: 59 years young. Birthplace: Georgetown, Guyana. Profession: Developer, business services, technology. Organization: Hazelton Group. Title: Chief Executive Officer. Pronouns: He/Him/His. Significant other: My wife, Cam. Alma mater: York University (B.S.); Florida International University (M.B.A.); studies at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and National University of Singapore.
Current project: Development of Alzheimer’s residences with the first scheduled for Burlington, Ontario. Recent recognition: Fantastic job completing the Guildwood condos during the turbulent COVID times. Congratulated by several other developers, finance professionals and construction trades. Latest contribution to others: Arranged a number of medical mission trips for doctors (GW doctors) at the George Washington Medical Faculty Associates. What’s been your big (or biggest leap)? Moving from a solid computer consulting company job to do a technology start-up with VC funding between 2000 - 2001. Hobbies: Table tennis, cycling, golf, basketball; following technology trends such as AI, Blockchain and Fintech. Last book read: An Immense World, by Ed Yong.
Personality profile: Entrepreneurial, business-minded, people-oriented, empathetic, creative. What one word would your closest friend use to describe you? Innovative. How do you define an ideal business relationship? One in which the parties utilize their strengths to achieve their goal, doing so with mutual respect, professionalism, and honesty. All parties leave the relationship as friends and feel that they have been treated equitably and fairly. What is your guilty pleasure? Chocolate! What natural talent have you neglected? Cricket. What occupation, other than your own, do you most admire? Volunteers.
What three emojis best describe you? 🏢💭💡.
What is your favorite place (or way) to spend money? Travel. What is at the top of your bucket list? Visiting the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. How do you relieve stress? Playing table tennis, going to the gym, spending time with family and friends.
What book have you repeatedly read? The Mahabharata: Son of Gods, by S. Aruna and Sharon Maas, as well as other versions and interpretations. Besides your parents, who has had the greatest influence on your life? I have benefited from the wisdom and guidance of many good teachers, business colleagues, friends and relatives. What’s the best advice you received growing up? Get a good education and use it to do good in the world. It is the only asset that you can control. What modern technology innovation do you most appreciate? AI, Blockchain and Fintech. What is your go-to source of creative inspiration? Modern architecture. What personal circumstance has had the greatest influence on your life? The birth of my two children.
What is your big idea? To address the severe shortage of dementia care residences in Canada by building a number of high-quality care residences in areas of the country where they are most needed.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field? Implement a greater use of technology in my projects such as VR/AR (Virtual/Augmented Reality) to improve the design and construction process and to eliminate costly mistakes during construction. What change would you like to see in the world? A concentrated effort by all countries to take significant action to address climate change. What mega-trend most excites you? Digital transformation in health care such as AI to diagnose disease, gene therapy/gene editing and their use in personalized medicine.
What title would you choose for the movie about your life? The Jungle Within. What actor would you choose to play you in the movie about your life? Harrison Ford. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A surgeon. What advice would you give your younger self? Stay committed to your passion even if the road gets rocky.
Personal mission: To enrich the lives of every person I touch and to inspire them to follow their dream, maximize their potential, feel a sense of purpose and make a positive impact on the world. Favorite quote: “Be nice to people on the way up because you meet them on the way down” (Jimmy Durante).
