A successful team focused on sustainable food.
The InvestEco team has a proven ten-year track record of successful investing, bringing significant business experience and exceptional knowledge of our sector to our portfolio companies.
Our Team
Ricky Bajwa, CFA, CPA, CA
Director, Finance
Ricky Bajwa, CFA, CPA, CA
Director, Finance
Ricky is the Director of Finance at InvestEco and joined the team in 2022. Prior to InvestEco, Ricky led a team in the Corporate Finance department at Fengate Asset Management, a fast-growing asset management company in North America. He also worked in the Corporate Finance team at Brookfield Asset Management and was an external auditor specializing in the Asset Management practice at PwC. Ricky holds a CPA, CA and a CFA designation, and obtained a BBA at the Schulich School of Business.
Alex Chamberlain, LLB, MBA, CFA
Managing Partner
Alex Chamberlain, LLB, MBA, CFA
Managing Partner
Alex joined the InvestEco team in 2002 and is a Managing Partner. Alex is both a lawyer and CFA charterholder. Prior to InvestEco, Alex practiced law at Smith Lyons (now Gowlings WLG) and worked in the Corporate Finance & Investment Banking Group at Pricewaterhouse Coopers Securities. Alex has sat on a number of portfolio company boards and is currently a director of LesserEvil and Chickapea, and a board observer of Sol Cuisine and The Jackfruit Company. Alex is also Vice Chair and Treasurer of Scout Environmental and on the board of Environmental Defence, two of Canada’s leading environmental not-for-profit organizations.
Michael Curry, BA
Venture Partner
Michael Curry, BA
Venture Partner
Michael joined InvestEco in 2002 and is currently a Partner and director of the firm. Prior to InvestEco, Michael spent seven years in the Canadian reforestation industry before he co-founded and ran a successful building material distribution company. Michael’s primary role at InvestEco is to source deal flow, assist with due diligence and to provide portfolio company strategy. Michael has sat on a number of portfolio company boards and is currently a director for 100km Foods. Michael formerly spent 6 years on the board of the Stop Community Food Centre and as trustee for Trees Ontario.
Julia Deans
Independent Director
Julia Deans
Independent Director
Julia Deans is the President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada. With degrees from Queen’s, Columbia and Osgoode Hall Law School, Julia practiced law with Torys LLP in Toronto and Hong Kong and built a legal recruitment business in Singapore before becoming a non-profit CEO with CivicAction, Futurpreneur Canada and the Canada Children’s Literacy Foundation, Chair of Ontario’s Expert Roundtable on Immigration and director of many non-profit and business organizations. She’s been named one of WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, a YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction and Woman of Influence Canadian Diversity Champion and received the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy Leadership Award, the Goodman School of Business Distinguished Leader Award and le Prix RelevesON Prix Hommage du Club Canadien de Toronto. In addition to InvestEco, Julia serves on the boards of George Brown College and the Canada Post Community Foundation, and on the Goodman School of Business Advisory Council.
Phil Donne
Operating Partner
Phil Donne
Operating Partner
Phil’s background centres on international business, general management, marketing, communication/media, branding and innovation with a focus on “better for you”/healthy products. His experience spans more than 20 years as CEO across eight countries for global brands such as Kellogg’s, Campbell’s and Coca-Cola. He currently serves on the Advisory Boards of Nature’s Path Organic Foods, Greenhouse Juice Co., Longo’s, Maison LeGrand, Love Good Fats, Valens Groworks and Canopy Rivers. He also serves as a member of the Subcommittee for Metrolinx Presto. He was CEO/President at Campbell Soup Canada, Cossette Communication Group, Kellogg Canada, Kellogg France/Benelux and Kellogg Italy/Greece/Cyprus. On a volunteer basis he has been Chair of Food and Consumer Products Canada, Advertising Standards Canada, Kids Helpphone and currently sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC and recently joined the board Matthew House Refugee Services in Toronto. Phil has an MBA from The Schulich School of Business and a BSc with a concentration in Microbiology from the University of Toronto.
David Gisborne, CPA, CFA, MPAcc
Venture Partner
David Gisborne, CPA, CFA, MPAcc
Venture Partner
David joined the InvestEco Team in 2020 as a Partner coinciding with the close of Sustainable Food Fund III. Prior to InvestEco, David led consumer investments at Export Development Canada where he managed EDC’s food portfolio including Love Good Fats, Chickapea and Sol Cuisine among others with both Board Member and Observer responsibilities. During David’s tenure with EDC, he was also responsible for a portfolio of Fund Investments across Canada, the US and Asia. David is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Financial Analyst and was formerly on the Education Committee of the Institutional Limited Partners Association seeking to standardize and professionalize institutional fund investing in Canada.
Andrew Heintzman, BA, MA
Managing Partner
Andrew Heintzman, BA, MA
Managing Partner
Andrew Heintzman is a Managing Partner and co-founder of InvestEco Capital. Andrew sits on a number of corporate boards, including Maple Hill Creamery, Le Grand and Mara Renewables. Andrew is also a director of the WayWay Foundation and The Natural Step Canada. He is the author of The New Entrepreneurs: Building a Green Economy for the Future, published by The House of Anansi Press. Andrew has a BA and an MA from McGill University
Charles Holt, JD, CBV, LLM, CAIA, ICD.D
Partner
Charles Holt, JD, CBV, LLM, CAIA, ICD.D
Partner
Charles Holt is Vice President of InvestEco and has been with InvestEco since 2007. He is a commercial lawyer and a Chartered Business Valuator. Charles manages various legal matters for InvestEco and its portfolio companies, including due diligence on prospective investments. He is also a Director of Rowe Farms and Board Observer for Kuli Kuli. Prior to joining InvestEco, Charles practiced corporate/commercial law at Shibley Righton LLP, before which he earned an LL.M. from the London School of Economics and a J.D. from the University of Ottawa. For several years, Charles also assisted in media relations at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Kasia Hulicki
Office Manager, Accounting Assistant
Kasia Hulicki
Office Manager, Accounting Assistant
Kasia joined the InvestEco team in 2007 and is involved in accounting, business administration, and office management. From 2007-2013 she also served as Accounting Assistant at Green Living Enterprises, and Coordinator of the Green Living Show. Kasia has diplomas in Business Administration and Business Management from Humber, and holds a Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) certification.
Craig Miller
Venture Partner
Craig Miller
Venture Partner
Craig Miller was Vice President of Corporate Development for Pineridge Group from 2007 to 2017, focusing on acquisitions and growth strategy. In collaboration with Swander Pace Capital, Pineridge managed a portfolio of companies that included Liberté Brand Products and Liberté Natural Foods, Pineridge Bakery (Oakrun Farm Bakery and Gourmet Baker), and Lavo. Craig has been working with InvestEco since 2015, including serving as board chair for InvestEco portfolio company Rowe Farm Meats Ltd from 2015 to 2019. Craig began his business career working for 6 years at McKinsey & Company. His subsequent work as an independent consultant included major assignments with Cott subsidiary Destination Products International and British retailer Tesco. Craig has also had extensive experience in the hotel and restaurant industry in France and Canada.
Roxanne Turcotte, B.Eng. MBA
Partner
Roxanne Turcotte, B.Eng. MBA
Partner
Roxanne joined InvestEco in 2019 and is currently a Partner of the firm. Prior to InvestEco, Roxanne spent eight years as a Portfolio Manager for Fondaction, a Sustainable Development focused Venture Capital fund, where she led the Montreal office initiative in building a sustainable food investment portfolio. She has also worked for six years as an Investment Director for HQ Capitech, a Cleantech VC fund, as well as four years building her own consulting practice in accompanying young companies as a CFO and as an intermediary in completing successful financing rounds and exits. Over the years in the investment industry, Roxanne has sat on numerous boards both as a director and observer. Roxanne’s role at InvestEco is to create a strong presence for the Fund in Quebec, sourcing deal flow, assisting with due diligence and providing portfolio company strategy.
Cora Xiao, BBA, CFA
Principal
Cora Xiao, BBA, CFA
Principal
Cora started with the team in 2019 as an Associate. Previously, she worked on the investments team at Export Development Canada which invested in high-growth Canadian companies with international ambitions. She has also held previous internship roles with Forum Equity Partners and Shanti Uganda. Cora has completed all three CFA exams as well as ILPA Level I, and has a BBA specializing in finance from the Schulich School of Business at York University.