Board Election Candidates

Nominees for the TPMA Board of Directors

Each nominee has provided a video and a short reason on why they should be elected. Read each below and cast your vote by logging into your account.

Ben McPhee

VP, Product at Air-tek (Stealth Mode)

Ben McPhee

Bio

Since graduating from Queen's Commerce in 2005, Ben has spent 20 years in the field of Software Product Management, gaining the privilege of supporting 8 awesome companies and experiencing 2 exciting exits. Starting as a Product Manager in a telecom startup, he has since been driving innovation and product-led growth across a number of different industries and verticals, including Marketing Automation, Wedding Planning, Vendor Marketplaces, Secondary Event Ticketing, Enterprise POS, and now Airline technology solutions. In his capacity as a Product Leader for small to medium-sized companies, Ben is focused on driving top-line growth by sculpting innovative, actionable vision, architecting operational excellence, and delivering high-impact Product solutions within high-velocity environments. Ben lives in downtown Toronto with his wife, Sarah, but spends as much time as possible at the family getaway in Prince Edward County sipping wine and slugging oysters.

Why I'd Like To Serve

I want to give back more to a community and career path that has given me so much. I believe that my experience has resulted in having unique insights and tools that will benefit current and coming generations of Product Management professionals - so I want that to be fully exploited. Because the TPMA represents such a critical connection point for so many professionals looking for all forms of support, I want to support the TPMA as much as possible.

Shivang Shekhar

Product Lead at Egen.ai

Shivang Shekhar

Bio

Shivang Shekhar is a seasoned product leader with deep expertise in AI and a proven track record of building both small-scale innovations and enterprise-grade solutions. With over 8 years of experience spanning North America, Europe, and India, Shivang has mentored early- and mid-career product managers across diverse industries—guiding them through real-world challenges in product thinking, stakeholder influence, and strategic execution.

Currently a TPMA mentor, Shivang focuses on training PMs to lead AI-driven products that are scalable, ethical, and user-centric. He brings deep hands-on experience delivering AI/ML solutions for Fortune 500 clients, ranging from predictive analytics to generative AI platforms. His mentorship emphasizes turning AI complexity into actionable product strategy, helping PMs confidently navigate the intersection of data, design, and engineering.

Why I'd Like To Serve

Empowering the next generation of AI-native Product Managers through practical, future-focused mentorship.

I want to serve on the TPMA Board to redefine mentorship for the AI-powered future of product management. While most PMs today are overwhelmed by surface-level AI noise, few truly understand how to build responsible, scalable AI products. My goal is to design a hands-on mentorship program that bridges that gap, not just teaching “how AI works,” but how to lead cross-functional teams through ambiguity, apply AI in product discovery, run ML-informed UX research, and navigate ethical trade-offs.

I also want to champion a "build with AI" track—where mentees work on real-world product problems using AI tooling (e.g., prompt engineering, user behavior modeling, and LLM integration) and learn how to move from concept to MVP. This would be paired with access to international mentors and reverse mentorship to keep ideas cross-generational and global.

In an era where AI is reshaping product roles, TPMA has the opportunity to be the first organization to train PMs as AI-native leaders, not just tech-aware managers. With my experience across Fortune 500s and startups, and mentoring PMs globally, I bring a strategic, execution-ready lens to scale this vision.

Rebecca Nava

Lead Product Manager, Public Services and Procurement Canada, Part-time role as APM Canada Program Coordinator

Rebecca Nava

Bio

Rebecca Nava is a digital transformation leader driving modernization across Canada's public sector. As Lead Product Manager at Public Services and Procurement Canada, she specializes in scaling Agile practices and transforming legacy systems into user-centered digital experiences. Rebecca's impact extends beyond individual projects—she founded the first federal Product Management Community of Practice, establishing product thinking as a cornerstone of government digital strategy. Her leadership was recognized in the Government of Canada's Digital Ambition 2022-23 Year in Review. Her portfolio includes high-visibility initiatives such as setting the product vision for the new My Service Canada Account, launching an open-source COVID-19 solutions platform, and spearheading Foodland Ontario's website launch—Ontario's first decoupled content management system. These projects demonstrate her ability to unite business, technology, and design teams behind compelling product visions. A committed lifelong learner, Rebecca continuously expands her expertise through conferences, podcasts, and hands-on technical training in data analytics and web development. She believes effective product managers must speak the language of both design and development to ask the right questions and drive meaningful outcomes. Rebecca's dedication to developing future product leaders is evident in her role as Program Coordinator for APM Canada, where she mentors emerging product practitioners.

Why I'd Like To Serve

As the founder of the first federal product management community of practice in 2022, I created a lasting space for practitioners to meet each other and openly share successes and failures. The community continues on today with over 250 members. As APM Canada's Connect Program Coordinator, I organize coaching events and mentoring opportunities for 14 burgeoning product practitioners. I have a post-graduate certificate in public relations and over two years of marketing expertise, specifically in paid search, SEO and content strategy. I have over 8 years of experience working across federal and provincial jurisdictions in policy, operations, communications and digital transformation roles, with a knack for adapting to new contexts quickly to deliver value. It look a long time for me to find my passion in product management. It brings me great joy to be a conduit for others as they venture on their own path to discover the craft and hone their skills. TPMA’s mission to unite, grow and empower the product community aligns with the work I've done in the federal community and feels like a natural extension of that work to a new arena.

Marshall Goldfarb

Head of Product, Haventree Bank

Marshall Goldfarb

Bio

Marshall Goldfarb is a product coach and mentor who’s spent his career helping develop product leaders who build useful, well-crafted products. He’s worked across HRTech, FinTech, and AI/ML (before it was cool), leading everything from early-stage launches to large-scale platform growth. Along the way, he’s built product teams from scratch, improved how teams work together, and helped organizations focus on what really matters to their users.

In the Toronto product scene, Marshall is known for being thoughtful, approachable, and focused on driving results — not just talking about it. He values clear thinking, shared learning, and solutions that solve real world problems.

Marshall is putting his name forward for the TPMA board because he cares about this community and wants to help it grow in a way that’s open, supportive, and useful for product people at all levels. He sees a real opportunity to make TPMA a place where people connect meaningfully, share what’s working (and what’s not), and feel part of something bigger.

He brings a steady hand, a sense of curiosity, and a belief that the best ideas often come from listening first.

Why I'd Like To Serve

I’d like to serve on the TPMA board to help build on the great work already happening and explore new ways to bring value to the community. TPMA has a strong reputation and consistently runs well-attended events — but I believe there’s room to grow how we support members between those touchpoints.

I’d love to bring programs that deepen engagement and support professional growth — like hands-on workshops, or peer-led talks that showcase what product teams are learning across Toronto. I also see opportunities to collaborate with groups like TechTO or similar local design and engineering communities to expand our reach.

I’m especially interested in strengthening mentorship in the community and introducing ideas like a TPMA Toastmasters group or end-of-year showcases to help members build confidence and connection.

I take a practical, collaborative approach to building and believe in evolving what’s working. I’d be excited to bring that mindset to the board and help the TPMA to keep growing in thoughtful, inclusive ways.

Rosemary King

Principle PM, illumin, Inc.

Rosemary King

Bio

Rosemary is a product leader who has specialized in software development, agile enablement and lean methodologies since 2010. She has worked across diverse domains including government, finance, retail and enterprise. After starting her tech career with Case Commons a non-profit tech start-up that was fully funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, she moved into consulting and has spent time with ThoughtWorks and Pivotal Labs London. Rosemary is a known quantity when it comes to 0-1 projects and has launched businesses and programs that continue to thrive including Sainsbury's ChopChop, MindTheProduct Training program, and Spotify Audiobooks. She is currently Principle PM leading growth at illumin, Inc. in Toronto, Canada.

Why I'd Like To Serve

Like many PM who began their career more than 13 years ago, there was no roadmap for success back then. What there were was people who were willing to give their time and energy to speaking to folks who were passionate about learning. In my early years, I would go to several meet-ups a week, eat free pizza and meet great people. As I moved around to new jobs and new cities, these communities helped me find jobs, make friends, feel grounded. In addition to creating lasting relationships, these meet-ups were my product Masters program, and some of the talks imparted lessons to me that changed my life. I believe strongly in the value of intentional skills development through hearing the stories and experiences of those who have done it. During my time at Mind the Product and ProductTank, I have curated talks, creating workshops and trainings, and build communities that helped PMs thrive. My focus would be on continuing to develop TPMA's ability to deliver great trainings and skills development opportunities to TPMA members. I believe what TPMA has built is incredible and I'd love to bring my passion for product to this community.

Mohit Arora

Product Manager @ Keep Technologies

Mohit Arora

Bio

I’m a product leader with over 20 years in tech - 10 years as a software engineer and the last 10 in product management. I’ve worked across early-stage startups and scaling fintechs, helping take products from 0→1 and 1→10 alongside founders and cross-functional teams.

For the past two years, I’ve been part of the team at **Keep**, a fintech company where I lead our credit , banking and payment products. We recently came out of stealth with our funding announcement, and I’ve helped drive 60% of company revenue through our credit products while also launching a new version of our banking platform.

My approach to product is data-backed and outcome-driven. I focus on building the right hypothesis and testing it to get to the appropriate outcome—balancing speed, clarity, and impact.

Outside of work, I’ve facilitated sessions at ProductTO and mentored PMs through TPMA, ADPList and Lenny’s programs. I care about creating space for PMs to have honest conversations - about the work, the challenges, and the craft. That’s the kind of product culture I want to help normalize across Canada.

I enjoy taking ownership, moving things forward, and learning from the people I work with. Excited to help build that future - with structure, energy, and execution.

Why I'd Like To Serve

With over 20 years across software engineering and product management, I’ve seen how great products are built—from writing code to shaping strategy. I’ve worked closely with founders, engineers, marketers, and GTM teams to take ideas from vision to execution, and I’ve been part of this community as a mentor and facilitator.

In some of my past roles, I’ve seen how the PM role can feel isolating and high-pressure - especially in fast-paced or unclear environments. Sometimes it’s cultural, sometimes structural, but in either case, having a strong product community can make a real difference. ProductTO has been that space for me, and I’d like to give back by helping TPMA grow into that kind of support system for others.

That’s where I think the opportunity lies. TPMA is in a strong position today, and I believe it can evolve into something even more impactful:

- A **think tank for product management** (like *Mind the Product*) - publishing whitepapers, trend reports, and collaborating with universities and government to shape innovation policies
- A **mentorship engine** (like *Reforge*) - with structured cohorts and career-level programs
- A **daily ritual** (like *Lenny’s Slack*) - with habit-forming engagement, AMAs, ongoing product conversations, and safe spaces for support, like anonymous posts or peer-driven threads for sharing challenges

I want to support what’s already working, take ownership where needed, and help scale TPMA’s reach and impact.

Pankaj Dhote

Director of Product, Zensurance

Pankaj Dhote

Bio

My career began in engineering, and soon transitioned into product. I deepened my understanding of business strategy, marketing, and finance, and complemented my technical expertise with an MBA. A significant part of my career has been in start-up/scale-up environments, where I applied my skills hands-on, learnt, and maximized the impact on customers and business.

With 15+ years in product and 8 years in leadership roles, I currently head the product department at Zensurance, directly reporting to the Founder/CEO. I built the product department from the ground up, scaling it 10x, and now manage a growing team of 12 Product Managers and Team Leads. With my team, I not only own the product vision and strategy, but also ensure end-to-end product delivery. During my tenure, I've significantly contributed to Zensurance's vision, driving 10-12x growth. I head the DEI committee to actively foster an inclusive and equitable company culture.

My core strengths are recognizing ambiguous problems by mastering data, analytics and qualitative insights to create clarity, driving value. Additionally, my passion for building the next generation of analytical and intuitive product managers and leaders has helped to strengthen the application of situational leadership principles, building a strong foundation for coaching.

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Why I'd Like To Serve

Coaching and mentorship are central to my leadership style. Over the past decade, I’ve mentored 100+ Product Managers through the Schulich School of Business (MBA) alumni mentorship program. Additionally, as a co-founder of PM Circles, a free product coaching community, I coached 50+ Product Managers in group settings, enabling mentorship at scale. Even today, I continue to offer informal coaching through LinkedIn and other professional channels.

My coaching strength lies in identifying and developing unique talents in Product Managers, helping them turn their core strengths into differentiated superstrengths. Joining the TPMA Board would allow me to extend this work at scale, contributing to the growth of the Toronto product community, which I’ve been proud to be part of.

I’m especially excited to help expand structured mentorship programs, support peer learning, and foster deeper community engagement. Also, this would be a fantastic opportunity for me to apply my product expertise of helping start-ups scale, to support TPMA scale its impact on the product community. Thus creating a next generation of intuitive and analytical product managers and leaders.

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Balaji Gopalan

Product and Entrepreneurship Strategy Consultant, working for myself!

Balaji Gopalan

Bio

As a recognized thought leader in product management, I drive innovation through education, mentorship, and visionary leadership. My career includes co-founding and running MedStack (awarded as a leader in its product category and for customer value, raised several million in venture funding and was certified as a Great Place to Work), and running product teams at Nymi and BlackBerry, delivering award-winning products that improve lives and transform industries.

Deeply committed to product management education, I design and teach courses, workshops, and training programs for aspiring and established professionals, including creating the entire curriculum of Brainstation's Intro to Product Management course. As a mentor with Founder Institute (where I received the award for Canada's Most Supportive Mentor) and several accelerator programs, I guide entrepreneurs and product builders through product strategy, market validation, and scaling, empowering them to navigate challenges and seize opportunities.

I am passionate about building communities, founding and nurturing networks that foster collaboration and growth within the product management ecosystem. My leadership extends to frequent speaking engagements and contributions to thought leadership platforms, where I share actionable insights on product innovation, agile practices, and leadership.

Why I'd Like To Serve

Product Management matters greatly to me, and our community in Toronto is and could be recognized as the most forward-thinking, impactful tech ecosystem in the world. Having been a Product Manager, a Manager of Product Managers, a Product Management Educator and thought leader, a Mentor to Product Managers and a Founder, I've seen all the ways the role is seen and applied, both effectively and not so much. The role has never been more important and never needed to be updated to modern needs as much as it does now. We can build anything; we need to build the right things and we need to energize teams, people and hard workers to do so. Given all this attention as well, I am seeing multiple parallel, sometimes duplicative discussions, meetings and communities pop up and I'd like to see how the TPMA can implement the right synergies to ensure its theses and debates are the most pertinent, particularly as they apply to the world's toughest industries and the blurring technology lines around them.

Shannon Gibson

Product Consultant, My Choice

Shannon Gibson

Bio

Behind every product experience is a story, full of challenges, insights, and real-world impact. I love uncovering those stories, translating complexity into opportunity, digging into outcomes, and leading teams toward thoughtful, meaningful solutions.

I’m a product leader with 14 years of experience, starting in design and growing into strategic leadership roles. From hands-on execution to big picture thinking, I’ve led cross-functional teams, scaled platforms, shaped product vision, and mentored emerging leaders. At Coveo, I unified multiple teams under a shared direction and helped evolve the product and design practice from the ground up.

What drives me most is building inclusive, high growth environments where people can thrive and feel supported. I care deeply about equity, mentorship, and lifting others up, especially those who are underrepresented, eager to grow, or often overlooked because they’re not the loudest in the room. I’m committed to developing strong product leaders who lead with clarity, intent, and the confidence to listen first, because real leadership is measured by impact, not airtime.

My mission is to build a dynamic community that fosters connection, growth, and shared momentum, so we can all lead with our strengths and create meaningful change together.

Why I'd Like To Serve

Product culture isn’t built by accident. It’s shaped through shared learning, real connection, and the opportunities we create for each other to grow. It has the power to shape how product is practiced, elevate the quality of our work, and strengthen the partnerships that drive our entire ecosystem forward.

This community represents the next chapter in how we support, develop, and elevate product leaders. I want to contribute to that future through developing the Mentorship and Coaching programs, making knowledge and tools more accessible, and creating more space for people to grow with purpose and clarity.

I’ve built and scaled product teams, developed career frameworks, and mentored individuals from their first PM role to senior leadership. I’ve seen how the right support can change someone’s trajectory, and I believe we can embed that kind of support into the fabric of our community.

For me, this is about service, leadership, and meaningful impact. I want to help push our product culture forward by creating programs and spaces that are inclusive, practical, and inspiring, so more people can lead with confidence, and we can all grow together.

Meet Your TPMA Board Nominees

Nominees for the TPMA Board of Directors

Ben McPhee

Shivang Shekhar

Rebecca Nava

Marshall Goldfarb

Rosemary King

Mohit Arora

Pankaj Dhote

Balaji Gopalan

Shannon Gibson