Jaya James, a lifelong Guelph resident and University of Guelph graduate, is passionate about community building and has devoted much of her time to walking with people through life’s challenges and celebrations.

James is the Executive Director of HOPE House a downtown Guelph organization that offers services and programs to community members experiencing poverty that allow them to maintain their dignity and choice, while simultaneously providing them with practical skills developed in a community environment. Her previous work experience includes working for the provincial government as a policy advisor where she has researched food access opportunities and challenges, and working as a commercial banker for a major commercial bank.  
 

After getting a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Guelph in 1982, Muneer Hirji went on to get an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University in 1985. He has been involved with the technology business since then. His roles in the corporate technology world have included Vice President Marketing for SAP Canada, Vice President and General Manager for i2 Canada, and President of Hitachi Solutions Canada. The common thread running through these roles has been the accelerated profitable growth these companies experienced under Muneer’s leadership.

Since 2015 Hirji has been an investor in early-stage technology companies with a particular focus on Enterprise Software. He works with leadership teams in his portfolio companies to help them scale their business and realize successful exits. 

His volunteering activities have included participating on the Board of TechConnex, acting as a CEO mentor at Entrepreneur Organization, and being an Executive at Large at the Toronto Cloud Business Coalition. He is also a member of York Angel Investors.