Get to know our in-house expertise
Dan Reilly
Director, First
As the Director of FIRSt, Dan oversees all operations and client service delivery for GBC's Technology Access Centre. Since he began working at GBC in 2010, his leadership, strategic thinking skills, and commitment to process improvement have made him integral to the effective planning and execution of countless research programs and projects. Previously, Dan managed projects and events of all kinds, from statistical studies for the federal government to small-town music festivals. Dan graduated from George Brown College with an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration and is a past recipient of GBC's Project Management Award of Distinction. He now teaches in the School of Management, training the next generation of project managers. Outside of work, Dan has completed the GBC Beer Specialist and Professional Cheesemonger programs, and can often be found at the Rogers Centre cheering on the Blue Jays.
Areas of Expertise
- Project management
- Strategic thinking
- Process improvement
- Team leadership
Email:dreilly@georgebrown.ca
Lorenza Carandang
Finance and Admin Coordinator
Lorenza brings extensive experience in administration and managing operations to her position as Finance and Admin Coordinator at FIRSt. Her diverse skill set ranges from client management to financial and wealth management to investor and shareholder communications and budgeting. Before joining FIRSt, she worked at Kingsdale Shareholder Services and AIG Philippines. Her considerable history of office management ensures that streamlined operations and an efficient infrastructure support our partners and projects. Lorenza has a B.Sc. degree in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines.
Areas of Expertise
- Operations management and control
- Financial management and budgeting
- Administration and office management
Andrea Orazi
Industry Liaison & Business Development Manager, FIRSt
Andrea Orazi joins FIRSt as an experienced founder and agri-food industry professional with diverse and in-depth knowledge of the CPG, agriculture and global food supply chains. In 2015, she founded The Chufa Co, a dairy alternative company and grew the company through national listings with UNFI, Metro, Loblaws and Sobeys. She continues to work in the tigernut space as a partner in Negup Chufa, an agri-food startup that empowers women smallholder farmers in Ghana. She has worked as a consultant for CPG and agri-food companies and was previously a documentary producer and researcher at the BBC. Andrea brings a deep understanding of business startups, communications, marketing, supply chain, research and development, global manufacturing and the CPG space. She has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Guelph.
Areas of Expertise
- Business Development
- Entrepreneurship
- Marketing & Communications
- Food & Agriculture
Email: andrea.orazi@georgebrown.ca
SYEDA MUNZAREEN RAHMAN
FIRst Research Project Officer
Syeda Munzareen Rahman joins the college from her previous role as Research Project Coordinator at the Hospital for Sick Children. Syeda has extensive experience in project coordination and management in supporting cross functional projects/initiatives in both research hospital and academic institutions, including grant management, research ethics, contracts management, onboarding staff and students. Syeda has an MBA and received the Research Administration Certification in 2021. She has served as a member of the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA) since 2020.
Areas of Expertise
- Project Management
- Research Administration and Operations
- Grant Management
Candace Rambert
Lab Operations Manager
From learning family recipes to working in hotels around the world, Candace’s passion for food has been her driving force. She has proven recipe and product development skills with over 16 years of culinary and foodservice experience. Candace values building strong client relationships at FIRSt and has a proven track record of meeting the demands of FIRSt’s diverse and dynamic clients. They are often at the cutting edge of the foodservice and the consumer package goods industry. By collaborating with food scientists and culinary students at FIRSt, she applies her culinary and sensory science experience to meet the needs of FIRSt’s diverse clients to produce best-selling products. Her product roaster includes ready-to-drink beverages, sauces, healthy snacks and nutrition-focused recipes which help in the recovery of certain medical conditions. Since starting her career at FIRSt, she has seen first-hand how innovation pushes the boundaries when developing unique products and how food brings people together. Candace holds a B.A from the University of Windsor and is an alumnus of both the George Brown College (GBC) Culinary Management and Italian postgraduate programs. Candace is a member of the Research Chef Association and a past recipient of the prestigious Ontario Hostelry Institute’s ‘Top 30 Under 30’ award.
Areas of Expertise
- Culinary Arts
- Recipe Development
- Nutrition Analysis
- Sensory Analysis
Email: CRambert@georgebrown.ca
Tolu Olutunfese
Lead Food Scientist
Tolu Olutunfese brings over 15 years of experience in food product development, regulatory affairs and technical services to the FIRSt team. She has worked in and around food science for the span of her career, first in Food Quality Assurance, deepening into a specialization in Food Research, Product Development and Commercialization. She has previously held technical positions at Dr. Oetker Canada Ltd, NSF International, TDL Group and Cargill Foods, where she helped to bring new products to market while meeting standards in Food Safety and Quality Assurance. Tolu has recently completed a post-grad certificate in Regulatory Affairs at Humber College and received her Bachelors in Food Engineering from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. Tolu looks forward to making positive impacts within the FIRSt team and the food industry at large.
Areas of Expertise:
- Food Product Development
- Regulatory Affairs
- Quality Management
Caroline Rebello
FOOD SCIENCE TECHNOLOGIST, FIRST
Caroline Rebello is a proficient food research and development professional with experience in the nutrition and nutraceutical industrial segments. In her career prior to George Brown, Caroline has developed formulations of nutraceuticals, infant and follow-on formulas, health supplements, and beverages; She has also worked on scale-up, from laboratory prototype to commercial production. Caroline has a MSc in Nutraceuticals from University of Mumbai, India, and a BSc in Life Sciences from St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), India.
Areas of Expertise
- Product development (Prototype to Pilot to Commercialization)
- Sensory evaluation
- Shelf-life studies
- Product analysis
Email: caroline.rebello@georgebrown.ca
Michelle Kienitz-Henderson
Manager, Industry Liaison & Business Development
Currently on parental leave.
Michelle brings a value-chain approach to FIRSt, where she has supported hundreds of food entrepreneurs throughout the product development process. Her academic and professional careers have focused on primary agriculture, agri-food, and agri-technology, and she even occasionally assists on her parents’ cash crop farm. With a BA in Social Development (University of Waterloo) and a MA in Political Science and International Development (University of Guelph), she uses her interdisciplinary background to bring creative and holistic solutions to clients and partnerships. Michelle enjoys eating food as much as she enjoys working in the industry and is deeply committed to growing the food value chain in Ontario and Canada and increasing opportunities for Canadian food & agri-food companies.
Areas of Expertise
- Food systems
- Food entrepreneurship
- Relationship management
