MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PHILIP BENSON
Mr. Benson brings over 30 years of experience in the investment industry, covering portfolio management, research, and investment banking. Since 2011, he has served as a Managing Partner at Fraser Mackenzie Merchant Capital Corp. (FMMC). Prior to founding FMMC, Mr. Benson led diversified industries investment banking at Fraser Mackenzie Limited for four years. He was previously a Director at Blackmont Capital (formerly First Associates), where he specialized in investment banking for industrial, technology, and consumer products clients. Earlier in his career, he was a Vice President and partner at MMI Group, a Toronto-based money manager and merchant bank, from 1993 to 1999.
Mr. Benson is also an accomplished author, having contributed articles to Canadian and international publications, including a study on Canada’s aerospace industry. In 2001, he published The 50 Best Stocks to Own in Canada through Macmillan Canada.
A former member of the Canadian Forces, Mr. Benson currently sits on the Boards of Vision Utility Services Inc. and Yangaroo Inc. (YOO-TSXV). He will devote approximately 20% of his time to overseeing the management of the Corporation and the completion of its Amalgamation.
MIKE LIIK
Director and Chair of the Governance Committee
Mr. Michael Liik is a Director of the Corporation and a co-founder and Managing Partner of Fraser Mackenzie Merchant Capital Corp. (FMMC), where he is actively involved in all aspects of the business. He holds both an MBA and a Professional Engineering designation, with degrees in business and engineering from the University of Toronto. Mr. Liik's 35-year career blends extensive operational leadership with principal investing and merchant banking expertise.
Prior to founding FMMC, Mr. Liik was a partner at HSD Partners, a private equity firm, and is currently a principal at Liikfam Holdings Inc., an early-stage venture investment company. His public company leadership roles include serving as CEO and co-founder of Cymat Technologies Ltd. (CYM-TSXV) from 1999 to 2004, where he is now Executive Chairman. Earlier, he held senior roles at Slater Steel, where he was VP of Corporate Development and later COO (1993-1998), and at Horsham Corporation in Berlin, the predecessor to Trizec Corporation, where he was VP of Development (1990-1993).
Mr. Liik began his career at National Bank and was a founding member of its mezzanine real estate lending and investment group. Over the years, he has served on the boards of various public and private companies. His current board roles include Northern Birch Credit Union and Cymat Technologies Ltd.
Mr. Liik will dedicate approximately 10% of his time to the Corporation's board activities and the completion of the Amalgamation.
DAVID IACOBELLI
Director
Mr. David Iacobelli is a Director of the Corporation and a senior executive with extensive expertise in business transformation, strategic leadership, and organizational effectiveness. Throughout his career, he has gained valuable experience in brand building, team leadership, innovation, strategy, P&L management, supply chain, digital transformation, mergers & acquisitions, government relations, media, and sustainability.
With over 24 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry, Mr. Iacobelli has worked with major organizations, including Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Mondelez, and Clorox. Since September 2023, he has served as President & CEO of FE Ingredients, a private equity-owned company. In this role, he is tasked with professionalizing and scaling the business for growth. From March 2022 to August 2023, he was the Chief Commercial Officer at Flanagan's Foodservice, overseeing Sales, Marketing, Category Management, and Supply Chain. From September 2018 to October 2021, Mr. Iacobelli led the Clorox Company of Canada as President and General Manager, and before that, from March 2015 to September 2018, he was responsible for leading Clorox’s Canadian Sales division, which was later expanded to include international sales across 23 countries and 100 markets.
DONALD BENT
Director and Chair of Audit Committee
Mr. Donald Bent is a Director of the Corporation. Since March 2013, he has been a Managing Partner at Fraser Mackenzie Merchant Capital Corp., a Toronto-based private fund manager and financial advisory firm dedicated to helping lower middle market companies grow, primarily in Canada. He is also a co-founder, Managing Partner, and member of the investment committee at FMMC GP Inc., as well as that of Fraser Mackenzie Private Credit Inc., the general partners in several mezzanine debt funds which provide secured term debt facilities to profitable mid-sized Canadian businesses. Mr. Bent was a co-founder of Fraser Mackenzie Accelerator Corp., which completed a reverse takeover of Forward Water Technologies in September of 2024.
Prior to joining Fraser Mackenzie, Mr. Bent co-founded Latitude Partners, where he raised and co-managed one of Canada’s pioneering buyout funds aimed specifically at the technology sector. Additionally, he served as a partner and member of the investment committee at Fulcrum Capital Partners (formerly HSBC Capital (Canada) Inc.), where he was involved in managing mezzanine financing and private equity investments in mid-sized businesses.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Bent held positions at TD Securities and KPMG.
JOHN KOEHLE
Director
Mr. Koehle has served as director of FWT since 2019. Mr. Koehle has over 11 years of experience supporting the commercialization of early-stage companies. Mr. Koehle’s experience includes working in industries such as environmental, transportation, information technology, food, and medical. Mr. Koehle is also the Principal and Managing Director of FirstLine Venture Partners Corporation, a privately held venture capital firm. Over the past 18 years, he has served on numerous boards in both corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Mr. Koehle holds as B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.
WAYNE MADDEVER
Chief Operating Officer & Director
Dr. Maddever has served as director of FWTC since 2020. Dr. Maddever has over 35 years of experience working in senior executive management positions with technically based businesses in start-up, turnaround or acquisition situations where his skills at change management have aided in the commercialization of new technologies. Dr. Maddever’s experience in both private and public companies, both domestically and internationally, spans a broad variety of industries, including bio- and advanced materials, precision manufacturing, recycling, waste to energy and medical devices. Dr. Maddever is currently Portfolio Manager at Bioindustrial Innovation Canada and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Dr. Maddever also holds a number of patents in several fields. Dr. Maddever holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science Engineering from the University of Toronto.
MAX GRAHAM
Max Graham is an experienced software engineer specializing in system development. He was most recently at Darwin CX, a SaaS company serving the publishing industry, and now works independently as a contract software developer. Before that, Max was an early team member at NorthOne, a digital banking platform, where he helped scale the company from 14 to nearly 100 employees. He also co-founded Jintronix, a medical device company that participated in the Techstars incubator in partnership with Microsoft in Seattle, WA.
Max holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from McGill University.