Team

Sylvain Perrier – President and CEO

Sylvain Perrier is the President and CEO of Mercatus Technologies and is responsible for the overall management of Mercatus operations including Technology, Business Operations, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Finance and Human Resources. Sylvain works with the Executive Team to establish and drive the vision and strategic direction for the company.

Sylvain holds more than 17 years experience in multiple market segments of the international retail industry. Throughout his career, Sylvain has had the opportunity to work with world class retailers; such as, Walt Disney, Barnes and Noble, the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Tire.

Before being named President and CEO in 2012, Sylvain was Mercatus’ Chief Operating Officer and was responsible for the overall day-to-day activities that achieve the company’s strategic business goals. Prior to joining Mercatus, Sylvain spent eight years with In-Touch Survey Systems Inc. most recently as Vice President of Technology where he oversaw the development of wireless and touch-screen devices designed to generate consumer feedback reports for the retail, services, and hospitality industries.

Sylvain is a respected industry authority and sought-after speaker. He earned degrees in Business Administration and Computer Science from College de l’Outaouais.

Bohdan Zabawskyj – Vice President, Technology

As Vice President, Technology of Mercatus, Bohdan brings 25 years of leadership success in strategic planning, product management, and R&D in both public and private companies. At Mercatus, Bohdan is responsible for engineering, quality assurance, customer support, and IT.

Bohdan is an accomplished senior executive. He has served as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Rypple, Fusenet, and Redknee. As one of the founding team members, Bohdan helped grow Redknee from start-up to publicly traded corporation, from $.5 to $80M revenue, from 8 to 500+ people in its first ten years. At Fusenet and Rypple, Bohdan brought visionary technologies to life and advanced engineering processes and organizational structures that materially contributed to accelerating top-line revenues. Rypple, which engineered an enterprise social networking platform, was acquired by Salesforce.com in 2012. Prior to 1999, Bohdan held various technology positions at Clearnet Communications Inc. (now TELUS Mobility, the wireless business unit of TELUS Corporation) and Bell Mobility Cellular Inc. (now Bell Mobility, the wireless business unit of Bell Canada Enterprises).

Bohdan is a trusted strategic advisor and people coach to some of Canada’s top start-ups— including   Kik Interactive and realSociable. He is a respected speaker who has presented at industry conferences around the world. Bohdan holds a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from McGill University, a Bachelors Degree in Engineering from the University of Toronto, and an MBA from Athabasca University.

Paul Schmid, C.A. – Vice President, Finance

As Vice President, Finance, Paul is responsible for the financial health of the company. His mandate includes managing the budgets and financial operations; directing the preparation and submission of annual financial and budgetary reports; and establishing and building strong partnerships with the financial community. 

Paul brings 20 years of public practice experience, providing service and consulting to privately held corporations. As an associate, partner, then proprietor, Paul offered strategic management, oversight and financial advisory services to an established network of client organizations in a wide variety of industries, including start-up ventures.

Paul is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario (Concentration in Economics).

Jeff Kischuk – Vice President, Business Operations

As Vice President, Business Operations of Mercatus, Jeff holds 20+ years of proven business leadership. At Mercatus, Jeff oversees all client management functions from business development through to project definition, delivery, and support.

Jeff most recently held the position of Executive Consultant & Program Director for CGI’s Internet Services Group. During his tenure with CGI, Jeff directed large, innovative online projects—both business-to-business and direct-to-consumer—for national banks and telephone companies. Prior to CGI, Jeff held the position of Vice President Professional Services at Clochase, where he served as the client advocate ensuring customer expectations were achieved. As an entrepreneur, Jeff co-founded Incerno, which designed, developed, and marketed Internet-based applications. As the company’s Vice President, Products & Solutions, Jeff oversaw all aspects related to client management. Jeff has also worked in the professional services sector for companies such as Blast Radius Inc. and Organic Inc. where he directed large-scale development projects for Aeroplan, BMW, and CIBC.

Jeff holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and a Diploma in Aerospace Engineering from Ryerson University, and an MBA from York University.

Sachi Kittur – Vice President, Human Resources

As Vice President, Human Resources, Sachi oversees the entire spectrum of HR activities for Mercatus including strategy, workforce planning and recruitment, compensation and benefits, employee development and training. She is a seasoned leader with over 10 years experience and a proven track record in creating and implementing innovative human resource solutions to help companies successfully achieve their organizational goals.

Prior to joining Mercatus, Sachi worked as Senior HR Business partner at Yahoo Canada where she jump started Yahoo’s Canadian HR function with a focus on improving both leadership engagement and employee retention.

Sachi is a graduate of Ottawa University with a Bachelor of Commerce specializing in Human Resources Management.