Board of Directors
Michael Alkier
After graduating from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1990 with an Honours Degree in Business Administration, Michael Alkier, started his business career working for SAP in Germany. After 4 years with SAP in Germany, Toronto and Calgary, he joined with 3 other partners to build OmniLogic Systems Group into Canada’s largest SAP consulting partner with over 550 employees and $90 million in annual sales. The company was sold to PricewaterhouseCoopers and in 2000 Michael stepped down as co-CEO to start Ideaca with longtime business partner Evan Hu. Ideaca spawned 2 businesses, MapleCore (MapleMusic) and Ideaca Knowledge Services. Michael sits on the board of both companies and plays an active role in guiding their evolution. In addition he owns several car dealerships in Southern Ontario.
Michael Bregman
Michael Bregman is an experienced entrepreneur and community leader. Michael earned an MBA degree at Harvard Business School and received his undergraduate degree at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He was formerly the Chairman and CEO of Second Cup Ltd., Canada’s leading specialty coffee retailer. Purchasing the company for $12 million in 1988, Mr. Bregman took Second Cup public in 1993, ultimately returning $175 million to shareholders, culminating in the sale of the company to Cara Operations Ltd. in 2002.
Michael commenced his career in 1977 as Director of Corporate Development for Loblaws Ltd. In 1979, he founded mmmuffins Inc., which operating under the mmmarvellous mmmuffins and Michel’s Baguette banners, became Canada’s leading specialty bakery retailer. After building the company to more than 200 stores in Canada and the U.S., the company was successfully sold in 1994.
Mr. Bregman is the Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Tailwind Capital Inc., which operates an investment fund. He serves on the Board of Directors of Clairvest Group Inc., Allied Global Holdings Inc., General Donlee Income Fund and WarrenShepell.
Michael and his wife Barbara have one son and three daughters. He is an active triathlete and skier. Michael serves various charitable organizations including United Jewish Appeal (2002 Campaign Co-Chair), Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation (Chairman 2002-2005) Birthright Israel (Canadian Chair) and University of Toronto’s Rotman School (Dean’s Advisory Committee).
Christopher Everett
J. Christopher Everett was a senior partner and board member of the international accounting and consulting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers. In his 25 year career, he led PWC’s global e-Business practice and headed the largest ERP management consulting practice in the world. Since his retirement, he serves as a director for 4 privately held companies, taught management strategy at the Kogod School of American University and consults on systems issues with the variety of companies including PGA, Intertrust, and Farm Credit.
Mr. Everett is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, the University of Southern California and Harvard Business School. He is a frequent speaker before numerous professional and trade groups, including the World Economic Forum, on a variety of e-Business, ERP and systems integration topics. In 1999, Mr. Everett was named to Upside magazines; “Elite 100”, - a listing of the most influential e-Business practitioners in the United States.
Muneer Hirji – CEO
Since joining Ideaca in 2002, Muneer has been providing leadership and direction in shaping the organizations strategy. As CEO, Muneer has overall responsibility for Ideaca’s client and employee satisfaction, and ensuring that the organization meets its business objectives. Prior to joining Ideaca, Muneer was the Vice-President and General Manager for i2 Canada and a Vice President at SAP Canada.
Muneer holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Guelph.
Evan Hu
With more than twenty years of experience in the creation and management of successful businesses, Evan has a proven track record in growing and mentoring successful professionals. He has worked with many leading Canadian and American companies, guiding them in the best practices for technology enabled business. Evan’s experience cuts across numerous industries, including telecommunications, high technology, utilities and oil & gas. Evan has played an instrumental role in strategic planning, project management and professional development. Evan has also successfully integrated several corporate merger and acquisitions.
Prior to Ideaca, he was a founding partner and co-CEO of OmniLogic, an ERP integration consultancy that grew in 8 years to 550 employees in offices across Canada with over $90 million in annual revenues. OmniLogic was acquired by PricewaterhouseCoopers where Evan continued as the partner responsible for North American ERP e-Commerce initiatives and e-Business strategies. Evan also was a co-founder and is an advisor to MapleMusic, Canada’s largest independent recording label and internet distribution firm.
Evan has been involved in local charitable activities and presently is responsible for DonorTrust initiative at ChristmasFuture www.christmasfuture.org, a charity dedicated to eliminating extreme poverty through the UN Millennium Villages movement.
Evan is a Professional Engineer with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Masters in Engineering from the University of Alberta. In addition to his role at Ideaca, Evan is the father of four active boys and is involved in minor hockey and soccer coaching. He also is an avid cyclist, amateur musician and is committed to a goal of lifelong learning.