Bala Kathiresan
President & CEO
Bala is an influential leader who empowers organisations to establish and achieve a bold vision through his inspirational and influential leadership style. Throughout his 30+ year career in information systems in both the public and private sector, Bala has been a transformational leader in building strategic alliances and partnerships, aligning stakeholders towards a shared vision, and driving business for positive change. As president and CEO, he has evolved and grown BCNET to become one of the leading shared services organizations for higher ed and research with over $100M in member spend for technology services and procurement contracts.
Dennis Silva
Chief Procurement Officer
Since 2016, Dennis has led the development of procurement strategies for BCNET’s higher education members, where he has doubled service adoption and participating spend. He directs a wide array of collaborative agreements across multiple categories, manages supplier relationships and leads all procurement activities for the organization. Dennis has years of leadership in procurement and extensive buyer experience prior to joining BCNET. He was the director of payment and procurement services at the University of British Columbia, as well he advanced through a number of leadership roles at Best Buy.
Nathan Doidge
Chief Financial & Administrative Officer
Nathan Doidge is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with many years of experience in administrative leadership roles at not-for-profits and broader public sector organizations. Before relocating to Vancouver in 2020, he was the Chief Administrative Officer at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Nursing and was responsible for supporting the division’s finance, HR, IT, and office space needs.
Stephen O'Connor
Chief Technology Officer
Stephen brings a wealth of leadership experience in technology gained over 30+ years and has served in multiple senior leadership positions in both the private and public sectors globally. Over the past decade he has been focused on serving the education industry, firstly as Chief Information Officer at Capilano University and recently as an Executive Counsellor to over 30 education leaders around the world. He is acutely aware of the challenges and opportunities in education today and has applied successfully his leadership, project, strategic, and transformation skills.
Sabrina Feula
Director, Member Engagement and Communications
With over 15 years of experience in fostering connections, Sabrina is a results-oriented professional committed to cultivating relationships and driving positive change. Experienced in implementing corporate-level programs to increase public awareness, she excels at creating collaborative environments. Recently, she led Prospect Human Services' external-facing team, focusing on revenue diversification and partnership development. Formerly, as the director of client development with the Alberta Municipalities Association and the Alberta Municipal Services Corporation, Sabrina managed a diverse services portfolio.
Ellis Herbert
Director, Shared Technology Solutions & Enterprise Resource Planning
Ellis Herbert is an accomplished IT leader with over 25 years of experience in driving technology transformations within the higher education, K12, research, and healthcare sectors. Specializing in enterprise resource planning (ERP) and technology solutions, he consistently aligns digital initiatives with organizational goals to enhance service quality and operational efficiency in both public and private sectors. His strategic vision and expert navigation through complex technology landscapes have led to impactful improvements and the implementation of scalable technology solutions. Ellis has held senior technology roles at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and served as Director of Enterprise Systems and Deputy CIO at Thompson Rivers University.
Tom Samplonius
Director, Network Services
With over 20 years of experience in telecom technology and services, Tom is a seasoned specialist in operations, hosting, data centers, national IP networks, and PSTN. His expertise extends to peering, interconnection, and infrastructure acquisition. As the Director of Network Services at BCNET, Tom is dedicated to connecting people both technically and organizationally. He emphasizes the importance of not only providing Internet access but also empowering users to take control of their services.
Antonio Brandao
Director, Cybersecurity Services
Antonio is a seasoned IT security and network infrastructure expert with extensive experience in Linux and Windows Server administration. He has designed, deployed, and hardened networks for commercial and government organizations, including enhancing web-application firewall protections for Brazilian military systems to reduce exposure to zero-day and brute-force attacks. A former Army Lieutenant Colonel, he led complex operations and made decisive, risk-calibrated decisions under pressure. As a Cyber Security professor at the Military Academy for seven years, he developed and delivered curriculum on threat modeling, penetration testing, secure system design, and incident response. His core competencies include: Security policy development & compliance, Network design, hardening & administration, Penetration testing & vulnerability assessment, Scripting & automation (Bash, PowerShell, Python), and Operational support & incident response. Antonio is committed to lifelong learning and staying ahead of emerging cybersecurity threats.