February 28 - March 1, 2026: Ottawa - EY Centre

Ahsan has been in his current role with as Regional Manager, Franchise Banking for 2 years at TD Bank, and with franchise industry for over 8 years.  As Regional Manager, Ahsan is one of TD's franchise industry experts and is responsible for growing TD's franchise banking portfolio while ensuring that franchisee customers are provided with legendary customer service.  Ahsan also brings to the table over 15 years of lending experience from Commercial and Small Business at TD. He enjoys collaborating with both franchisors and franchisees to assist them with all of their credit and Banking needs.

Terry has been in his current role with TD Bank as National Manager, Franchise Banking for 10 years.  As National Manager, Terry is one of TD's franchise industry experts and is responsible for growing TD's franchise banking portfolio while ensuring that franchisee customers are provided with legendary customer service.  Terry enjoys collaborating with both franchisors and franchisees to assist them with all of their credit and Banking needs. 

Gary’s 30+ years of experience in the Canadian franchising industry makes him an industry-leading and much-sought-after consultant for people that are considering franchise ownership. Having been on every side of the franchise business table, he has bought single, multi-unit, and master franchises for himself, brought US franchise concepts to Canada, helped companies to become franchisors, and coached hundreds of entrepreneurs. Gary and his team at FranNet have helped over 2,000 prospective franchisee clients to fully explore their self-employment options. Gary guides his clients through an in-depth research process for the businesses they are considering, including coaching them on who to talk to and providing the right questions to ask to ensure they have as much information as possible to make an informed YES or NO decision.

Gary has published over 250 articles on entrepreneurship, franchise ownership, and industry trends. His first book, The Unstoppable Franchisee: 7 Drivers of Next-level Growth is about how to achieve next- level growth and top performance in franchise ownership. For this book, Gary has done extensive research with top-performing franchisees whose profitability ranged from mid-six figures to mid-seven figures annually. He’s also interviewed numerous franchisor CEOs for this critical subject.

As a corporate and commercial lawyer, Marina provides clients with a wide range of services, including advising both franchisees and franchisors on franchise agreements and disclosure requirements. In addition, she assists clients in acquisition and sale of businesses, commercial leasing, business formation and shareholder agreements, as well as drafting and reviewing a variety of commercial contracts.

Marina graduated from the University of Toronto in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science (with high distinction), completing a research specialist program in psychology. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Toronto in 2009 and was called to the Bar the following year. She is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, and the County of Carleton Law Association.

Shawn Saraga is the founder of the Franchise Academy, a mini-private equity firm that has holdings in various franchise brands. He also serves as Chief Development Officer of Tahini’s Restaurants and has held this position since October, 2023. Shawn has been in the franchise industry since 2005. He has opened over 950 franchised businesses, and finalized over 700 leases in his career.

He has worked with brands like Burger King, barBURRITO Restaurants, Freshii, Foodtastic as well as many other non-food related brands. Shawn is also a registered real estate broker and conducts real estate transactions on behalf of the brands he works with and there franchisees. Some of his other business interests include a partnership in MEET College for Psychotherapists, Board seats on several AI start-ups. Shawn has also been a Board member of Leadership Sinai since 2005.

Jocelyn has dedicated more than two decades to the world of Franchise Development, building a reputation as a trusted leader and growth strategist. Over her 20+ year career, she has helped transform brands from small to medium and medium to national scale, contributing to the success of iconic Canadian names such as Shred-it, Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s, Second Cup, Pet Valu, and Mary Brown’s Chicken.

Today, Jocelyn brings her expertise to the dynamic team at Quick Bite Collective Co., where she is focused on expanding three QSR brands across Canada and into new markets beyond.

Colton is a lawyer in the Business Law group at Mann Lawyers. He graduated from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University with a specialization in business law. During law school, he was a member of the Law Student’s Society and co-founded the Schulich Disability Alliance (SDA), a group dedicated to making law school more accessible for all law students, particularly those with disabilities. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Windsor, where he studied Political Science.