Leadership Team
If you want to grab John-Paul’s attention, present him with a challenge that requires a combination of strategic and critical thinking. 15 years of experience in finance and corporate taxation has enabled a rare breadth of comprehension and execution aptitude amidst complex business conditions. A trusted and creative advisor to companies from start-up to global-scale, John-Paul’s biggest thrill is for a client to present a challenge that will ultimately enable them to achieve more than what they previously thought possible. John-Paul’s core beliefs are shared by each contributing member of think.COLLECTIVE and are present in all aspects of their approach. Inclusion, diversity, applied knowledge, longevity, evolution, empowerment and execution are essential to our success; and success is only realized when it touches everyone.
A note from John-Paul:
I’m so fortunate to be part of think.COLLECTIVE. I’m consistently in awe of people I collaborate with, and I’m humbled by their relentless determination when challenging themselves to deliver the most value to our clients.
DARREN GILLIS | HEAD OF INNOVATION
Darren is the prime example of why there is no substitute for an SR&ED technologist who is a current leader in their field. He started his career writing custom software solutions for government and enterprise clients. This eventually evolved to holding management positions on both development and quality assurance teams for client projects ranging from E-Commerce to Healthcare. 20 years later he is still an avid learner and has developed specialized experience in modern software development approaches and techniques, which ensures we can accurately separate SR&ED eligible work from standard practice and defend our position during a possible submission review. Darren’s understanding of software development has also proven to be invaluable to our clients when we’ve been tasked to build out a cohesive development team for an upcoming build. Darren is a visionary in this space and his influence in these situations resulted in the strategic placement of highly dynamic contributors.
STEVEN BRATES, CPA | MANAGING PARTNER, FINANCE
Steven Brates, Chartered Professional Accountant has been providing accounting, audit and tax services since starting his professional practice in Mississauga in 1985. His mission is to provide professional, knowledgeable and exemplary customer service. His expertise areas include estate planning, scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED) tax credit consulting and business plans. He provides a full range of accounting and tax solutions that help small business owners remain compliant, optimize productivity and grow their business in the right direction.
DAN PAINE | SR&ED ADVISOR & LEAD TECHNOLOGIST
Dan has over 15 years of experience with the SR&ED program. After graduating from the University of Guelph with a BSc. in Honors Biochemistry, Dan worked in Research and Development for a Canadian coatings and ink manufacturer for 7 years. During this time, he gained an in-depth knowledge of both the research and manufacturing environments and was the internal coordinator for their SR&ED program. Since then, Dan has spent the last 9 years as a SR&ED consultant, successfully aiding in preparation and defence of claims for companies spanning multiple industries. His in-depth knowledge of the SR&ED program from both a client and consultant perspective has aided him in achieving maximum claim values with an extremely high success rate.
THOMAS CALDWELL, CORPORATE LAWYER | TECHNOLOGY START-UP ADVISOR
Tom specializes in advising start-ups and medium-sized businesses. He also serves as Legal Counsel at UBS Bank (Canada) and acts as an in-house advisor for think.COLLECTIVE clients on an a range of legal matters, including shareholder agreement reviews, private placements and complex M&A deals. Tom is the author of the Annotated Guide to Shareholder Agreements for Lexis Practice Advisor, the authoritative form of agreement trusted by lawyers across the country. Tom was also a task force member for the National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) project to develop term sheets that guide investors and founders alike in structuring deals that align their interests to position start-ups for future investment and growth. A driven entrepreneur, Tom is the founder of Thomas Henry Made – a custom menswear venture focused on building great relationships and keeping men looking their best in made-to-measure suits and shirts. Through Thomas Henry, Tom combines his creative skills and the joy of building personal relationships, along with providing sage counsel to forward-thinking business ventures.