Our Staff

Meet the faces behind Tribe! Our team is building the tools and programming to help entrepreneurs and professionals like you access everything you need to succeed.

Founder and CEO

Alfred Burgesson
he/him

Born in Ghana and raised in Nova Scotia, Alfred is a thoughtful leader who enjoys social entrepreneurship and is passionate about building bridges between people, places and ideas.

Alfred’s unique talents include convening leaders, and an ability to launch grassroots movements and coalitions while utilizing digital tools and technology platforms.

Connect with Alfred: alfred@tribenetwork.ca

Operations Manager

Deborah Sanni
she/her

Deborah is a Nigerian with Yoruba roots, but grew up shuffling between the Republic of Benin, Nigeria, and Kenya.

Deborah is passionate about helping people and providing avenues for them to explore their fullest potential and be their best selves. Her career started in kinesiology and disability management, after which she transitioned into HR and worked in operations.

Connect with Deborah: deborah@tribenetwork.ca

Programs Development and Delivery Manager

Julia Ramirez
she/her

Julia moved from her native country of Colombia in 2005 to the province of New Brunswick. She has over 18 years of experience in the entrepreneurial ecosystem including owning and managing small businesses, teaching entrepreneurship and guiding students, professionals and immigrants through the many programs offered in Atlantic Canada.

Her passion is helping entrepreneurs to access the variety of resources and bridging business owners and professionals with the current available tools.

Marketing & Communications Manager

Nicole Jackson
she/her

Nicole Jackson was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia with ancestry dating back centuries to African Nova Scotian communities in Truro, Guysborough and Amherst. A creative by nature and a strategist by trade, Nicole loves operating at the intersection of art and data.

She’s passionate about applying a thoughtful and intentional approach to marketing and using that to help entrepreneurs find their audiences, tell their stories, amplify their brands, and grow their businesses.

Technology Lead

Ngutor Ikpaahindi
he/him

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, but raised in Abuja. Ngutor moved to Canada to study the Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MTEI) at Saint Mary’s University Sobey School of Business.

He is passionate about building and operating technology-enabled companies. This passion drove him to learn and understand not just the technology and operations component of startups, but also the financing component. He is fascinated by Venture Studios and would like to run one in Nigeria.

Founder Success Lead

Katerina Msafari
she/her

Katerina is from the capital city of Nairobi, Kenya and moved to Canada to pursue the Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation program at Saint Mary’s University.

As a startup and venture capital enthusiast, Katerina is passionate about helping businesses scale by finding the right financing avenues. She is dedicated to continuing to make a meaningful impact in the industry and assisting businesses to achieve their full potential.

Marketing & Communications Intern

Queen-Esther Okundonor
she/her

Queen-Esther is a final year Finance and Marketing student from Nigeria with a passion for all things small business and aiming to pursue a career in Commercial Banking. She is interested in digital marketing, customer relationship management, personal finance and commercial banking.

She is passionate about content creation, volunteering and looking forward to making information and opportunities about business and entrepreneurship more accessible to people.

Administrative Intern

Ramon Stultz
he/him

Born and raised on the tropical island of Jamaica. Ramon moved to Canada to pursue studies in Business. He is a jovial, fun loving individual with a passion for making an impact.

Ramon prides himself as being an optimist and risk taker. He is passionate about creating a conducive workspace for his colleagues as well as providing and connecting entrepreneurs to the black ecosystem.

Finance and Business Analytics Intern

Raihan Uddin Ahammad
He/Him

Raihan is a Fellow Chartered Accountant from Bangladesh and moved to Canada in 2023 to pursue Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Saint Mary’s University.

With more than 15 years of progressive experience in Finance and Accounting in diversified organizations like KPMG and Kantar. Raihan is passionate about simplifying financial management for businesses and helping achieve their financial goa