Team

As a former CEO, seasoned entrepreneur, current board director and consultant, and as a prominent business-person in Newfoundland, Cathy’s focus is growth. With over 30 years of business leadership, her own company, Bennett Group of Companies, included operations in commercial and industrial construction, industrial manufacturing, human resource support, food service, industrial supply and real estate investments and operations. Cathy is past chair of TaskForce NL. Cathy serves/has served on public, private and crown corporation boards spanning diverse industries. Cathy is an active angel investor and mentor for early-stage technology companies.

A native of New Brunswick, Rhiannon’s business leadership spans Europe, Asia, South and North America. She was on the Board of Directors that took GrandVision N.V., a CAD$ 5.5 Billion revenue retailer with businesses in 45 countries, through a successful IPO on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. Rhiannon has driven the target identification, due diligence, acquisition, integration and move to profitability of many companies. She thrives in fast moving, fast growth environments, and works in executive and board roles in private, public and non-profit organizations.  Rhiannon believes in the need to support entrepreneurship and innovation to deliver meaningful change in business, community, and social development. She actively supports this belief by serving as a mentor and angel investor.

Sarah Young is an entrepreneur, a business leader and one of Canada’s most sought-after communications advisors. She is Partner and Senior Counsel Managing Partner at NATIONAL Public Relations, Canada’s leading PR firm. Previously Sarah was Managing Partner responsible for Atlantic Canada at NATIONAL and she also led the corporate talent strategy across the global network for AVENIR GLOBAL, one of the world’s 15 largest communications companies. Sarah helps private and public organizations across Canada tackle complex challenges ranging from industry disruptors, the modernized workplace, gaining social license, shifting consumer attitudes, scaling business into new markets and investment attraction. She is specifically committed to building advisor networks and investment opportunities for women in ventures. Sarah bought her first company at 28 and sold it to NATIONAL after significant growth and expansion. Prior to returning to Atlantic Canada, Sarah was Vice President, Technology of an international public relations firm based in Toronto focused on start-ups.

Lynn Sullivan, a CPA and Lawyer with the St. John’s office of Cox & Palmer, joined the Sandpiper team in 2024 as external legal counsel. Practicing corporate commercial law, Lynn advises companies and founders on a broad range of transactions, covering all stages of the business life cycle, including business formation, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, and commercial financing. Her rich, twenty-year background in business encompasses entrepreneurship and senior management roles in the natural resources sector, gas and retail sector, professional services, and executive positions within the public sector. This diverse experience enhances the depth of her legal practice and the advice she provides. A passionate community volunteer, Lynn currently holds the positions of director and Treasurer on the boards of techNL and TaskforceNL and serves as Vice President of the Canadian Bar Association’s Newfoundland & Labrador branch. Lynn previously served on the boards of the St. John’s Board of Trade, Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland & Labrador, Community Sector Council and YMCA of Newfoundland & Labrador.

Lauren was previously CEO of discoverygarden, a market-leading technology company that provides digital asset management and preservation solutions to institutions and governments internationally. Lauren is also former Managing Partner of the inaugural Women’s Equity Lab Atlantic Fund 1, an angel network investing in pre-seed and seed women-led tech companies based in Atlantic Canada. She is now an LP in Fund 2. She is active in the Canadian innovation ecosystem through several mentorship and advisor roles with CDL, FORA, PEI IT Alliance, and as a delegate of the Banff Forum. She is an Angel investor with Women’s Equity Lab, Sandpiper Ventures and Hustle Fund. Lauren spent much of her career in financial services and worked to lead large-scale digital transformation and innovation efforts at both RBC and Manulife. She co-founded a machine learning company (a CDL Quantum alumnus) and remains passionate about experimenting with big ideas and emerging technology. More recently, Lauren has also led the effort to successfully help bring a New Zealand-based formula company to Canada. She is Board Chair of the PEI IT Alliance, Steering committee member of the PEI Bridge and an active volunteer with Junior Achievement.

Steven Carr is a Chartered Professional Accountant with over 25 years of experience in the fields of diverse tax, finance and business consulting. Over these years, he has connected with over 500 companies, providing advice and support to successfully reach their unique objectives. Steven began his career as a senior manager in business banking with RBC Royal Bank. Further enhancing his experience in financial services, he spent 2 years at CIBC World Markets before transitioning to Deloitte LLP in 2005. In 2016, Steven started his own private practice, with a focus on start-up companies in the IT and Bio-Sciences space, to provide fractional CFO, tax advice and support his client to claim the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (“SR&ED”) tax credits. Steven has also worked with a number of local Venture Capital firms who have invested in the start-up sector by providing advice on accounting and due diligence. Steven obtained his Chartered Professional Accountant designation in 2004, received his MBA(Finance) from Saint Mary’s and holds a Bachelor of Arts(History) from Dalhousie University. He is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia.

As a celebrated brand strategist, Tara has curated company, consumer and executive brands across sectors and industries. She has worked with food tech startup Outcast Foods, where she has led marketing, brand communications and strategic positioning for the company, charting their leadership in food waste mitigation and developing global channels for the company's upcycled products. Prior to Outcast she was Associate Vice President, Marketing and Brand Strategy at NATIONAL Public Relations, Canada’s leading Public Relations firm. She specialized in brand and media strategy, event marketing and executive profile building and communications. As part of this, she worked with executives in helping them define their personal brand, share their vision with a broader audience and bring a human story to their business. Tara is passionate about encouraging leaders to think more critically about their values, vision and voice while establishing them as industry experts and influencers in their own right. She is a former board member of Propel and current board member of Brilliant Labs.

Prior to joining Sandpiper Ventures, Tope has worked in across a range of investment management roles. She has worked in private equity, venture capital, and traditional finance and has led engagements in the end-to-end prospective investment deal activities. She has a background in due diligence and deal structuring for companies at different stages of operation, and an ability to evaluate and analyze investment opportunities. Tope has an in-depth understanding of business operations, driving value generation, and growth optimization. She has a Master’s Degree in Investment Management from Temple University and an undergraduate degree in Banking and Finance from Covenant University in Nigeria. She is also pursuing her CFA designation and has completed level II.

Mark Fraser is an accomplished, award-winning executive that has worked inside of some of North America’s most recognizable brands. He is an alum of both Mount Allison University (1994) and Harvard Business School (2011). An entrepreneur at heart, he has most recently traded executive leadership in one of North America’s largest applied data services organizations for the intimacy of independent advisory at 440park, through which he is providing fractional portfolio engagement services to Sandpiper Ventures. Mark has fiduciary board experience that spans private, community, and public sector organizations. Mark is former Chair of the Executive Committee of the Mount Allison University Board of Regents, Lead Independent Director at HomeEXCEPT, Independent Director at Oberland Agriscience, Director at Alpine Nova Scotia, and Past Chair of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. Mark also serves on several non-governing boards including Engage Nova Scotia Business Advisory Council; the Dalhousie MBA Advisory Council and recently was a member of the Mayor’s Poverty Solutions Advisory Committee in Halifax.

Andrea Barrios is an accomplished investment professional specializing in impact investment strategies within private equity and venture capital. Prior to her role at Sandpiper Ventures, Andrea worked at The Rockefeller Foundation, focusing on the Innovative Finance portfolio. In this capacity, she concentrated on mobilizing private capital for social and environmental outcomes, contributing to the Zero Gap initiative as an Analyst for three years. Andrea's expertise lies in developing and implementing investment strategies that drive positive societal impact, reflecting her commitment to leveraging finance as a tool for sustainable development.