Speaker Biography

Qamar Rizvi, President & CEO aQmen Inc.

Mr. Rizvi is a former Gillette/Procter & Gamble executive who has a visceral, “hard-wired” need to strategize, innovate and disprove the words “It can’t be done!”.  He has led, or participated in, numerous implausible endeavours across a variety of industries spanning Canada, US and international markets.

Presently Mr. Rizvi is the founder of two cause-driven ventures; Kokoro Haus Corp. and aQmen Inc.  At Kokoro Haus, an incubator of never-imagined homes, he originated the concept of “emotionally engineered” habitats that transform lives and better the planet.  He also conceived a novel solution to Canada’s housing crisis that will potentially recast residential development, spark de-carbonization and trigger the formation of a new industry titan — and disruptor.

At aQmen Inc., Mr. Rizvi helped Tim Hortons dislodge Starbucks in the Middle East and guided Mary Browns to surpass KFC in Canada, whilst establishing their beachhead in Turkey.  He also initiated a bold non-profit initiative, Project ‘CATALYSST’, that affords underprivileged children in war torn nations the “world’s best education” for free.

Prior to aQmen Inc., Mr. Rizvi honed his craft with The Gillette Company where he oversaw three company divisions, led two business turnarounds and was hand-picked to lead the global launch of Gillette’s MACH3 razor, which grossed a billion dollars in 18 months.

A self-described global citizen, Mr. Rizvi has lived, worked and traveled to 30+ countries across 3 continents. He is also an avid researcher, writer and keynote speaker. His findings and publications include:

• iSMARTE: A practical framework published in the Ivey Business Journal that illustrates how companies can build a global footprint in 12 to 20 months.
• GPS (Growth Performance Scorecard): a first-ever tool that measures strategy and its capacity to deliver growth.
• PGV (Profitable Growth Velocity): a first-ever characterization of growth on a 4D scale.
• MPACCT: a first-ever definitive process that delivers market domination and disruption, typically in 2 to 3 years.

Mr. Rizvi holds an MBA from The Richard Ivey School of Business from The University of Western Ontario and a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin. He is a proud Canadian, husband and father of two with a penchant to be a difference maker.