Toronto Life – December 2018

photographs: dirks courtesy of subject; hope, lindstrom, guerrero jr. by

getty images;

lau by

samuel engelking;

escallon-sotomayo courtesy of subject

92 toronto life December 2018

Upworthy

RISING

STARS

The faces of

tomorrow

silicon valley bank in canada is a tech debt-financing firm that

originated in the Valley and has lent to roughly 30,000 start-ups. It

expanded to Toronto this year, and Dirks, former senior VP of network

and advisor strategy at RBC, is heading it up. The firm will be a huge

player in the Toronto tech scene and ensure there is enough money around

for start-ups to scale and not sell before they’re ready. side gigs: Dirks sits

on the board of governors of the Royal Military College of Canada.

50

Barbara Dirks

head, silicon valley

bank in canada

Sara eScallon-Sotomayor,

16

Student activist

When allegations of sexual harassment

by a staff member arose at Harbord

Collegiate, she co-founded Not Just

Rumours—a movement aimed at better

protecting students —and led walkouts

at schools across the city.

kofi hope, 35

Equity advisor

A Rhodes Scholar and Oxford PhD, Hope

is a sought-after voice on race and cul-

ture, having appeared on Metro Morning

and numerous panel discussions. He’s

also a distinguished visitor in planning

at U of T and strategic consultant on

equity to U of T president Meric Gertler.

vladimir guerrero, jr., 19

Third baseman, Blue Jays

Guerrero represents hope in the post–

Donaldson –Bautista and –Encarnacion

era. He’s the consensus best prospect

in the world, a natural hitter (Dad is in

the Hall of Fame) and a butter-smooth

defender. Get your jersey now—they’ll

sell out fast.

Shane lindStrom, 24

Songwriter

Lindstrom, better know by his producer

name, Murda Beatz, is a millennial

from Niagara Falls who’s written some

of rap’s best lyrics and hooks. Drake,

Migos and Travis Scott have tapped him

for help. Now he’s landed his own deal

with Interscope Records.

heidi reitmaier, 52

CEO of MOCA

When Reitmaier took over MOCA, Toron-

to’s museum of contemporary art, she

inherited 55,000 square feet of beauti-

ful new space in the Junction and an

$8-million annual budget. She kicked her

tenure off with a splashy exhibit called

Believe, about pluralistic societies.

tao-ming lau, 33

Music agent

She’d worked at UMC and a label in the

U.S., but realized trans, Indigenous and

other underrepresented performers

weren’t getting their due. Blue Crane, her

indie agency, aims to correct that. She

now reps seven artists, including former

A Tribe Called Red member Deejay NDN.

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