Demetrios ‘Jim’ Vandekas
Founder
Jim is a seasoned business management consultant with over 25 years of experience guiding organizations to achieve operational excellence, sustainable growth, and strategic clarity. Renowned for unwavering commitment to professionalism, military grade discretion, and accountability, Jim has built a distinguished career helping clients navigate complex challenges with confidence and precision.
Specializing in areas such as application and infrastructure technology, cyber security and anti-fraud solutions, and executive leadership coaching, Jim combines vast global expertise with a personalized approach to deliver measurable results. His ability to maintain the highest standards of integrity and confidentiality has earned VanQ5 the trust of top-tier companies and business leaders worldwide.
Jim is an advocate for fostering innovation, transformation and cultivating strong, nimble and adaptable teams. He is passionate about empowering clients to make informed decisions, ensuring every strategy is rooted in accountability and aligned with long-term goals.
Whether advising Fortune 500 companies or emerging startups, Jim and the VanQ5 team possess the hands-on experience to drive excellence and transformative impact.
Philippe Johnston
CIO and Digital Transformation
MBA, BEng, PMP, CIOCAN Past President.
Philippe Johnston is an award-winning digital executive with over 20 years of leadership experience delivering transformative technology strategies across federal, research, and regulatory sectors. A trusted advisor to CIOs, boards, and executive teams, Philippe specializes in aligning digital investments with strategic outcomes, navigating complex public-private landscapes, and enabling organizations to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
Philippe has led multi-million-dollar programs that modernized national research infrastructure, strengthened cybersecurity, and introduced AI governance frameworks. As CIO at the National Research Council, he transformed digital services for over 2,500 researchers nationwide. At CATSA, as VP and CTO, he oversaw $100M in capital projects and implemented robust innovation governance for critical aviation security operations. His efforts have earned national recognition, including the IT World Canada Innovation Award.
What sets Philippe apart is his ability to turn complexity into clarity—helping organizations execute with confidence. He brings deep expertise in digital strategy, executive governance, stakeholder engagement, and public sector transformation, complementing peers like Jim Vandekas and Nadir Khan with strengths in policy alignment, funding strategy, and digital trust-building.
As Past President of the CIO Association of Canada, Philippe spearheaded national programming and co-created the CIO.D™ executive designation, supporting the next generation of digital leaders. Today, he applies this experience to help organizations unlock innovation, improve service delivery, and build secure, future-ready digital capabilities.
Azeem Nazir
Azeem is a highly experienced ServiceNow Solution Architect and ITSM Consultant with over 22 years in the field, specializing in designing and deploying advanced ServiceNow solutions to optimize operational efficiency. He brings extensive expertise in ITIL practices, helping organizations enhance their IT service management processes and adopt new technologies effectively. As an ITIL Trainer, Azeem delivers impactful training programs that equip professionals with essential ITIL skills, demonstrating a commitment to excellence and a focus on aligning technology solutions with strategic business goals. Azeem holds Master of Finance degree from Queen’s University.
Domain Experience: Wealth Management, Public Sector & Payments
Capability Experience: ServiceNow Solution Architect, ITSM Consultant, ITIL Trainer
Technical Skills: ITSM implementation & Project Management
Languages: English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Pushto