Neal Lilliott
Manager, startGBC
Neal joined the George Brown College team in March 2017 and is tasked with the strategic growth of both the entrepreneurial offerings and the startGBC physical space to ensure student entrepreneur success and the continued increase of George Brown College Student and Alumni business start-ups.
Neal has over 30 years international business experience in entrepreneurship, establishing his first company in the United Kingdom at the age of 16 and growing it to a multiple site operation, employing 26 team members with an annual turnover of $1.6M.
During his time in the British Government Diplomatic Missions network, Neal worked in the Department for International Trade and the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the United Kingdom. Having been based at the British Consulate-General Chicago and Toronto, Neal worked with some of the top USA/Canada’s companies and targeted start-ups with high growth and research potential. With his strategic thinking and entrepreneurial expertise, Neal helped create over 2,800 jobs in the UK and attracting investments of over $1.4 billion.
A firm believer of the importance of entrepreneurship for the growth of our economy, Neal recognizes the need to share knowledge with start-ups to lower failure rates and advocates that through collaboration start-ups create innovation.
Raka Tabassum
Digital Marketing & Community Events Coordinator, startGBC
As Digital Marketing & Community Events Coordinator, Raka generates and manages digital information- including articles, social media and website, for startGBC. She also works on outreach strategies, primarily responsible for connecting people in the broader community by cultivating relationships with businesses, individuals, and other relevant organizations.
Raka has previous experience in brand marketing at Sanofi Bangladesh, where she managed their insulin portfolio with great success. At Sanofi, she managed a sales team of 50 along with her brands. She also has experience in collaborating with various advertising/PR and market research agencies.
She completed her postgraduate diploma in Digital Media Marketing from George Brown College (2020) and she has a BBA from IBA, University of Dhaka (2014).