Our culture of collaboration and ingenuity is encouraged by the very people that present bold ideas and structured analysis to the clients that inspire us.
Meet The Team.
Sandra Barnes, Manager, Business Development and Orig ination
Sandra manages the global direct sourcing and origination to strategic and financial capital partners on buy side, sell side and corporate finance efforts. Sandra joined the firm in 2004 and has more than fifteen years of sales and business development experience in senior capacities performing prospecting initiatives in diverse industries including technology, distribution, education, retail, and professional services. Previous business development roles with Canada’s largest telecommunications company, a big four audit and advisory firm and one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies round out Sandra’s corporate experience. Sandra is a graduate of Business specializing in Human Dynamics from McGill University. Sandra’s community service includes the McGill University Healthcare Centre Foundation – Women’s Health Mission and the Royal Victoria Foundation.
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Dimitri Kovachis, Associate
Dimitri has more than seven years of investment banking and corporate development experience and is actively involved in a full range of corporate advisory mandates including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, recapitalizations, debt and equity financings helping to complete more than 30 engagements. Prior to joining Akcessia he worked in a marketing and corporate development role with a publically traded company which developed and marketed electronic business integration software. Dimitri is graduate of Business and Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University and is an active board member for a national children’s charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
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May Katorji, Founding Partner
May is a Partner, co-founder of Akcessia and Akcess Ventures. She manages the firm’s corporate finance advisory mandates and leads the firm’s global financing partnerships initiative. May has more than seventeen years corporate development and investment banking experience and has advised on engagements with a total value of over $1 billion. Prior roles include director of corporate development with an international aviation company, principle with a big four audit and advisory firm and director of research with a boutique consultancy. May’s entrepreneurial experience include founding an information services company, a research and talent management consultancy for private equity backed technology companies and more than fifteen years in the automotive services industry. She is a graduate from the University of Western Ontario and York University and holds graduate degrees in International Relations and Law and undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Business Administration. May is a Director of a Bahamas based real estate development company and an automotive services company.
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Tracey Strauss, Managing Partner
As one of the founders of Akcessia and Akcess Ventures, Tracey has more than fifteen years investment banking. She manages the Company’s investment portfolio and advisory mandates. Tracey’s prior experience includes working with one of the big 6 bank's Corporate and Investment Banking group focusing on telecom, media and software company financings and on transactions with a total value over $2 billion. In addition she worked in industry as an economist at vision.com (Canadian Cable Companies’ Consulting Business), the Canadian Cable Television Association, and at Unitel Communications (now Allstream). Tracey graduated from the Rotman School of Business with an MBA; an MA in Business Economics from WLU and she is also an alumnus of York University. Tracey is founder of a children’s foundation, the
Cystinosis Awareness and Research Effort dedicated to finding a cure to a rare disorder. She acts as Advisor to a Canadian based IP Licensing Company and a Canadian based Media and Telecom Company.
As Managing Partner, what does Tracey say about her role?
“Akcessia is unique in that it continually reinvents itself to best serve the client. We have the ability to be very nimble and tailor our services to every client’s need. What is exciting is getting to work with some of the most innovative and entrepreneurial business executives”.
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Consultants and Advisors
Maria Argyris, Administration | Email Maria 
Harry Blum, Advisor
Steven Franks, Information Technology
Enzo Testa, Advisor
Emma Shaikh, Customer Relationship Management