OUR TEAM
Board of Directors
Founder/Chair/CEO (she/her)
National award-winning educator and international speaker within the field of esports, Melissa is the founder and CEO of Esport Canada.
Globally, Melissa serves as a founding member and executive committee director representing North America within the Pan-American Esports Coalition.
Actively involved in esports advocacy and research, Melissa regularly guest lecturers at Canadian post-secondary institutions on the topics of Esports industry and Game-Based Learning and published a chapter for the textbook “Esports Research and its Integration in Education” (IGI Global, 2021).
Her commitment to EDI and gender equity has driven her work in supporting and implementing programs that provide opportunities for young female-identifying and gender-diverse students to gain greater visibility, STEAM career exposure, and skill development.
Melissa Burns
Vice-Chair (he/him)
Matt is a passionate educator and STEAM Consultant in Ontario; a second career teacher who originally started in the field of Computer Engineering Technology. The advancement of technology and more recent developments in modern culture has allowed him to finally share his passion for technology and lifelong interest in gaming with the community at large. He has held a number of positions in education at both the school and system-level over the past 10 years, and continues to dedicate his life's work to empowering and encouraging youth to pursue their own interests and dreams.
Matt Kovacs
Treasurer/CFO (she/her)
Carol Meissner, MBA, MA, CPA, CGA, is an award-winning business professor at an Ontario college, specialising in teaching accounting and esports. In her capacity as the college’s Manager, Esports she actively supports the student-run esports club and supervises work-integrated learning opportunities for students associated with the club.
She has authored multiple editions of a Canadian introductory accounting textbook and is contributing a chapter to the Handbook of Esports (2024) focused on Esports Player Parental & Family Support.
More importantly, Carol is a parent of two sons who have personally benefited from their engagement in esports. Recognizing the diverse advantages that esports offers, including its value as an extracurricular pursuit, a platform for career development, and a means of fostering social connections, she passionately speaks and advocates for the support of youth in accessing these opportunities.
Carol Meissner
Board Member
Chair of Education National Council (he/him)
Nathan Koblun is a dedicated educator with over a decade of teaching experience. As the experienced leader as Director of Middle Years at the Manitoba School Esports Association (MSEA), he has been instrumental in advancing scholastic esports since 2019.
Nathan has actively shaped esports education in his many roles. His commitment is evidenced by impactful projects such as launching a middle school esports lab and streaming program at his school, spearheading the MSEA teacher mentorship program, and organizing various scholastic competitive opportunities both in-person and online at the local, provincial, and national level. Nathan's influence has fueled the thriving MSEA middle school program, showcasing rapid growth and competency in Manitoba's scholastic community.
Motivated by his experience teaching in rural Manitoba, Nathan champions equity and inclusion in scholastic esports. As Chair of Education, he passionately communicates the benefits of esports to students and educators, actively pursuing the integration of esports into education, inspiring a new generation of esports enthusiasts.
Nathan Koblun
Board Member
Chair of Post-Secondary National Council (he/him)
With 10+ years in the entertainment industry, Tyler specializes in broadcast, radio, TV, marketing, content creation, activations and events. He decided to combine his professional (events) and personal (gaming) passions together to launch an esports program from scratch at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario while working for the Fanshawe Student Union as their Events Coordinator. Tyler was as a part of the team that launched Esport Canada: Post Secondary - a new national advisory board to help guide and advance college and university esports programs. He was voted inaugural Chairperson representing all Post-Secondary ongoings within Esport Canada.
Tyler Hetherington
Board Member
Chair of Competition National Council (he/him)
Passionately focused on leading and innovating gaming content from a very young age, Salil handles broadcast and technologies from top to bottom. Regularly stepping into showcall roles for top broadcasts in and out of esports, Salil immerses himself in the product. Constantly researching and developing new technologies has kept Salil at the forefront of physical and digital esports experiences.
Salil Gupta
Executive Team
Amarvir Sidhu
Chief Legal Officer (he/him)
Lawyer and founder of Amar-VR Law, a video game law firm based out of Ontario. Amar has helped clients build and run successful businesses and organizations by providing them with legal solutions, guidance, and protection. He is an advocate for esports and the video game industry, where he has helped launch studios, negotiated player contracts, and advised streamers on how to stay compliant with online rules and regulations.
Additionally, Amar is a legal mentor and partner with McMaster University’s The Forge Incubator and Innovation Factory’s business accelerator, where he provides his expertise and guidance in the areas of business, intellectual property, and employment law.
As Senior Legal Counsel, Amar focuses on protecting the interests of Esport Canada, and helps navigate our organization through legal obstacles.
Chief Performance & Gaming Officer (he/him)
Landon is, at the core, a gamer. He started with Megaman on the NES then moved on to games like Runescape, WoW, Halo, CoD, and, for the past 10 years, a dedicated jungler in League. He completed a B.Sc. in Psychology and M.Sc. in Performance Psychology with the intent of merging his love for gaming with the world of sport psychology by working in competitive esports.
His work revolves around both applied work and research. He currently works with professional teams like Astralis and Shopify Rebellion as the performance coach to help in player development and performance. For research, he is completing a Ph.D. at the University of Montreal studying esports performance. Additionally, Landon established Carbon Esports, a player development program designed to provide access to coaching structures and resources for up-and-coming Canadian talent.
Landon Gorbenko
CK Dhaliwal
Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer (he/him)
CK joined the Esport Canada team in 2022 bringing his charisma, management experience, and love for people, marketing, and growth. Esports and gaming have been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. Now that the industry continues to flourish, he focuses his spare time working as the Business Development and Academics Manager at the Alberta Esports Association where he aims to develop and foster a healthy esports ecosystem to thrive in his province. Successes to date include developing strong government relations and acquiring the first federal grant to launch Alberta's largest esport event to date, the Alberta Esports Expo.
Chief Marketing Officer (they/them)
Kendryx Linscott is a non-binary Marketing Executive with a focus on supporting organizations in the gaming and esports industry. With a keen understanding of consumer behaviour, they focus on creating innovative marketing strategies for non-profit and for-profit companies! They also provide executive teams the support they need in understanding, communicating, and connecting with LGBTQIA+ consumers and ensuring that workplaces are doing everything they can to ensure their practices are supportive of a diverse and inclusive workforce.