OPK Capital’s founders are accomplished business people with complementary skill sets and a history of working together successfully. Building on a similar base of strategic consulting experience, both Brian Astl and Sean Van Doorselaer have also excelled in operations and management roles within Canadian operating companies. This combination of both strategic acumen and operating experience allows Brian and Sean to partner with management in the acquired company to grow it to the next level.
Brian Astl, Managing Director
Brian is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in sales, marketing, and channel management. Prior to founding OPK Capital, Brian was a Director of Business Development at Workbrain, an enterprise software company in the workforce management space. In this role, Brian developed channel relationships with several different categories of partners, including the large systems integrators. Brian was also responsible for developing entry-strategies into new industry verticals and new international markets. While at Workbrain, Brian also developed expertise in workforce management issues, from optimally scheduling shift/part-time workers, to incentive pay structures, to management in a unionized environment.
Earlier, Brian was a strategy consultant with The Monitor Group, an international strategy-consulting firm headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At Monitor, Brian progressed from an analyst to a leader of both client and consultant teams. Brian’s experience in consulting senior management teams focused on marketing and growth strategies designed to drive top line growth within existing and new market segments. Brian worked extensively in the health care, media and finance industries.
Brian has an MBA from the Harvard Business School, where he graduated with distinction, and an Honours Bachelors degree (with distinction) in business administration from the Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario).
Sean Van Doorselaer, Managing Director
Sean brings to OPK Capital extensive deal experience, financial acumen, and deep operating knowledge. Prior to founding OPK Capital, Sean was Vice President of Social Capital Partners (SCP), an organization that invests in and supports businesses that are creating jobs in economically marginalized communities across Canada.
At SCP, Sean was responsible for all investment activities including deal flow generation, due diligence, and financial structuring. Sean also played a hands-on role in the management of SCP’s portfolio companies as both an advisor to senior management and a member of various boards of directors. Through this work Sean gained first hand exposure to the management of mid-sized businesses in several industries including food services, retail, property management, and construction.
Prior to joining Social Capital Partners, Sean spent four years as a strategy consultant also at The Monitor Group. During his time with Monitor Sean provided strategy advice to top-level executives in Fortune 1000 companies. Sean worked on a series of client engagements including a large merger and integration in the telecommunications industry, marketing strategy for a multinational pharmaceuticals company, and an international operations strategy for a global insurance industry player. By the time Sean left Monitor he was managing teams of consultants across multiple geographies, and was actively involved in the recruiting and hiring process for new consultants.
Sean holds an MBA from Queen’s University and an undergraduate degree in business administration from the Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario), where he was the gold medalist.
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