Leadership Team
JOHN-PAUL BELANGER | PRESIDENT
John-Paul has 15 years of experience guiding more than 500 Canadian companies to access the benefits of the SR&ED program; enabling a rare depth of understanding in all areas of this complex incentive program. In many cases John-Paul has led companies to substantial cash refunds for more than a decade; this record is based on his approach of applied expertise hand-in-hand with strategic execution. Prior to founding think.SRED, he gained invaluable experience while representing clients across from CRA 60 times as their Research & Technology Advisors (RTA) analyzed and critiqued submissions, resulting in an “insider’s” understanding of the SR&ED audit process. John-Paul’s primary focus in every relationship he cultivates is to inject confidence, share wisdom, empower, and act as an important catalyst for his clients' evolution.
A note from John-Paul:
“I’m fortunate to be part of think.SRED. I’m consistently in awe of people I collaborate with, and humbled by their relentless determination when challenging themselves to deliver the most value to our clients.”
DARREN GILLIS | HEAD OF INNOVATION
Darren is the prime example of why there is no substitute for an SR&ED technologist who is a current leader in their field. He started his career writing custom software solutions for government and enterprise clients. This eventually evolved to holding management positions on both development and quality assurance teams for client projects ranging from E-Commerce to Healthcare. 25 years later Darren is still an avid learner and has developed specialized experience in modern software development approaches and techniques, which ensures we can accurately separate SR&ED eligible work from standard practice and defend our position during a possible submission review. Darren’s understanding of software developers and technical expertise allowed him to single-handedly extract the necessary information from a global fintech consulting company with hundreds of developers in a fraction of the time they expected; to which their CEO commented, “You exceeded our expectations on every dimension.”
STEVEN BRATES, CPA | MANAGING PARTNER, FINANCE
Steven Brates, Chartered Professional Accountant has been providing accounting, audit and tax services since starting his professional practice in Mississauga in 1985. His mission is to provide professional, knowledgeable and exemplary customer service. His expertise areas include estate planning, scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED) tax credit consulting and business plans. He provides a full range of accounting and tax solutions that help small business owners remain compliant, optimize productivity and grow their business in the right direction.
DAN PAINE | SR&ED ADVISOR & LEAD TECHNOLOGIST
Dan has over 15 years of experience with the SR&ED program. After graduating from the University of Guelph with a BSc. in Honors Biochemistry, Dan worked in Research and Development for a Canadian coatings and ink manufacturer for 7 years. During this time, he gained an in-depth knowledge of both the research and manufacturing environments and was the internal coordinator for their SR&ED program. Since then, Dan has spent the last 9 years as a SR&ED consultant, successfully aiding in preparation and defence of claims for companies spanning multiple industries. His in-depth knowledge of the SR&ED program from both a client and consultant perspective has aided him in achieving maximum claim values with an extremely high success rate.
THOMAS CALDWELL, CORPORATE LAWYER | TECHNOLOGY START-UP ADVISOR
Thomas graduated from University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 2005 after first attaining his business degree in Business and Economics. Having a strong assortment of business experience and after having developed business strategies for a variety of local and national businesses, Thomas has developed an acumen for assisting technology-based start-ups get off the ground and scale. He has significant experience in negotiating and drafting a wide variety of matters ranging from shareholders agreements to corporate acquisitions. With years of formal business training, he is able to bridge the gap between a legal and business framework when communicating with his clients. His corporate practices include mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, reorganizations, shareholder agreements, commercial leases, licensing agreements, distribution agreements, and other commercial contracts.
Our SR&ED Experts can help innovative companies like yours recover R&D related expenses.
We'll provide a complimentary, no obligation informational session and assessment of your work.