About the BDL

Stephen Tapp is the Chief Economist at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. In this role, he is a key member of the Chamber’s executive leadership team, responsible for the operations of the new Business Data Lab as well as all economic analysis and research. His current focus is on developing the Chamber’s data and analytics capabilities to provide real-time, forward-looking insights for Canadian businesses of all sizes, in all sectors and regions of the country.

Stephen brings 20 years of diverse experiences at many of Canada’s top economic organizations including at: Export Development Canada as the Deputy Chief Economist, the Bank of Canada, Parliamentary Budget Office, Finance Canada, two think tanks as well as academia.

He is a recognized thought leader, frequent commentator, and sought-out spokesperson on economic issues in Canada. Stephen’s research was awarded the Purvis prize for Canadian economic policy and has been published in academic journals, such as the Canadian Journal of Economics and Canadian Public Policy. He has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from Queen’s University and an Honors B.A from Western. During his undergrad, he studied in the Netherlands and was the owner-operator of a student painting company.

Patrick Gill is the Senior Director of Operations and Partnerships at the Business Data Lab. As a key architect behind the Business Data Lab and its innovative Business Data Trust, Patrick is putting his knack and zeal for founding successful national business programs towards a project that enhances the public’s understanding of Canadian business conditions and trends, while also democratizing economic data for research and decision-making.

Previously, Patrick held the role of Senior Director of Tax and Financial Policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce where he led high-profile national projects including the Think Growth Project – a business led review of Canada’s tax system.

As a founder of national, multi-million dollar programs, Patrick has helped established 5 successful initiatives during his career, including the Business Data Lab at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canada’s Trade Accelerator Program (TAP) and Market Activation Program (MAP) at World Trade Centre Toronto, the Business Resilience Service with Canada’s accounting industry and the establishment of the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions with Statistics Canada.

Devoted to the betterment of communities, Patrick sits on the Board of Directors of Toronto’s oldest and largest community development agencies – Yonge Street Mission (YSM) – as well as his local neighbourhood association.

Patrick’s education includes a Master’s of Public Policy and an Advanced Certificate in Public Administration and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). Patrick’s graduate work on labour market needs was recognized by the Ontario Public Service, winning Ontario’s Graduate Policy Research Challenge in 2017.

Patrick and his thought-leadership frequently appear in Canadian media, think tanks and business journal publications.

After over 12 years of multidisciplinary experience abroad, taking on this unique role at the Canadian Chamber is an opportune and fitting homecoming for Marwa.

Prior to her role at the Chamber, Marwa served as the Advisor to the Minister of International Cooperation of Egypt for Private Sector Engagement where she managed a portfolio of projects totaling over $3 Billion USD. She also worked directly with and within some of the world’s most renowned multilateral organizations, private sector organizations, and country governments including the World Bank Group, Commonwealth Secretariat, APEC, OECD, Ernst and Young, Nathan Associates and the Asian Development Bank. In addition to leading dozens of capacity and technical assistance projects, consulting on regulatory, legal and policy reforms with these institutions, she also co-authored a number of publications and working papers.

Marwa’s journey has seen her through a number of professional pit stops spanning the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region where she’s worked on trade facilitation, gender equity, equality, social, and financial inclusion as well as the enablement, engagement and empowerment of the private sector. Still, one driver and common thread has always remained: championing, advocating and catalyzing impactful interventions for vulnerable groups, including businesses and SMEs, through rigorous data analysis, inventive research and storytelling.

Marwa received her master’s degree in international relations and international economics from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. She received her bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from Queen’s University Smith School of Business in Canada.

Andrew DiCapua is the Senior Economist at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Business Data Lab. He joined the Chamber after working for five years at Export Development Canada — most recently as the Economics Content Lead and Analyst, where he planned and executed EDC Economics’ products and publications. His role included formulating the economics content strategy and fostering collaboration with stakeholders to ensure team insights resonated with customers. He was responsible for forecasting Canada’s economy and the Bank of Canada’s monetary policy. He also regularly advised EDC’s Chief Economist, helping to shape the narrative of the Global Economic Outlook, contributing to various research initiatives, and analyzing business surveys. Andrew has written and presented on the global economy, trade diversification, and North American trade policy.

Andrew’s professional journey includes a role as a trade consultant in Ottawa, where he guided companies through the intricacies of international trade and commercial regulations as well as serving as counsel for several trade dispute proceedings before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal.

Andrew received his Bachelor’s degree (Honours) in Economics from Queen’s University, where he was actively involved in the university community.

Kaviraj Singh is the Senior Data Scientist at the Business Data Lab. He brings eight years of experience working in data science and analytics. Prior to joining the Chamber, he worked as a Senior Data Scientist with The Economist Group. He has also worked for a startup in management consulting and Infosys as a system engineer and has experience in various business domains including as the macroeconomy, retail, banking, and ecommerce, with a focus on delivering business-centric data analytics solutions. Kaviraj has a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Punjab, India.