Meet the Team

Invest Ontario’s CEO, Trevor Dauphinee, is a leader with a unique blend of experience from both the private and public sectors.

Trevor understands the challenges and opportunities faced by businesses when it comes to investment decisions. He has over a decade of experience in the automotive, chemical, and consulting sectors, including extensive sales and account management with Dow Chemical.

Trevor has also held executive leadership positions at the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Ministry of Infrastructure, specializing in investment attraction and capital planning. He is recognized for his exceptional ability to forge strong and long-lasting relationships with investors, partners, companies, industry leaders and staff.

Trevor is a leader who gets things done. In just two short years, he has taken the agency from concept to securing over $2 billion in investments that have contributed to advancing Ontario’s prosperity.

Invest Ontario plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between business and government to drive economic growth in the province. With Trevor at the helm, the agency is delivering on its mandate of securing high-value and strategic investments that create high-quality jobs and growth in Ontario.

Khawar Nasim is the Vice President of Business Development for Invest Ontario. Khawar brings over 25 years of international experience in both the private and public sectors, most recently, as Canada’s Acting Consul General in New York. He leads the business development teams in Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing and Technology to ensure best-in-class investment attraction for Ontario.

Khawar joined the Canadian Department of External Affairs in 1993. His overseas career has included postings in Rome, Barcelona, The Hague and Minneapolis. Khawar also spent four years in Toronto as Vice-President of External Affairs for Yamana Gold.

Khawar has a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce (Carleton University) and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (McGill University). He is married to Lise Beaulne Nasim; they have two children, Nico and Olivia.

Michael is responsible for establishing the strategic planning, transactional risk management and business intelligence functions for the agency. In addition, Michael manages the long- term relationship with other provincial, regional, and federal government stakeholders to develop a “Team Ontario approach” and ensure that appropriate investor-centric services and supports are in place to support successful and coordinated investment attraction and implementation.

Michael joined Invest Ontario from Infrastructure Ontario where he created and led the Transit Oriented Communities Program. He is experienced in leading cross-functional teams, structuring complex transactions between public and private sectors, establishing policy frameworks for implementing large-scale programs, and determining how to maximize economic benefit to the Province from those programs.

Prior to joining Infrastructure Ontario, Michael worked in private equity, renewable energy development, waste-to-energy development, project finance, and management consulting. Michael holds a doctorate in Neuroscience from the University of Toronto.

Erfa Alani is an experienced executive with over two decades of experience crafting and executing strategic initiatives across a spectrum of industries including aviation, telecommunications, finance, and public policy. Erfa has an established track record in the development of innovative delivery models, including her pivotal role in the establishment of Invest Ontario.

Currently serving as Chief of Staff and Director of Corporate Affairs at Invest Ontario, Erfa leads strategic planning ensuring initiatives align with agency priorities and government mandates. In her previous role as Deputy Head of Mission at the Aga Khan Development Network, she secured fiscal concessions, negotiated land grant agreements, led government relations and strategic issue resolution for 13 agencies across 6 countries. Erfa's experience also includes a decade as a Managing Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM Canada, where she transformed functions to enhance performance and alignment with business goals, including the establishment of alternative service delivery models for government functions in multiple jurisdictions.

Erfa Alani's career underscores her commitment to driving strategic change, institution building, and effective governance in diverse sectors, making her a respected leader known for her impact on organizations and communities. She holds an LL.B from Osgoode Hall Law School and an LL.M from the American University in Washington.