Our Leadership Team

David Burnie

David founded Burnie Group in 2011 to help organizations dramatically improve their operations. It has since become one of the fastest-growing management consulting firms in Canada. Prior to founding Burnie Group, David spent eight years at McKinsey & Company, where he was a leader in McKinsey’s North American Operations and Retail practices. He also served as Director of Marketing and Sales at Grocery Gateway and as an Account Executive at Proctor & Gamble.

David’s experience includes corporate strategy, lean process redesign, performance management, post-merger integration, workforce management, and leading transformational change. David has worked extensively in banking, insurance, telecommunications and retail in areas including back office, contact centre, branch/store operations and shared services.

David received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the London Business School, where he graduated with distinction, and earned his Honours Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University with Dean’s List honours. David is a supporter of the Fort York Food Bank, and an avid athlete. He was an All-Canadian and Academic All-Canadian while playing football for the National Championship-winning Western Mustangs. He was later drafted by the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Eli Federman

Eli is a strategic, customer service, and sales leader with 25 years of management and consulting experience across various channels. Eli has worked with global clients from multiple industries to optimize customer operations, generate revenue opportunities and build a differentiated customer experience.

While leading the Omnichannel & Contact Center practice at Burnie Group, Eli has championed strategic initiatives to assist his clients. These initiatives include target operating model design, contact center stand-up, omnichannel program development, interactive voice response (IVR) and telephony diagnostic, and contact center benchmarking. With a global perspective, diverse knowledge and practical experience, Eli’s expertise and experience enable him to help our clients optimize and transform their service delivery.

Eli is active in the service delivery and contact center community and has spoken at industry events and seminars. In addition, he actively participates in webinars to help inform and educate and has shared his perspectives in various industry publications.

Eli earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Concordia University. Outside of work, Eli enjoys practicing martial arts, world travel, and staying fashion-forward.

Graeme Hartlen

Graeme is a results-driven, highly adaptable and strategic senior executive with a strong track record of over 20 years of delivering growth, solving complex challenges, and driving customer satisfaction. He has defined his diverse career as a collaborative leader across multiple industries, roles, and companies. His background includes a unique mix of omnichannel retail, media, management consulting, and B2B sales. He served as General Manager at DoorDash Technologies and as an executive at Rogers Media, Sears Canada and HBC. In addition, Graeme was a case team leader at Bain & Company, leading consulting teams on engagements in industries that include private equity, retail, telecommunications and healthcare.

At Burnie Group, Graeme has led engagements across growth strategy, e-commerce and digital channel strategy, process improvement, target operating models, commercial due diligence, post-merger integrations (PMI), and organizational effectiveness. He has worked in industries such as private equity, insurance, group retirement services, retail, pharmacy, hospitality, enterprise software, and technology-enabled services.

Graeme earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, where he graduated on the Dean’s List as a Bregman Scholar. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Management from McGill University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (P. Eng) in Ontario.

Outside of work, Graeme loves spending time with family. He enjoys skiing in the winter and cottaging in the summer. He is also very passionate about music and is the bass player in Toronto cover band Big Racket.

Bret McCaffrey

Bret is the Director of Operations at Burnie Group. In this role, Bret is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operational activities of the firm, as well as the successful implementation of strategic and operational initiatives to improve Burnie Group’s efficiency and service delivery. From developing exciting client proposals to ensuring our consultants are equipped with the right tools, technology, and knowledge to execute with excellence, Bret ensures the firm is operating at peak potential.

Bret is a former Burnie Group consultant with over seven years of experience developing and improving business strategies, operating models, and workflow designs. He has experience across a number of industries, including financial services, insurance, private equity and healthcare. Whether working on a growth strategy, target operating model design, or post-merger integration, Bret is a creative problem solver who brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his work.

Bret holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph and a PMP designation from the Project Management Institute. He also has seven years of experience in the financial services industry. He previously worked for the TD Wealth Financial Planning National Sales Office.

When not at work, Bret enjoys playing guitar in a Toronto-based band called Madame Psychosis.

Alexey Saltykov

Alexey is a post-merger integration (PMI) and target operating model expert. He leads Burnie Group’s post-merger integration and digital strategy practices. Alexey has worked as a consultant for nearly 15 years, supporting his clients throughout their entire acquisition and integration journeys, designing target operating models, and developing target IT strategies.

Alexey has supported 15+ post-merger integrations in life and P&C insurance, financial services, technology, and senior living. In addition, he has developed numerous business, operations, and IT strategies, re-designed front-line and back-office processes, identified and drove efficiencies, developed and implemented B2B and B2C online monetization models, and developed and implemented governance frameworks.

In addition to his work at Burnie Group, Alexey has unique, hands-on experience building and running digital businesses. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of InsurEye Inc. In addition, he spent 5+ years as Project Leader at The Boston Consulting Group and worked as Internal Consultant for Process and Project Management for Daimler Chrysler.

Alexey received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Collège des Ingénieurs, where he focused on Strategy and Management of Technology. He earned his Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich. Alexey speaks five languages

Alexey spends his time away from work engaging in different sports, including martial arts (taekwondo), archery, table tennis, and alpine skiing. He is a frequent contributor to numerous media outlets, including National Post, Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail, as well as multiple online publications. He writes about financial services, insurance, and digital innovation.

Najeeb Saour

Najeeb is an expert in automation, technology implementation, and business transformation. He has proven experience leveraging technology to enhance customer experience, reduce costs, and drive process efficiency. Najeeb applies his diverse skillset to solving his clients’ most complex operational challenges. In addition, he is an accomplished people and culture leader, having led teams and engagements of over 40 people.

Prior to joining Burnie Group, Najeeb was a Senior Manager at Deloitte and a Management Consultant at Info-Tech Research Group. He also worked as an Advisor for the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation and as an Economist for Environment Canada.

Najeeb’s experience includes: Business and technology strategy, delivering and scaling technology, artificial intelligence, and automation capabilities.

Najeeb earned a Master of Economic Policy (MAEP) from McMaster University. He earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Business from McMaster University.

In his time outside of work, Najeeb is a proud father of two, a fitness enthusiast, and an avid chef. He also enjoys staying on top of stock and investment trends.

Andrew Wolch

Andrew is an accomplished problem solver who helps his clients by combining thoughtful structure with industry expertise. Over his 20-year consulting career, Andrew has helped some of North America’s foremost financial institutions crystallize and resolve their most significant issues through a pragmatic approach to developing and implementing enterprise, business unit and operational strategies. He has built an expertise and affinity for the insurance sector broadly, with a particular interest in Property & Casualty Insurance.

At Burnie Group, Andrew wears two hats. As the Practice Leader for the Insurance sector, Andrew has helped large Canadian P&C and Life Insurers, aggregators, and insurance regulators with their strategies, target operating models, and organization structures. In addition, Andrew designed and developed the Strategic Alignment Program, which draws on his vast experience helping leadership teams across all industry sectors create focus, make decisions, and drive commitment more effectively.

Prior to joining Burnie Group, Andrew’s extensive consulting career spanned from strategy consulting at Monitor Deloitte to organization effectiveness consulting at a boutique Canadian consultancy. He has advised senior executives as an independent consultant at organizations such as TD Insurance, Aviva Canada, RBC Insurance and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA).

Andrew’s experience includes: Corporate and business-unit strategy, strategic planning, initiative portfolio prioritization, operational / organization effectiveness, target operating model design, organization design, new market entry, business transformation, customer/client experience design, executive facilitation, and change management.

Andrew received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University and earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Queen’s University.

In his time away from work, Andrew spends most of his time chasing after his two kids, wishing he was playing more golf and watching almost every Raptors game.

Charles Xie

Charles has more than ten years of experience advising clients and leading projects, ranging from large-scale program reviews to digital strategy and technology implementation. His technology background, combined with his business knowledge, enables Charles to help clients identify opportunities to optimize operations through innovative technologies.

Prior to joining Burnie Group, Charles was a Manager at Ernest & Young in the Technology Transformation Advisory Services practice with a focus on Digital and Emergent Technology for healthcare and public sector clients across Canada. He also worked as a project manager for Reconnect Community Health Services and Hospital for Sick Children.

Charles’s expertise includes: Process improvement, technology implementation, intelligent automation, cost optimization, and change management.

Charles earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, where he graduated on the Dean’s List as a Bregman Scholar. He earned his Bachelor of Commerce in Business Technology Management from Toronto Metropolitan University. Charles has a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Outside of work, Charles enjoys travelling, board games, and learning about crypto and blockchain. He is a strong advocate for mental health and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Hong Fook Mental Health Association.