About Us
How do you turn a good
idea into online success?
Dominic Bortolussi
Co-founder and team leader of The Working Group, Dom Bortolussi grew up in Halifax, studied biology and philosophy at Queen’s, and moved to Toronto to get into Web development when it was still dial-up modems and message boards. A gardener, chef, and a wine lover, Dom enjoys quality in all things, business included. Aside from his years of experience in technology and consulting, Dom built The Working Group on the simple principle that you do good work because you enjoy what you do and you like your clients. As we turn seven years old, this business proposition is at our core – it has led countless happy customers to greater prosperity, operational agility, and community involvement online.
Andrés Aquino
Andrés was born in El Salvador, raised in Toronto, and has traveled in Europe, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, Australia, and Central and South America. After a degree from Western studying the social and business aspects of urban development, he co-founded the successful online charity mall ClickGreener.com, which was courted and eventually acquired by Air Miles. Thanks to Andrés’ first-hand knowledge of the client-side experience, The Working Group has a distinct advantage in reading and advocating for the particular development and business goals of each client. Think of him as our in-house entrepreneur.
Joaquim “Jack” Neto
Jack was born in Coruche, Portugal. Before he moved to Canada in May, 2005, he did a BSc in software engineering at New University of Lisbon and worked for the European Space Agency. This gig required not only theoretical knowledge of electromagnetism and astronomical motion, but practical applications as well: “We had to know exactly where the satellites were at all times, so we’d go outside and watch them pass.” Jack’s a quick study, a perfectionist, and an old hand at information handling and graphic interfaces.
Scott Tadman
A Toronto native, Scott studied computer engineering at U of T and today lives on Queen West not far from our studio. Scott gets satisfaction from making things work, but more importantly, he’s interested in building tools to grow community online – in using technology to help people talk to each other. Since 1990, before most of us had even heard of the web, Scott’s been a database manager, network engineer, system administrator, software developer, creative director, writer, and electrician. So you can bet he’s involved at every stage of the projects we produce.
Oleg Khabarov
Oleg moved from Lviv, Ukraine to Ontario at age 17 and did a BSc in computer science at U of Windsor. On weekends, he bikes rough trails by day and surfs the web by night, probing the latest developments in code, architecture, and user interface design. Critical in approach and exacting in character, Oleg insists on only first-rate conception, design, and execution. In the TWG house, Oleg is our guru of CSS and the yogi of HAML.
Georges Gabereau
Georges hails from Knowlton, Quebec but came to the big smoke in search of bigger and better things. He studied Computer Science and Political Philosophy at U of T. In his spare time, Georges restores vintage bikes and gives them to friends, explores the hidden corners of the city, and and fancies himself a beer connoisseur. From brainstorming high-level design concepts to coding line by line, Georges’ creative ingenuity and enthusiasm for technology make him a first-rate problem solver for our clients.
Hesham El-Nahhas
Born in Edmonton and raised in Cairo, Hesham got his BSc in Egypt and is working on a Master’s of information at U of T. His area of research investigates how knowledge is organized and shared culturally, both online and off. Hesham loves a puzzle. He has immense fascination for the intricacies of code, and better ways to create it. Hesham's dignified patience with detailed troubleshooting goes hand-in-hand with a knack for technology.
Sean Lerner
Toronto born and bred, Sean studied computer programming at Centennial College and traveled to India to volunteer as a teacher and technician before settling back home. He’s fluent in many areas of online development, including XHTML, CSS, server-side administration, and Ruby on Rails. A self-professed generalist, Sean is the easy-going, curious type, but he’s also a detail fanatic, so he’s able to jump in with skill and sagacity at every stage of the game.
Alex Shutin
Alex was born in Minsk, Belarus and has had a long journey on his way to The Working Group. After completing a degree in Computer Science at Belarussian State University, he studied Graphic Design and Information Architecture at European Humanities University. In between he has worked for Belorussian, Russian, American and Canadian companies. Finally, Alex’s great work in interface and usability design and front-end development, made it across the shores all the way to our office and espresso machine in Toronto. Logic, simplicity, and microscopic attention to pixels and code are key aspects of Alex’s work.
Vivian Hui
Vivian has lived, studied and worked in Toronto her entire life, earning a Bachelor of Design from York U / Sheridan College. She has a ridiculously good eye for detail, and her creative problem solving abilities are only matched by her love of typography and travel. Her interest in interface and usability design stems from a desire to work in more sustainable media, not yet seen in the traditional print world. In her spare time, Vivian likes to read, draw, and improve on her Rubik's Cube technique.
Todd Charron
Todd was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario where he earned his degree in Drama and Communications. Naturally, this lead him to work in software development. From his early days of walking people through setting up their Internet connections with Windows 3.1 to his current role here at TWG as ScrumMaster, Todd has always focused on the importance of people and how they interact. Todd also performs improv regularly around the city of Toronto and plays a mean game of poker (planning or otherwise).
Anil Patel, co-founder and Executive Director of the Framework Foundation says:
The Working Group has developed a very impressive modeling process that has exceeded the expectations of Framework Foundation. Framework Foundation is a small but growing organization with limited experience and skills in systems design. The Working Group was essential in making Framework Foundation a big hit with our volunteers, partner volunteer agencies and key-stakeholders. I would recommend the Working Group to all other NGOs looking for information technology/information management solutions.