Our People
Meet the dedicated team behind INQ Consulting.
Samara Starkman
JD, LLM, CIPM, CIPP/C, FIP
MANAGING PRINCIPAL/CO-FOUNDER
Samara is a Co-founder and the Managing Principal of INQ Consulting. She brings both practical and strategic advice to assist organizations with responsible, compliant innovation. Prior to founding INQ, Samara ran a consulting firm advising clients that included major Ontario hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, health-tech start-ups and multinational telecommunications companies. Previously, she led the privacy department at CancerCare Ontario (now Ontario Health).
Carole Piovesan
JD, MSc (Hons)
PRINCIPAL/CO-FOUNDER
Carole is a Co-Founder and Principal for INQ Consulting. Prior to founding INQ, Carole was co-lead of the national Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Management group at McCarthy Tétrault. In 2018, she was appointed by the federal Minister of Innovation to serve as one of six Digital Leaders in the national data and digital transformation consultations. In this role, she led consultations with businesses, academics, civil society and industry associations to inform the first national Digital Charter. Announced on May 21, 2019, the Digital Charter has led to significant proposed reforms to Canada’s federal private sector privacy law.
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David Goodis
BA, LLB
ADVISOR
David is an Advisor to INQ Consulting. With more than 30 years of experience, David was the Assistant Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, and has deep expertise in the application and enforcement of privacy and access laws. Over his career, David has held the roles of assistant commissioner, director of legal services, and manager of adjudication with Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner. He is an experienced litigator, and has appeared before the Divisional Court, the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Tricia Ralph
BS, MHA, LLB
ADVISOR
Tricia is an Advisor to INQ Consulting. She has 15 years of experience in the access and privacy world. Prior to joining INQ, Tricia was the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia. From this experience, Tricia has significant knowledge about the application and enforcement of privacy and access laws. Prior to that, she worked as legal counsel for the Government of the Northwest Territories, focusing her practice on health law and indigenous issues. She is also an experienced litigator.
Tamara M. Adler
BA, MA, JD
SENIOR MANAGER
Tamara is a Senior Manager at INQ Consulting where she focuses on data privacy. She applies her knowledge of privacy governance, policy, operational development and risk assessment to technology acquisitions and program implementations. Whereas her legal, policy and research experience inform her practical approach to identifying and mitigating privacy risk.
Michael Pascu
BA, BCom
SENIOR MANAGER, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Michael is a Senior Manager at INQ Consulting focused on AI and Data Governance. He has provided advisory services on data strategy, data ethics, and AI and data governance across Canada’s public sector, and financial services and insurance sectors. Michael is focused on helping clients explore the full potential of their data and technologies to mitigate risks and drive growth through data-driven insights and the use of AI and advanced analytics techniques.
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Kaitlyn Hebert
CIPP
DIRECTOR, PRIVACY
Kaitlyn is a Director at INQ Consulting with a focus on personal information management. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional who also holds Virtual Care and CORE-HI certifications from Digital Heath Canada, giving her an informed perspective on how digital data—particularly personal health information—flows and how privacy and security work together to achieve mutual ends.
She previously served as the Privacy Officer for a Canadian tech startup, where she built their privacy management program from the ground up. After nearly 20 years of experience in various health related fields, Kaitlyn brings diverse perspectives to her work. She is passionate about helping clients become more confident in their understanding and implementation of a successful privacy program.
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Mallory Sofianos
OFFICE MANAGER
In her role, Mallory is responsible for the INQ Consulting’s billing operations, including invoicing, accounts receivable, banking and communications with clients. She manages suppliers, facilities and technology, while building strong vendor relationships. She is also accountable for all facets of human resource management, developing processes to coordinate and implement company policies. Mallory also manages employment compliance, employee relations, staffing and training on an ongoing basis.
Steven Tam
LLM, LLB, BCom
DIRECTOR
Steven has over 16 years of experience in healthcare legal, privacy and data governance roles in which he focused on supporting healthcare innovation and improvement through strategic and practical advice on managing legal and privacy risks. He served as General Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) for over 12 years where he helped the health authority develop its privacy program from the ground up. He also led the development of the General Health Information Sharing Agreement (GHISA), a unified, overarching agreement signed in 2013 between the BC Ministry of Health and all BC health authorities, which governs almost all sharing of health information across the province for provision of care, research, quality improvement and healthcare planning.
Qarimat Ogunneye
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Qarimat brings a wealth of knowledge and a client-centered approach to her role as Administrative Assistant. Her exceptional organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail play a vital role in ensuring seamless day-to-day operations, enabling the team to deliver outstanding results for our clients.
Our Advisors
Meet our panel of advisors at INQ Consulting.
Marta Janczarski
MSc, BSc
AI ADVISOR
Marta is an AI Advisor to INQ Consulting. She is a recognized subject matter expert in data and AI governance, standards, and innovation. A respected strategist with expertise in management frameworks, Marta plays a leading role in developing the ISO/EC JTC 1/SC 42 Artificial Intelligence standards. Marta has served as an advisor to AI innovators, as well as Canadian federal government working groups.
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