Press Kit

Mehnaz Tabassum is a Bangladeshi-Canadian entrepreneur, AI strategist and nonprofit leader. She co-founded NL Eats Community Outreach, FOOD FORWARD Summit and CogniCo AI Consulting. Her work connects technology, food systems, skills development and inclusive economic opportunity. She also speaks about practical AI adoption, leadership and human potential across professional settings.

Mehnaz Tabassum is a Bangladeshi-Canadian entrepreneur, AI strategist and nonprofit leader working across technology, food systems and social innovation. She is a co-founder of NL Eats Community Outreach and FOOD FORWARD Summit, and a co-founder, founding investor and fractional AI strategist at CogniCo AI Consulting. Her experience includes technology and project management in the Canadian federal public service. She studied business at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her public work spans community food security, skills development, practical AI adoption and international professional speaking. Mehnaz also hosts Mehnaz Talks AI, exploring technology and human potential through conversations with practitioners and organizational leaders.

Mehnaz Tabassum is a Bangladeshi-Canadian entrepreneur, AI strategist and nonprofit leader working at the intersection of technology, food systems and social innovation. Her work connects practical AI adoption, community food security, skills development and inclusive economic opportunity.

Originally from Bangladesh, she moved to Canada in 2014 and studied business at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her professional experience also includes technology and project management in the Canadian federal public service. In 2025, Ottawa Business Journal reported on her decision with co-founder Saif Ahmed to take leave while focusing on entrepreneurship.

Mehnaz co-founded NL Eats Community Outreach, which began as a grassroots response to food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its work expanded into learning, employment pathways and food systems innovation. She also co-founded FOOD FORWARD Summit, a platform connecting agriculture, fisheries, research, industry and policy. Experimenting with AI and automation at NL Eats informed the creation of CogniCo AI Consulting, where she is a co-founder, founding investor and fractional AI strategist.

Her public record includes the Newfoundland and Labrador Premier’s Youth Council and contributions to public-service leadership discussions. Public sources identify her as a 2026 QECT 100 Young Leaders awardee and a Foodservice Women’s Alliance SHIFT Award recipient. Global News interviewed her about community work in Atlantic Canada in 2024.

Mehnaz hosts Mehnaz Talks AI and speaks about responsible technology adoption, entrepreneurship and human potential. Her signature intellectual territory, the Multipotentialite Advantage, explores how connecting disciplines, exercising judgement and continuing to learn can help people and organizations navigate ongoing technological change.