Staff Bios

Richard Mainella

Richard has extensive experience in corporate management, having over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has the unique experience of working and supporting international markets including the Caribbean and Latin America where he championed international brand work and negotiated strategic partnerships in the Entertainment and Professional Soccer arenas. He enjoyed his time in Mexico, where he was Chief Marketing Officer at Scotiabank and launched innovative brand and sponsorship campaigns and led digital strategies, resulting in the award for Best Website Platform and recognition as the number one social media bank.

Richard has also owned and operated a retail start-up. On the philanthropic front, he has chaired the United Way, fundraised for the Philpott Children’s Tennis Foundation, and participated in the Ride to Conquer Cancer.

Richard grew up playing tennis at Bayview Fairways & German Mills tennis clubs in Thornhill where he later became a teaching professional. He also had a successful junior career, ranked number one in singles and doubles in Ontario and winning the U18 Provincial Singles and U18 National Doubles titles. His impressive results led to a US scholarship at the University of Texas Pan American where he was all-conference. He continued to compete in the senior circuit and has represented Canada at World events in Turkey and New Zealand.

As a former OTA Board Director, Richard served in the capacity of Vice Chair, Marketing and Communications and participated on the Strategic Planning Committee, CEO Appraisal Committee and was Chair of the Governance Committee.

Richard can be reached at rmainella@tennisontario.com or 416.514.1101.

Rimzy Kuthubdeen

Rimzy migrated to Canada from Sri Lanka in 2001. He is a Certified General Accountant (CGA) and went on to obtain his Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Laurentian University. Rimzy has spent the last fifteen years working in the Accounting and Finance field in Corporate Canada and internationally, including a recent position as an Accounting Manager in the retail sector. He joined the OTA as its Controller in March 2010.

Rimzy can be reached at rkuthubdeen@tennisontario.com or 416.514.1108.

Kartik Vyas

Kartik Vyas was born in Nairobi, Kenya and came to Canada in 1974. Having failed to qualify for the Kenya long distance sprint team, he decided to try his hand at tennis, learning to play on the municipal courts at Glenshields Tennis Club in Concord. Although he was primarily a recreational player, he got involved in coaching as a teenager.

Kartik graduated from York University in 1994 with an Honours Degree in Political Science and a Minor in Marketing. While he studied, he also played on the varsity tennis and badminton teams. He worked for Tennis Canada as a student, looking after the clay courts among other things. He was also a volunteer at the Canadian Open on the transportation committee and also helped with the Remington family doubles.

After university, Kartik joined the All Canadian Tennis Academy at York where he ran tournaments including the ITF events. Kartik brings over ten years of tennis management experience to the OTA team. Kartik worked his way up through the "ranks" as an instructor in recreational programs to the Director of Camps and Tournaments with the ACE Tennis Academy in Toronto. While at ACE, Kartik was responsible for over ten events including the All-Canadian ITF Group 5 Tournament. Kartik has moved into the position of Provincial Coach with the departure of David DeFehr.

Kartik can be reached at kartikvyas@tennisontario.com or 416.514.1104.

Gulshad Punja

Gulshad migrated to Canada from Tanzania in 1989. As the Administrative Assistant, Gulshad brings over a decade of service to the OTA. Current duties are as a receptionist and administrative assistant. She handles the administrative support and data entry for the OTA database systems that handle tasks such as player registration and the Ontario Tennis Magazine distribution lists. She provides support for all the staff and helps out with many of their administrative tasks.

Gulshad can be reached at ota@tennisontario.com or 416.514.1100 Ext.0.

Andrew Chappell

Meet Andrew Chappell, the Membership & Regional Development Manager for the Ontario Tennis Association (OTA). Andrew has been working in the tennis community for over 14 years and has been grateful for the opportunity to serve and connect with OTA competitors, officials, parents, and other stakeholders. He started his journey with the OTA as Project Manager of the Tennis Pathways program, where he led the team to participate in many events, such as Yonge Dundas Square, Taste of the Danforth, and Ontario Place. He was proud to have been able to make tennis accessible to more people, particularly children in elementary schools, by promoting Progressive Tennis.

After gaining valuable experience in Tennis Pathways, Andrew moved on to work in Player Development, where he served as the Tournament Manager. He enjoyed connecting with the OTA community and was always eager to share his passion for the sport with anyone who would listen.

Now, as the Membership & Regional Development Manager, Andrew is humbled to continue working with the tennis community and to bring his experience and enthusiasm to all stakeholders in the sport he loves. He is ready to take on new challenges such as coaching development, club insurance, and club member benefits and he is eager to learn and grow in this role. So, next time you're at an OTA event, be sure to look out for Andrew and say hello.

You can reach out to Andrew at achappell@tennisontario.com or 416.514.1106.

Peter Malcomson

A lifelong tennis enthusiast, Peter bring many years of sales and marketing experience, from both outside and from within the tennis community to his position. After graduating with an English degree from York University, Peter spent 15 years in the advertising world, working first for an ad agency and later in sales and marketing for several media outlets including SCORE Golf, the National Post and Transcontinental. He was also a partner in the country's largest in-store radio network, POPPS.

Peter eventually directed his efforts within the tennis business, working on contract for Tennis Canada and part-time as a tennis instructor at the Waterside Sports Club in Toronto. Most recently he was a partner in RL SportsLines, a tennis and golf apparel distributor. He joined the OTA in October 2010 in the capacity of Marketing Manager.

Peter can be reached at pmalcomson@tennisontario.com or 416.514.1102.

Ely Schwartz

In April 2007, Ely Schwartz graduated from the University of Waterloo where he studied business and recreation. Ely was a dedicated member of the University of Waterloo varsity tennis team and in his final year, he led the team as captain. Ely first connected with the OTA through the Tennis Pathways program. With the support of the OTA and the Trillium Foundation, he launched a successful tennis program, Varsity Junior Tennis, which encouraged young participants to enjoy the rewards of recreational tennis. The program both raised awareness of the sport in the Kitchener/Waterloo community and provided participants with a unique and active summer experience.

Upon returning to Toronto, Ely worked with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Limited in the Community Relations department where he continued to develop his outreach skills and industry knowledge. Ely then managed the Cardio Tennis program for three years with OTA. This included developing and implementing a Cardio Tennis School program, training teachers and tennis coaches to run the program, and providing resource materials to them to sustain the program. Continued funding through grant applications allowed for an additional three-year Kids Tennis Program whereby Ely continued to promote tennis at the grassroots level introducing tennis to thousands of children.

Currently managing programs including Green Means Go (for active seniors), School Tennis/Wellness, and Community OTA Club/Event programming, Ely is excited to bring experience and enthusiasm to all of these programs and encourage all participants to continue to play tennis!

Ely can be reached at eschwartz@tennisontario.com or 416.514.1107

Tyler Levine

Brian Jaimes

Brian began with the OTA as a marketing intern from where he then helped in various departments, one of them being the Player Development department. Upon graduating from Humber College in 2019 with an advanced diploma in Sports Management, he joined the Player Development team at the OTA for the Summer-Fall seasons eventually leading to the position he holds now.

Brian has a great understanding of the competitive structure in Ontario and across the country and is excited to take on this new role in OTA Player Development as the Rankings Coordinator. 

Brian can be reached at bjaimes@tennisontario.com or by phone at 416.514.1105.

Thales Castro

Alexis Hlady

Alexis has had a passion for all things sports & athletics from a very young age, participating in track & field, basketball, and competitive soccer for over 10 years. This sports passion is what lead her to pursue higher education in the field of Kinesiology & Exercise Science where she graduated with an Honour’s Bachelor of Kinesiology (BKin) from Brock University and a Masters (MPK) from the University of Toronto.

During her time as a graduate student, Alexis worked in a high-performance sport setting as Strength & Conditioning Intern and Fitness & Performance Coach working with a number of varsity athletes and teams to improve their athletic performance and help ensure they continue to excel in their sport.

Upon graduating from UofT in 2020, Alexis worked in the non-profit sector as a Program Manager in the fitness and recreation department where she continued to develop her project management skills and industry knowledge through the development of health & wellness initiatives and fitness focused community events. Growing to love the management side of her role and wanting to further combine it with her sports passion, she then went on to complete a Certificate of Global Sports Management in 2024.

Alexis is eager to bring her skills and experience to the OTA and help contribute to the promotion of tennis across Ontario!

Alexis can be reached at ahlady@tennisontario.com or 416.514.1120

Angelika Mendoza

Angelika Mendoza Torres relocated to Canada from Aruba in early 2022 to pursue her passion for graphic design, culminating in her graduation in late 2023. With a strong sporting background, Angelika represented Aruba worldwide in Synchronized Swimming and Competitive Swimming before discovering a love for Beach Tennis after high school. Since adapting to life in Canada, she enjoys playing tennis during her free time. Fluent in English, Spanish, Dutch, and Papiamento, she brings a multicultural perspective to her work. Now, as OTA's Coordinator of Digital Marketing and Communications, Angelika leverages her expertise in administration, digital marketing, and graphic design to execute OTA's digital strategies and ensure effective communication across various online channels.

Angelika can be reached at amendoza@tennisontario.com or 416.514.1121

Simon Burden

With a passion for tennis, Simon brings his 12 years of professional coaching and 25 years of varied entrepreneurial experiences spanning photography, shopping centre promotions, publishing, and electronic prepress expertise and innovation to the OTA. A graduate of the Sheridan College Applied Photography program and recently from Seneca College as a Registered Early Childhood Educator (R.E.C.E.). He Joined OTA in June 2022 in the capacity of Clubstrong Manager, with a focus on grassroots community tennis programming and membership services. 

Simon can be reached at 416 805 8334 or sburden@tennisontario.com 

Jamie Anderson

Jamie has many years of experience in the world of tennis. He is a passionate player both on and off the court as he started playing at a young age. This love of the sport continued in his adolescence where he began coaching young kids at a recreational level and also volunteered as a member of the ball crew for the Rogers Cup (now known as the National Bank Open).

Jamie recently began with the OTA working as an intern in Membership & Regional Development for his school field placement. Upon graduating from the Sport Management program at Durham College, he joined the Player Development team as a summer intern where he now works full-time. Jamie is eager to put his skills to good use and can’t wait to start his journey at the OTA.

Jamie can be reached at Janderson@tennisontario.com. or 416.514.1122

Zhenya Kondratovski

Zhenya Kondratovski’s background is in high performance and coaching. He started playing tennis at the age of nine at the Dynamo Sports School in Minsk, Belarus. As a junior player, he competed provincially and nationally and was ranked in the top twenty in the USSR. He was the Belarus men’s doubles champion in 1989, and registered wins over the top ten players in the country in his age category. Zhenya was also a regular hitting partner for junior national teams, including a few WTA players. He earned a B.A. in Coaching and Physical Education from the Belarus Institute of Physical Culture and Sports in 1990 and M.A. in Sport Studies (Sociology of Sports) at the University of Ottawa, 1995. He joined the Ottawa U tennis team in 1993-1994, then became an assistant and a head coach in 1997.

Zhenya is a four-time NCTA City Open Champion in singles and doubles, an Ontario Open Doubles finalist and a Kunstadt Open finalist. Career professional, Zhenya was a full-time pro at Rideau Tennis Club since 1995 and head pro from 2007-2017 and worked with many provincial, national and NCAA calibre players. He is a Tennis Canada certified Coach 2 and Club Pro 2, Cardio Tennis Certified and a member of the TPA. Zhenya is a recipient of the Coaching Excellence Award from Tennis Canada in 2005. He is currently an Ontario Tennis Association Regional Coordinator for Ottawa and a pro at the Rockcliffe Lawn Tennis Club. He continues to coach juniors and adults at Carleton University during the indoor season and is the University of Ottawa Tennis Coach for both men's and women's teams. 

Zhenya believes in sharing his knowledge, experience and passion for the game with his students and other coaches, growing participation at both competitive levels in the region. He is always open to learning and finding new ways to coach, inspire and help others enjoy the sport. 

Zhenya can be reached at: zhenya@tennisontario.com

Mark Huang

Mark always had a passion for sports growing up. Mark competed on his high school’s badminton team and worked his first-ever job as an assistant tennis coach at a day camp. He pursued his passion for sports into his career and graduated with honours in 2023, at Laurentian University for Sports Administration. During his time at University, he interned with Tennis Canada and during that time, he assisted the OTA with certain projects. Upon graduating, Mark worked some tournaments with the OTA while working full-time managing a hockey league.  

Mark’s favorite sports are hockey and tennis. He also has a keen interest in photography. He’s traveled to various cities to watch tennis and capture photographs of the players. Mark learned about this position while enjoying some tennis matches at this year's NBO, as he ran into his OTA contacts. Now Mark is working full-time in the Player Development Team.

Mark can be reached at mhuang@tennisontario.com.

Simarjot Kaur