Principles We Live By
Integrity First
Trust is the foundation of everything. Without it, no strategy, system, or partnership has meaning. We expect transparency and candour from ourselves and from those we work with.
Character Matters
We look beyond credentials and titles to the true qualities that define personal character: courage, humility, respect, accountability, resilience, compassion. These traits shape how decisions are made, how teams are led, and how challenges are met.
Competence in Practice
Execution matters. We value proven operators who can deliver when stakes are high and conditions uncertain. Competence shows itself in consistency, clarity, and the discipline to turn plans into lasting results.
Values Alignment
We do not pursue growth for its own sake. We see growth as a way to create meaning, opportunity, and shared prosperity. Aligning values ensures that success is not only achieved, but worth achieving.
Excellence Without Ego
We believe excellence comes with curiosity, discipline, and craft. Quiet confidence, responsiveness, and respect for your time are the hallmarks of how we operate.
Long-Term View
Our motivation is to build enduring businesses that are resilient and adaptable to an evolving world. By focusing on learning, systems, leadership, and purpose, we position companies to last.
Meet the Team
United by abundance mindset, growth orientation, and shared values, Hemlock’s team of seasoned professionals seriously enjoy the work and journey of building companies.
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Before founding Hemlock Growth Partners, Joshua spent over 15 years operating, funding, and advising hundreds of private companies across Canada in virtually every sector. He’s established a reputation as a trusted resource for owners and leadership teams navigating high-stakes decisions.
Joshua combines structured thinking, financial fluency, and operating experience with diverse insights. During his seven years with the Business Development Bank of Canada, he partnered with entrepreneurs to modernize operations, drive growth, and complete transitions. He’s cultivated a trusted network across industry, finance, academia, and government, which he now leverages to unlock opportunities for Hemlock clients.
Prior to focusing on entrepreneurship and mid-market commercialization, Joshua built foundations in digital transformation with Avanade, the world leader in Microsoft-based enterprise solutions, and earlier grew with marketing and technology firms. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia.
As an educator, Joshua taught finance, innovation, entrepreneurship, and governance at universities and training institutes, including as visiting faculty at Simon Fraser University. He maintains a longstanding commitment to community service including with Kiwanis International, the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, and the Vancouver Foundation.
Outside of work, Joshua is energized by thought-provoking conversation, cold-weather travel, and lately, an emerging passion for fishing.
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Over the years, Joshua has helped leaders and teams deliver results that matter. Many of the companies he’s worked with have gone on to achieve transformative outcomes, including:
Freedom from operations: Leaders became able to take vacations of 3-4 weeks (fully unplugged), to return to thriving teams and stronger businesses, and to regularly carve away from daily operations to spend more time with their growing families.
Lasting relationships: Curated connections across his network resulting in lifelong friendships, healthy marriages, dream jobs, and profitable venture partnerships.
Scaling globally: Envisioned and drove accelerated multi-year revenue expansion (reaching 9-figure revenues) while simultaneously moving upmarket (enterprise, government, institutional) expanding profit margins, and extending global footprint.
Leadership transitions: Supporting thoughtful family and management succession plans, empowering next generations to thrive without destabilizing operations.
Celebrating awards: Nominating clients to earn recognition from prestigious programs including Canada’s Best Managed Companies, EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, Deloitte Fast 50, and accolades from relevant associations.
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“Just remember, it’s a small business and a long life. You’re going to see all these people again.” — Steve Ross
“Once you realize that you don’t need a special occasion to buy a cake, the second part of your life begins.” — Unknown
"Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants" — Louis Brandeis
“The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed.” — William Gibson
“Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.” — Michael Caine
Joshua Tiong
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Jabir is a growth strategist and senior operations leader who loves helping organizations get unstuck and scale with confidence. With 15+ years in senior leadership across healthcare, technology, and management consulting, he’s built a reputation for blending big-picture strategy with hands-on operational know-how.
He’s led companies through rapid growth in the UK and Canada, from expanding a healthcare provider four fold to advising high-potential firms across Canada. Along the way, he’s launched ventures in AgeTech, senior care, and staffing, earning recognition as one of Canada’s Emerging Healthcare Leaders.
Jabir holds a Master’s degree in Decision Sciences from the London School of Economics, where his research focussed on executive decision making with limited resources and conflicting objectives, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University.
Today, through Hemlock Growth Partners, he brings that same mix of curiosity, pragmatism, and drive to help entrepreneurs and business owners build stronger, more resilient companies.
When he’s not working with clients, you’ll find Jabir golfing, traveling with his family, or chasing after his two kids.
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Jabir has a track record of helping businesses punch above their weight. Here are a few examples of the results he’s helped create:
4x growth in 8 years — As head of operations at a seniors’ healthcare organization, Jabir guided strategy, acquisitions, and new service launches that grew the business fourfold while keeping debt low. The team grew by 400+ people and the business became a sector leader.
$100M+ founder exit — Advising a consumer goods company on structure and leadership, he helped unlock rapid growth that ultimately led to a nine-figure sale.
3x growth in 3 years — Partnering with a construction firm, he supported both strategy and day-to-day execution, helping scale revenues close to $100M and cementing their position as a regional market leader.
M&A playbook for national expansion — With a Canadian service-sector company, Jabir led a team to design an acquisition integration playbook that fuelled exponential growth through M&A and helped establish them as a national market leader.
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“Strategy without execution is a daydream. Execution without strategy is a nightmare.” — Japanese proverb
“Build a business that you’d be proud for your kids to inherit — even if they never do.” — Unknown
“Success is not what you have, but who you become.” — Unknown
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” — Greek proverb
“At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
Jabir Nathu
We aim to work with each client’s existing team and trusted professional advisors. Where further assistance would benefit, Hemlock leans on an established specialist network to bring specific expertise to common mid-market growth needs.
Interested in Joining our Team?
We are always open to meeting exceptional people who share our principles. Hemlock Growth Partners is not built on size — it’s built on trust.
Integrity, character, competence, and humility are the standards we hold ourselves to — and what we expect from anyone who wears the Hemlock name. We work only with leaders, partners, and team members whose values align with ours.
If this resonates with you, we welcome your introduction.