Calgary-based Virtual Gurus has announced a leadership transition, with founder Bobbie Racette stepping down as chief executive officer. Elliot Schneier, who joined the firm as chief operating officer in 2024, will take over as CEO.
Racette led Virtual Gurus for eight years, transforming it from a $300 kitchen-table concept into an award-winning talent marketplace connecting businesses with North American virtual assistants and AI-powered support. Under her leadership, the company became the first in Canada founded by an Indigenous woman to close a Series A round and has paid out more than $15 million in wages to its virtual assistant community.
In her new role, Racette will focus on Purpose & Impact initiatives, strengthen enterprise partnerships, and expand the brand’s presence across North America while continuing to guide the company’s mission. “What began with a mission to create space for underrepresented talent has grown into an international platform delivering real economic impact,” she said.
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Schneier, a serial entrepreneur and former executive at Zirtual, Fundable, and Startups.com, has helped scale operations and launch the company’s conversational AI receptionist, VG Connect. “Bobbie has built something rare, an organization with both soul and scale,” Schneier said. “It’s a privilege to carry that legacy forward.”
The company also announced that it has closed the first tranche of its next funding round, which will fuel platform growth and accelerate VG Connect’s development.
In another leadership milestone, Virtual Gurus’ majority-women board of directors has appointed Kelly Schmitt, former CEO of Benevity, as chair. Other board members include Ka-Hay Law of TELUS, Shelley Kuipers of The51, Althea Wishloff of Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, Racette, and Schneier.
Racette remains active in advocacy work, serving as chair of both QueerTech and the Indigenous Prosperity Foundation, and as a board member for the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation.
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