Ottawa has a new CEO of the Year: Mike Matta of Solink. The Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Board of Trade have named Matta Ottawa's CEO of the Year for 2026, a recognition of how far the local company has travelled since its earliest days.
From a small server room to 60 countries
Solink's beginnings were modest. Its early team consisted of three engineers working out of a small server room at 390 March Rd.
The company looks very different today. According to the Ottawa Business Journal, the firm now employs in excess of 300 people and operates in more than 60 countries. It has also been backed by more than $100 million in venture capital.
Some of its biggest customers will be familiar to anyone who has eaten out or shopped in Ottawa. Tim Hortons, burger chain Five Guys and clothing retailer Moose Knuckles are among them.
Who is Mike Matta?
Matta is a 43-year-old Montreal native, and the Ottawa Business Journal describes him as being as passionate about the business as ever.
His path into Ottawa's tech scene began with a suggestion from a classmate. Sixteen years ago, Matta was a young engineer who took that classmate's advice to check out a new company that had just been launched by Terry Matthews.
Thinking beyond Ottawa
The most telling line in the profile may be Matta's own view of what success should look like. He said that if Solink only becomes an Ottawa or Canada story, the company will not have done everything possible.
In his words: "If this only becomes an Ottawa or even Canada story, we will not have done everything possible in this company."
For a company that already operates in more than 60 countries, that is a pointed statement of ambition. It is also a reminder that a business with its roots in Ottawa can aim well past the city limits.
What happens next
The award winners will receive their awards at a gala at The Westin Ottawa on Thursday, Nov. 26. The material available so far does not say how many other honourees will be recognized that evening or what else is planned for the event.
The Ottawa Business Journal profile is the source of the details above, and further information about the gala has not yet been announced in the material we reviewed.
Why it matters for Ottawa
Solink is a local employer with more than 300 people on its payroll, and its story runs from three engineers in a small server room on March Road to a customer list that includes household names. For Ottawa's technology community, the CEO of the Year title puts a spotlight on a company that grew here and now does business around the world.
Sources: Ottawa Business Journal
