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Bursary PROGRAM
In honour of our founder, the Alan Armstrong Bursary helps TPMA members invest in their growth—whether refining skills, stepping into a new role, or breaking into product. Two $1,000 bursaries will be awarded in 2026.
The Alan Armstrong Bursary honours the life and legacy of TPMA’s founder, Alan Armstrong.
Alan’s energy and vision gave birth to the Toronto Product Management Association in 2001. What began as a handful of “very green” product managers meeting in a basement to share challenges has since grown into one of North America’s leading product communities. His belief was simple but powerful: product managers in Toronto needed a space to learn, connect, and grow together.
For years, Alan was a frequent participant and speaker at TPMA, always giving back to the community he helped build. His impact lives on not just in the strength of the organization today, but in the many careers he helped shape along the way.
Alan is remembered by his children Siena, Thea, and Liam, their mother and his friend Marlys Neufeldt, his parents Rosemary and Bill, his brothers Rob and Scott, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
We created this bursary to honour Alan’s enduring example and to invest in the next generation of product management leaders. Each year, it helps TPMA members take the next step in their career journey—through training, education, and growth opportunities that Alan would have been proud to support.
The Alan Armstrong Bursary is open to all TPMA members who are pursuing an educational opportunity to refine their skills, level up into a new role, or break into product management. In 2025, we have two bursaries of $1000 available to our community.
Applicants must have a specific course or program in mind, meet strict eligibility criteria (listed below), and be willing to share their story with us!
Applications Open: September 9, 2025
Applications Close: Sunday, October 5th, 2025
Selection Committee Meets: November 2025
Bursaries Awarded: December 2025
TPMA board members and mentors are not eligible to apply for this bursary.
To remain eligible for this award, applicants are advised to:
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Applicants should feel empowered to make a case for a course or program not included below, in their application.
2025 Bursary Recipients
Ashutosh Sharma is a Product Manager with over ten years of experience delivering healthcare and digital health products in regulated environments. He currently works at Kids Help Phone, where he leads a cloud-based, multi-channel platform enabling nationwide access to youth mental health services. His expertise includes digital mental health platforms, virtual care enablement, accessibility-focused design, cloud modernization, and data-informed product strategy.
Ashutosh will be undertaking the AI for Product Managers program through the Pragmatic Institute to further strengthen responsible AI application in healthcare product strategy.
Gayathri Girish is a Machine Learning Engineer at Sinai Health and a recent Master of Applied Computing graduate from the University of Toronto. At Sinai Health, she uses GenAI to improve patient outcomes at one of Canada’s premier health science centres.
With this bursary, Gayathri will enroll in the Pragmatic Institute to master the foundations of Product Management. She aims to bridge the gap between technical engineering and user-centric business strategy, and is grateful to the TPMA for supporting her transition into product leadership.
2024 Bursary Recipient
A recent graduate of the University of Waterloo's Science and Business program, Ravicha Ravinthiran launched her product management career through co-op and now excels as a Product Manager at RATESDOTCA, Canada’s largest digital marketplace for insurance and financial services.
With the bursary, Ravicha will enroll in Shreyas Doshi’s Product Sense course, where she’ll refine her skills to build successful products, features, and teams. She’s excited about the course’s practical focus and grateful to the TPMA for supporting her journey.
Applications will open again in September of 2026
Toronto Product Management Association (TPMA) is a community focused on development, growth and networking of Product professionals in the Greater Toronto Area.
