Board
The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson
Co-Founder, Co-Chair
The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Canada’s 26th Governor General from 1999-2005, is universally acknowledged to have transformed the office during her six years at Rideau Hall and to have left an indelible mark on Canada’s history.
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John Ralston Saul
Co-Founder, Co-Chair
Essayist and novelist, John Ralston Saul proposes a new humanism through what he calls responsible individualism. His 14 works have been translated into 29 languages in 38 countries.
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Martin Katz
Board Director
Martin Katz is Founder and President of Prospero Pictures. One of the most prolific feature film producers in Canada, Katz’s credits include Hotel Rwanda, which was nominated for three Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, and Bronwen Hughes’ Stander, which the London Observer called “the greatest heist film since Reservoir Dogs.”
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Zai Mamdani
Board Director
A professional with a depth of corporate and non-profit experience, Zai Mamdani leverages her education and experience to provide strategic leadership and operational guidance.
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Irfhan Rawji
Board Director
Irfhan Rawji is the Founder & CEO of MobSquad. This innovative Canadian start-up ensures high-calibre software engineers with U.S. work visa challenges remain working with their current company but near-shored from Canada.
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Khalil Shariff
Board Director
Khalil Shariff has served as Chief Executive Officer of Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), a leading Canadian global development agency, since 2005.
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Staff
Daniel Bernhard
Chief Executive Officer
Daniel is a first-generation Canadian who has dedicated his career to public benefit following a short stint in corporate consulting.
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George Carothers
Senior Director, Ideas and Insights
George is a research professional with global experience spanning academia, consulting, and non-profit management.
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Salimah Dhalla
Senior Director, Strategy and Operations
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Salimah is the ICC’s resident newcomer advocate, bringing the perspective of our beneficiaries into every program and decision.
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Tarun Tripathi
Senior Director, Digital Products
Tarun is a marketing and growth professional with 20+ years of experience across media industries, from film to social and digital media and branded content.
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Aruna Aysola
Senior Director Philanthropy
Aruna left a successful career in the tech sector in Silicon Valley to support human rights issues both in Canada and around the world. She brings over 23 years of experience and leadership as a generalist fundraiser with a specialization in Major Gifts, having worked at organizations such as the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Plan International Canada, and Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief. A naturalized citizen, Aruna is passionate about working with philanthropists and the donor community to deliver programs that inspire, celebrate, and foster citizenship amongst newcomers to Canada.
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Alana Dunbar
Director of Philanthropy
A passionate intersectional post-colonial feminist and Africanist, Alana Dunbar holds an M.A. in English Literature and Language specializing in African Studies and a B.A. in African Studies and Literature from Carleton University.
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Terri Heggum-Allen
Director of Finance
Terri Heggum-Allen spent the first part of her career with a special focus on small and family businesses. Then, in pursuit of a comprehensive grounding in tax planning, Terri took a position as Tax Manager in the Tax Department of a national CPA firm, where she completed her Tax In-Depth training.
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Roberto Esteban Alvarez
Director of Global Partnerships
Originally from Mexico, Roberto moved to Toronto at eighteen to pursue a Bachelor’s degree and ended up staying. He left momentarily to Spain to complete a Master’s degree in Public Administration.
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Andrew Beer
Customer Support Specialist
Andrew Beer has worked with the ICC since 2011 and marveled at its change and growth into what it is today. Keen on streamlining processes, Andrew has a database background and is Canoo’s bilingual customer service guru.
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Chelsea Brown
Digital Communications Specialist
Chelsea is a social entrepreneur, human rights, and women’s advocacy champion, with 10+ years in social impact and communications. She is the founder of The Millie Community, a social enterprise that creates economic empowerment for women around the world. To date, under Chelsea’s leadership, The Millie Community has developed the Sitti x Millie Scholarship Campaign for Palestinian women and girls, revived The Pin Project working with Syrian refugees, and fundraised over $200,000 to projects that facilitate access to education
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Joyce Chan
Bookkeeper
Joyce has worked in serving profit and non-profit organizations. Her passion is volunteering at women’s shelters and practicing stand-up comedian routines.
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Adiba Hasan
Events Specialist
Adiba earned her Bachelor’s in Religion and Political Science from Augustana College in Illinois, United States and Master’s in Global Affairs at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, Canada.
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Kathryn Hawco
Program Specialist
Born in Victoria, BC, Kathryn has moved several times and landed the longest in Ottawa, ON. Kathryn completed her undergraduate degree at Carleton University in Global and International Studies, with a specialization in Global Development.
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Tanya Hemley
Executive Assistant, Office Manager
Tanya was born and raised in Kingston Jamaica. She immigrated to Canada at the age of 13. Tanya has over 20+ years’ experience in the administrative field and spent 6 years as a bookkeeper.
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Ayesha Mohammedy
Program Specialist
Born in Pakistan, Ayesha is a first-generation Pakistani who immigrated to Canada at a young age. She spent her childhood in Toronto which exposed her to a multitude of cultures and peoples and that have inspired her studies into Political Science and English at the University of Toronto.
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Arash Safavi
Digital Marketing and Communications Lead
Arash Safavi is digital media savvy and creative thinker. In addition to having 12+ years of experience in content creation, he also has 6+ years of experience in digital media and digital marketing. This is complemented by strong design skills and a multimedia background. His educational background includes an MFA in Art, Media, and Design as well as an engineering degree. His interest, research and practices lie around diaspora, photography and visual storytelling.
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Amy Thomson
Program Assistant
Amy is an artist currently living in Toronto Ontario. She oil paints contemporary portraiture mostly of women with mixed elements of modern day scenery in Romanticist themes (think being in both awe of nature but also terrified).
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Olga Nseya Nkuba
Events Manager
Born In the Democratic Republic of Congo and having lived in five countries through her childhood, Olga developed a love and appreciation for different cultures at an early age which has followed her throughout her career as a seasoned client service professional, primarily working with Government of Canada organizations. She has a love for learning, understanding, and helping which has aided her growth in leadership roles and event/program coordinating. During her spare time, she enjoys painting, discovering new music and cooking.
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Arjun Andotra
Events Specialist
Arjun is an experienced event producer and tour manager with over 10 years of experience producing international music festivals, concerts, stand-up comedy shows and branded properties, such as EDC, NH7 Weekender, Red Bull Tour Bus and YouTube Fan Fest.
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Stuti Bindesri
Program Assistant
Stuti Bindesri, born and raised in the multicultural island of Mauritius. She is fluent in 4 languages: English, French, Creole & Hindi. She came to Canada in 2017 to start a diploma in Events Management and further pursued a degree program in Commerce majoring in Hospitality & Tourism. When Stuti is not busy watching football(soccer), she is probably trying out a new coffee spot or practicing her singing.
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Jasmine Garland
Partnership Success Assistant
I grew up in a culturally diverse family and have been fortunate to travel to 24 countries. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Certificate in Sexual Health Rehabilitation, I do whatever I can to help people become more confident within themselves and their lives.
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Jayani Srigouranga
Program Assistant
Jayani completed her undergraduate degree at Carleton University in Anthropology with minors in African Studies and American Sign Language. Additionally, during her undergrad, she was involved in many extracurricular activities that involved student support/engagement and research. With her parents immigrating to Canada from Sri Lanka, making her a first-generation Tamil Canadian, Jayani has and continues to explore the meaning and experience of being a part of a diaspora. She strongly believes in the power of community and will take any opportunity to learn something new. Working with and supporting newcomers’ sense of belonging is a role she holds near and dear to her heart. In her spare time, Jayani loves to cook, read, spend time with her friends/family, travel, and tend to her many plants.
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Estelle Ntusi
Events Specialist
Estelle Ntusi is a graduate of the Hospitality and Tourism Management at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson University). Growing up in Toronto and of Congolese descent, she was brought up in a multicultural community with a rich French speaking background leading her to have an appetite to learn new cultures, knowledge and understand differing perspectives. Throughout her undergraduate studies, her career motto has been “People remember not what you have done for them, but how you made them feel”. These words have been the driving force to ensuring a positive surrounding and hopes to bring this energy to ICC as she works on citizenship ceremonies!
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