Monday, November 24th 2025

Celina Caesar- Chavannes, PhD

Executive Director of The Canadian CED Network (CCEDNet)

As a former Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, I’ve worked inside the highest levels of government. Today, as a sought-after international speaker, consultant, and PhD candidate in neuroscience, I translate complex ideas—like cognitive consistency, identity, and power—into tools for transformation in boardrooms, classrooms, and communities. Currently, I serve as Executive Director of CCEDNet, where we champion inclusive economic development across Canada. My work focuses on leadership development, cognitive retraining, equity strategy, and purpose-driven decision-making. Whether I’m advising organizations, coaching executives, or offering political analysis in the media, I bring a rare blend of lived experience, academic depth, and unapologetic truth-telling.

SFWF - Opening Virtual Address at 8am EST

Dr. Victoria Hurth

Project Leader ISO - lnternational Organization for Standardization, Fellow, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership

Dr Victoria Hurth works globally at the intersect of academia and hands-on business to help companies transition to be drivers of long-term wellbeing for all (sustainability). This includes advising executives across a wide range of sectors on the intersect between purpose, sustainability, ESG and reporting and how to lead the transformative change needed. Victoria heads the Sustainability Impact Advisory committee for UnaTerra Venture Capital, a member of SACE’s (Italy’s national export underwriter) Impact Advisory Committee, a regular UNCTAD review panel member for ISAR Honors and was a member of WBCSD’s working group on Governance. Victoria is currently a Non-Executive Director of the organic standards company Soil Association Certification Ltd.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside at 9am EST

Tonya Surman

CEO of The Centre for Social Innovation

Tonya Surman is one of Canada’s leading social entrepreneurs. Her clients: people and planet. Her superpowers: visionary ideas that inspire, models that harness collaboration, and spaces that accelerate systemic change. Highlights from her career include co-founding and leading the Centre for Social Innovation, a pioneer in the coworking and social enterprise/finance movements that has catalyzed & supporting more than 6000 world-changing initiatives; developing the Constellation Model, a multi-stakeholder partnership framework that has been used globally including its use to ban toxic chemicals in baby bottles and organize 40,000+ Ontario nonprofits into a network with policymaking clout; creating the Community Bond, a ground breaking social finance tool that has raised over $10 million to purchase $40 million in real estate to house 900+ social entrepreneurs and is being replicated across the country.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside at 10am EST

Craig Wellington

CEO of the Black Opportunities Fund

Craig Wellington is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Black Opportunity Fund, a Black community-led registered charitable organization whose mandate is to deploy needs-informed capital, to promote socio-economic empowerment for Canada’s Black communities. Wellington and the Black Opportunity Fund team are currently preparing to launch a $50 million Private Equity fund to invest in Black founded businesses, as well as a similar sized investment vehicle to create pathways to homeownership for Black Canadians. Wellington has held progressive leadership positions in public sector and not for profit organizations for more than 30 years. He was recently named to the 2023 list of Top 100 Canadian Professionals.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside at 11am EST

Mike Rowlands

President & CEO of the Junxion Strategy Inc

Mike is an accomplished entrepreneur, consultant and advisor who has spent more than 20 years working to catalyze social responsibility and sustainability with organizations on four continents. Working from our Vancouver office, Mike is engaged on international projects, primarily in strategy, values-based branding, organizational design, and communications. His experience spans multiple sectors, including social services, responsible finance, business-to-business models and early-stage social enterprise. As an emcee, keynote speaker, entrepreneur-in-residence, and frequent workshop presenter, Mike regularly hosts events, convenes conferences, and teaches strategy, branding, and entrepreneurial leadership. He’s happiest when hosting juicy, generative conversations with people and groups, in service to life.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside at Noon EST

Wils Theagene, B.Eng, Msc

Founder of Citadel

"Talent crosses the boundaries of race, education, wealth, and belief with an equitable distribution globally. However, economic opportunities do not reflect this parity, leading to significant disparities in wealth, access to education, health, and judicial equity between communities of diverse cultural backgrounds and majority groups. Recognizing this reality, our investment approach aims to capitalize on untapped potential where talent is abundant but opportunities are limited, thus creating value while promoting a more inclusive and equitable society.” Wils Théagène, Founder and Managing Partner. As the founder and manager of Citadelle Capital, I have specialized for over 30 years in responsible investment, diversity, investment management, private equity, and venture capital.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside at 1pm EST

Andrea Nemtin

Chief Executive Officer at SI Canada

Andrea Nemtin is Chief Executive Officer of Social Innovation Canada, to which she brings 25 years of experience leading organizations and initiatives focused on advancing social and environmental progress through strategic philanthropy, media and arts, social innovation and impact investing. That has included serving as Executive Director of Rally Assets and as CEO and founding president of Inspirit Foundation, where she led the foundation’s journey towards a 100% impact investing portfolio. Andrea was recognized in 2017 with a Governor General’s Meritorious Service Award for her contribution to inclusion in Canada and currently serves as a board member for the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority, The Social Innovation Institute, Story Money Impact and Challenge for Change.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside at 2pm EST

Basma Majerbi

Founder & Director, Impact Investing Hub, University of Victoria

Dr. Basma Majerbi is an associate professor of finance at the Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria, located on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, also known as the Songhees, Esquimalt, and WSÁNEĆ Nations. Her research focuses on ESG and impact investing, climate finance, and community energy transition as a Lead Investigator of UVic’s Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) initiative. She is the founder and director of the Impact Investing Hub, a research and education center whose mission is to mobilize finance for positive impact, with a focus on climate and energy transition solutions and building equitable, resilient communities. Dr. Majerbi has received multiple awards for her leadership in climate and sustainable finance, including the BC Cleantech Educator of the Year Award, Canada’s Clean50 Award, and the King Charles III Coronation Medal. She holds a PhD in Finance from McGill University and an MSc in International Finance from HEC Montréal.

SFWF - Virtual Impact Investing Fireside 3pm EST

Etomore Glover

Chief Executive officer, Impact Investors Foundation

Etemore is an impact investor, philanthropist and serial entrepreneur. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Impact Investors Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded in partnership with the Ford Foundation, Africa Capital Alliance, BusinessDay Media Limited, Bank of Industry and Dalberg Advisors. As the Chief Executive Officer of the Impact Investors Foundation, she is responsible for implementing its vision and strategies and coordinating projects. In the last two years, Etemore established the National Advisory Board (NAB) for Impact Investing, the highest national body responsible for promoting social investments in the country and building the market infrastructure. Etemore led the establishment of the Nigerian NAB, which will be under the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, the umbrella body with 44 NABs across 28 countries and regions. She also engages with development finance institutions (DFIs), bilateral and multilateral agencies, and local and foreign investors to grow impact capital and investment in Nigeria.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside at 4pm EST

Jeffrey Cyr

Co-Founder of Raven Outcomes

Jeff, Métis from the White Horse Plains in Manitoba, is the architect behind Raven’s outcomes finance model. With over two decades of leadership in Indigenous policy, investment, and innovation, he spearheaded Canada’s first Community-Driven Outcomes Contract. Jeff is also a Co-Founder of Raven Capital and President & CEO of the Raven Indigenous Impact Foundation. He is an Ashoka Fellow and a recognized voice in Indigenous social finance globally.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside at 5pm EST

SFWF - Systemic Investing Virtual Fireside at 6pm EST

Tracey Robertson

Innovation Lead, Partnership Investments at Ontario Trillium Foundation

Tracey Robertson is a dedicated advocate for social change and a leader in unlocking and mobilizing capital for good. As a systems thinker and natural connector, she builds networks and collaborates across sectors to drive transformational change and impact. With over 35 years of experience in strategic philanthropy, community development, higher education, and the social impact sector, Tracey is a firm believer that innovative solutions emerge when diverse perspectives and experiences converge. She champions the importance of catalyzing various forms of capital, addressing inequities, embracing emergence and failure, and nurturing relationships as essential elements of transformation. For the past 15 years, Tracey has concentrated her efforts on investing in and fostering social change at grassroots, community, and systemic levels. Notably, she has successfully mobilized and leveraged over $100 million in new investments to catalyze and advance community-driven social finance in Canada. Tracey has also provided advice and coaching to philanthropists, high-net-worth individuals, and more than 300 nonprofit leaders, helping them enhance their community impact. Tracey holds a Master of Social Work in Community Development and Social Policy, as well as a Master’s Diploma in Social Innovation from the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience. Tracey is currently the Lead for Partnership Investments, at the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Ilse Treurnicht

Managing Partner at Twin River Capital

Ilse Treurnicht’s career spans research and commercialization, venture and impact investing, public policy, and the development of health and cleantech firms. She is managing partner of TwinRiver Capital (an impact investment firm), a general partner at North South Ventures (a health impact fund), chair of the Board of the Public Policy Forum, and a director of the Equality Fund and Zentek. Ilse was CEO of MaRS Discovery District in Toronto from 2005-2017 as it developed from a nascent organization into a leading urban innovation hub. She joined MaRS from her role as CEO of Primaxis Technology Ventures, a seed stage venture capital firm (1999-2005). She was chair of the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance (2010). She served on the Government of Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council (2014-2016), Canada’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth (2016-2019), and the Advisory Committee on Open Banking (2018-2021). She currently serves on the Council of Expert Advisors, Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences. She has been a board member and advisor to technology firms, universities, non-profits, and international organizations.

Djaka Blais

Executive Director of Hogan's Alley Society

Executive Director | Equity in Philanthropy | Community Builder | Housing & Social Impact Leader | Advancing Racial Equity & Community-Led Development. I am a bilingual, seasoned social sector leader with over 21 years of experience in philanthropy, government, and community mobilization. My work is centered on shifting power dynamics, dismantling oppressive structures, and ensuring that marginalized voices and grassroots initiatives have seats at decision-making tables. As the inaugural Executive Director of Hogan’s Alley Society, I lead efforts to advance the social, political, economic, and cultural well-being of Black communities through inclusive housing, community-led development, and culturally informed programming. I am passionate about governance, policy advocacy, and ensuring that Black communities have ownership over the spaces and systems that shape their lives.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside at 7pm EST

Tuesday, November 25th 2025

Tiffany Callender

Chief Executive Officer of FACE Coalition

In 2021 I co-founded the Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE). A Black-led non-profit organization focused on accelerating wealth creation for Canadians of African descent that is working with the federal government to co-develop and administer the $160 million Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund. As a community developer and social entrepreneur, I have spent decades developing and implementing programs to support Canada’s Black community. In 2022, I was named a recipient of the 2022 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards for the ‘Ones to Watch.’ I am ranked amongst the 100 most influential Black Canadians by Afroglobal television and have been recognized by MIPAD, as one of the 100 most influential persons of African descent under 40, in 2020.

SFWF - Opening Address - 9:00am EST

Indy Johar

Co-founder of Dark Matter Labs

Indy Johar is a serial founder, seed funder, and director, having launched a series of initiatives focused on his multiple areas of interest in the realm of change: Dark Matter Labs, architecture and urban practice Architecture00, Open Systems Lab, WikiHouse, and Open Desk – the latter bringing housing and furniture to the open-source market. Architecture remains Indy’s primary focus, not least as a non-executive international Director of the Nordic Hub for sustainable urbanisation, BloxHub, but also clear from his stints teaching the subject, and from sitting on multiple industry boards and committees. He is currently a professor at RMIT University.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside Chat - 10:00am EST

Wanda Brascoupe

Co-Founder of the Indigenous Philanthropy Advisors

Wanda’s path has culminated in living her purpose personally and professionally by leading with inclusion. As a consummate believer in human relationships, she co-founded a high-tech firm that sustained business relationships for 20+ years with public and private sector clients. Over the firms’ years, she applied her learnings of western business practice to her Indigenous philanthropic path from a volunteer board member to national leadership in Canada. Within this sector, she has reshaped relationships as a specialist in cross-sector philanthropic partnerships through actionable pathways as a senior advisor for private and public foundations. Wanda is a sought-after speaker on trust-based philanthropy and has chaired successful national events and galas.

SFWF - Gender Lens Investing Virtual Fireside Chat - 11:00am EST

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems Panel -12pm EST (Virtual)

Ama Beausoleil is a dedicated ecological advisor and practitioner on a mission to regenerate our planet from the ground up. As the founder of AgroEcoLogic.com, she addresses the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity by restoring the health of the soil—the foundation of our ecosystems. Ama brings a unique and powerful blend of scientific expertise and practical experience. As a Certified Soil Food Web Consultant and Lab Analyst, she utilizes cutting-edge biological testing and microscopy to create data-driven restoration plans. This scientific approach is complemented by her hands-on role as the producer of BioComplete™ Soil Amendments, a line of potent microbial inoculants and compost products designed to rapidly rebuild soil life. With a formal background in Horticulture and landscape management, Ama demonstrates that effective change requires a holistic, systems-based approach. She champions the integration of agroecological practices in the field with essential social components like resource access, education, and capacity building. This powerful combination not only sequesters carbon, increases biodiversity, and reverses land degradation but also strengthens the resilience of local food systems and empowers the communities that depend on them.

Ama Beausoleil

Founder of AgroEcoLogic.com

Sara Dent

Executive Director and Co-Founder of Young Agrarians

Sara Dent is a professional grower of farmers and functional medicine health coach working at the intersection of soil and gut health. Sara has 25 years of experience developing programs, fundraising, building community, and acting as an agent for change for ecological food systems. For the past 14 years, with a team of collaborators, we have grown a farmer-2-farmer educational resource network for new and young agro-ecological farmers called Young Agrarians (YA). YA is the now the largest organization in Canada delivering programs to support new and young farmers in start-up. YA programs are free and by contribution and include: online resources and e-learning, community building events on and off farms, on-farm apprenticeships, land access resources and the B.C. Land Matching Program (pairing up people with land with people seeking land), business mentorships and policy advocacy. Sara was recognized in 2023 as an Ashoka Canada Fellow, and was a 2018-19 BALLE (now Common Future) Fellow.

Joshua Smee

Chief Executive Officer of Food First NL

Joshua Smee is a passionate community-builder basd in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he works to make the city and the province a greener, more connected, more compassionate place. He is the CEO of Food First Newfoundland and Labrador, a provincial nonprofit organization that collaborates with communities and organizations across Newfoundland and Labrador to advance food security in the province A familiar face in Newfoundland and Labrador, Josh is a community developer with experience in a wide range of nonprofits and social enterprises. He has worked on provincial projects for organizations such as the Community Sector Council NL and Choices for Youth and taken leadership roles on community initiatives such as the St. John’s Farmers’ Market Cooperative, Happy City St. John's, the Tuckamore Festival, and more.

Mary has always been driven by a dedication to social justice and well-being, which led to her obtaining work experience and an undergraduate degree in law and public administration. But when she took a class in environmental law and justice, she began to see the environment, whether natural, built, social or organizational environments, as the centre of community oppression, enhancement, and systems change. This prompted Mary to pursue her Masters in environmental studies with a concentration in Perspectives on Aquaculture and Indigenous Resource Management. Throughout her Masters coursework and beyond, Mary has focused on the intersections of aquaculture and fisheries management, environmental justice, colonialism, and food security, sovereignty, and regenerative food systems.

Mary Williams

Assistant Director, Food Systems

Dr. Frank Kwekucher Ackah

Senior Lecturer in Crop Science at the University of Cape Coast

Dr. Frank Kwekucher Ackah is a Senior Lecturer in Crop Science at the University of Cape Coast with over 15 years of experience. He is the founder of "Garden For All (G4A)," a non-profit dedicated to promoting food security in Ghana through home and community gardening. Through G4A's Facebook group (over 300,000 members), YouTube show ("Time with the Gardener"), and training programs in six regions, he has mobilized a national movement. His advocacy has been featured in national media and recognized by international bodies, and his initiatives have directly influenced government agricultural policy, including the current School Farm Project.

Rodrigo Portugal

Chief Executive Officer of Soil Domains

Rodrigo Portugal is an experienced agronomist with a strong background in the agriculture and forestry sectors, both in Brazil and internationally. With over eight years in the corporate sector, he has held roles in research, governmental affairs, and seed production quality management. Throughout his career, he has led multidisciplinary teams—ranging from professional gardeners to PhDs—demonstrating a unique ability to bridge diverse expertise toward common goals. He has successfully delivered projects and managed resources as a consultant for renewable resource companies, as well as for governance organizations including UNESCO and the Brazilian Government. His experience spans negotiation processes involving intellectual property, cultural and environmental initiatives, and capacity building.Driven by a commitment to knowledge, collaboration, and social responsibility, [His Name] focuses on connecting people to meet challenges and maximize opportunities. He believes that in a world marked by rapid change and growing uncertainty, the renewable resources sector must evolve to remain resilient and impactful.

Karen Greve Young

CEO of Futurpreneur

Karen Greve Young is CEO of Futurpreneur, a national non-profit whose proven loan financing with mentorship model has supported the success of 20,000+ young entrepreneurs since 1996. Building on her global finance and strategy experience, Karen is an accomplished leader dedicated to fostering inclusive economic and social prosperity through new approaches and partnerships. Her pan-Canadian Futurpreneur team is proud of their work helping diverse, young entrepreneurs launch businesses that contribute to sustainable economic development in their communities and for Canada. Karen previously worked at Toronto’s MaRS Discovery District and in San Francisco, New York and London, at organizations including Bain & Company, Gap Inc. and the UK’s Institute of Cancer Research. Karen serves as Chair of the Board of Ovarian Cancer Canada. She holds an MBA from Stanford University and an A.B. in Economics from Harvard University, both with honours.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside Chat at 2pm EST

Gender Lens Investing Panel at 3pm EST (Virtual)

Aline Nizigama

Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Canada

Pamela Uppal-Sandhu

Director of Policy / Interim Co-Executive Director of Ontario Nonprofit Network

Jennifer Boger

Principal, Research, Atomic47 Labs

Jennifer Boger has been an active researcher in the field of intelligent assistive technologies for enhancing the health, safety, well-being, and independence of older adults and people with disabilities for more than two decades. Professor Boger employs transdisciplinary collaboration throughout her research to advance theory and create technologies that reflect the needs, abilities, and contexts of the people using them. A central theme to her research is the development of ambient zero-effort technologies – technologies that operate with little or no effort perceived from the people using them

“Aline Nizigama is the National CEO of YWCA Canada, the country’s oldest and largest gender equity organization. A multilingual leader with deep expertise in public policy, equity, and inclusion, she brings extensive experience across the non-profit, healthcare, and public sectors. Aline holds degrees from the University of Toronto and York University, and an executive certificate from Yale. She is a mother of three, inspired daily by her greatest role model: her own mother. Aline is also a Governor General’s King Charles III Coronation Commemoration medal recipient and a nationally recognized advocate for gender justice and systemic change.”

Over the past 15 years, Pamela has focused on bridging frontline work, research initiatives, and public policy advocacy to shift systems for thriving communities. Her experience is diverse in its breadth and depth: she led a volunteer-run nonprofit as a university student, worked on the frontlines at a multi-service agency, built equity capacity in the sector, and collaborated with academics on multiple gender equity research projects. Currently, she is the Director of Policy and Co-Executive Director (interim) at Ontario Nonprofit Network, where she is building connected nonprofit networks, advancing nonprofit driven public policy, and sparking collective advocacy. She holds a Masters degree in Women Studies & Feminist Research.

Helen Zhou

Manager, Education, SVX

Atieno Otonglo MBA | PMP

Market Development Manager, GSG Impact

Katie Turner

Gender lens investing | Ecosystem development | Systems change

Katie Turner is an independent consultant bringing over 15 years of experience in gender lens investing, ecosystem development, gender-smart technical assistance, blended finance, gender-climate nexus, and program design and development. Her work focuses on shifting financial systems to be more equitable in order to create positive and sustainable change. Katie’s expertise builds on her deep experience across Africa, Asia, and Latin America working with a range of ecosystem actors including impact investors, accelerators, investment and business associations, think tanks, and economic development organizations, and collaborating with funders and ecosystem builders such as GAC, USAID, BII, DFAT, IaDB, Criterion Institute and 2X Global.

Helen is Manager, Education Communications at SVX, where she leads on venture and investor education initiatives, particularly managing the WIN-VC program. WIN-VC is a collaborative of eight (8) organizations across Canada working to create a more equitable venture capital environment through supporting women and non-binary entrepreneurs become investment ready, and providing investor education to drive more capital towards underserved communities. Over the past four (4)+ years at SVX, Helen has developed and led dozens of educational products and initiatives to drive greater learning.

Atieno brings 15 years of investor relations, business development and operations management experience across Africa to the role. Prior to joining GSG Impact, she was Research Director at Asoko Insight, a start-up providing market intelligence and corporate data with a focus on Africa. Previously, Atieno worked in the technology industry and held management roles in Microsoft, Millicom and Vodafone-Safaricom within commercial, strategy and operations business units. Atieno holds an MBA degree from London Business School in the UK.

Curt Lyon

Executive Director of Transform Finance

Curt is a dedicated supporter of social and economic models that create a more equitable world. As Executive Director of Transform Finance, Curt leads the organization’s efforts to mobilize capital towards such models, particularly those that create ownership, wealth, and power for communities who have been neglected such opportunities. Since 2017, he has worked closely with co-founder Andrea Armeni on Transform Finance’s research, narrative-building, and education work that develop cutting-edge trends in impact investment. He has co-authored several flagship reports, including Grassroots Community Engaged Investment and Alternative Ownership Enterprises. Outside of Transform Finance, he organizes for state and local electoral campaigns in New York City and leads fundraising initiatives for local Solidarity Economy initiatives like cooperatives and Community Land Trusts. Curt lives in Queens.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside Chat - November 25th at 5pm EST

Arti Freeman

President and CEO of Definity Foundation

Arti Freeman President and CEO of Definity Foundation, a national philanthropic organization that works with charitable partners across Canada to advance community led solutions that further climate, health, and socio-economic justice. Arti has over 20 years’ experience in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector. Her ability to lead and bring diverse players and sectors together to address systemic challenges speaks to her passion of driving positive social change. Her innovative approaches to high-impact philanthropy have been featured by The Philanthropist and the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. Arti has lived and worked in several countries, including India, the Philippines, Belgium. South Africa, and ultimately made her home in Canada.

SFWF - Virtual Fireside Chat at 6pm EST

Climate Health & Resilience Panel 7pm EST (Virtual)

Dr. Imara Ajani Rolston

Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health at University of Toronto & Founder of the Community Climate Resilience Lab

Dr. Imara Ajani Rolston is a social psychologist, policy maker, and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Director of the Community Climate Resilience Lab. Dr. Rolston has contributed to research and publications in the areas of HIV/AIDS, health promotion and community development and has advanced racial justice and urban responses to climate change with the City of Toronto’s Resilient TO Office and the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit. He currently works in collaboration with his team to advance the Jane Finch Community Development Plan at the City of Toronto. He has over 15 years of experience working across Sub-Saharan Africa with organizations including the Stephen Lewis Foundation, Oxfam Canada, and Greenpeace Africa. Dr Rolston earned a BA in Political Science and a MA in Adult Education from the University of Toronto. He earned his PhD in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Dr Rolston has appeared on the CBC’s The National.

SFWF - Climate Health & Resilience Panel 7pm EST

Stefan Leslie

Chief Executive Officer of Research Nova Scotia (RNS)

Stefan Leslie is the Chief Executive Officer of Research Nova Scotia (RNS), the province's research support organization dedicated to finding new ways to realize public benefit through the research endeavour. Previously, Stefan was the executive director of the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network, a national oceans research network. Within MEOPAR he founded and launched a hybrid grant and crowdfunding model to meaningfully engage the community in research selection. He previously held fisheries management positions in the Canadian and New Zealand governments, is an adept carpenter, competent electrician, decent plumber and passable mechanic.

SFWF - Climate Health & Resilience Panel 7pm EST

Wednesday, November 26th 2025

Lise Birikundavyi, CFA

Managing Partner of BKR Capital

Lise Birikundavyi is the co-founder and managing partner for BKR Capital, the first institutional, black-led VC fund in Canada. Lise is an innovative finance specialist who has worked with several international institutions and acts as guest lecturer for prestigious organization, including Oxford University and the International Olympic Committee Accelerator managed by the Yunus Sports Hub. She began her career in the hedge fund industry in Montreal and her interest in mixing attractive financial returns with long term societal impact is what inspired her to transition to the impact finance sector.

SFWF - Opening Address - 8:00am EST

Jean-Marc Mangin

President & CEO of Philanthropic Foundations

Jean-Marc has been President & CEO of Philanthropic Foundations Canada since 2019. He currently sits on the Government of Canada’s Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector, the Advisory Council for Carleton University’s Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) program, and the management committee of PhiLab, the Canadian Philanthropy Partnership Research Network. Prior to PFC, Jean-Marc led a renewal process of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the largest national organization of Canadian researchers and scholars as its Executive Director.

SFWF25 - Virtual Fireside - 9:00am EST

Systems Thinking & Sustainable Finance Panel -10am EST (Virtual)

Indra Sarju is a social impact and entrepreneurship specialist who has built a global repository of more than 100 innovative financial products across climate, education, health, housing, and agriculture. As Manager of the Future Economy Lab at SecondMuse Capital, she mobilizes blended capital and co-designs instruments with governments, foundations, and financial institutions to expand access for underrepresented entrepreneurs. Her work includes leading the Systems Financing Facility in Zambia with UNDP, where catalytic systems mapping informs energy transition and inclusive growth. She has also partnered with institutions ranging from Goldman Sachs and VISA Foundation to grassroots organisations to channel millions in catalytic capital to ventures worldwide.

Indra Sarju

Manager, Future Economy Lab at SecondMuse Capital

Dr. Maryam Mohiuddin Ahmed

Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream) of Business at the University of Waterloo

Dr. Maryam Mohiuddin Ahmed is an Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream) of Business at the University of Waterloo and the JEDI+A Advocate at the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience. A social innovation scholar-practitioner, her work foregrounds decolonial and relational approaches to entrepreneurship, finance, systems change, and knowledge co-creation. Her research and pedagogy center “dialogues of wisdoms” and plural ways of knowing, doing, and being to reimagine social innovation as a path toward more equitable, regenerative futures. Maryam is also a co‑steward of the Transition Bridges Project (TBP), a collaborative initiative pioneering systems mediation to address the polycrisis. TBP's practice involves acting as intermediaries across actors, scales, and systems to facilitate dialogue, mutual understanding, conflict transformation, and collective action toward resilient, regenerative communities. Maryam completed her PhD in Sustainability Management at the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Environment, where she was named Valedictorian. She also holds an LL.M. in International Law from the University of California, Berkeley, and B.A./LL.B. degrees from LUMS University. She is the co-founder of the Social Innovation Lab, an ecosystem builder for social innovation in South Asia, and Daftarkhwan, the largest co-working space network in Pakistan. Her current work bridges academic inquiry and lived practice through community-engaged learning, critical pedagogy, and systems-mediation experimentation.

Kristin Richard MBA,

Impact Fund Manager EntrepreNorth

Kristin is currently the Impact Fund Manager at EntrepreNorth, where she focuses on reimagining how capital is offered to entrepreneurs in ways that resonate with Indigenous worldviews, values, and ways of life. Her work is deeply rooted in upholding good relationships, ensuring community responsibility, practicing land respect, and promoting economic reciprocity.

Wayne Miranda

Wayne is working towards building a community-led, place-based fund to flow capital to underserved communities in Toronto. Wayne was previously the Founder and CEO of Growth Mosaic, a ‘Best for the World’ B Corporation in West Africa putting to work US$26+ million across 140+ impact ventures in 3 countries, now exited to community under Mirepa Capital. Wayne has experience in social innovation and social finance from the nonprofit, social enterprise, philanthropic, public policy-making, and private sectors.

Director, Social Finance and Impact Investing at Definity Foundation

Mr. Dipo Alli is the executive director of the Black Business Ventures Association (BBVA), a non-profit that works to Discover, educate and mentor Black entrepreneurs. The BBVA serves as a bridge between the Black community and the technology ecosystem by connecting talents Black founders and entrepreneurs to tech and business curriculum, coaching and community, thereby increasing diversity in the tech and innovation ecosystem and positively influencing economic growth and development. The BBVA offers ideation and accelerator programming to provide support to both existing and aspiring Black entrepreneurs.

Partner of the Migr8 Capital

Dipo Alli

Following the Canadian fall economic statement of 2018, Jillisa started her journey in the Social Finance and Social Innovation sectors through her work as the Director of Community Engagement at Social Economy Through Social Inclusion (SETSI). Jillisa’s ecosystem mobilization work raised awareness within the community about the Investment Readiness Program (IRP) and the Social Finance Fund (SFF). Through her work at SETSI Jillisa expanded her skills through the development and facilitation of capacity-building sessions, mentorship incubators, community consultations, roundtables, focus groups and anti-racism training.

Jillisa Brown-Appiah

CEO of Funding Impact

Jess Tomlin

CEO of Equality Fund

Jess Tomlin is a social entrepreneur who has unleashed more than a $1 billion in new funding for human rights movements across the course of her career, working with politicians, leading philanthropists, business leaders and activists across the globe. As CEO of the Equality Fund, she has helped build a global fund that supports feminist movements at the frontlines of driving social change in over 100 countries. She has worked across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Jess was a 2020 Women of Influence and the 2017 Stevie Awards Innovative Woman of the Year.

SFWF25 - Virtual Fireside Chat at 11:15 am EST

Eric Avner

President & CEO of Waterloo Region Community Foundation

As the leader of Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF), Eric Avner is accountable for collaborating with individuals and organizations across Waterloo Region to ensure our communities are equitable, connected, and sustainable; and people are thriving. As President & CEO, Eric has overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations of one of Canada’s most innovative community foundations, and is constantly learning from and partnering with people locally, provincially, and nationally to maximize the possibilities and impact of place-based philanthropy. Eric leads WRCF’s strategic activities linked to its core area of focus: Social Infrastructure. He is uniquely positioned to advance that work drawing from his past experiences in community development finance, public space development and activation, arts & culture partnerships, local media innovation, public policy, urban planning, and heritage conservation. Eric currently serves in leadership roles for ClimateAction Waterloo Region, Verge Capital Breakthrough Fund II, and City of Kitchener’s 2051 Working Group. In 2021, Eric was awarded Fellowship of Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, UK “recognizing outstanding achievements to social progress and development.” He received his B.A. (Geography - Urban Systems) from McGill University and attended Cornell University to pursue an M.A. (Historic Preservation Planning).

SFWF25 - Social Infrastructure at 12:30pm EST

Upkar Arora

CEO Of Rally Assets and Managing Partner of Realize Fund

As CEO of Rally Assets, Upkar is at the forefront of finance, systems change, and social innovation. As a certified B Corporation and Canada’s leading impact investment firm, Rally is dedicated to shifting capital systems to deliver sustainability, equity, and justice for all. Through its subsidiary, Realize Capital Partners, the firm is one of three managers selected to deploy the $400 million Social Finance Fund. Prior to Rally, Upkar worked in finance and leadership roles with some of Canada’s most successful organizations for more than 25 years – building, operating and advising organizations of varying sizes, stages and sectors, domestically and globally, private and public.

SFWF25 - Virtual Fireside Chat at 2:00pm EST

Aatif Baskanderi

Chief Executive Officer, The Northpine Foundation

Aatif Baskanderi is the CEO of The Northpine Foundation, one of the largest private philanthropy foundations in Canada funding to unlock opportunities for Canada’s most underinvested and underserved communities. He is the Co-Founder of Salaam B’y, an anti-racism education initiative built with his wife and health equity physician advocate, Dr. Nazia Sharfuddin, based on a documentary film about his life growing up as a Muslim Newfoundlander. The film has toured internationally, including with the United Nations, screened at over 20 film festivals, won multiple awards and Aatif’s interfaith efforts were recognized by Queen Elizabeth II by being the third Canadian to be awarded Her Majesty The Queen’s Commonwealth Points of Light Award.

SFWF25 - Virtual Fireside at 3:30pm EST

Eric Agyemang

Founder & Managing Partner at Maple Bridge Ventures

Eric is the Founder & Managing Partner of Maple Bridge Ventures, an early-stage VC firm that invests in and champions bold, resilient, and visionary immigrant founders in Canada. A recipient of the Top Forty Under 40 Award in 2024, Eric brings over 15 years of expertise as a global trade finance executive, seasoned board director, and dedicated community leader. Before founding Maple Bridge Ventures, Eric spent nearly a decade at Export Development Canada (EDC), where he helped Canadian companies with revenues up to $100 million expand successfully into foreign markets and spearheaded EDC’s strategic partnerships with Canada’s leading innovation hubs, startup accelerators, and networks.

SFWF25 - Virtual Fireside Chat at 4:45pm EST

Bruce MacDonald

President & CEO at Imagine Canada

Bruce MacDonald is the President & CEO of Imagine Canada. When carnivals and social good combined, it pointed to a path and for 30 years Bruce has been walking that route. From working for organizations that provide services to young people, older adults, persons with disabilities, community service clubs and sports and recreation groups, Bruce's experiences have lead him to Imagine Canada. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada where he participated in a collective effort to bring mentoring programs to kids. Bruce holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Sports Administration from Laurentian University, a Masters in Management in the Voluntary Sector from McGill University and a former record in the Guinness Book of World Records

SFWF - Public Policy Virtual Fireside at 6pm EST

Kristi Fairholm-Mader

Founder of Thrive Impact Fund

Kristi Fairholm Mader has always worked in the social impact sector. After 10 years as a youth worker, she returned to school to complete a business degree, with a focus on social enterprise. Kristi founded and supported several employment social enterprises, and was Director of Social Enterprise for Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network. In 2014, Kristi co-founded Scale Collaborative and the Thriving Non-Profits program, with a focus on supporting organizations to diversify their revenue streams and build assets and abundance. In 2021, Kristi led the launch of Thrive Impact Fund, a BC-focused fund increasing access to financing for non-profits and social enterprises. Kristi is an Alumni of the Just Economy Institute and Oxford’s Impact Finance Innovations Programme. Kristi is also the Managing Director of the Scale Institute, a charity focused on research, education and piloting of innovative social economy solutions.

SFWF - Catalytic Capital Lab - Loan Guarantee Virtual Fireside Chat - 7pm EST

Thursday, November 27th 2025

Keshiv Kaushal

Director of Impact Investing at Propel Impact.

Keshiv is a graduate of Queen’s University with a BComm. (Hons.) in Finance. He has held various roles in impact investing and community economic development over the last 5 years as a consultant as well as at SVX and the County of Lennox & Addington. Keshiv also co-founded the Kingston Propel Impact Fund and has been engaged in multiple community capital initiatives in Eastern Ontario. Keshiv has worked across the impact investing ecosystem, evaluating social enterprise loans and venture investments, working with organizations to design funds and build strategies, consulting directly with impact-driven ventures, running investment readiness programming for social enterprises, and raising capital for funds and impact investment products (like Manitoba’s first SIB focused on Indigenous youth in the justice system). Keshiv has successfully passed his Level I CFA exam and holds his CSC and SASB FSA credentials.

SFWF25 - Mobilizing Capital with Post Secondary Institutions at 8am EST

Conferences in Canada Dialogue & Deliberation Panel at 9am EST (Virtual)

Brad Offman is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Greater Purpose, a membership-based community of businesses that lead with purpose and impact. He is the former Chief Executive Officer at Spire Philanthropy, a management consultancy founded in 2014 specializing in corporate partnerships and philanthropic advisory services. Brad is also a co-founder and Chief Curator of the Partnership Conference and Social Impact Professionals Canada which now form part of Greater Purpose. Brad is the former Senior Vice President, Strategic Philanthropy at Mackenzie Investments, former President of the Mackenzie Investments Charitable Foundation and Managing Director of the Mackenzie Charitable Giving Program.. Prior to joining Mackenzie, Brad served as Vice President, Development at the Toronto Community Foundation. Brad sits on the Board of Directors of the V-42 Foundation and Benefaction Foundation. He is a past member of the National Advisory Council for Imagine Canada and a past board member of Philanthropic Foundations Canada, CAGP Foundation and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Brad holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration and a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Toronto and a First Class Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree from McGill University in Montreal. He also proudly holds the Master Financial Advisor – Philanthropy designation.

Brad Offman

Ryan O’Neil Knight

Anouk Bertner

Anouk has worked in social enterprises, non-profits, and sustainability for the past 15 years. She loves to tackle complex problems with system thinking to tease out new win-win solutions. Anouk is currently the Executive Director of EcoEquitable, a female-centric organisation that works primarily with vulnerable and visible minority women. EcoEquitable is the recipient of the United Way’s 2018 Community Builder of Year Award in Poverty to Possibility and the 2019 Best Performance in Social Entrepreneurship by the Best of Ottawa Business Awards.

Ryan has built multiple businesses over the last 10 years and spends a great deal of his time leading and mentoring young entrepreneurs. After starting Detailing Knights, a mobile waterless car cleaning company, Ryan was able to launch his first youth entrepreneurship program called Knighthood Academy. Knighthood Academy was designed to help underestimated youth in the community develop their leadership skills through an entrepreneurship bootcamp.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Greater Purpose

Executive Director of Future of Good

Executive Director Of ACBN

Amanuel Melles

Louise Adongo

Louise Adongo is a bold and grounded leader with 15+ years' experience in systems change, policy, evaluation, strategic planning and governance. She is founder of Caprivian Strip Inc (CSI) and a co-steward with the Transition. She brings care and intention to uncovering the roots of tangled problems; enabling shifts to greater resilience, sustainability and impact. She believes that co-creating more nimble, transparent and creative institutional spaces is key to the reinvention that we have learned through our most recent pandemic that we all need.

Amanuel melles (aman) is the Executive Director of the Network for Advancement of Black Communities (NABC) at York University and Principal of Aman Consulting. He brings more than 25 years of senior management experience and expertise in settlement and immigration, community health, community development, community peacebuilding, funding and philanthropy. aman held various senior roles with OCASI, Lawrence Heights Community Health Centre, Family Service Toronto and United Way Toronto (UWT).

Principal Consultant at Caprivian Strip INC

Executive Director of the Network for Advancement of Black Communities (NABC)

André Vashist

Director Of Learning, Philanthropic Foundations Canada

I am a facilitator of multi-stakeholder and complex collaborations that support an inclusive, sustainable and resilient community through work with Pillar Nonprofit Network as the Director of Social Innovation. We are learning how to support initiatives that facilitate adaptive and meaningful collaborations between government, academic, business, finance and nonprofit sectors, such as: Women of Ontario Social Enterprise Network, Libro Social Enterprise Incubator, VERGE Capital, Impact Consulting and CityStudio London.

Community Impact Bonds Panel at 11:00am EST (Virtual)

Amma Lartey

CEO of Impact Investing Ghana

Amma is CEO of Impact Investing Ghana an initiative to mobilize $1billion in funds for impact investing in Ghana and West Africa. She is co-founder and board chair of Social Enterprise Ghana (SE Ghana), the association for organizations in the social enterprise sector in Ghana. Social Enterprises are businesses that are set up to solve a social or environmental problem. SE Ghana supports its members to grow their businesses, works to increase funding for social enterprises, advocates for policy and action by government and other stakeholders and conducts research to inform policy and action. She is a board member and led the Africa region of Reach for Change - a Venture Philanthropist that runs accelerators, incubators and hubs for social enterprises in key growth markets including Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia Rwanda, Tanzania, DRC and Chad.

SFWF25 - Community Impact Bonds Panel at 11:00am EST

Suzanne Faiza

Knowledge Lead at Tapestry Community Capital

Suzanne Faiza is an urban planner and community finance practitioner and researcher based in Montreal, Canada. As Knowledge Lead at Tapestry Community Capital, she builds practical tools and insights to strengthen community-driven finance models, such as community bonds. Suzanne works to create partnerships that empower local organizations to achieve their goals and unlock new opportunities for investment and growth. Previously, Suzanne served as the Project Coordinator for Fairbnb Coop Canada and supported grassroots efforts through Coming Together Vancouver, a mutual aid initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is committed to fostering innovative, results-oriented solutions that promote sustainable economic development and community self-reliance.

SFWF25 - Community Impact Bonds Panel at 11:00am EST

Julia Grady

Co-Founder of 10C Shared Space (10C)

Julia is a placemaker and builder of community-based social infrastructure, integrating social, physical, and financial platforms for community benefit. 10C manages a $2.75M real-estate backed community bond that financed its 2016 expansion, engaged 140 social impact investors, and now generates over $100K in annual local returns and has driven a 17X organizational growth. Building on this, 10C launched Harvest Impact, a community-based fund investing in food, farm, and environment entrepreneurs with a focus on the circular economy. Julia is passionate about community wealth building, social entrepreneurship, and the economies of place––and seeks to show the potential of social finance and social enterprise through locally and nationally relevant changemaking projects.

SFWF25 - Community Impact Bonds Panel at 11:00am EST

Presentation at 1pm EST (Virtual)

This presentation will articulates the business and macro cases for EO - including profit-sharing - in SSA, as well as opportunities, challenges, a legal review, case studies, emerging best practices, and other useful guidance. At the heart of the playbook is a belief that EO has the potential to build more inclusive and resilient economies, not only in markets like the US, Canada, and the UK, where EO is gaining traction, but also in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), where wealth concentration and economic inequality remain deeply entrenched challenges across and within countries. The African continent has only 1.2% of the global wealth, but 16.7% of the global population. The richest 0.0001% in the continent own 40% of the continent’s entire wealth. The largest and strongest economies in SSA are also the most unequal. By giving workers a direct stake in the businesses they help build and sustain, EO offers a transformative pathway toward long-term prosperity, improved business performance through aligned incentives, and stronger, as well as more resilient communities and international relations.

Co-Founder & Executive Director, Predistribution Initiative

Delilah Rothenberg

Presentation on the Investor Playbook on Employee Ownership (EO) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)

Catalytic Capital in Canada Panel at 2:00pm EST (Virtual)

Wendy Cooper

Graham Singh

Graham is Relèven’s founder and CEO. For the past 20 years, he has specialized in working with closed churches, including as a Priest in the Anglican Church in England and Canada. He is a regular speaker and author in areas of urbanism, social finance, heritage, adaptive re-use of churches and social purpose real estate.

Since 2019, Wendy has served as the Co-CEO of Dragonfly Ventures, a purpose-driven single-family office investing in the resilience and prosperity of people and communities dedicated to the wellbeing of humanity and our planet. Prior to joining Dragonfly Ventures, Wendy worked in the charitable and philanthropic sector for nearly two decades at a community, regional, and national level supporting a range of areas including land conservation, Indigenous youth leadership, freshwater health, and toxic elimination.

CEO of Relevan

Drangon Fly Ventures

Adam Spence

CEO, Co-Founder and Director of Social Venture Connexion (SVX)

Adam Spence is the CEO, Co-Founder and Director of Social Venture Connexion (SVX). Adam helped startup VERGE Capital, the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, B Lab Canada, the MaRS Catalyst Fund (now Amplify Capital), and the School for Social Entrepreneurs – Ontario. He was Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) and he led a number of higher education and training organizations. Adam has spoken to audiences across the country on issues related to education, poverty, and impact investing and he has been featured in numerous media outlets, including CNN, TVO, CTV, CBC Television and Radio, BNN, Forbes, GlobalTV, the Toronto Star, the Financial Post, and the Globe & Mail

Credit Unions, Philanthropy & Social Impact in Canada Panel at 3:30pm EST (Virtual)

Genesa Greening

Susan Henry

Susan Henry has over 25 years’ experience working with underserved, underrepresented individuals and communities. Her passion and dedication focus on the foundation of “Financial Inclusion for all”. Susan was instrumental in leading the launch of Alterna Savings’ award-winning Community Microfinance Program and the Community Loan Funds Partnership Programs. Since its inception in 2000, over $9.9 million in loans have been disbursed, directly improving the economic participation of underserved communities and groups such as BIPOC, new and racialized Canadians, women, and others who face barriers to financing.

Genesa is an unapologetic feminist and social justice advocate at her core. She has committed her 25-year career as a leader in the non-profit sector to catalyzing community change, sparking innovation, and developing deep and lasting relationships that will see our communities transformed. As the CEO of the Vancity Community Foundation Genesa has been tasked to facilitate systemic change by leveraging the Foundation’s assets to address the disproportionate impacts of a lack of affordability and climate change on communities pushed into the margins.

Director of Community Impact & Financial Inclusion at Alterna Savings

CEO of the Vancity Community Foundation

Keith Taylor

Executive Director, DUCA Impact Lab

Keith Taylor is the founding Executive Director of The DUCA Impact Lab, a social finance innovation hub founded by DUCA Credit Union. The Impact Lab works as a lever for leveraging emerging technology and community-based insight to build banking models that benefit all members of the community. During his career at DUCA, he has led the development of Canada’s first social purpose mortgage product, the emergence of DUCA as Toronto’s first living wage employer and the certification of DUCA as the first B-Corp Credit Union in the world. rior to DUCA, Keith worked as strategic advisor to a group of companies accounting for over $500 million of community investment annually. He started his career in international development working in development finance for community owned businesses in the Caribbean. Keith is a League of Intrapreneurs Fellow and active member of the BMW Foundations Responsible Leaders network. He serves as Board Chair for Social Value Canada and on the Advisory Committee of New Power Labs. He holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a BA from Saint Francis Xavier University. He is a proud father of twin girls and resides in Hamilton, Ontario.”

Jay-Ann Gilfoy

CEO of Meridian Credit Union

Jay-Ann Gilfoy joined Meridian as President & CEO on January 3, 2022. She is focused on leveraging Meridian’s unique value proposition to transform the business, achieve its winning aspiration and secure its future. In collaboration with the Board and senior management, she is responsible for articulating the organization’s strategy and delivering on its purpose on helping Members and customers achieve a better life, while growing the business. Jay-Ann’s wealth of business transformation, social impact and leadership expertise has been cultivated over more than 20 years as a senior executive in a broad range of roles and experiences in the private and public sector, and co-operative financial services.

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat at 5pm EST

Islamic Finance Innovation Panel at 6pm EST

Filsan Farah

Sheeza Shah

Sheeza Shah is founder of UpEffect, a tech for good platform and consultancy designing equitable funding tools and instruments for social impact ventures. She also serves as the co-executive director of Catalyst, a network of people and organisations advancing the tech justice movement. In 2022, Sheeza launched the Zebra Solidarity Fund for Zebras Unite, a cooperative funding pot inspired by the Islamic Zakat framework of a 2.5% wealth tax. She is currently developing Rafa’ (رفع), an innovative financing instrument designed to restore the original principles of Islamic economics and advance investments in people, planet and the global majority.

Filsan Farah is the Fund Manager of Weave Community Capital Fund, Canada’s first diversified product dedicated to investing in issuers of community bonds. She previously worked at SVX as Senior Associate of Fund Design and Management, where she managed VERGE Capital. Her work is grounded in the belief that capital should be more equitably distributed and aligned with community priorities. Filsan is passionate about advancing Islamic finance in Canada with the Awqaf London Foundation and using Web3 and decentralized systems with SuperBenefit DAO to reimagine and redistribute power within philanthropy and impact investing. Filsan is dedicated to reshaping financial systems so they are inclusive, sustainable, and rooted in community

Founder of UpEffect

Fund Manager of Weave Community Capital Fund

Omar Yaqub

Servant of Servant of the IslamicFamily

Omar Yaqub DSL ICD.D MBA BSc (@somaryaqub X, LinkedIn), serves the team at IslamicFamily, a social change organization that is disrupting systemic inequity through service, research & beauty. During his time with IslamicFamily the organization has become a multi-award winning Imagine Canada & Great Places to Work accredited charity. He is a former Historian Co-Laureate for the City of Edmonton & past instructor in the MBA program at the University of Alberta. He has two decades of experience in the for-benefit sector. Omar has been awarded a Doctor of Sacred Letters from St Stephen’s College, EMCN’s RISE award for Community Leadership, and the University of Alberta’s Co-op Mentorship Award. He is a settler on Treaty 6.

Friday, November 28th

Future of Philanthropy Panel at 9am EST (Virtual)

Liban Abokor

Duke Chang

Duke Chang serves as the President and CEO of CanadaHelps where he is dedicated to help modernize charitable giving and equipping charities of all sizes with the tools they need to succeed in a digital-first world. With more than 25 years of experience in financial services and technology, he has built a career on delivering innovative solutions that solve real-world challenges and drive meaningful results. Duke is passionate about empowering Canadians to support their favourite causes and helping charities across the country grow their impact through digital transformation.

Liban Abokor is a non-profit executive with over 15 years of experience in developing high-impact initiatives in education, employment, healthcare, housing, and social service.  He is presently the Managing Director of Reimagine LABS, a social innovation lab that assists social and public sector organizations evolve their strategic goals into well-designed programs. He is also a co-author of the report Unfunded: Black Communities Overlooked by Canadian Philanthropy, which highlighted the inequitable funding of Black communities by Canada’s philanthropic sector.

President and Chief Executive Officer at CanadaHelps

Co-Founder of Foundation for Black Communities

Jane Rabinowicz

President and CEO of McConnell Foundation

Jane Rabinowicz was named president and CEO of the McConnell Foundation in August 2024. Jane has served as Chief Program Officer at the Foundation since 2021, supporting partners taking action on climate change, reconciliation and Indigenous leadership, and working to decrease systemic barriers faced by equity-deserving groups. Prior to joining McConnell, Jane worked in nonprofit organizations for 20 years, primarily in the fields of seed and food sovereignty. She held leadership roles with organizations including Santropol Roulant, Equiterre and SeedChange, and has extensive governance experience on the Boards of Directors of the Clean Economy Fund, the Foundation of Greater Montreal, MakeWay, Centraide du Grand-Montréal, and others.

AI & Social Impact Panel at 11:00am EST (Virtual)

Lynnsey Chartrand

Tamar Huggins

Tamar Huggins is a Canadian tech entrepreneur, author, and educator, based in Toronto. She is a trailblazer for diversity, equity, and inclusion in tech education and pioneered the development of the Black tech ecosystem in Canada. Tamar is an accomplished multi-hyphenate who has made significant contributions to the field of technology. Tamar’s passion for innovation and technology became evident early as she watched her father build computers from scratch without formal computer engineering experience. Throughout her life, she has embraced challenges, pushed boundaries, and carved a path of excellence for herself.

Lynnsey works with Branches in Enrolment Services as its advisor for Indigenous initiatives, including the IMPRESS program. In this capacity, she is committed to working collaboratively to increase access and remove barriers to higher education for Indigenous students. Prior to working with Branches, Lynnsey spent six years doing policy work within the innovation sector, including on issues related to equity, diversity and inclusion within higher education. Lynnsey’s background is in Sociology, where she specialized in citizenship, nationalism and state violence. In particular, Lynnsey's research focused on the state's use of education as a tool to inculcate Indigenous and African American students into their citizenship roles.

Indigenous Projects Manager at MILA

Deepa Chaudhary

Founder of GrantOrb

Deepa works at the intersection of technology, nonprofits, and fundraising. She has navigated the entire spectrum of the grant process, from writing winning proposals to allocating grants. Having raised millions in grants from prestigious foundations, including Rockefeller, Ford, Salesforce, Filecoin, Lien Foundation, and the Government of Singapore. Previously, she worked with the Salesforce Foundation and co-founded United Way Mumbai.

CEO of Tech Spark AI

Michelle Baldwin

Alex Tveit

Alex Tveit (CA) is a systems-focused leader advancing community empowerment and inclusive innovation. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Sustainable Impact Foundation, Emerging Technology Fellow at Community Foundations of Canada, and serves on boards spanning climate, democratic deliberation, healthcare, and other impact areas. His work integrates systems thinking with community-centered approaches, addressing complex challenges through collaboration and knowledge sharing. With a strong focus on shifting power dynamics and ensuring technology contributes positively to society, Alex champions equity-driven innovation and partnerships that foster resilience and systemic change.

Michelle Baldwin is focused on reimagining capital and technology for community-led futures. Currently, Michelle is collaborating with social impact projects including as a Senior Associate with Equity Cubed, where they provide fractional executive leadership to social innovators and early-stage startups, helping them maximize both social and financial returns. Previously, Michelle served as Senior Advisor, Transformation at Community Foundations of Canada, where she worked at the intersection of capital, philanthropy, and systems change – unlocking potential for futures where everyone belongs. She is now deeply exploring how emerging technologies including AI, Web3, and blockchain—can redistribute power, reimagine philanthropy, and shift systems to center community agency. Michelle is also on faculty at Huron University College in the Governance, Leadership, and Ethics program, where she brings a focus on tech, social impact and systems stewardship. As former Executive Director of Pillar Nonprofit Network, Michelle led work to amplify the positive impact of individuals, organizations, and social enterprises. She was instrumental in co-founding Innovation Works, a collaborative space for social innovation, and VERGE Capital, a social finance intermediary serving Southwestern Ontario. Michelle is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of the Wasan Network, and a recipient of the YMCA Women of Excellence Award in Business and the Professions. You can often find Michelle outdoors collecting beach glass, hiking, biking, snowshoeing—or joyfully playing and being a big kid with her granddaughters.

Equity Cubed, Associate

Norman Valdez

Leader in AI innovation, ethics, and policy | CEO of BrainTrainr | CFC Fellow | Member of RSA and CAIDP | Committed to digital equity

Norman Valdez, FRSA is a technology leader, educator, and social impact strategist. He serves as Director of Technology, Marketing & Communications at CERIC, Emerging Technology Fellow at Community Foundations of Canada, and CEO & Co-Founder of BrainTrainr, a nonprofit democratizing AI education. A Fellow of the RSA and a member of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, Norman works at the intersection of AI, ethics, and digital equity, helping organizations and communities thrive in an AI-driven world

Co-Founder and CEO of Sustainable Impact Foundation,

Aunnie Patton Power

Academic (Oxford, LSE), Author (Adventure Finance), Advisor (The ImPact, BEAM network, Jumo, Nyala Venture), Angel Investor (Dazzle), Founder (Impact Finance Pro)

Aunnie Patton Power works at the forefront of innovative finance, catalyzing inclusive and fit-for-purpose models that unlock systemic change. She is the Founding Director of the Innovative Finance Initiative (IFI), Associate Fellow at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, Visiting Fellow at LSE’s Marshall Institute, Impact Fellow at The ImPact, and Academic Director of the BEAM Network. Aunnie sits on the investment committee of Nyala Venture, and serves on the Social and Ethics Committee of JUMO. She is also the founder of Impact Finance Pro and a founding member of Dazzle Angels, advancing gender-lens investing. Her first book, Adventure Finance (2021), introduced practical tools and bold ideas for mobilizing capital to start-ups through innovative deal structures. She is working on her second book on innovative fund structures for impact. A former M&A banker turned “adventure financier,” Aunnie began her impact journey in India and has since worked across five continents with investors, entrepreneurs, governments, and development finance institutions.

SFWF25 - Virtual Fireside Chat at 1:00pm EST

Alasdair Maclay

Managing Director of GSG Impact

Alasdair was the Director of Strategy at the Rhodes Trust from 2014-2019, leading on over £300m of philanthropic fundraising, driving international expansion across Africa and Asia, and building strategic operating partnerships. He has over 20 years’ experience in financial services, with a focus on emerging markets investment. After joining CDC, Alasdair spent over a decade at Actis, the emerging markets private equity fund manager. He previously worked for Sovereign Capital, the UK private equity firm, and Bain and Company, the global consulting firm.

SFWF25 - Virtual Firside Chat at 2:00pm EST

Virtual Fireside on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisitions at 3pm EST

Scott Stirrett

Founder and CEO of Venture for Canada

Melizia Mensah

Managing Director of Sisters in Solidarity

Coro Strandberg

Chair, Canadian Purpose Economy Project

Coro Strandberg is Co-founder and Chair of the Canadian Purpose Economy Project and President of Strandberg Consulting. She is an influential social purpose and sustainability / ESG strategist and thought leader, and a Canadian trailblazer and visionary in marketplace innovation to advance social, environmental, and financial progress. Coro has contributed to the evolving field of social purpose, social finance and sustainability for more than 35 years. She works with boards, businesses, governments, and industry associations to create strategies and pursue business models to solve society’s problems and address social and environmental risks and opportunities that propel society towards a sustainable future. Through the Canadian Purpose Economy Project, she is helping to build a national movement of purpose-led businesses, making social purpose business mainstream. This work involves building the social purpose field and ecosystem, in partnership with business schools, investors, boards, funders, ecosystem builders, and industry groups. The vision is that all business will have a social purpose as their reason to exist, they will be implementing it authentically and impactfully, disclosing on it, and collaborating with others to achieve it. These businesses unlock all their assets for social good, attracting capital, partners, talent and opportunities to grow and amplify their impact. The Project is developing a Canadian model to be scaled and exported globally.

SFWF25 - Virtual Firside Chat at 4:00pm EST

Vanessa Paesani

Executive Director of the Pond-Deshpande Centre (PDC)

Vanessa Paesani is the Executive Director of the Pond-Deshpande Centre (PDC) at the University of New Brunswick, where she leads initiatives to drive social innovation and systems change. With over 15 years of experience driving outcomes in the social impact sector, Vanessa is dedicated to advancing inclusive workforce development, civic innovation, and just economic systems. As a certified executive coach and currently studying a Master of Arts in Executive and Organizational Coaching, Vanessa is passionate about empowering leaders and organizations to navigate complex challenges and create lasting impact. Under her leadership, PDC is fostering a more equitable economy through collaborative, cross-sector initiatives that address pressing socio-economic issues. Vanessa dedicates her volunteer efforts to advancing entrepreneurship and environmental stewardship, championing initiatives that drive positive, systemic change in these areas.

SFWF25 - Friday November 28th at 5pm EST

Arts, Culture & Social Finance Panel at 6:00pm EST (Virtual)

Thomas Cumberbatch

CEO/Chief Strategist at Godzspeed Communications

The CEO/Chief Strategist at Godzspeed Communications, a growth strategy and creative firm specializing in unearthing and illuminating the souls of brands with purpose. Our vision is "a love affair between brands and communities" and our company is founded upon the principle that brands are individuals NOT institutions. I believe that the anatomy of business needs change, and that purpose driven brands are leading the way in modelling a more sustainable, impactful contribution to the human experience. I believe that the soul is the key to unveiling the ethos of a brand, and the catalyst to creating bridges of understanding between people and communities. The more meaningful brands are, the more inclusive our communities become.

Robin Sokoloski

Director of Programs & Research, Mass Culture

Robin (she/her) is a Tkaronto/Toronto–based arts and culture leader with 20+ years of experience driving collaboration, research, and innovation in the sector. As Director of Research and Programming at Mass Culture, she works with academics, funders, and practitioners to create and mobilize community-informed research that strengthens the arts ecosystem. Robin has led Research in Residence: Arts’ Civic Impact, developing three qualitative frameworks that help organizations understand their civic impact, and spearheads initiatives like the Evaluative Thinking Initiative and DNA: Data Narratives for the Arts, advancing reflection, learning, and data practices across the sector. Beyond Mass Culture, Robin sits on the Boards of the Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Metropolitan University’s Centre for Free Expression, and is a faculty member for the Banff Centre's Cultural Leadership Program.

Liz Forsberg

Partnerships Lead - Impact, Ontario Trillium Foundation

Liz Forsberg is the Bilingual Partnerships Lead – Impact at the Ontario Trillium Foundation where she develops strategic partnerships to build capacity and infrastructure at a systems level across Ontario’s nonprofit sector. Prior to joining OTF 9 years ago, she worked in nonprofits focused on the arts, community development, mental health, and the environment in a variety of roles ranging from front line worker to executive director. She is a passionate champion for the role nonprofits play in building vibrant communities.

Jess Housty

Co-lead of the Right Relations Collaborative

Cúagilákv (Jess Housty) is Co-lead of the Right Relations Collaborative, a parent, writer, and community organizer from the community of Bella Bella, Canada. They bring their life experience and mixed settler and Heiltsuk ancestry to bear on work related to food security, land-based healing and education, and community-led social change. Jess is the parent of two Heiltsuk children and is privileged to raise them on the land and in their culture surrounded by their extended Heiltsuk family and non-human kin.

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat with Jess Housty at 7pm EST

Kim Hardy

Co-lead of the Right Relations Collaborative

Kim Hardy is a settler of Scottish and Northumberland ancestry living in the homelands of SENĆOŦEN speaking people (North Saanich, BC, Canada) where she Co-lead's the Right Relations Collaborative. With roots in community and co-op development, Kim has worked boldly at the intersection of philanthropy, investments and Indigenous communities for the last 25 years. An Integrated Capital Practitioner, Kim works with money holders, change makers and community organizers to collaborate around and activate capital towards a just economy. Kim values learning/unlearning, correcting conventional power dynamics and cultivating awareness and healing in the financial service sector towards equity and ecological resilience.

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat with Kim Hardy at 7pm EST

Saturday, November 29th

Shady Hafez

Programs Manager At The National Association Of Friendship Centers

The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) is pleased to announce the promotion of Shady Hafez to the role of Programs Manager. Mr. Hafez is Algonquin Anishinabe from Kitigan Zibi Anishnabeg and has worked at the NAFC on both research and program files, most recently as the Special Projects Advisor working on Infrastructure and the Investment Readiness Program. Shady is also a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Toronto, and a Research Fellow at the Yellowhead Institute. Hafez will focus on moving the Programs teams projects ahead as we grow and continue to provide the best support to the Friendship Centre Movement. "Shady has been a valuable member of the Programs team since 2019.

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat - Saturday, November 29th at 11:00am EST

Jonah Chininga

Co-Founder & CEO at Woveo

Jonah Chininga, Founder & CEO of Woveo. Woveo is a Community Wallet, aiming to offer credit building and rotating savings for new immigrants. The goal? Allow them the chance to build a strong financial foundation– a task which is currently incredibly challenging. Jonah began the company in 2020, after experiencing his future customers’ pain points firsthand as a new immigrant. Originally called MICC, Woveo (a name inspired by woven tapestries) has been through what Jonah calls ‘growing pains’. They’ve evolved as a company not only in their name and branding, but also in their approach to solving problems. During the journey of building Woveo, Jonah was on the lookout for accelerator programs specific to fintech, which is how he found IFH Lab in 2021. Searching for support in many areas, Jonah and the Woveo team were able to leverage IFH Lab’s network of industry expertise, regulators, lawyers, and other founders.

SFWF25 -Virtual Fireside Chat at Noon EST

Philanthropic Asset Management Panel at 1:00pm EST (Virtual)

Mritunjay (MJ) Sinha

Chief Investment Officer, BC Rental Protection

Mritunjay (MJ) Sinha, Independent Impact & Responsible Investment Consultant and Advisor for his consistent leadership and solidarity. An engineer and MBA by education, and an impact and responsible investor by profession, Mritunjay (MJ) Sinha aimed to use his skills, experiences, and education to assist in building a fair, just, and equitable world. Mritunjay (MJ) Sinha has experience consulting for a global oil major and thereafter implementing micro-finance and livelihood projects in rural India. Mritunjay (MJ) Sinha supported the impact investment lifecycle at a healthcare innovation fund, and assisted on strategy & innovation projects for the office of a CXO at a Canadian major.

Alia Abaya

CEO, Circle Community LandTrust

Alia Abaya is a highly collaborative and strategic leader with expertise in the areas of community development, social finance, and cross-sector and stakeholder engagement. Ms. Abaya is passionate about improving social and economic inclusion through initiatives that capture emerging opportunities while maintaining operational integrity. Her work is currently focused on Affordable Housing as the CEO of Circle Community LandTrust. Ms. Abaya comes to Circle with over a decade of leadership experience acquired in both the not-for-profit, and financial services sectors.

Carla Leon

President & CEO of Just Like Family Home Care

Carla Langhorst is an innovator. When approached with the opportunity to join Just Like Family Home Care, she spearheaded the first social acquisition by charities in Canada. With her vision, Just Like Family Home Care has been transformed into a Social Enterprise, directing the majority of profits to charities. Throughout her career, Carla has provided leadership, coaching, mentorship, and education to thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners—experience she brings to Just Like Family Home Care. She is dedicated to making a social impact, transforming home care across Canada for franchise owners and the families they support. Carla holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of British Columbia. Carla believes that true success comes through collaboration. She has a long history of building partnerships that strengthen organizations and empower people. Her greatest satisfaction comes from using her skills to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others

Crystal Thompkins

Director, Strategic Impact Crystal at Daylight Advisors

A Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® and Certified Specialist in Planned Giving with over 20 years of experience in planned giving program management, Crystal brings a depth of expertise in nonprofit and family legacy planning. Crystal most recently served as Head of Philanthropic Solutions for BNY Mellon Wealth Management leading the national strategy and thought leadership for the firm’s philanthropic businesses. Crystal was the direct manager of the planned giving business responsible for the administration and organizational support of over 100 national nonprofit planned giving programs, leveraging her extensive experience in charitable tax preparation, operations, and fiduciary services.

Cathy Taylor (she/her) is an experienced leader whose belief in the power of networks and passion for public policy has translated into over 30 years of work and advocacy for nonprofits and charities locally, provincially and nationally. Cathy joined the Lawson Foundation as President and CEO in April 2024. She previously served as the Executive Director at the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) for 12 years, before which she was the founding Executive Director of the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington.

CEO of the Lawson Foundation

Cathy Taylor

Nancy Perry Dossous

Partnerships at Community Foundations Canada (CFC)

Nancy, the Director of Partnerships at Community Foundations Canada (CFC), enriches the team with her background in social services and healthcare philanthropy, bringing valuable knowledge in fostering community impact. Having joined CFC in 2024, she leads the development and implementation of CFC’s innovative partnership strategy, collaborating with corporate, philanthropic and government partners to drive CFC’s mission through impactful financial and non-financial contributions.

Entrepreneurship & Impact Investing Panel at 3:00pm EST (Virtual)

Melisa Ellis

Rusul Alrubail

The founder and Executive Director of Parkdale Centre for Innovation. I founded Parkdale Centre in 2017, a leading not-for-profit incubator and accelerator on a mission to create a more inclusive innovation economy for underestimated entrepreneurs. Parkdale Centre supports early-stage entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups, such as women, newcomers, and racialized communities, to start and grow their businesses, and since then has supported over 1500 entrepreneurs and community members. With over 10 years of experience in education, writing, and community engagement, I have a passion for creating opportunities and pathways for diverse and talented individuals to access the innovation, tech, and entrepreneurship sectors.

Melisa Ellis is an award-winning philanthropist, technology professional, and the Founder & CEO of Nobellum Enterprise, a social and technology enterprise with a mandate to support the startup of at least 100 Black-owned businesses in STEM by 2025. In recognition of her amazing work, Melisa was recently awarded the BMO Black Tech Community Builder of the Year and “Alumni of the Year” by the University of Toronto Scarborough.

Executive Director of Parkdale Centre for Innovation

Founder and CEO of Nobellum

Alfred Burgesson

Founder and CEO of Tribe Network

Alfred Burgesson is the founder and CEO of Tribe Network, an organization that supports Black, Indigenous and people of colour who are pursuing entrepreneurship. Born in Ghana and raised in Nova Scotia, Alfred is a thoughtful leader who enjoys social entrepreneurship and is passionate about building bridges between people, places and ideas. Alfred’s unique talents include convening leaders, and an ability to launch grassroots movements and coalitions while utilizing digital tools and technology platforms. Alfred is an active leader in the Halifax community and is passionate about entrepreneurship, youth engagement, and employment. Burgesson has experience advising local community groups, non-profit organizations, and government/crown corporations and he’s been an advisor to many leaders in Canada, including the Prime Minister, Senators, and First Nation Chiefs.

Olu Villasa

Sarah Juma

Sarah Juma is a serial entrepreneur and champion for diversity and inclusion. While developing StyleID, a mobile app that identifies items worn and seen on screen, she discovered a severe lack of programs, mentors and support that took into account her unique perspective as a woman of color. She therefore launched Innovate Inclusion to advocate for the economic success of tech talent and entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities and was recently honored as one of Canada’s top 25 Women of Influence.

Olu Villasa is the manager of the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance, a nonprofit business incubator with the mission of amplifying and advancing the next generation of Black entrepreneurs and professionals. Olu has over ten years of professional experience in community planning and local economic development, leading several innovative projects that address economic inclusion, building community infrastructure and supporting the growth of minority-owned retail businesses.

Founder & Director of Innovate Inclusion

Program Manager Of The Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA)

Brad Andrews

Social Impact Investor at UCeed

Brad provides support for Innovate Calgary’s social innovation portfolio. This work includes the development and delivery of impact-focused programs for students and researchers, as well as engaging with stakeholders to help develop the local ecosystem. Brad works to support ventures at all stages of the innovation process, and challenges them towards providing real impact in the community.

Linda Best

Founder of FarmWorks, Chair Friends of Agriculture in NS, & Medical Microbiologist

Linda Best grew up on a farm in the Annapolis Valley. Since graduating from Acadia University in 1966 she has been involved with the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Halifax as a Medical Microbiologist (1966 – 1995), Medical Researcher and author of peer-reviewed Gastroenterology papers and presenter at Research Conferences (1995 – 2012) and as a Director of the Capital District Health Authority (2001 – 2005). For twelve years she operated Alderbrook apple orchard on weekends while working at the hospital. She founded Frame Plus Art which grew to three stores, a production facility and 10 employees. She served as a Director of Sutton Gardens Condominium Corporation for twelve years.

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat at 5:00pm EST

Sunday , November 30th

Elena Yugai

Executive Director of the Table of Impact Investment Practitioners

Elena Yugai has served as an Investment Manager and Director of Advisory Services at Helder Ventures, an impact investment firm. She has lead incubation strategies and investment activities in immigrant, refugee and women-led social enterprises. Elena serves as a Strategic Advisor to Groundswell, Social Ventures Mentor at e@UBC serves as an advisor to SFU Radius Refugee Livelihood Lab, member of the Pacific Impact Investor Network, and has been named one of BC’s Most Influential Women in Tech – STEM Stars 2018 by BC Magazine for her work advocating for and supporting women in technology.

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat at 10:00am EST

Kayla Isabelle

CEO of Startup Canada

As CEO of Startup Canada, Kayla has dedicated her career to supporting entrepreneurs and is passionate about leveraging the power of storytelling in the business community, particularly for women entrepreneurs, as the host of the Startup Women Podcast. Kayla is also the Founding Executive Director of the Innovators and Entrepreneurs Foundation, Board Member at the Ottawa Board of Trade, Past-President of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Ottawa Chapter, and Board Member at StartUP Sault Ste. Marie. “I am honoured to have been selected as a recipient of the 2023 Changemakers award and to be amongst such great company with my fellow recipients,” says Kayla Isabelle. “Every day, I get to work with and hear from the incredible people that make up Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and be a part of the many changes being made to make Canada the best place to start a business.”

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat at 11:00am EST

Implementation of the Canada—Africa Strategy Panel at 1:00pm EST (Virtual)

Minerva Saddler Gray

Tapfuma Musewe

Tapfuma Musewe is a trade and investment executive dedicated to increasing the connectivity between African markets and other regions of the world. Having grown up a Canadian citizen, his passion led him to spend most of his working life across Africa. He began in community development, then pivoted to
entrepreneurship and established a couple of companies including a logistics company that moved. FMCG’s for a blue-chip company. He then worked in market intelligence, consulting multinational clients seeking to penetrate African markets.

With over 20 years of expertise in international development, strategic partnerships, and advocacy, I’ve ​focused on building alliances that drive transformative change. I ​specialize in resource mobilization, stakeholder engagement, and leading high-impact ​projects that shape policies and foster community development.
Throughout my career, I’ve consistently delivered measurable results in roles that ​require innovative ​solutions and cross-sector collaboration. My work spans global development, policy advocacy, government relations, and stakeholder engagement, t​transforming complex challenges into opportunities for ​meaningful social and economic progress.

Associate Director of Sustainable Finance at EYElliance

Partnership & Engagement Lead at ONE

Kenneth Oguzie

Founder of the Africa Canada Trade Investment Venture

Kenneth Oguzie is an International Trade Specialist, and Diversity and Inclusion Consultant, residing in Nova Scotia since 2014. Born in Nigeria, Ken considers himself a global citizen having lived in Asia, Europe, Africa and presently North America. A Masters graduate of Social Policy and Development from the London School of Economics, he is presently the CEO of Africa Canada Trade and Investment Venture (ACTIV), an organization which promotes international Trade and business between Canada and Africa, both within private sector as well as creating public sector collaborations. He is also the founder of ACTIV Research Strategy and Training Group, which focuses on business strategy development and corporate Diversity and Inclusion training as well as board Governance.

Affordable Housing & Community Land Trusts in Canada Panel at 3:00pm EST (Virtual)

Cheryll Case

Tapfuma Musewe is a trade and investment executive dedicated to increasing the connectivity between African markets and other regions of the world. Having grown up a Canadian citizen, his passion led him to spend most of his working life across Africa. He began in community development, then pivoted to
entrepreCheryll Case is the Founder and Executive Director of CP Planning. Her interest is in bringing a human rights-based approach to urban planning and community-led solutions to improve access to housing and community space.Cheryll is the Founder and Executive Director of CP Planning, a Toronto-based non-profit that practices a human rights-based approach to urban planning

Founder & Executive Director at CP Planning

Isaac Olowolafe Jr.

Founder of The Dream Legacy Foundation

Isaac Olowolafe Jr. is the Founder and General Partner of Dream Maker Ventures (DMV) a Toronto based, early-stage venture firm. DMV Fund II, “The Diversity Fund” is the firm’s second fund that primarily invests in early-stage tech companies with founding teams inclusive of persons of colour, women, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+, immigrant, refugee and indigenous entrepreneurs. Isaac is also an award-winning real estate entrepreneur, angel investor and philanthropist. Isaac’s corporation, Dream Maker Inc., successfully operates multiple divisions including a brokerage, real estate development, wealth management, property management, education, private equity and insurance.

Pedro Barata

President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada

Pedro Barata is the President & CEO, Habitat for Humanity Canada. He is a passionate and values-driven leader with two decades’ experience driving multi-sector collaborations that achieve solutions for communities. Prior to joining Habitat in 2024, Pedro was executive director of the Future Skills Centre, where he led the start-up of the national research impact centre and launched multi-sector innovation pilots across Canada. Previously, at United Way Greater Toronto, Pedro held senior roles in partnerships, research, policy, evaluation, public affairs, and communications. Often called on for his insights into building inclusive and equitable communities, Pedro has held numerous advisory roles locally and nationally, in innovation, housing strategy, income security and poverty reduction.

Omar Yaqub

Riaz J. Kara D

Riaz J. Kara is Vice-President of Policy at the Public Policy Forum, an independent, non-partisan think tank focusing on Canada’s economic growth. Previously, he was Director General, Housing Policy & Partnerships at Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, as well as Vice-President, Social Policy & Equity at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Prior to his work in housing policy, Riaz held executive roles within Employment and Social Development Canada’s Labour Program, leading both policy and regulatory management and operations. Riaz holds a master’s degree in economic history from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Trent University. In 2019, he completed the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Certificate in Public Sector Leadership. Riaz is a Member of the Steering Committee for the 7th World Urban Economy Forum and is also a proud Board director at Christie Lake Kids, a 100-year-old non-profit focused on improving outcomes for low-income children and youth.

Omar Yaqub DSL ICD.D MBA BSc (@somaryaqub X, LinkedIn), serves the team at IslamicFamily, a social change organization that is disrupting systemic inequity through service, research & beauty. During his time with IslamicFamily the organization has become a multi-award winning Imagine Canada & Great Places to Work accredited charity. He is a former Historian Co-Laureate for the City of Edmonton & past instructor in the MBA program at the University of Alberta. He has two decades of experience in the for-benefit sector. Omar has been awarded a Doctor of Sacred Letters from St Stephen’s College, EMCN’s RISE award for Community Leadership, and the University of Alberta’s Co-op Mentorship Award. He is a settler on Treaty 6

Vice President, Policy @ Public Policy Forum | Former Exec @ GoC & СМНС

Servant of Servants of the IslamicFamily

Michael has over 30 years of experience creating innovative solutions to better support vulnerable people. Michael joined Blue Door in March of 2019 as CEO and has since helped launch Blue Door’s first employment social enterprise called Construct, three supportive housing programs including the first safe space for 2SLGBTQ+ youth in York Region, a national housing and homelessness podcast, a merger with Mosaic Interfaith Out of the Cold, and is currently executing a Solutions Lab in collaboration with SHS Consulting and Habitat for Humanity to explore the journey from homelessness to homeownership.

Michael Braithwaite

Chief Executive Officer of Blue Door

Social Value Bank Presentation at 5:00pm EST (Virtual)

Stephanie Robertson

Executive Director, SVC Board Member and Co-chair of Social Value International

Stephanie Robertson is Chair of the Board of Social Value Canada and CEO of SiMPACT Strategy Group. Throughout her career, she has lead the development of methods and tools to demonstrate the value of investment in community & society. Stephanie’s social value work connects her with leadership in the private, public and social profit worlds. Recent clients include Canadian corporations, all levels of government, and many inspiring social profit and social enterprise organizations.

Impact and Evaluation Virtual Presentation at 6:00pm EST

Neil Price

Co-Founder and Executive Director of LogicalOutcomes

Neil’s consulting practice focuses on strategic planning, stakeholder consultation and evaluation. Neil brings several years of extensive leadership in the higher education and non-profit sectors to his role. As a frequent writer and commentator on social and community issues, Neil’s writing has appeared in numerous publications.

Monday , December 1st

Marguerite Mendell, PhD

Distinguished Professor Emeritus, School of Community and Public Affairs

Marguerite (Margie) Mendell, who earned her PhD in Economics from McGill University (1983), taught for over three decades at the School of Community and Public Affairs, Concordia University. She is currently Distinguished Professor Emerita of the SCPA and Director, Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy, Concordia University. Her research and teaching has focused on the social economy in Quebec and internationally, social finance and impact investing, social innovation, the commons, economic democracy, and the work of Karl Polanyi whose influence continues to grow. As an active researcher engaged In partnership research with actors, governments and organizations, today Margie Mendell is participating in a growing international dialogue on innovative economic initiatives to reduce inequality and develop new collective forms of wealth creation through her participation at scholarly conferences and international meetings of the OECD, the European Commission, the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF) and civil society gatherings.

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat at 9am EST

Elena Yunusov

Executive Director, Human Feedback Foundation

I founded and run the Human Feedback Foundation, an ambitious Linux Foundation AI & Data nonprofit focused on the human input layer for open source AI, — for a more open and transparent AI future that respects and protects our shared humanity. I am an executive leader, marketer and community builder with a career that spans finance, entrepreneurship, public sector, and journalism. Experience includes: Head of Marketing at RBC Borealis (formerly Borealis AI, an AI research institute founded by RBC);

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat at 10am EST

Hanae Bezad

Director of Market Engagement

Hanae is an impact entrepreneur, international project manager, board advisor, and author of Being Other, a personal reflection on culture, gender, and identity. With a background in technology and a history of building vibrant tech communities, Hanae bridges innovation, social finance, and sustainable development to create transformative impact. She has worked across Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia, developing tech-enabled ventures that empower communities and advance inclusion. Her expertise spans government, international development, and civil society, with a focus on leveraging innovation, technology and finance to drive equitable growth.

SFWF25 - Showcasing the Social Finance Hub Presentation (Virtual) at 12pm EST

Brian Iler

Counsel & Former Partner at Iler Campbell LLP

I didn’t always want to be a lawyer. I was far more comfortable with the harder skills of math and science, and was well on my way to graduating as a civil engineer from the University of Waterloo. It was 1968, and like so many others, my life and goals changed in that year – fundamentally. The next year, I entered law school with two other friends. On our first day, we were the only long-haired students in jeans. Perhaps obsessively staying away from Bay Street law firms, I established a general practice on my own, doing whatever came in the door: criminal defence, civil litigation, union-side (and union-dissident) labour law, real estate, and corporate and commercial law.

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat at 1pm EST

Jehad Aliweiwi

Executive Director of the Laidlaw Foundation

Jehad Aliweiwi has been working in the public benefits sector for nearly 25 years. Before joining the Laidlaw Foundation in January 2014, he was the Executive Director of Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office, Regional Director of Catholic Cross-Cultural Services, Metro Region, and Executive Director of the Canadian Arab Federation. In all of these roles, he has been an advocate for inclusion, diversity and equity. He is passionate about building bridges between Canada’s oldest residents and its newest citizens. He strongly believes that the well-being of Canada rests with Indigenous Peoples and immigrants and refugees. In his work at Laidlaw, he is constantly inspired by young people’s ability to provide solutions to some of society’s seemingly intractable problems.

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat at 2pm EST

Enith Martin Williams

Founder and Executive Director of Reparations Finance Lab (RFL)

Enith Williams is the Founder and Executive Director of Reparations Finance Lab (RFL), where she leads pioneering work in reparations-focused financial research and practice. Under her guidance, RFL has developed notable innovations, including the Racial Harm Genome Framework and other reparative capital tools, which provide ethical models for investment and capital allocation. In addition to her role at RFL, Enith serves as an advisor to 17 Asset Management. Her career encompasses international experience in economic and social development, with senior banking positions at Merrill Lynch and employment with several government agencies responsible for economic development in Jamaica. She is the founder of the Downtown Kingston Music Theatre, an initiative dedicated to youth development through musical theatre. She is also a published author of short stories and poems.

SFWF25 - Fireside Chat at 3pm EST

Bayan Khatib

Impact Director, The Northpine Foundation

Bayan Khatib is a co-founder of the Syrian Canadian Foundation, dedicated to empowering newcomers and people of diverse backgrounds, and fostering cross-cultural connections in Canada. Serving as the organization’s Executive Director for three years, she helped build SCF from the ground up and pioneered innovative programs for newcomers. Bayan co-founded the annual Syria Film Festival in Toronto, giving voice to the struggles and hopes of the Syrian people. During the 2011 Syrian uprising, Bayan led a multinational media campaign and spoke at local and international events and conferences about the struggle for freedom in Syria and the ensuing humanitarian crisis.

SFWF25 - Virtual Fireside at 4pm EST

Louis-Edgar Jean-François, CPA, EMBA

Président-Directeur général/CEO - Fondation Hue-Manity Foundation and Président du conseil d'administration/Board chair - Groupe 3737"

Louis-Edgar Jean-François, CPA, EMBA, is a committed leader and changemaker. A graduate of the McGill–HEC Montréal EMBA, he is the outgoing CEO of Groupe 3737, where he supported thousands of entrepreneurs. Under his leadership, the organization helped create more than 10,000 jobs and mobilized $749M in economic resources. He co-created the Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) and the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (SBCCI). Today, he serves as Chair of the Board of Groupe 3737. He is also the founder of the Hue-Manity Foundation, which builds bridges between North America, Africa, and the Caribbean. The foundation aims to replicate the Canadian support ecosystem model and accelerate solutions aligned with the UN SDGs. He is the recipient of prestigious awards including the King Charles III Coronation Medal, the Harry Jerome Award, the 2024 HEC Montréal Luminescence Social Impact Award, and AfroGlobal Television’s Renaissance Award. Recognized among the Top 100 Most Influential Black Canadians, he is a leading voice for equity and sustainable impact. He also serves on the boards of the FACE Coalition (as co-founder), Québec Tech, and the Chamber of Commerce of East Montreal (outgoing Chair).

SFWF25 - Virtual Fireside at 6pm EST

Christopher Googoo

Executive Director of Ulnooweg Indigenous Communities Foundation

Christopher Googoo is Chief Operating Officer of Ulnooweg and the Executive Director of The Ulnooweg Indigenous Communities Foundation, where he has served in senior leadership roles since 2007. A proud member of the We’koqma’q First Nation, Chris has dedicated his career to supporting the success of Indigenous entrepreneurs, businesses and communities across Atlantic Canada and strengthening the relationship between Canada’s philanthropic sector and Indigenous communities. Chris currently serves as a board member on the Centre for Local Prosperity, the Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia and is a founding director on the Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund.

SFWF25 - Closing Keynote Address at 7pm

Nov 25th - Dec 1st 2025

Sustainable Finance World Forum 2025