Region: Canada
Gavin Sheppard
Gavin Sheppard is an innovative cultural entrepreneur who uses art and music as tools for youth inclusion and economic growth. The Remix Project, which he co-founded in 2006, was created in order to help level the playing field for young people from disadvantaged, marginalized, and under-served communities. The Remix Project provides top-notch alternative, creative, educational programs, facilitators and facilities to at-risk youth wanting to enter the creative industries. This program model has been replicated internationally, and Gavin has been an architect of and has helped to create a hemispheric network of youth arts organizations to promote best practices. Gavin is also Founder of Public Records, Inc., a Toronto-based record label,…
More Information
Raheel Khursheed
Raheel Khursheed has 15+ years of experience helping global tech firms grow exponentially. In very short periods of time, he has helped launch some of the world’s most popular tech firms in some of the world’s toughest markets. Currently splitting time between Toronto, Boston, and Kashmir, Raheel is the co-founder of Laminar, a 21st Century Streaming/Video infrastructure OS/platform. Prior to Laminar, Raheel successfully co-founded Anthro.ai, an AI X Anthropology startup that specializes in supercharged insights at scale. Anthro.ai continues to deliver high quality research projects to a select set of global clients. Before taking the entrepreneurial route, Raheel led Snapchat in India as their sole expert guiding the integration of…
More Information
Christine Hogan
Christine Hogan was appointed Canada's Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change on September 30, 2019. Prior to her appointment, she served as Executive Director for Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean, at the World Bank Group (in Washington), from November 2016 to September 2019. From January 2015 to October 2016, Christine was Deputy Minister of International Trade. Between 2010 and 2015, Christine served in the Privy Council Office including as Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister. Throughout her career of more than 30 years, Christine has contributed to a diverse set of public policy issues ranging from international relations and development to trade policy, science and technology,…
More Information
Raheela Khan
Raheela Khan is Director of Business Development and Strategy at R2 Business Advisory Consultants, a multidisciplinary consultancy. She facilitates value chains and the strategic implementation of DEI frameworks between Canada, Pakistan, and the Middle East, promoting effective, responsible funding for financial inclusion to bring about profitable social change. Currently based in Vancouver, Raheela has initiated and led community awareness programs on the importance of cultural confidence, integration, diversity and avoidance of self-exclusion. Her current initiatives are borne of her experiences of being a mother of two, which she uses to offer support to new mothers with postpartum depression as well as new immigrants and refugees. Canada's open border policies, offering…
More Information
Michael Ward
Michael Ward is on the Board of Directors of Commissionaires Ottawa in the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, the largest group of security companies employing veterans in Canada. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Associate Director General for the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services. A Major General, he was previously Deputy Commander of the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan, responsible for the development of the Ministry of the Interior and training of the Afghan National Police – one of the international community’s critical priorities for capacity building in Afghanistan and key to establishing a secure environment that will permit the reemergence of civil society and sustainable development. Prior…
More Information
Stephen Shashoua
Stephen Shashoua is a seasoned programme designer, trainer, and capacity-building specialist committed to fostering peace, cohesion, and preventing violent extremism through innovative approaches at the intersection of peacebuilding, identity, and culture. With over two decades of experience spanning diverse regions and sectors, Stephen brings a wealth of expertise and a track record of impactful leadership to his work. As the former Director of the UK-based 3FF (Three Faiths Forum, now Faith & Belief Forum) for over a decade, he spearheaded the development of pioneering social cohesion programs aimed at promoting interaction and learning between people of different faiths and beliefs. Under his leadership, the organization grew from a staff of…
More Information
Ann Thomas
Ann Thomas is Senior Advisor, Sanitation and Hygiene at UNICEF. She is an environmental engineer with over two decades of development experience, within the UN system and aid organizations in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Her passion is driving strategic policy decisions in the WASH sector – an often-overlooked investment-multiplier in emerging economies – that translate directly to improved health and economic development outcomes. Ann has served as advisor to national governments across Africa and Asia, aligning national strategies for water and sanitation with global best practice, climate change considerations, and innovative financing opportunities. Ann’s work is motivated by front line experiences in disasters and cholera outbreaks, witnessing the disproportionate…
More Information
John Hendra
John Hendra recently established his own consulting practice – JD Hendra Strategic Consulting – after retiring from a dynamic 32-year United Nations career as a development leader in both Headquarters and the field. He played a leading role in major UN change initiatives including: in the strategic design of the UN’s support for both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and now the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); helping to establish UN Women, the UN’s newest entity dedicated to gender equality and women’s rights; and as UN Resident Coordinator pioneering the “Delivering as One” Initiative in Vietnam for greater UN system-wide coherence and country level impact. JD Hendra Strategic Consulting provides strategic advice…
More Information
Daniel Ziv
Daniel Ziv is a documentary filmmaker, author, and social justice advocate. A native of Canada, he moved to Jakarta in 1999 and has since been documenting society in the country’s bustling capital. His 2014 feature-length film “Jalanan” is a gritty portrait of Indonesia through the life stories of three marginalized Jakarta street musicians. It became the first Indonesian documentary in history to be released in commercial cinemas across the country, was adopted by Jakarta’s governor as a tool for social policy change, and has traveled to 60 international film festivals and won 12 awards. Daniel founded and edited the popular and irreverent Djakarta! magazine, and he authored the urban pop…
More Information
John Haffner
John Haffner is a sustainability executive based in Hong Kong, with an extensive background in Asia, including especially Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. He currently serves as General Manager, Sustainability for a leading commercial real estate company, Hang Lung Properties. He has two decades of experience in cleantech, energy, and sustainability, including senior roles in the electricity sector in both Canada and Asia. John’s education includes two law degrees from McGill University, and he is called to the bar in the Province of Ontario, Canada. In 2011 John was nominated as an Asia 21 Young Leader by Asia Society. John has more than 20 publications on various topics related to…
More Information