A decade of leading in social finance

Dr. Gavin Armstrong is committed impact entrepreneur. He is the Founder and CEO of Lucky Iron Fish Enterprise®, a social enterprise attempting to alleviate iron deficiency around the world using a simple health innovation. Through this role he was a Fulbright scholar at Auburn University and was awarded the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 in […]

Sir Ronald Cohen is Chairman of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment and The Portland Trust. He is a co-founder director of Social Finance UK, USA, and Israel, and co-founder Chair of Bridges Fund Management and Big Society Capital. For nearly two decades, Sir Ronald’s pioneering initiatives in driving impact investment have catalyzed a […]

Jacqueline Hansen is a Senior Business Reporter for CBC News. Based in Toronto, Jacqueline has covered business news since 2010. She regularly files stories for CBC’s national TV and radio programs, including The National, World Report, and World at Six, and appears live on CBC News Network. She also writes for CBC.ca and hosts interactive […]

Marie-Marcelle Saint-Gilles GERARD, Executive Director of FINCA Haiti S.A., has extensive experience working in the Haitian financial sector (Commercial Bank, Microfinance Institution, Cooperative). Before joining FINCA in 2012, she held several management positions. Her main areas of expertise are team management, organizational strengthening , risk management and loan management for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises […]

Andrea Nemtin is a creative, committed and passionate leader with an accomplished career working strategic philanthropy, social finance and social innovation. She recently stepped aside as founding President and CEO of Inspirit Foundation. Ms. Nemtin built Inspirit into a true force in Canadian philanthropy and a leader on impact investing, innovation and Inclusion including reconciliation […]

Andrew joined Community Foundations Canada in 2013 and became CEO in 2017, following a six-year tenure as Vice-President of Finance for the London Community Foundation and his long-standing service as a finance and regulatory expert for Canada’s philanthropic milieu. Now at the head of the community foundation movement, Andrew is working closely with the Community […]

Ilse Treurnicht’s career spans scientific research, commercialization of academic discoveries, growing technology firms, venture capital and social finance, as well as innovation policy development. She served as CEO of MaRS (www.marsdd.com) in Toronto for 12+ years, overseeing the development of the organization into a leading urban innovation hub. She holds a doctorate in chemistry from […]

Geneviève Morin is Chief Investment Officer at Fondaction, a Québec labour-sponsored fund with $1.97 billion in assets. A leader in sustainable development, Fondaction collects retirement savings and invests them into Québec SMEs to create and maintain quality jobs while contributing to a stronger, fairer and greener economy. After having held various positions at Mouvement Desjardins, […]

Cheryl is President of Echoing Green, a global organization seeding and unleashing next-generation talent to solve the world’s biggest problems. Previously, Cheryl was a social entrepreneur who launched The Family Van, a community-based mobile health unit in Boston. An accomplished leader and entrepreneur, she has served in two presidential administrations as a White House Fellow […]

Jay-Ann is CEO of Vancity Community Investment Bank. She is leading the development and implementation of a new core banking system, the first milestone on Vancity’s technology road map and a foundational element in the organization’s transformation to serve members better. She is passionate about developing people and fostering a work environment that encourages employees […]

Having worked at Calvert Impact Capital for nearly a decade, Jenn has shaped the strategic direction of the organization to become a leader on investing with a gender lens and making impact investing more accessible to retail investors. Jenn started in the Peace Corps working in Africa where she was exposed to the frustratingly limited […]

Kate Wolford is president of the McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation that seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations through grantmaking, collaboration, impact investing, and strategic policy reform. Wolford has led the McKnight Foundation since 2006. During her tenure, she has spearheaded the development of the Foundation’s climate mitigation […]

Leila Janah is the Founder and CEO of Samasource and LXMI, two companies that go beyond charity to #givework to low-income people around the world using cutting-edge social enterprise models in technology and luxury skincare, respectively. She is the author of the book Give Work, released by Penguin/RandomHouse in September 2017. Leila and her team’s […]

Marc is a Part­ner at DBL Part­ners. Prior to DBL Part­ners, Marc was a Gen­eral Part­ner at Tech­nol­ogy Part­ners, since join­ing the firm in 2012. Marc’s ven­ture invest­ing career began early last decade where he spent 6 years as a Man­ag­ing Direc­tor at Van­tage­Point Cap­i­tal also focused in energy and advanced tech­nol­ogy invest­ments. Dur­ing Marc’s […]

Marcia is head of BlackRock in Canada. She is responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of BlackRock’s Canadian businesses and is a member of its Global Operating Committee, Global Human Capital Committee and Americas Executive Committee. Beyond the firm, Marcia is actively involved with various industry and philanthropic organizations. She is on the board […]

Since 2016, Michael Baldinger has served as Global Head of Sustainable and Impact Investing at UBS Asset Management (UBS). There, Michael leads a team of investment professionals focused on research and stewardship, client solutions and business strategy. And he is responsible for establishing world-class social and environmental impact investing across asset classes. With 30 years […]

Rehana founded Spectrum Impact to help a range of organizations expand their impact investing footprint. Previously, Rehana led the Impact Investing portfolio at the Case Foundation as Vice President of Social Innovation. Her work at the Case Foundation focused on empowering others with the tools, resources, and ultimately – expertise – to crowd in more […]

Paul is Managing Director of Development Finance Institute Canada, which operates under the brand name FinDev Canada. Paul is a social entrepreneur who brings a passion for making an impact in the world. He has extensive experience in banking, private equity, venture capital and impact investing, and a reputation for building strong teams and achieving […]

Shannin Metatawabin is Cree/Inninow from Fort Albany First Nation of the Mushkegowuk Nation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Carleton University and an Aboriginal Economic Development certificate from the University of Waterloo and is ICD.D from Rotman School of Management. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Ontario First […]

Rodney is executive director of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), a localism movement that aims to build more equitable and sustainable communities. Rodney’s career has focused on social entrepreneurship, philanthropy, impact investing and economic development. Most recently, he founded Invested Impact, a consulting firm and intermediary, to help individuals and institutions better […]

Rodney Ghali is the Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet of the Innovation Hub at the Privy Council Office, Government of Canada. He is responsible for leading the exploration and execution of new and innovative policy and programmatic approaches, focused on improving impact, accountability and value for Canadians. Prior to his current role, Rodney was Director […]

For 15 years, Sheldon Pollett has been Executive Director of Choices for Youth, a charity that supports at-risk and homeless youth secure stable housing, education and employment in Newfoundland and Labrador. During his tenure, the organization has emerged as a leader in developing innovative solutions in the advancement of social change. Sheldon is also Co-chair […]

Sonal is an economist and entrepreneur and has spent her career focused on economic policy and actionable innovation in the public and private sectors. She is a global leader on social innovation policy including impact investing, data and technology for social good, and civic engagement through government, business, philanthropy and civil society. She has led […]

Mr. Nairne has led AHLCF since 2007. He serves on the Advisory Board of several SME funds and companies in Sub-Saharan Africa and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia, where he teaches courses on Country and Project Risk Analysis in Developing Countries and African Political Economy. Previously Mr. Nairne served as […]

Tiff Macklem has been Dean of the Rotman School of Management since 2014. Through his leadership, Tiff ensures high standards of excellence across all functions. He also engages with alumni and has been a frequent speaker on global finance, risk management and public policy. Tiff and his team chart an ambitious strategy anchored on intrepid […]

Tom has been active in the cleantech sector both as a venture capitalist and from a policy perspective, so he understands the challenges entrepreneurs face. His focus at MaRS is on new ventures based on low-carbon technologies and the supporting infrastructure, such as renewable energy and energy efficiency. Tom started his career as a software renegade […]

Upkar Arora is CEO of Purpose Capital, an impact investment advisory firm that mobilizes capital to accelerate social progress. Through the company, Upkar leverages his business expertise to solve complex social and environmental issues and grow impact investments. For thirty years, Upkar has worked in a number of senior roles with some of Canada’s most […]

Vanessa is Executive Director at ConsenSys and a member of the Blockchain for Social Impact Coalition. She is has over 15 years of expertise in financial services. Prior to joining ConsenSys, she was CEO of IIH an innovative wealth management firm, a key member of PwC’s global wealth management team, and served as a corporate […]

Yung Wu is a pioneering entrepreneur and serial investor. Under Wu’s leadership, MaRS will continue to advance prosperity through entrepreneurial achievement. Previously, Wu was chair of NFQ Ventures, an early-stage investment firm based in Toronto. He has a track record of founding, scaling and actively backing several groundbreaking startups, including: Castek Software, an insurance software […]