South Asian Philanthropy Conference

Aditya Jha, LL.D is a celebrated Indo-Canadian entrepreneur, philanthropist and social activist with active involvement in Canadian public affairs. A globetrotter, his business portfolio consists of several start-ups and turn-arounds with interests in Canada, India, Switzerland, Thailand and Nepal. He also runs several philanthropic initiatives through his Private Charitable Foundation (POA Educational Foundation), promoting education and nurturing entrepreneurship to equalize the access to opportunity for those not so fortunate. Jha takes special interest in nurturing prosperity and financial independence amongst Canadian First Nations (aboriginal) communities and individuals through education scholarships at top Canadian universities and a project (Project Beyshick) that nurtures entrepreneurship. He is the co-founder and outgoing National Convenor of the Canada India Foundation — a public policy organization. He is winner of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award (2010), inductee to the ’30 most influential Indo-Canadians Power List (2009)’, and recipient of Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Ryerson University – the highest honour conferred by the University.

Aditya Jha, LL.D is a celebrated Indo-Canadian entrepreneur, philanthropist and social activist with active involvement in Canadian public affairs. A globetrotter, his business portfolio consists of several start-ups and turn-arounds with interests in Canada, India, Switzerland, Thailand and Nepal. He also runs several philanthropic initiatives through his Private Charitable Foundation (POA Educational Foundation), promoting education and nurturing entrepreneurship to equalize the access to opportunity for those not so fortunate. Jha takes special interest in nurturing prosperity and financial independence amongst Canadian First Nations (aboriginal) communities and individuals through education scholarships at top Canadian universities and a project (Project Beyshick) that nurtures entrepreneurship. He is the co-founder and outgoing National Convenor of the Canada India Foundation — a public policy organization. He is winner of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award (2010), inductee to the ’30 most influential Indo-Canadians Power List (2009)’, and recipient of Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Ryerson University – the highest honour conferred by the University.

Krishan Mehta is Executive Director, Marketing and Advancement at Seneca College where he is responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of the fundraising, marketing, communications, student recruitment, and alumni relations portfolios. Prior to joining Seneca in 2010, Krishan held a number of advancement roles at the University of Toronto. Krishan is an instructor in Ryerson University’s Fundraising Management certificate program and a PhD student at U of T, where is conducting research on the charitable interests of first generation immigrants in Canada. Krishan is also the Vice President of Inclusion and Equity for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Toronto Chapter and serves on the management team for the provincial inclusion grant initiative.

Rahul Bhardwaj

Ritu Bhasin

Robin Cardozo

Vasu Chanchiana

Kulvir Singh Gill

Aditya Jha, LL.D is a celebrated Indo-Canadian entrepreneur, philanthropist and social activist with active involvement in Canadian public affairs. A globetrotter, his business portfolio consists of several start-ups and turn-arounds with interests in Canada, India, Switzerland, Thailand and Nepal. He also runs several philanthropic initiatives through his Private Charitable Foundation (POA Educational Foundation), promoting education and nurturing entrepreneurship to equalize the access to opportunity for those not so fortunate. Jha takes special interest in nurturing prosperity and financial independence amongst Canadian First Nations (aboriginal) communities and individuals through education scholarships at top Canadian universities and a project (Project Beyshick) that nurtures entrepreneurship. He is the co-founder and outgoing National Convenor of the Canada India Foundation — a public policy organization. He is winner of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award (2010), inductee to the ’30 most influential Indo-Canadians Power List (2009)’, and recipient of Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Ryerson University – the highest honour conferred by the University.

Ashutosh Jha is a Creative & Social Entrepreneur based in Toronto. He also runs POA Educational Foundation, which promotes education, nurtures entrepreneurship and strengthens civil governance. Within POA, Ashutosh is the co-founder of Project Beyshick, a venture philanthropy initiative in collaboration with Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Project Beyshick incubates entrepreneurs within the Canadian aboriginal community. Ashutosh is publisher of TheSceneMagazine.ca, TheMMADigest.com and AboutAdvertising.ca. He runs Victus Services, a hospitality and catering servicescompany, and Jamun Media, a script-to-screen solutions provider. Prior to taking entrepreneurial journey, Ashutosh worked with Accenture for four years in various roles including IT strategy and corporate sales. He graduated with specialization in Software Engineering from the Trinity College (University of Toronto) and with a business diploma from Rotman School of Management. Ashutosh also served as student head of Trinity College and is recipient of Accenture Hero Award (2009), Government of Ontario’s Volunteer Service Award (2010) and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).

Neena Kanwar

Afshaan Kohari sees herself, first and foremost as a relationship builder. Be it fundraising in Canada or in the completely different culture of South Asia, for her, it’s always been about getting to know people and what they believe in.As Development Officer at the Community Foundation of Mississauga, her primary role is creating awareness around community matters and building connections with the corporate sector. Prior to this she has been involved with organizing multi-disciplinary arts festivals in the multi cultural city of Mississauga. In Pakistan, she worked in alumni relations and campaign related fundraising for the Aga Khan University Hospital. Apart from her role on the AFP’s Inclusion and Equity committee, Afshaan is Chair of the Friends of South Asia Committee at the Royal Ontario Museum. Past volunteer activities included the Mississauga Arts Council, the Art Gallery of Mississauga, and the Credit Valley Hospital Young Ambassador’s Council.

Krishan Mehta is Executive Director, Marketing and Advancement at Seneca College where he is responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of the fundraising, marketing, communications, student recruitment, and alumni relations portfolios. Prior to joining Seneca in 2010, Krishan held a number of advancement roles at the University of Toronto. Krishan is an instructor in Ryerson University’s Fundraising Management certificate program and a PhD student at U of T, where is conducting research on the charitable interests of first generation immigrants in Canada. Krishan is also the Vice President of Inclusion and Equity for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Toronto Chapter and serves on the management team for the provincial inclusion grant initiative.

Ratna Omidvar, C.M., is President of Maytree, a private foundation that promotes equity and prosperity through its policy insights, grants and programs. She serves as a director of the Canadian Club of Toronto and Connect Legal, and is chair of the Board of Directors of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) and co-chair of DiverseCity. Ratna has been appointed to a number of taskforces, including the Transition Advisory Board to the Premier of Ontario in 2003, Prime Minister Paul Martin’s External Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities, and the Mowat Centre Employment Insurance Task Force. Ratna is the co-editor of the book Five Good Ideas: Practical Strategies for Non-Profit Success. In 2010, The Globe and Mail profiled her as its Nation Builder of the Decade for Citizenship. In 2006, she was appointed to the Order of Ontario, and in 2011 she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

Dr. Terry Papneja is President of AIM for SEVA, a not-for profit organization working towards educating underprivileged children in India. After moving to Toronto in 1981, Terry acquired his dentistry degree from the University of Toronto and began a successful practice in Brampton. Following the death of his father in 1992, Terry set up a school in his father’s name in Kareli. Over the last few years, Terry has raised $3 million to build student homes and support the education and living expenses of over 600 children throughout the AIM for SEVA movement. He is the 2009 recipient of Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce Humanitarian of the Year Award, and was named the 2011 Midweek South Asian Awards Humanitarian of the Year. Terry and his family live by the motto: “born to serve.”.

Ratsamy Pathammavong leads the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Ontario, Diversity department with over a decade of experience developing and implementing health promotion programs and policies. Her current role focuses on health equity, staff and volunteer diversity and inclusion, and leading fund development initiatives focused on improving the health of ethno-racial and aboriginal communities. Over the past year, she was a core member of HSF, Ontario’s volunteer engagement strategy team and will join the national volunteer engagement strategy team in the spring. Ratsamy is a passionate advocate for social justice and brings an anti-oppression, anti-racism perspective to her work. She obtained her Master’s degree in Health Promotion Sciences from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and her Bachelor of Science degree, specializing in Health Studies, from the University of Waterloo.

Chemical engineer by qualification, metal trader by profession, Anil Shah is the President of Ni-Met Metals & Minerals Inc. He is a first generation entrepreneur and started his metal business in 1983 in Mumbai, India. In 1990, Anil established Ni-Met in Canada, which now has branches and associates in India, China, Thailand and the UAE. Anil is actively involved in many charities and has been working with Trillium Health Centre Foundation as a board member. Anil has also been a board member of the hospital. He is an avid golfer and has chaired Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce’s golf committee and India House Project. He is also one of the founding members of the Canada India Foundation. Anil and his wife, Harsha, have a son and daughter, and they live in Mississauga.

Archana Sridhar received her Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Harvard Law School in 2001 and in 2006-07 was a Fulbright Fellow in Guatemala, investigating the legal frameworks of Guatemala’s philanthropic sector. She has published several peer reviewed articles and policy reports, and is a co-founder of The South Asian Philanthropy Project, a charitable organization which fosters philanthropy among South Asians in North America (http://southasianphilanthropy.org).Archana is currently Assistant Provost at the University of Toronto, and has experience as a university administrator at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, York University and Indiana University. She has practised tax and non-profit law as an attorney in Boston and also served as Senior Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations for the humanitarian organization ReSurge International.

Zenia Wadhwani is currently the Director of Community Outreach for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games. Previous to this position, Zenia worked in the non-profit sector for over 15 years, for such organizations as CanadaHelps, United Way Toronto, TV Ontario, the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, the University of Toronto and the Ontario Coalition for Children and Youth. She has given her time to a number of non-profit and charitable organizations; was one of the founders of the South Asian Professionals’ Networking Association; the initiator of DesiLit-Greater Toronto; and the organizer of a 20-tonne relief effort for the victims of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. Zenia is the editor of three anthologies, an inaugural Action Canada Fellow and an inaugural DiverseCity Fellow.