About the Foundation

Bill, FCPA, FCA, is Board Chair of The WoodGreen Foundation. He was CEO of KPMG Canada from 1999 to 2008, concluding a distinguished 37-year career with the firm. Since retirement, Bill has served on various corporate boards, including TELUS Corporation, Osisko Mining Corporation, Pioneer Petroleum, and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board. He has also supported a number of community organizations, including the United Way, Toronto Foundation, Roy Thomson and Massey Hall, Toronto East General Hospital, and Toronto Board of Trade.

Bill looks forward to working with other Board members and staff in helping to bring greater attention to the social and economic challenges facing our city.

Anne has a depth of knowledge and breadth of experience across all of WoodGreen’s program areas: seniors services, housing and community supports, family and neighbourhood services, employment and immigrant services. Anne has helped build WoodGreen from a single location with 40 staff members to a $47 million organization with 34 locations, 650 staff and 1,000 volunteers serving 37,000 people each year.

Her involvement in the development of innovative, client-centric programs such as Homeward Bound, First Step to Home, Rites of Passage and the Bruce/WoodGreen Early Learning Centre has been instrumental in successfully positioning WoodGreen as a leader in social innovation.

Anne has developed strong relationships with many community service partners and stakeholders through her significant work on several far-reaching initiatives. She led WoodGreen’s role in the Don Valley/Greenwood Health Link, the replication of Homeward Bound in other communities across Ontario, WoodGreen’s successful integration with Community Care East York and worked closely with the City of Toronto to lead the re-housing process for those who were evicted from Tent City in 2002.

She also serves as a volunteer board member with Toronto Neighbourhood Centres, International Federation of Settlement and Neighbourhood Services and previously with Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association and Riverdale Community Development Corporation and Access Loan Fund. Anne was also the long-time Chair of United Way of Greater Toronto’s Citizens Review Panel for Children and Youth.

John has a long history of community service alongside his political career as the former Mayor of Toronto. He has served as Chairman and Commissioner of the Canadian Football League and chaired major fundraising campaigns for St. Michael’s Hospital, the United Way, and TIFF. He held leadership roles in organizations including the Canadian Paraplegic Association, Crimestoppers, St. Michael’s Hospital, and the Toronto Association for Community Living, supporting causes from autism to at-risk youth.

Following 12 years spent as a practicing lawyer, John served as CEO of Rogers Cable and Rogers Media and was a director of several large Canadian corporations. He also served as Leader of the Opposition at Queen’s Park.

John has received numerous honors, including the Paul Harris and Mel Osborne Awards, the African Canadian Achievement Award, the Harry Jerome Award, and is a Life Member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board. He was also awarded the Order of Ontario for his contributions to the Greater Toronto Region.

Brigette is the President of the Raymond Chang Foundation, which was established by her late father. The Foundation focuses on impact giving in the areas of health and education in Canada and Jamaica.

Brigette is the Vice-President of G. Raymond Chang Ltd., a privately held investment holding company. She also serves as a Director on the Board of CI Financial and the privately-held company Color Ad Packaging Ltd. With a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University, followed by a Chartered Professional Accountant designation from 2002 – 2016, Brigette has extensive experience in accounting, finance and strategic planning.

Brigette has previously been an active member of the Toronto Western & General Hospital Foundation Audit Committee, The Arthritis Society of Canada gala committee, the North York General Hospital Foundation gala committee and a co-patron of the University of West Indies Toronto gala.

Laura grew up in Toronto in the communities served by WoodGreen and even attended WoodGreen’s summer camps as a child. Laura is a Senior Vice President at CIBC in Retail Banking and is an experienced professional with 25 years in the financial services industry, focusing on distribution strategy, financial planning and advice, and operations and delivery.

Laura is committed to her community, serving on the Board for The WoodGreen Foundation, and as Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, and as a CIBC One For Change Committee Lead. Previously, she was the Chair of CIBC’s Inclusion Action Committee for Personal & Business Banking.

Craig is a Director of Financial Services at Microsoft, a global leader in technology and innovation. He has over twelve years of experience in the technology sector, and a distinguished education from York University’s Schulich School of Business. He leads a team of senior resources who partner with customers to deliver innovative solutions that address the complex challenges and opportunities in the financial services industry. He has a proven track record of developing and executing strategic partnerships, managed services, and solution architecture that leverage Microsoft’s cloud, AI, and data capabilities. He is also a recognized leader who fosters a culture of collaboration, creativity, and excellence among his team and across the organization.

Craig is passionate about making a positive impact in the community, serving as a board member at The WoodGreen Foundation and a committee member at SickKids Foundation. He is committed to advancing the social and economic well-being of the people and the planet.

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Marg has extensive experience as a strategic leader in public administration and social policy. She served over 30 years in two provincial governments before retiring from the Ontario Public Service in 2014. Marg spent five years as Deputy Minister of Community and Social Services and held senior leadership roles in multiple ministries, including Health and Long-Term Care, Health Promotion, Seniors, Aboriginal Affairs, Culture and Sport, and the Ministry of the Attorney General. She played a key role in strategic leadership committees and led major transformation initiatives to improve services for individuals relying on social assistance and those with developmental disabilities.

Marg is past Chair of the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, where she served for seven years providing strategic leadership and guidance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also the recent past Chair and serves on the Board of the Home Construction Regulatory Authority, overseeing the regulation and licensing of Ontario’s new home builders and vendors. Marg also serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.

Ryan is the SVP, Private Wealth Management at TD Wealth, where he leads the Private Wealth Management teams across Canada. He is also responsible for the TD Family Office, which supports the full range of needs common to Ultra High Net Worth families.

Ryan regularly visits over 100 Advice locations nationwide, engaging with clients and their Private Bankers, Investment Advisors, Portfolio Managers, Trust Professionals, and Insurance and Estate Specialists. He also serves as the PIC UDP, Chair of the PIC and Wealth Insurance Boards, and leads the Indigenous Peoples’ Committee for TD Wealth as an ally.

Prior to joining TD in 2019, Ryan spent over 20 years at BMO Financial Group, leading Wealth teams in Toronto and the Atlantic Region. He also led the Financial Planning business nationally and was COO for the Private Banking business, overseeing the PIC and Private Trust teams. During his tenure as COO, he led the acquisition of Wealth businesses based in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Ryan was a past Director of National Ballet of Canada, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the Ottawa Snowsuit Fund.

Jessica studied at the University of Ottawa, earning an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree with specialization in Psychology. Her studies were driven by an interest in social work and mental health. Following university, Jessica’s path took a different direction when she returned to Toronto to pursue a career in the arts. Currently, Jessica oversees real estate development projects in the City of Toronto and throughout the GTA through her business, Chromatic Developments. Jessica’s involvement with WoodGreen allows her to focus the knowledge and resources she has gained through her education, professional involvements and personal experiences into effecting positive social change.

Diana is the Chair of The Nikita Foundation, a Toronto-based charity she co-founded in 2012. The Foundation supports initiatives in health, education, and environmental protection, reflecting her deep commitment to philanthropy and social impact. She also serves as Board Chair of Oceana, an international organization dedicated to ocean conservation.

Diana’s husband, Peter Thomson, is Deputy Chairman of Woodbridge and an active private equity investor who also serves on the boards of several private companies. Together, Diana and Peter are committed to philanthropy and community service, making an impact in Canada and beyond.

Ben has over 15 years of investment experience within RBC Capital Markets and Wealth Management. Ben acts as a client facing center of expertise to RBC’s most sophisticated ultra-high net worth and family office clients who seek complex solutions from across RBC’s Global Markets and RBC Wealth Management businesses around the world. Based in Toronto on the RBC Capital Markets trading floor, Ben engages directly with clients and closely collaborates with strategic partners across the Enterprise to structure and implement bespoke ‘One RBC’ investment and risk management client solutions.

Ben also serves as Co-Head of the RBC DS Private Trading Office within the ESC Group, leading the strategic direction and global growth strategy for the team which advises on trading and hedging strategies for Family Office clients across all asset classes (equities, FX, derivatives, fixed income, structured notes and precious metals) in a one-stop-shop model which includes global trade execution.

Ben joined RBC Dominion Securities in 2010 as a Futures and Commodities Specialist where he advised corporate and family office clients on constructing commodity portfolios and structuring risk management solutions using exchange traded derivatives. In 2016 he joined the Dominion Securities Fixed Income and FX trading desk managing fixed income and FX order flow, providing fixed income trade ideas and currency hedging solutions for the firms largest Investment Advisors. In 2017, Ben joined RBC Dominion Securities Private Trading Office as a Vice President, providing multi-asset investment strategy and global trade execution for ultra-high net worth and family office clients. Ben is also the Chair of the DS Futures Advisory Board. Prior to joining RBC, he worked as a Derivatives Analyst at Sun Life Financial gaining experience with Equity, Interest Rate and Exotic over the counter derivative products.

Ben has his Master of Finance degree from the Smith School of Business at Queens University and holds the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) and Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) designations.

Erica is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Toronto. In her general litigation practice she has appeared as counsel in trials, appeals, arbitrations and administrative tribunals before all levels of court including the Supreme Court of Canada. Erica focuses her practice on complex commercial disputes, including commercial arbitrations and real estate and construction disputes, professional liability and health law as well as complex estate litigation.

Erica received her law degree (summa cum laude) from the University of Ottawa in 2000, where she achieved the awards for the top standing in both evidence and conflict of laws. Previously, she graduated with distinction from the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in philosophy.

As Executive Director, Theatrical Releasing & Film Buying at Cineplex, Gurbani manages relationships with film studio partners in Canada and the United States. In addition to being a film buyer and programmer, Gurbani is responsible for film prioritization, film festivals, talent premieres, national film promotion, and specific release strategies and events for film and content.

Gurbani holds a Bachelor of Arts and Thesis from McGill University, in Film Theory and Philosophy. Gurbani sits on the boards of the Crow’s Theatre in Toronto, the WoodGreen Foundation, the Canadian Picture Pioneers, the Membership Committee for Cinema United, Film Row, and is a member of the Toronto Metropolitan University Innovation Circle. Gurbani previously held board positions at Kid Powered Media, Pia Bouman School for Ballet and Creative Movement, and the First Position Patrons of the National Ballet School of Canada.

Shraddha grew up in Toronto, attending the Bishop Strachan School (BSS) before going on to study political science and economics at Queens University. Through over a decade at Thomson Reuters (now Refinitiv, a London Stock Exchange Group company), Shraddha held senior leadership roles, most recently leading strategic initiatives within the global Sales and Account Management division. She currently serves as Managing Director of Centre Street Enterprises, a privately held investment and advisory firm focused on family offices and private corporations.

A firm believer in the importance of community engagement and giving back, Shraddha has served on the Old Girls Executive Committee at BSS, and the Opera-nation committee for the Canadian Opera Company, as Treasurer/Chair of the Finance Committee on the Board of Directors for the Necessary Angel Theatre Company, and on the Board of Directors for the Koffler Centre of the Arts. She is a member of the UHN Impact Collective, which she chaired for two years, in addition to serving on multiple event committees for the UHN Foundation; and a member of the Animal Care Committee at SickKids. Shraddha is also the co-Founder/co-Chair of Kidz Who Give, which seeks to instill a culture of philanthropy and community service amongst young children.

Allie is a Managing Director within the Office of the Chief Executive Officer at CPP Investments. She currently serves as Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer. Prior to her current role, Allie was a Managing Director in the Capital Solutions Group at CPP Investments, responsible for originating, underwriting and managing credit investments within the Americas across public and private markets.

Allie is a corporate director on the board of Antares Holdings GP Inc. and serves as the Board Advocate for Antares’ Responsible Investing efforts. She is also a board observer at American Veterinary Group. Allie also serves as a Co-Chair of CPP Investments’ Women’s Initiative. Prior to joining CPP Investments in 2015, Allie worked at Goldman Sachs on both the Investment Grade Debt Capital Markets team and, most recently, on the U.S. Leveraged Finance Syndicate team. Allie holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College in Government and Psychology.