Our Board
Arshia Ali
Chair
Arshia is a transformational, resourceful, and values-driven healthcare leader working towards an inclusive and diverse society that works for all. She has over 18 years of experience in managing cross-functional teams, complex portfolios of projects, and organizational change management, and Board reportage. She has a Graduate Degree in Health Administration from the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto; and is a Certified Health Executive (CHE), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Certified Scrum Master (CSM). Her career has encompassed a variety of roles in which partnerships, engagement, strategic thinking, program design and delivery were core to her contributions. Currently, as the Director of Client and Family Engagement at VON Canada, Arshia is supporting the organization to embed the voice, thoughts, and perspectives of patients, caregivers, and families into the governance, policies, programs, and services.
Chilton Ng
Vice Chair
Chilton is a management professional at RBC Royal Bank with over 13 years of experience in financial service sales, strategy, and leadership. His areas of expertise include retail banking, commercial banking, human resources, and business strategy/transformation. In his most recent role as senior commercial account manager, he worked with leaders of mid-market corporations to formulate financial strategies and secure financing up to $50 million. Chilton has over 9 years of experience in not-for-profit governance as a member of the board of directors of Youthlink, where he served in a variety of capacities including chair of corporate governance, vice president, and president. His areas of interest and ongoing areas of self-study include generative governance, governance of service quality, and system transformation. Chilton holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Toronto and MBA from the Rotman School of Management.
Sameera Karim
Treasurer
Sameera Karim is passionate about supporting marginalized communities and working to break down oppressive systemic barriers. She strongly believes that health and wellness go beyond the absence of illness, and therefore it is critical to address the social determinants of health. She has over 10 years of experience in the health system, and is currently working at Ontario Health where she leads initiatives focused on advancing health equity for better health outcomes for marginalized individuals.
Sameera centers community in all of her work and volunteers with grassroots and non-profit organizations both locally and globally that support vulnerable groups such as LGBTQIA+, newcomers, and refugees.
Tamara Harduwar
Secretary
Tamara is passionate about integrated health systems design and making health services accessible to all. She has worked with stakeholders across the Canadian health system, and brings experience in strategic planning, clinical services design, technology innovation, and inclusive leadership. Tamara currently works within Manulife’s Group Benefits division as the Director of Health Insights and Outcomes, delivering data-driven recommendations to meaningfully improve health and wellbeing for benefits members. Previously, Tamara worked in Health and Life Sciences consulting at Deloitte, advising governments, health agencies, and health care providers throughout the life of strategic transformation initiatives. Tamara holds a BSc degree in Biology from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA in Health Services Management from the DeGroote School of Business.
Neil Shah
Director
Neil Shah thrives working in new and undefined areas to build strategy, teams, resource plans and infrastructure to achieve an envisioned state. He champions diversity and equity. His experience includes academic and community hospitals, government agencies, and health and social service organizations. Currently, he is the Chief Executive Officer for North York Family Health Team, an academically-focused practice with offices across North York Central neighbourhoods. He is currently on the Board for the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO), which advocates for team-based care for all. Previous governance experience includes being a Board Director and Chair of Sherbourne Health. His approach to leadership is collaborative, partnering with experts and stakeholders to help define a vision, plan, and process to meet collective goals. He enjoys travelling, exploring new places and cultures, and has called Toronto home for most of his life.
Rudayna Bahubeshi
Director
Rudayna has over ten years of experience in nonprofits, foundations, grassroots organizations, and governments. She is currently Principal at Evenings and Weekends Consulting, a firm working with nonprofits, activists, charities, and community groups to advance equity, justice, and impact. Previous to this, she led a team in Ontario Health’s Provincial Equity Office, leading a number of strategic initiatives, including supporting the province’s first Black Health Plan and the design and delivery of an organization-wide equity plan to facilitate improvements in access, experiences, and outcomes across the health system. She has worked in organizations focused on environmental sustainability, civic engagement, gender justice, housing, food security, and other areas employing expertise in managing programs, writing and communications, partnerships, and strategic planning. Rudayna has led and worked on numerous political campaigns across levels of government. Recently, she completed a Masters of Public Policy at McGill University, focusing her research on policy solutions to address anti-Black racism in Canada’s rental market. Rudayna has been published in places including the CBC, TVO, Policy Magazine, The Philanthropist and more. She was previously named a Top 30 Under 30 Leader in Canada and held fellowships at CivicAction and TMU’s Leadership Lab. She is a board member at Black Artists’ Network in Dialogue (BAND), an art gallery in Parkdale dedicated to Black artists, and volunteers as an advisor to multiple other non profits.
Mahboubeh (Ala) Hojjati
Director
Mahboubeh (Ala) Hojjati is a dedicated Registered Physiotherapist and Clinic Director, with over a decade of experience serving the diverse communities in Toronto and the GTA. Working in the private sector of healthcare has allowed Ala to develop a deep understanding of the gaps in healthcare and the impacts of social determinants of health on immigrants and refugees. Moreover, being born in Iran and immigrating to Brampton, Canada at the age of 14, her personal journey has also provided her with firsthand insight into the challenges faced by newcomers. Academically, she published two articles based on her Master’s thesis which sought the impact of colonialism on health equity, and ways in which Rehabilitation Providers in Canada can be trained to provide equitable care regardless of race, age, gender, etc. She has served on the executive team of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, as Co-Chair of Research & Knowledge Translation at the Global Health Division, where she led initiatives to expand the global role of physiotherapists and establish ethical collaborations in resource-poor countries. In addition, she served as the Health Promotion Co-Chair at the Interprofessional Medical and Allied Groups for Improving Neighbourhood Environments (IMAGINE) Clinic, where she developed tailored health programs for Toronto’s homeless populations.
Shurouq Hijazi
Director
Shurouq is a Cybersecurity Director at KeyData Associates, with a focus on identity and access management consulting. She advises organizations across the industry on designing long-term information security strategies and sustainable roadmaps. Her prior experience includes Big-4 security and privacy consulting in New York, where she advised clients on cyber transformation initiatives from assessment and design to implementation and integration. An advocate for social justice, gender equality, and LGBTQ2S+ rights, Shurouq has over 10 years of not-for-profit volunteer experience. Shurouq holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
Josian Edmond
Director
Josian Edmond is a dedicated leader in the field of health data and analytics, with over 10 years of experience in designing and implementing data-driven strategies to improve quality of care delivered to Canadians. Her expertise extends across a broad range of areas including data strategies, data storytelling, advanced analytics, and data visualization. She currently works as the Associate Director, Data and Analytics, Centre of Excellence at Canadian Blood Services. Josian holds a Master of Science in Development Economics from Dalhousie University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from York University.
Gulshan Allibhai
Director
Gulshan Allibhai, BSW, MSW, has been practicing social work for 33 years. Gulshan attended the University of Texas and received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work. She also completed a diploma in Natural Nutrition in 2007. Gulshan has worked as an educator, psychotherapist, and case manager in many social work settings such as mental health, long-term care, women’s organizations, family health teams and settlement of newcomers. She worked at the Canadian Mental Health Association Toronto in the area of diversity, mental health promotion, and community engagement, and teaches in the Internationally Educated Social Work Bridging Program and teaches at Seneca Polytechnic in the Mental Health Bachelor’s Program and works as a Social Worker on a Family Health Team. Gulshan was born in Uganda, Africa, and came to Canada as a refugee in 1972. Due to her own and her family’s experience as refugees, Gulshan’s main focus and interest is in the area of mental health, trauma and resettlement stress.
Souvik Adhya
Director
Souvik Adhya is a transformational business leader with 20+ years of experience in Banking, Management Consulting, and Oil & Gas. He has led global businesses and cross-functional teams in 4 continents / 12 countries.
Souvik leads BMO’s Treasury & Payments Solutions’ (TPS) Strategy, Product Analytics, and B2B Liquidity Solutions across US and Canada. He joined BMO in 2017 in the Enterprise Strategy & Transformation team. Prior to BMO, Souvik worked with Boston Consulting Group, helping setup their Calgary practice, and with Schlumberger Limited across the world.
Souvik has held key national leadership roles in BMO Pride and has led several community giving initiatives throughout his career. He is an active volunteer with animal rescues across Ontario. In his spare time, he loves to travel to discover new places and cultures.
Souvik holds an MBA from Queen’s University, Canada and Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
Adriana Beemans
Director
Adriana Beemans has over twenty years of experience working with community, non-profits, government and philanthropy, designing and implementing systems-level strategies to advance social and economic justice. Bringing extensive experience in community development, capacity building and program innovation, Adriana joined the Metcalf Foundation in 2013 as its Inclusive Local Economies Program Director, where she works with the non-profit sector to enable policy-driven and community centered solutions that address structural inequities in our labour market and economy. In 2023 she was awarded the Bousfield Distinguished Visitorship in Planning by the University of Toronto in recognition of her contributions to community planning. She holds a graduate degree from the University of Toronto in Political Science and an undergraduate degree from Trent University.
Axelle Janczur, Executive Director
Ex officio member
Axelle has been working in the not for profit sector in Toronto for over 30 years. She is an experienced trainer and public speaker, and a committed volunteer. With an M.A. in political science and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, as Executive Director, she has led Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services through a transformative process, prioritizing capacity building to enhance services for immigrants and refugees, developing a community-based research agenda, and advocating for improved access to the determinants of health for individuals and communities facing discrimination and marginalization.