Deepak Chopra
President
Pitney Bowes, Canada & Latin America
As President of Pitney Bowes Canada and Latin America, Deepak Chopra leads growth strategy for this 90 year young global company that believes “Every connection is a new opportunity”. With more than 20 years of international experience in successfully expanding and growing businesses and streamlining operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and more recently in Asia Pacific, Mr. Chopra brings a truly global perspective.
During his tenure with Pitney Bowes, Mr. Chopra has filled many executive roles including Vice President and GM of the Financial Services business in Canada and Vice President, Finance, Operations and IT in Europe.
Most recently, Mr. Chopra was President of Asia Pacific and the Middle East region where he spearheaded the company’s growth strategy for emerging markets in China, India and the Middle East while significantly expanding its presence in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Mr. Chopra believes that Diversity of Thought, viewed from a global perspective, will be essential for Canadian companies to succeed in the next decade. He is passionate about creating a highly engaged culture and frequently travels the width and breadth of the country to stay close to customers and employees.
He is frequently invited to speak on topics such as Future of the Postal environment, Diversity of Thought and Tapping into Emerging Markets at both domestic and international conferences.
As a senior business leader, Mr. Chopra is an active member of various associations including the Conference Board, Toronto Board of Trade, Certified General Accountant and the Ontario Council of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Mr. Chopra lives in Toronto with his wife and two children.
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean
Governor General of Canada
Photo credit: Sgt. Serge Gouin, Rideau Hall // Office of the Secretary to the Governor General
Michaëlle Jean was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She immigrated to Canada with her family in 1968, fleeing the dictatorial regime of the time. After studying comparative literature at the Université de Montréal, she taught Italian in the Université’s Department of Literature and Modern Languages. During her studies, Ms. Jean worked for eight years with Quebec shelters for battered women, while actively contributing to the establishment of a network of emergency shelters throughout Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. She later ventured into journalism and became a highly regarded journalist and anchor of information programs at Radio-Canada television and CBC Newsworld. She is married to Jean-Daniel Lafond and they have a daughter, Marie-Éden. Sworn in on September 27, 2005, the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, 27th governor general since Confederation in 1867, carries out the duties of head of State. As governor general of Canada, she wants her position to be a place where dialogue prevails and where the words of citizens are heard.
Chinyere Eni
Senior Commercial Account Manager
RBC Financial Group
As Senior Commercial Account Manager, Chinyere is responsible for delivering proactive financial advice to corporate clients. Over the past 11 years, Chinyere has held various roles within RBC including leading the launch of a new RBC branch at Toronto’s Harbourfront. Preceding that, Chinyere led a team of senior relationship account managers at the three largest units in downtown Toronto and held responsibility for business development, strategic planning and compliance.
Having studied abroad and worked in multiple Canadian locations, Chinyere brings a diverse perspective to relationship building. She holds a designation in Financial Planning and an Executive Masters in Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
Chinyere has served as board executive for the Waterfront Business Improvement Association, a board approved by City Council focused on stimulating and sustaining activity in Toronto’s waterfront area. As co-founder of the Center for the Advancement of Education in Developing Countries, the Afro-Canadian Adoption Group and the Oasis Student Association at the University of British Columbia, she is committed to entrepreneurial endeavors.
Chinyere has an extensive history of involvement with the The War Amputations of Canada Child Amputee program and currently holds an advisory position with the Ride to Conquer Cancer benefiting the Princess Margaret Hospital. Recently she was recognized as an inaugural DiverseCity Fellow.
Jebril Jalloh
Owner and Creative Lead
Get Fresh
Jebril “Fresh” Jalloh is the owner and creative lead of “Get Fresh”, a multi-faceted company that revolves around the fashion and creative industries. Jebril got his start wholesaling clothing boutiques and sold and then distributed throughout Southern Ontario then to Quebec and Alberta.
Constantly being asked by acquaintances and peers in the entertainment industries for help with their imaging and wardrobe, Jebril made the jump into wardrobe styling in 2008. Learning through the tutelage of The Bossy Girls, Jebril quickly proved himself a capable and exciting stylist and began to handle projects for The Bossy Girls on his own.
A graduate of the prestigious Remix Project Training Institute in the Art of Business program, Jebril’s strong business sense has helped him to become a trusted part of The Bossy Girls team. Handling the development, management and maintenance of the social media marketing tools for The Bossy Girls as well as Get Fresh, Jebril is constantly flexing his creative muscle to position these sibling brands at the forefront of the wardrobe and styling industries. To great results, Bossy Girls and Get Fresh have worked with an A-list of entertainment and fashion based clients as well as made headway into the corporate world handling a wide variety of projects.
A man who understands what it means to be both a team player and a leader, Jebril’s talents for project management and his knowledge of all things fresh have found him working with a dedicated collective to create, promote and manage events that have ranged from fashion shows to sample sales to lifestyle events.
Gavin Sheppard
Co-Founder and Executive Director
The Remix Project
Gavin Sheppard is the founder and project coordinator for I.C. Visions—North America’s first government-funded hip hop recreational centre. Re-titled and refocused as “The Remix Project” in October 2006, this newest evolution of the I.C. Visions program, has become both an official priority project of the Mayor’s Community Safety Secretariat and the United Way Toronto.
The Re-Mix model continues to build on the I.C. Visions foundation, highlighting the impact of urban entertainment and culture as tools for engagement and empowerment, and introduces elements of hands-on training and mentorship into the mix.
As the project coordinator for The Remix Project, Gavin is charged with the overall development of the program as well as overseeing the day to day operations. Gavin is a strong advocate for both young people and the arts throughout the world speaking regularly at venues as diverse as the Canadian Heritage All-Staff retreat to conferences for UN Habitat on safe cities. Gavin is also a member of Mayor Miller’s community safety secretariat, a co-founder of the Grassroots Youth Collaborative (GYC) and the South Etobicoke Youth Assembly (SEYA).
A board member of Schools Without Borders and the chair of the Youth Engagement committee of the Laidlaw Foundation, Gavin is consistently, building and networking organizations and helping communities to grow to their full potential. He has been an artist and producer manager to Rochester aka Juice and Tone Mason Inc. as well as a consultant for countless artists, producers, and companies throughout Canada involved in the hip hop cultural industries.
Noëlle Richardson
Chief Diversity Officer
Ontario Public Service
Noëlle Richardson was appointed Chief Diversity Officer of the Ontario Public Service (OPS) on August 18, 2008. In that role, she is responsible for guiding the 66,000 employee organization toward its goals of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility. In 2008 and 2009, the OPS was named one of Canada’s Top Diversity Employers, and currently, Ontario is the only province to have a Chief Diversity Officer.
Prior to joining the OPS, Noëlle worked nationally and internationally as a diversity consultant for major corporate clients. She has significant experience developing and implementing diversity strategies and programs for large and highly complex organizations.
She first began her career in broadcasting with Toronto’s CFMT-TV and CBC Television, earning a high-profile slot as news anchor for the program Midday.
Noëlle is past co-chair and current member of the Board of Directors for Literature for Life, an organization that promotes the use of language among teenaged moms through reading and poetry writing.
Noëlle is passionate about the need to create inclusive organizations so that both public and private sectors alike can be responsive to the needs of Ontario’s increasingly diverse population.
Alok Mukherjee
Chair
Toronto Police Services Board
Alok Mukherjee has been Chair of the Toronto Police Services Board since September 2005. He is the first South Asian to occupy this position. As a Vice President of the Ontario Association of Police Boards and Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Association of Police Boards, Dr. Mukherjee is actively involved in efforts to promote community-based policing under civilian oversight provincially and nationally. He is frequently called upon to speak on policing issues to a variety of audiences. He brings a unique perspective to law enforcement issues from his experiences in a highly multicultural and multiracial environment.
Dr. Mukherjee has worked as an educator and a consultant. He has written extensively in a variety of areas including diversity and inclusivity, employment equity for racially visible and aboriginal people, and anti-racist education.
Dr. Mukherjee has held several public appointments, including membership on the Toronto District School Board Safe and Compassionate School Taskforce and the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services, and has served as Vice Chair and Acting Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
Dr. Mukherjee plays an active role in the community. His volunteer activities have included Chair of the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA); a member of the Board of Governors, Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology; President of Indian Immigrant Aid Services; Chair of the Housing Sub-Committee, Social Issues Committee of the Children’s Aid Society of Metro Toronto; Chair of the Sub-Committee on Access to Services, City of Toronto Mayor’s Committee on Community and Race Relations; and a member of the Multiculturalism Committee, United Way of Greater Toronto.
Dr. Mukherjee has received the Ontario Volunteer Service Award (1996), the Molson New Pioneers Award for Leadership by Skills for Change, Toronto (1996) and Commendation by the Mayor of Toronto (1987).
Peter Sloly
Deputy Chief
Toronto Police Service
Deputy Chief Peter Sloly is in his 21st year with the Toronto Police Service (TPS). Peter Sloly has a Criminal Justice Education Certificate from the University of Virginia, Incident Command System Certification from the Justice Institute of British Columbia, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from McMaster University and a Masters in Business Administration from York University’s Schulich School of Business. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the University of Toronto Rotman Police Executive Leadership Program. Peter Sloly has authored articles for several law enforcement and justice magazines on community mobilization, crime prevention and emergency management. He is an adjunct Professor at the University of Guelph-Humber and a regular lecturer at the Ontario Police College.
Peter Sloly is presently in charge of Executive Command which has 410 civilian and uniform staff and an operating budget of over $31 million and is comprised of 3 pillars and 12 business units which include; Professional Standards, Investigative Unit, Risk Management Unit, Legal Services, Corporate Services, Corporate Planning, Public Information, Crime & Information Analysis Unit, Records Management, Property & Evidence Management Unit, Audit & Quality Assurance and the Video Services Unit.
Peter Sloly was in charge of the Operational Services pillar with 1890 staff and an operating budget of $162 million which included the following units: Emergency Task Force, Traffic Services, Marine Unit, Mounted & Police Dog Services, Communication Services, Court Services, Parking Enforcement Unit, Public Safety & Emergency Management, Central Paid Duty Office and the Special Constables Program.
Peter Sloly has also overseen the Staff Planning & Community Mobilization pillar which included the following units: Employment, Training & Education, Staff Planning, Diversity Management and Community Mobilization. He has also been the Unit Commander of 55 Division, 53 Division and Corporate Communications. He was a senior manager at 31 Division, 52 Division and Duty Operations. He has worked in Community Response, Major Crime, Youth Bureau and Public Order. Peter Sloly also participated in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) where he was a Command Staff Officer and the Canadian Contingent Commander.
Deputy Chief Sloly is on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) – he also the Co-chair of the OACP Emergency Preparedness Committee and he is the OACP Zone 3 Director. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) where he is a member of the CACP Emergency Management Committee. Peter Sloly is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA) and the Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers (ABLE). Peter Sloly is on the Board of Directors for the Black Business & Professional Association’s National Scholarship Foundation, Covenant House and the Toronto City Summit Alliance.
Peter Sloly was born in Jamaica and immigrated to Canada in 1976 – he is proud of his Jamaican heritage and treasures his Canadian citizenship. Peter Sloly was a professional soccer player with the Toronto Blizzard and he played with the Canadian National Soccer Team. He enjoys sports, reading, travel, family time and enjoying the dynamic, diverse City of Toronto where he lives with his wife and daughter.
Inder Sidhu
Senior Vice President, Strategy & Planning
Worldwide Operations, Cisco Systems
Inder Sidhu is Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales Strategy & Planning at Cisco Systems, the $35+ billion worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. He co-leads Cisco’s Enterprise Business Council (with SVPs Rob Lloyd and Don Proctor) – this council is responsible for Cisco’s Enterprise business, representing about half of Cisco’s overall revenues. Mr. Sidhu also co-chairs Cisco’s Emerging Countries Council (with SVPs Paul Mountford and Owen Chan) – this council is responsible for driving business success in Cisco’s fastest growing geographies, such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, Middle East and Africa. Additionally, he is a member of Cisco’s Commercial Business Council, and participates in Cisco’s Operating Committee.
With Cisco since 1995, Mr. Sidhu has served in various executive management positions in the Sales, Services, and Business Development organizations, including VP/GM Worldwide Professional Services, VP/GM Advanced Engineering Services, and VP Strategy & Business Development, Customer Advocacy.
Mr. Sidhu’s professional career has been split equally between line and staff roles. Prior to Cisco, he was with McKinsey & Company, an international management consulting company. He has also held several senior management / engineering positions at Intel, 3Com and Novell.
Mr. Sidhu is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, and holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a Masters degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India.
Mr. Sidhu serves on the Board of Directors of Goodwill of Silicon Valley. He has a passion for education – he teaches at all of Cisco’s Leadership Development programs, and guest lectures at Harvard Business School, Stanford University, and the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Saratoga, California with his wife and three children.