CISOC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Associate at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Avesta Alani is a licensed lawyer in the province of Ontario. She was called to the Bar in 2021. Avesta is a former Associate at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, and currently acts as Legal Counsel -Sr. HR & Labour Relations Advisor at the Public Service Alliance of Canada. Avesta's legal career focuses on labour and employment law, provincially and nationally, in areas such as wrongful dismissals, human rights, union bargaining, pensions and benefits and workplace policies. Avesta completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Ottawa with an Hons. International Development and Globalization with a Minor in Philosophy and her J.D. Law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School York University. Avesta has authored "Diffability: The Liberation of Potential." She is the winner of the Celebration of Peoples Award and the Spirit of the Capital Youth Award. Avesta herself comes from an immigrant family,and is first generation in Canada.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
David Majok graduated from Carleton University, Ottawa, 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, concentration in International Relations & minor in Law. David also possesses a graduate Diploma in Social Services Work from Algonquin College 2004. He held different positions within the YMCA-YWCA of National Capital Region and currently works as a Director at the YMCA-YWCA Employment Access Centre. David has been active in the field of employment and training, newcomers, and assisting the unemployed and under employed re-integrate into the labour market for over ten years. Occasionally, he consults for the Centre of Inter-cultural Learning, as a Subject Matter Expert on South Sudan.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
A Certified Management Consultant (*CMC*), Haiyan brings insights on cross-cultural effectiveness gained from working with leaders in private, public and non-profit organizations in several countries. Haiyan served on the Board of Directors, Community Services Cabinet, and Internationally Trained Workers Project Advisory Committee, United Way/Centraide Ottawa. Haiyan has taught graduate courses on Management, Business Communications skills and Cross Cultural Project Management at the universities of Ottawa and Quebec. Haiyan holds an Executive MBA and MA.
Job Titles:
- Vice - Chair of the Board of Directors
Isaac O. Akanbi is an IT Project Manager with over 12 years' experience in managing software development, process optimization, and systems integration projects. He is an MBA graduate from University of Wales, United Kingdom, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL). He has led several business process re-engineering and organizational development projects for public and private sector organizations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Liam graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2000 with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. After a brief stint as a youth probation worker in St. John's, Newfoundland, he moved to Ottawa where he has been employed with the Children's Aid Society of Ottawa as an intake child protection worker ever since. Liam is active with the CASO Cultural Competency committee, and is also a member of the CASO/LASI (Local Agencies Serving Immigrants) joint committee, which aims to improve the Society's work within our culturally diverse community.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Mark Patterson started his career in policing in 1997. He is a graduate of Carleton University. As a police officer, Mark has been in the following sections: Patrol Services, Neighborhood, the Youth and Adult Street Gang Section and the Intelligence Section. He currently holds the rank of Staff Sergeant and has supervised in the Court Security and Cellblock Section and the Guns and Gangs / Direct Action Response Team (DART) Firearms Section. Mark is the proud father of two boys both involved in AAA hockey and is currently a volunteer on the coaching staff. He has been involved in numerous projects, the most prominent being the Ottawa Gang Strategy.
Our in-house team of skilled and dedicated professionals coordinates and monitors all interpretation and translation requests; undertakes CILISAT assessments; and trains new interpreters.
With more than 35 years of combined experience delivering linguistic and cross-cultural services, our staff has the know-how and desire to give you the best solution to your language requirements.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Mary Kirby Gall has been with Canada Post Corporation for more than 20 years. She has been responsible for both developing and managing corporate financial systems, websites, and call center systems. Mary is an expert in business process and systems design and is a former internal auditor. She currently works within the Customer Service department at Canada Post Corporation. Mary is bilingual (English and French). She has lived in both Canada and Europe and has also traveled in Asia and Central America.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Project Manager
Olivier Musafiri is the Project Manager Anglophone Africa. In his role, he is responsible for the design, implementation, monitoring and reporting for trade-related activities in the region. Olivier has solid project management experience from different countries in Africa and Canada. This includes working as a Program Manager for UN Women's regional program where among other things he coordinated bilateral projects between UN Women and the governments of Rwanda, Burundi and DRC on cross border trade, agriculture and value chain initiatives. Recently he has worked as Gender Advisor with Vets without Borders Canada for its programme in Kenya and in South Sudan with the Canadian Midwives Association as Field Operations Officer. Olivier has outstanding experience in gender mainstreaming and capacity building, results based monitoring and evaluation with a number of different donors including Global Affairs, USAID, UN agencies, Norway and NEPAD. Olivier speaks over 5 languages including French, English and Swahili and holds different degrees from business including "Disruptive Strategy" Executive Education from Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
Parastu holds a Doctoral degree in Political Ecology from Carleton University. Her life and career have been driven by a strong passion to make a better world with ecologically sound and socially just societies. She is a manager of Effective Measures at the Social Planning Council of Ottawa. Previously, she worked as a researcher, strategic partnership coordinator, and program officer for the non-profit sector and international non-governmental organizations at the national level and for the United Nations Environment Program, United Nations Development Program, and international treaties. Parastu has 20+ years of experience in helping organizations to achieve their goals and improve their outcomes, designing and planning evaluation frameworks, building strategic partnerships, conducting research, and coordinating multi-sector and multi-stakeholder programs. She has worked and lived in Asia, Europe, and Canada. This exposure has provided her with a unique ability to work with diverse groups in cross-cultural contexts and political settings with ease and insight.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Secretary of the Board of Directors
Poonam Hardas brings over 20 years of diverse experience in the financial industry, and has held leadership roles at global organizations such as GE, HSBC, and RBC. Her extensive international work across Canada, the U.S., ASP, and Europe has shaped her global perspective. She brings expertise in Risk Management, Change Management, Data, Privacy, and AI risks. Poonam holds a Master's degree in Information Systems from the University of Texas in Dallas and is deeply committed to community engagement. She is a passionate advocate for women's empowerment, having led a Women's Network in Hong Kong focused on mentorship and professional growth. Additionally, Poonam actively supports youth initiatives, volunteering with organizations like JA Central Ontario to deliver impactful financial literacy training. Beyond her professional achievements, Poonam is a strong advocate for the need of cultural intelligence in a multicultural environment and has produced a podcast designed to equip individuals with tools, tips, and strategies.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice - Chair of the Board of Directors
Richard Westler is a retired public servant who worked with the Canadian federal government in the Departments of Transport and Public Works. As an economist with more than 30 years experience in government, he has dealt with many issues such as policy development and regulatory matters related to Canada's transport sector, most notably in strategic planning in the deregulation and commercialization of Canada's transport sector and in economic development issues where he worked on the rebuilding of the transport infrastructure of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After returning to Canada from his overseas work he accepted a position with the Department of Public Works dealing with governance and corporate planning issues.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Rock started his policing career with the Vanier Police Force in 1979. After spending the first half of his career on the road as a patrolman, traffic officer and emergency response officer, Rock was transferred to the Rideau Street Community Police Centre, where he supervised its 100-plus community volunteers. A few years later, and now a Staff Sergeant, Rock subsequently managed the Ottawa Police Communication Centre and 911 Bureau, a Patrol Platoon and the East Division Criminal Investigation Section. A few years ago, Rock was named an Operational Project Manager for the Service and was tasked with major projects such as the implementation of an Intranet system, new in-car computers, GPS for police vehicles, voice recognition and Electronic Ticketing, a Canadian first.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Member of the Board of Directors
Shalini Duggal has over 13 years of executive experience in Human Resources, Marketing, and Communications. Currently, she serves as the Interim Chief People Officer of Ezra Coaching. Before this role, she served in various leadership roles at Wattpad, Centrilogic, Achievers, Ontario Telemedicine Network, and SCM Insurance Services. Shalini is a member of the Neythiri Executive Women's Council, Forbes HR Council, Canadian Learning Council Research Advisory Board, Canadian Society Training Development Board, and the Canadian Professional Sales Association. She is the Executive Vice Chair and Board Member for the IWC. She holds certifications as a Certified Training and Development Professional, Certified Sales Professional, and Emotional Intelligence Coach. Shalini is also currently pursuing an executive MBA in Leadership.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Sona has 25 years of experience in operational and strategic leadership roles in the UK, USA, and Canada. Her expertise encompasses experience in both consulting and corporate executive roles. She has worked in diverse company environments such as rapid growth, regulated, and publicly traded companies. In her most recent 6-year position as Partner at an Insolvency firm, Sona built and led the sales, marketing, and HR divisions. In addition to serving on several private and not for profit boards, Sona serves on the Advisory Committee for the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Product Leaders and Business Strategist
Syed Umair is a seasoned product leaders and business strategist with over 15 years' experience leading products for Fortune 1000 companies, to revenue growth and market differentiation across the US, Europe and the Middle East. Syed holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and a joint master's in international management from KTH, Royal Institute of Technology Sweden. Syed has extensive experience leading innovation both in multinationals like Telefonica Global Solutions, TD, Astra Zeneca, and Adecco as well advising scaling startups through various incubation programs. Syed has a passion for using data to business and humanitarian advantage and has been involved in evaluating use cases for ethical AI in the public services and financial advisory sector. A builder and connector by nature, Syed is actively involved in mentorship and coaching startups and outdoor landscaping.