Our Mission

Candace is a Management Consultant with 20+ years of expertise that spans Media, Health Care, Adult Education and Operational Savvy. She has had a successful track record of revamping and streamlining systems and processes across operational, administrative, fiscal and HR functions. Having managed programs worth up to $10M, Candace aligns resources and builds consensus among stakeholders to maximize efficiencies at all organizational levels. 

Her role at Ambassadors of Compassion involves engaging celebrities, high net worth individuals and companies to reach the goal of the 1 Million Student Initiative campaign. She strongly believes that companies that take their customer concerns seriously, are exceedingly successful.

Magdalene Cooman is a researcher, evaluator, and champion for economic integration of immigrants in Canada. With her rich experience in the settlement sector, she contributes to research in immigration and labour market integration of immigrants.

Prior to starting her own venture, Magdalene served as the Director at World Skills Employment Centre where she developed programs and services to bridge the gap between immigrants and employers. She is the recipient of the Community Pillar Award 2019, and Community Leadership Award 2009.

With over 20 years of leadership experience in the non-profit sector, Margaret Eaton is a highly regarded voice for immigrants and people facing mental health and addiction issues. 

Prior to joining CMHA, Margaret served for seven years as Executive Director of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). She also volunteered on numerous boards and committees, including the Toronto Newcomer Leadership Table, Ontario Office of the Fairness Commissioner Advisory Committee, among others. In 2012, Margaret received a Diamond Jubilee medal for her contributions to literacy and culture. 

Pooja’s work involves building leaders’ resilience and collective capacity in retaining, engaging, and transitioning talent. It also supports a workforce of over 10,000 employees, to enhance their career resilience in a continually changing environment. Through Pooja’s pioneering leadership, a third of all employees in transition are re-employed within their notice period, and half of them find new roles within the university.

Pooja is a Master Certified Coach (MCC), Certified Mentor Coach (CMC), and Dare to LeadTM trained facilitator. In 2022, she was in the first cohort for ICF's Advanced Certified Team Coach (ACTC) credential, making her one of the world's first 134 pioneering coaches holding this credential.

Sangeeta is a thought-leader with over 20 years of experience devising and executing award-winning initiatives, fostering strategic partnerships and achieving organizational objectives.As an Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Consultant, she excels at building strategic alliances with community and business stakeholders to promote social change related to diversity and inclusion in workplaces and communities, employment, housing, poverty reduction, mental health and inclusion for marginalized citizens. Sangeeta holds an excellent track record of managing high profile, complex projects through inspiring stakeholder engagement, promoting empowerment, and managing change by building high performance teams.

Shay is the co-founder and CEO of Bluejarvis Technologies, a startup focused on creating digital solutions to capture and analyze informal knowledge within organizations.

She holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Alberta and has experience in both the engineering and digitization space. Shay has worked with numerous companies through Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC), assisting them with their product market fit. Shay is passionate about the role of technology in non-profit organizations, and is currently a volunteer in the Indo-Canadian Women’s Association (ICWA).

Championing a philosophy that places relationships and service at the forefront, Vick sets the standard for leadership in the tech industry. With a span of nearly 20 years in the industry, Vick’s expansive experience encompasses a range from web portal designs to groundbreaking app development, making him a versatile pioneer in the realm of Tech solutions.

He co-founded Labourly™, a cutting-edge SaaS platform that streamlines the hiring process for both employers and job seekers. Through this platform, Vick helps organizations streamline the hiring process by offering smart and rapid-response recruitment solutions.

Praveen has been a principal of Varshney Capital Corp., a Vancouver based merchant banking, venture capital and corporate advisory services firm since 1991.  He’s also a Founding Director of Pyfera Growth Capital & a Founding Director of Humanitas Smart Planet Fund, both with a social impact focus.  Mr. Varshney obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia in 1987 and is a FCPA, FCA.

He has been a Director or Officer of many publicly traded companies over the years including one of Canada’s largest fintech companies, Mogo Inc. (NASDAQ: MOGO & TSX: MOGO) (Co-Founder).  He is also a Co-Founder of NEXE Innovations (TSX.V : NEXE) and of Little Kitchen Academy, and former CFO of Carmanah Technologies which became Canada’s largest solar company, and of The Plastic Bank.  He was also Co-Founder of a predecessor of Mountain Province Diamonds (TSX : MPVD) who’s Gahcho Kue project in September 2016 became the world’s largest new diamond mine since 2003 & De Beers’ (MPVD’s partner) second-largest producer behind its Jwaneng mine in Botswana.

Praveen is a member of the Vancouver Chapter of EO since 1996, Toniic, TiE Vancouver (Founding Director) & Silicon Valley Blockchain Society – Vancouver Chapter (Founding Director).  He’s also on a number of non-profit boards such as the Varshney Family Foundation, Dalai Lama Center for Peace + Education & a Founding Member of Instruments Beyond Borders.  He’s also an SVP Vancouver Partner, a Director of Foundations for Change, and on the Advisory Boards of Room to Read Vancouver and The Thomas Edison Innovation Foundation in New Jersey.  He also Co-Founded with his daughter, Jaiya, Down to the Last Straw, a global movement to reduce plastic waste with a major focus on single-use plastic straws.

Praveen is also a past recipient of Business in Vancouver’s 40 Under 40 Awards and the 2020 Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Wendy McDonald Diversity Awards Outstanding Mentor recipient.

Dr. Sneha Jain is a Senior Leader in Health Systems Strategy and Operations Transformation, and a Strategic Advisor to Immigrant Networks — Canada’s largest tech-enabled community for newcomers. 

In her advisory capacity, Sneha advises the Immigrant Networks team on business intelligence and growth strategy — strengthening the organization’s ability to deliver meaningful, lasting impact for immigrants building their careers in Canada.

Sneha has served as a director and advisor across multiple not-for-profit boards and is a well-known international speaker on value-enabled transformation and tech-enabled operational excellence. She is deeply passionate about advancing female leaders and immigrants through mentorship and creating real pathways to professional success.

As an immigrant herself, her work with Immigrant Networks is personal as much as professional — grounded in a belief that when newcomers are equipped with the right tools and networks, they don’t just integrate into Canada’s economy.