MAX Boards | The Modern Director Forum

We're excited to host this event at the Fasken LLP Toronto Office.

Speakers:

1. Sabir Sami | Former CEO of KFC
2. Salma Salman | Former U.S. CFO TD Bank America
3. Yung Wu | Former CEO at MaRS, serial entrepreneur

Workshop Facilitators:

1. Ivy Lumia | CEO & Founder, Best in Governance (BIG)
2. Seema Rizvi | Sr. Advisor, Best in Governance (BIG)

The Modern Director Forum

What does it mean to serve on a Board of Directors in today’s evolving governance landscape?

The Modern Director Forum is a governance-focused event designed to unpack the realities of board service, how expectations of directors are shifting, what effective oversight looks like today, and how leaders can position themselves for board opportunities in an increasingly complex environment.

Join us for The Modern Director Forum, an evening dedicated to building board-ready leaders and strengthening diverse representation at the Board of Directors level. The program will open with a candid panel discussion featuring experienced executives and board directors, sharing real-world insights on boardroom dynamics, oversight responsibilities, and the path to securing and succeeding in board roles. This will be followed by a practical governance workshop led by Best in Governance (BIG), translating these insights into actionable frameworks you can apply.

This event is part of MAX Boards, an initiative by Muslims Achieving Excellence focused on increasing minority representation on Boards of Directors through mentorship and access. As an extension of this work, we are also launching the MAX Boards 2026 Mentor–Mentee Program, pairing high-potential professionals with senior leaders and board directors for direct, personalized guidance on the journey to board service.

Whether you are an executive, entrepreneur, or emerging leader, this forum offers practical insight and meaningful connections to help you take the next step toward board leadership.

Who should attend: Senior professionals, executives, founders, and high-potential leaders interested in serving on a Board of Directors or advancing their governance experience.

Apply to the MAX Boards 2026 Mentor–Mentee Program: https://forms.gle/UpzWD7k1gB19CwVf8

What to Expect:
Meaningful Networking
Connect with senior leaders and high-caliber professionals across industries. MAX brings together a diverse community, giving you the opportunity to exchange ideas, build relationships, and gain a broader perspective on leadership in Corporate Canada.

Boardroom & Leadership Insights
Hear directly from experienced executives and board directors on what it takes to lead at the highest levels. The panel will explore boardroom dynamics, effective oversight, and the strategic thinking required to navigate complexity and drive impact.

Cross-Industry Perspective
Our speakers represent sectors including technology, finance, insurance, and corporate advisory. Through their experiences, you’ll gain a well-rounded view of leadership—how it evolves across industries, adapts through change, and translates into meaningful influence at the Board level.

Muslim Achieving Excellence (MAX) was founded with the aim to recognize, reward, celebrate and motivate high achievement and encourage positive and productive contributions to society by Muslims in Canada. MAX fosters that through creating connections between senior level, mid level and early career professionals.

THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW SOME OF CANADA'S TOP LEADERS. DINNER WILL BE SERVED.

For any attendees who may have financial needs and require a sponsored complimentary ticket, or for any questions or comments please contact:

Kinza Hassan | Lead, MAX Boards | [email protected]

Website: onemax.org | LinkedIn: MAX | Twitter: @max_gala | Instagram: @onemax.ca

ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Sabir Sami | Former CEO of KFC

Sabir previously served in a dual role as KFC Division Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of KFC Asia, a role in which he led the global operations team and drove the KFC global operations agenda while overseeing Thailand, India, Asia Central and Greater Asia. Prior to this, Sami was Managing Director for KFC Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey markets, where he was instrumental in growing the business and establishing KFC as a Relevant, Easy and Distinctive brand in the regions. Sami joined Yum! in 2009 and worked on all three brands during his tenure as the General Manager of Yum! Canada and previously served as General Manager for the KFC Canada and Turkey businesses. Sabir has served on a number of not-for-profit boards including SafeCity Mississauga, the Polycultural Immigrant Community Services and the provincial Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Council. Prior to Yum!, he served in various leadership roles at Procter & Gamble, the Coca-Cola Company and Reckitt Benckiser across multiple markets such as Pakistan, Australia, Vietnam, Singapore & Canada. Sami received his MBA from The University of Karachi in Pakistan. He is married to Sara, a father of two sons and proud grandfather of two little boys. His passions include traveling, reading, staying healthy and running a charity in his home country of Pakistan.

Salma Salman | Former U.S. Chief Financial Officer, TD Bank America

Salma most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer for TD Bank US. In this capacity, she was responsible for setting financial plan and strategy, all aspects of financial analysis, and regulatory reporting. She worked with business lines and support functions to drive business performance and played a key role in interactions with Board committees and regulators.

Prior to this role, Salma served as TD Bank Group's Controller and Chief Accountant with responsibility for global accounting policy and advisory, subsidiary financial and regulatory reporting, accounting operations and analysis, and financial reporting controls, including SOX compliance. Salma joined TD Bank Group in August 2018 as CFO of TD's Wealth Management business. In this capacity, she was a member of the Canadian Retail leadership team and oversaw the Finance function of the Wealth Management business.

Prior to joining TD, Salma was a partner at KPMG, serving a diverse base of clients in assurance and advisory areas of expertise, including M&A transactions in a number of international jurisdictions. She has more than 25 years of finance leadership experience as an executive and a senior advisor.

Salma is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario. She is a passionate believer in giving back to her community and is actively involved in various causes. She currently serves on the Board of SickKids Foundation and continues to serve MAX in an advisory capacity. She has previously served on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto. At TD, Salma is involved in various colleague initiatives, including serving as the executive sponsor for Finance learning and development and chair of the Finance Women at TD committee. In 2024, Salma was named a Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner.

Yung Wu | Former CEO at MaRS, serial entrepreneur

Yung is a serial entrepreneur, private equity investor and experienced Corporate Director specializing in Innovation, digital strategy and technology. He has built, led and invested into breakthrough scale-stage companies in enterprise software, mobile analytics and big data, media and entertainment, technology services and biotech, while supporting the creation of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic output for his stakeholders.
As the former CEO of MaRS Discovery District, Yung led one of the world's largest innovation hubs, supporting over 1,200 companies employing over 30,000 tech workers in the health, cleantech, fintech, and platform technologies sectors, at all stages of growth and scale. Under Yung’s leadership, the MaRS innovation community grew by over 450% over six years, raising over $20B in capital and contributing over $30B to Canada’s GDP. Yung remains deeply engaged in Canada’s business community as the recent Chair of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, a member of the Mayor’s Economic Action Team, an inaugural member of Canada’s Net Zero Advisory Board and a Director on the Boards of the OMERS Pension Plan and MDA Space (TSE: MDA).
Yung is passionate about creating positive social and economic change through innovation and entrepreneurship. As a champion for inclusive innovation, Yung co-founded and serves on the Board of the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Advancing Respect (CILAR), a national network of senior leaders and organizations dedicated to building pathways into the innovation economy for under-recognized talent from under-sponsored communities. He is a contributing author in The Ripple Effect, a best-selling book on the power of trusted networks in driving entrepreneurial success, published by ECW Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster.
Yung has been recognized as one of Canada's “Top 40 under 40” and for leading one of Canada’s “50 Best Managed Private Companies” in the nation. He has a B.Sc. Computer Science, Economics and Mathematics from the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the Entrepreneurial Masters Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a member of MENSA, the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) and the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD.DC).

ABOUT THE FACILITATORS

Ivy Lumia | CEO & Founder, Best in Governance (BIG)

Ivy is the CEO and Founder of Best in Governance Inc., (BIG), an award-winning governance advisory delivering modern governance solutions to boards and executive teams. With 25 years of experience,

Ivy is recognized as one of North America’s leading voice in corporate governance, named by Diligent as Global Top 30 Governance Innovators and by SustainabilityX Magazine as Global Top 50 Women in Sustainability.

Prior to launching BIG, Ivy led the governance departments for a Schedule 1 Canadian bank, multinational public and private companies, not-for-profits, and federal Crown corporations. Ivy also managed eight offices internationally where she worked with high-profile government leaders to develop sustainable infrastructure projects.

Ivy currently serves with the Standards Council of Canada / ISO for Governance of Organizations, ESG and Human Trafficking, auditor of the Governance Professionals of Canada GPC.D, and twice past Chair of the GPC Ontario Chapter. She holds a GPC.D, GCB.D ESG, and Sustainability ESG Practitioner credentials. She’s a polyglot, inclusion advocate, expert cat herder, Second City alum, terrible golfer, and general do-gooder.

Seema Rizvi | Sr. Advisor, Best in Governance (BIG)

Seema is Senior Advisor, Sustainability in Supply Chains at Best in Governance Inc. (BIG) and Principal Consultant at Mass Impact Consulting. With 15 years of experience, she is a recognized leader in sustainability and human rights, with a focus on responsible sourcing, ESG strategy, and modern slavery risk.

Her award-winning research on modern slavery in Canadian supply chains provides actionable guidance for corporate governance and human rights due diligence, translating complex human rights and supply chain risks into practical, board-level oversight considerations. She has led ESG strategy development, supplier collaboration, and value chain transformation initiatives and brings over a decade of nonprofit board leadership, including committee chairing and executive governance support. Previous to her advisory work, Seema founded and led a purpose-driven sustainable fashion brand.

Seema holds a Graduate Diploma in Social Responsibility & Sustainability from the University of Toronto and is certified in OECD Due Diligence for Responsible Business Conduct. She’s an Ashtanga yoga practitioner, aspiring pickleballer, and amateur campfire guitarist.

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