Training for Boards: Do you aspire to be a Board Member?

This program provides practical and pragmatic approaches to professionals who aspire to be directors and board members. Each session will include a networking component where available Board opportunities will be shared.

This exclusively designed program provides the opportunity to:

• Learn from and network with high-performing Directors, Chairpersons and Senior Leaders, who have served on various recognized Corporate For-Profit and Not-For-Profit Boards across Canada
• Enhance awareness of Board opportunities from open discussions that help maximize the prospects of participating on Boards
• Gain insights on how to serve effectively with an overview of the knowledge, boardroom practices and competencies that form the basis of effective Board membership and are expected from directors in today’s environment

MAX Training For Boards (MTB) includes 6 sessions, featuring 13 Senior Professional Leaders who will share their knowledge and expertise, connect with the audience, answer your questions, and speak about available opportunities to serve on boards.

The speakers are all leaders in their profession and include Board Members of Rogers, Canadian Tire, Brookfield, Loblaw, Toronto Metropolitan University, Cineplex, DREAM Residential REIT, Sick Kids Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and various other boards.

MTB was launched to facilitate representation and encourage the participation of an under-represented community, Muslims in Canada, on profit and not-for-profit Boards.

Participants who complete all 6 sessions will be recognized at MAX Gala 2023 at the Ritz Carlton on Saturday, September 30, 2023, and receive a program completion certificate from MAX. Those who choose to participate in the full training (all 6 sessions) but are unable to attend the in-person events (sessions 1 & 6) will be provided with a video recording of the session.

Session 2: Virtual | Thursday, December 7, 2022

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. In keeping with the overarching vision to elevate the brand of Canadian Muslims, MAX Board was launched to facilitate Board representation and encourage the participation of an under-represented community, Muslims in Canada, on Boards. Over the next two years, MAX Board plans to deliver six thematic sessions with the objective to help motivate and develop high-performing board leaders. It aims to enhance awareness and increase the capacity of the Muslim community to participate in for-profit and not-for-profit Boards.

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

• 60 minutes - Keynote/Teaching component by Guest Speaker
• 60 minutes - Panel Discussion
• 15 - 30 minutes - Q&A
• 15 minutes - Discussion on Board opportunities
• 45 minutes - Virtual networking

Dr. Mohamed Lachemi is president and vice-chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). He has led transformational expansion at the university of national and international significance, been recognized as one of the city’s most influential people, and championed a university culture of entrepreneurship and challenging the status quo.

Dr. Mohamed Lachemi has served the following roles on different Boards:

• Company Director, Rogers Communications
• Board Member, Trillium Health Partners
• Board Member, DMZ Ventures
• Board Member, HackerGal
• Finance Committee Chair, Universities Canada

Richard Rooney is the Vice Chair and Co-Founder of Burgundy Asset Management. As Burgundy Asset Management’s Chief Investment Officer for over 20 years, Richard helped build an investment department that is supportive of thoughtful risk-taking. He gives back to the community by serving on various boards. His experience includes positions at Price Waterhouse, Sun Life and AMI Partners. Richard is a CFA charterholder and a fellow of CPA Ontario. He has an MBA from Richard Ivey School of Business, Western University, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto.

Richard Rooney has served the following roles on different Boards:

• Board Member, Burgundy Asset Management
• Chair of Board of Directors, Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation
• Member of Governance Committee and former Chair of Board of Governors, Stratford Shakespeare Festival
• Trustee Emeritus and former President, Art Gallery of Ontario Foundation
• Board Member (2002-2009) and Chair of Compensation Committee (2004-2009), Dominion of Canada General Insurance
• Board Member (2002-2016) and Chair of Compensation Committee (2004-2012), Empire Life Insurance

Sacha Haque is the General Counsel & Secretary at Sagard & Portage. She is a Partner and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of legal affairs at the firm. She leads legal matters relating to Sagard’s activities and operations, including fund formation, fundraising, investment and asset management activities, governance, regulatory compliance and other related matters. Prior to Sagard, Sacha was with Power Corporation of Canada for nine years where she most recently served as Assistant General Counsel & Assistant Secretary. Prior to Power, Sacha was an Associate in Corporate / M&A law at Dentons LLP, a global law firm. Sacha holds Civil Law (LL.L) and Common Law (LL.B) degrees from the University of Ottawa, and is a member of the bar in Ontario and Quebec.

Sacha has previously served as a Director or Chair of a number of not-for-profit governance, community and fundraising initiatives, including some of the following:

• Director and Chair of the Governance & Nominating Committee, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation
• Director and Chair of the Governance Committee, Y des femmes de Montreal (YWCA)
• Chair, Marianopolis College Millenium Foundation
• Member and Governance and Nominating Committee member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
• Director, The Nature Conservancy of Canada

Zehra’s practice focuses on private M&A, working primarily with private equity funds, pension funds, insurance companies and banks, including TorQuest Partners, Imperial Capital, TMX Group, the Brookfield Group, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and CPP Investments. Zehra advises clients in all aspects of investing and divestiture transactions, including asset and stock transactions, co-investments, shareholders arrangements, joint ventures, majority and minority equity investments and restructurings.

Zehra Sheerazi has served the following roles on different Boards:

• Board Member and member of the Governance Committee of the Whitney Child Centre
• Member of Governance Committee, Girl Guides of Canada
• Board Member, Addus
• Board Member, Secretary, Member of Governance Committee and Results Monitoring Committee, Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario
• Member of the Governance Committee, Queen's University; University Council
• Council Member, Queen’s University; University Council

Earl Davis has over 25 years of public markets experience across DCM, funding, liquidity, FX, and asset & liability management. He has previously worked with OTTP, TD, and Scotiabank in Fixed Income roles. Earl earned his MBA at the Ivey Business School at Western University and is a CFA charterholder.

Following are a few roles that Earl Davis has served on or for various Boards:

• Board Member, Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
• ESG Committee Member, CBIA Canadian Bond Investors' Association
• Technical Advisory Committee Member, Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA)

Mr. Hyder is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada. He has significant achievements in business and public policy, having served both as President & CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies and a director of policy and chief of staff to The Right Honourable Joe Clark. He has an extensive record of service in the charitable and nonprofit sector, currently serving as vice chair of Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council and receiving the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 in recognition of his contributions to Canada.

Following are a few roles that Goldy Hyder has served on various Boards:

• Chair of Board of Directors, Ottawa Senators Foundation
• Chair of Board of Directors, Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council
• Board Member, Century Initiative
• Board Member, Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council

A corporate director with extensive banking and financial services experience, Fukakusa served previously as RBC’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). She currently serves as the Board Chair for The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Japanese Canadian Cultural Center Foundation and is Chancellor of the Toronto Metropolitan University. Ms. Fukakusa was the founding Chair of Canadian Infrastructure Bank, a Crown Corporation. In 2007, Fukakusa was inducted into Canada's Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame, and in 2016 was named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking by American Banker magazine for the fourth consecutive year. She was also selected as Canada's CFO of the Year by Financial Executives Canada, PwC and Robert Half in 2014.

Following are a few roles that Janice Fukakusa has served on various Boards:

• Board Member, Cineplex
• Board Member, Loblaw
• Board Member, RioCan Real Estate Investment
• Board Member, Brookfield Asset Management
• Board Member, Schulich School of Business

Riaz Ahmed is President and CEO of TD Securities, responsible for overseeing TD's global capital markets and corporate and investment banking businesses.

Prior to this, Riaz was the Group Head and Chief Financial Officer of TD Bank Group, responsible for Enterprise Strategy, Finance, Chief Accountant's department, Strategic Sourcing, Enterprise Real Estate, Treasury and Balance Sheet Management, Corporate Development and TD's Corporate Transformation Program and Strategy.

A passionate promoter of inclusivity and diversity in the workplace, Riaz chaired TD's Inclusion and Diversity Leadership Council between 2015 and 2018. He also co-chaired TD’s United Way fundraising campaigns in 2013 and 2014.

Riaz Ahmed currently serves on different Boards in the following roles:

• Board of Directors, Aga Khan Museum
• Chairman of Aga Khan Foundation Canada, National Committee

Walied Soliman is the Canadian chair of Norton Rose Fulbright and co-chair of the Special Situations team. He is widely regarded as one of Canada's leading lawyers in his field. Mr. Soliman was mandated in 2020 by the government of Ontario to chair the Capital Markets Modernization Taskforce. In 2019, Mr. Soliman was chosen by the United Nations Association in Canada to be its Global Citizen Laureate for his professional merit and service to the community.

Following are a few roles that Walied Soliman has served on various Boards:

• Board Member, BlackNorth Initiative against anti-Black racism
• Board Member, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Board Member, Toronto SickKids Hospital Foundation

Nabeela Ixtabalan currently holds the position of Chief Operations Officer of Walmart Canada. Nabeela oversees the operations and performance of Walmart Canada’s 400+ stores serving more than 1.5 million customers daily. She is one of The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business’ 2022 Top Executives. She has nearly 20 years of leadership and business development experience with Walmart, IKEA and Starbucks Coffee. Nabeela has a dual degree in Marketing and Supply Chain Management and Distribution and a master’s in Industrial and Organizational Behaviour and Design. She is also a certified executive coach.

Nabeela Ixtabalan has served the following roles on different Boards:

• Board Member, Future Skills Centre
• Board Member, Miracle Foundation
• Board Member, TaskRabbit

Nadir Patel is a Management Consultant and Corporate Director. He currently serves as Managing Director of Fairfax Consulting Services, and Senior Strategic Advisor at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP. He has previously served as Canada’s High Commissioner for the Republic of India, with concurrent accreditation as Canada’s Ambassador to Nepal and Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bhutan. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer for Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.

Following are a few roles that Nadir Patel has served on various Boards:

• Board Member, Canadian Tire
• Board Member, Jumpstart Charities

Faisal Kazi is the President and CEO of Siemens Canada. Mr. Kazi is responsible for leading the overall strategic management, direction and leadership of Siemens activities in Canada. In addition to his role as President and CEO, Mr. Kazi is responsible for the leadership of the Smart Infrastructure business and serves as a board member of multiple Siemens affiliates in Canada. A passionate champion of Siemens Canada’s corporate social responsibility programs, Mr. Kazi takes pride in giving back to the community.

Faisal Kazi has served the following roles on different Boards:

• Board Member, Business Council of Canada
• Board Member, Toronto Board of Trade
• Board Member, Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce

Fahad Khan is the Vice-President of Investments at E-L Financial Corporation Limited. In this role, Mr. Khan works closely with the CEO in overseeing all of the company’s investment activities and is responsible for a global portfolio of investments across public and private markets. As part of the executive team, Mr. Khan is also actively involved in all aspects of the business with a focus on capital market transactions and strategic initiatives.

Previously, Mr. Khan worked at Ernst & Young LLP in the Transaction Advisory Services and Banking and Capital Markets practices. Mr. Khan is a graduate of the University of Toronto, where he earned a Master of Management and Professional Accounting and an Honours Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Human Biology. Mr. Khan is also a holder of the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designations.

Fahad Khan has served the following roles on different Boards:

• Board Trustee, Dream Residential Real Estate Investment Trust
• Chair of the Audit Committee, Dream Residential Real Estate Investment Trust
• Board Director, United Corporations Limited
• Board Observer, The Empire Life Insurance Company
• Board Observer, Algoma Central Corporation

Session 1: Board 101 | Thursday, October 27, 2022, (In-Person) 5:30 pm - 10 pm | Corporate offices of Torys, 79 Wellington St W, Toronto

Join us for an interactive exchange, as Richard Rooney, Vice Chair and Co-Founder at Burgundy Asset Management, shares about the significance of serving on Boards, Sacha Haque, Partner, General Counsel & Secretary at Sagard, helps break this down further and sets the foundation for our program with a Board 101 training, followed by a stimulating panel discussion with distinguished guest panelists where valuable experience and insights are shared.

*topics below are indicative; specifics subject to change

Speakers: Richard Rooney, Sacha Haque, Nadir Patel, Zehra Sheerazi, Earl Davis

• Role of the Board
• Board Committees and Functions
• Director's Legal and Fiduciary Duties
• Board Composition
• Best in Class Board Meetings
• Board Effectiveness Tools

Session 2: The Board’s Focus on Strategy | December 7, 2022 (Virtual) at 6:30 PM

Speakers: Fahad Khan, Faisal Kazi, Nabeela Ixtabalan

• Board Vision
• The role of the CEO
• Approach to board strategies for corporate and non-corporate boards
• Setting the direction
• Approach to planning and decision-making under different circumstances
• Corporate Governance

Session 3: Legal, Risk & Compliance | January 26, 2023*

Speakers: Walied Soliman, Nader Hasan

• Types of Risks
• Risk oversight
• Risk management
• Legal
• Compliance

Session 4: Finance & Audit | March 2, 2023

Speakers: Riaz Ahmed, Sahezad Pardhan, Janice Fukasuka, Stephanie Bowman

Part A Finance:

• Financial Planning
• Alignment of Financial planning to strategic planning
• Capital Budgeting
• Evaluating performance: KPI monitoring
• Role of the Treasurer

Part B Audits:

• Board Accountability
• Oversight of Public Disclosures
• Financial Reporting
• Non-Financial Reporting
• Relationship with Management and Auditors
• Ensuring policies are in place

Session 5: Governance, Nomination & Board Development, Compensation & HR | May 4, 2023*

Speakers: Dr. Lachemi, Sacha Haque, Nadir Patel, Goldy Hyder

Part A Governance, Nomination and Board Development:

• Nominating and voting
• Performance evaluation of Board members and management

Part B Compensation and HR:

• Succession planning
• Remuneration
• Policies
• Human capital development

Session 6: Running a Board | July 2023 (In Person)*

Speakers: Richard Rooney, Goldy Hyder, Zehra Sheerazi, Earl Davis, Fahad Khan, Dr. Lachemi

• Board process
• Dissemination of board package
• Creating the agenda
• Chairing the Board
• Building consensus
• Managing conflict and critique

Certificates and Felicitation for participants completing all 6 sessions: MAX Gala 2023 | Ritz Carlton, Toronto | September 30, 2023

*dates for sessions 3-6 are tentative and subject to change

• Professionals, managers or executives aspiring to serve in a corporate governance role and new board members
• Family members and controlling shareholders of small and medium family companies
• Executives of government and non-profit organizations and agencies
• Senior Executives (CEO, COO, CFO, CIO etc.)

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

• Kamran Shaikh | Vice President, MAX Business | [email protected]
• Talha Zubair | Managing Director, MAX Business | [email protected]
• Aazar Zafar | Founder and CEO, MAX | [email protected]

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

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