MAX Training for Boards (MTB) | First Session out of Six Sessions Planned

Want to learn from and network with Senior Leaders on large and recognized Corporate For Profit and Not For Profit Boards across Canada?  Over 6 sessions, MAX Training For Boards (MTB) has 9 Senior Professional Leaders who will be speaking, taking your questions, speaking to available Board opportunities, and available for networking sessions.  The speakers are all leaders in their profession and include Board Members of Canadian Tire, Brookfield, Loblaw, Toronto Metropolitan University, Cineplex, DREAM Residential REIT, Sick Kids Foundation, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and various other boards.  

MAX Board was launched to facilitate representation and encourage the participation of an under-represented community, Muslims in Canada, on profit and not-for-profit Boards. We will be hosting six thematic sessions over 12 months, where industry leaders speak about their experience on a Board. Those who complete the program will be recognized at MAX Gala 2023 at the Ritz Carlton on Saturday, September 30, 2023.

First Session: In Person | October 27, 2022 | Corporate offices of Torys, 79 Wellington St W, Toronto

Zehra focuses on corporate and securities law with an emphasis on private equity and M&A. She plays a key role in advising and working with public and private companies, financial institutions and pension funds, including TorQuest Partners, Imperial Capital, TMX Group, the Brookfield Group, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and CPP Investments.

Zehra Sheerazi has served the following roles on different Boards:

• Board Member and member of the Governance Committee of the Whitney Child Centre
• Board Member, Girl Guides of Canada
• Board Member, Addus
• Board Member, Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario
  

Sacha Haque is the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Secretary at Sagard Holdings & Portag3 Ventures. She is a Partner at Sagard and is responsible for overseeing legal affairs at the firm, including operations for fund formation, fundraising, investment and asset management activities, governance, regulatory compliance and other related matters. Sacha is an observer on the Management Committee.

Sacha Haque has served the following roles on different Boards:

• Chair, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation
• Member, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
• Chair, Marianopolis College Millenium Foundation
• Chair, Royal Victoria Hospital Foundations
• Member, The Nature Conservancy of Canada (Quebec)
  

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
  

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

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 and Chief Financial Officer. 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, Ciniplex
• Board Member, Loblaw
• Board Member, RioCan Real Estate Investment
• Board Member, Brookfield Asset Management
• Board Member, Schulich School of Business

Mr. Davis has over 25 years of public markets experience across DCM, funding, liquidity, FX, and asset & liability management. Earl has previously worked at 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 various Boards:

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

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 University of Toronto.

Richard Rooney has served the following roles on different Boards:

• 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

Fahad Khan is a Board Director for United Corporations Limited. He is the Vice-President of Investments at E-L Financial Corporation Limited. Previously, his experience includes positions at Ernst & Young LLP in the Transaction Advisory Services and the Banking and Capital Markets practices.

Fahad Khan has served the following roles on different Boards:

• Board Member, Dream Residential Real Estate Investment Trust
• Board Member, United Corporations Limited
• Chair of the Audit Committee, E-L Financial Corporation Limited

Event 1 : Board 101 | Thursday, October 27, 2022 (In Person)

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

• Board Mandate / Role of the Board
• Risks and Benefits
• Scope of the Board
• Structure of Boards
• For Profit entities: Advisory, Private and Public/Corporate, Co-op
• Non-Corporate entities: NPO, Entity of the Crown, Municipal or Government Agency
• Objectives of Board Pillars/Board Functions
• Role of Board Members
• Conflict of duty and interest and remedies

Event 2: The Board’s Focus on Strategy | December 7, 2022

Speakers: Fahad Khan, Goldy Hyder, Sacha Haque, Earl Davis

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

Event 3: Legal, Risk & Compliance | January 26, 2023

Speakers: Walied Soliman and Nader Hasan

Types of Risks

• Risk oversight
• Risk management
• Legal
• Compliance

Event 4: Finance & Audit | March 2023

Speakers: Janice Fukasuka, Nadir Patel, Fahad Khan

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

Event 5: Governance, Nomination & Board Development, Compensation & HR | May 2023

Speakers: Sacha Haque, 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

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

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

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

MAX Gala 2023 | Ritz Carlton, Toronto | September 30, 2023

❖ 60 minutes - Keynote/Teaching component by Guest Speaker

❖ 15 - 30 minutes - Q&A

❖ 15 minutes - Discussion on Board opportunities

❖ 45 minutes - Virtual networking

Muslim Awards for 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 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 capacity of the Muslim community to participate on 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.

For any attendees who may have Financial Need and require a Sponsored ticket, or for any questions or comments please contact:

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

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

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Torys Head Office - 79 Wellington St W, 33rd floor, 79 Wellington Street West, Toronto, Canada