Meet Our Keynote Speaker

Canadian Red Cross

Table Captain: Maram Suleiman

The mission of the Canadian Red Cross is to help people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and support them in strengthening their resilience. The Canadian Red Cross Society is part of the largest humanitarian network in the world. This network includes the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

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Maram Suleiman

Emergency Management Coordinator

Maram Suleiman, a dedicated Emergency Management Coordinator with the Canadian Red Cross, brings a wealth of expertise and passion to her role in disaster response and community resilience. Maram has built a distinguished career in emergency management, leveraging her background in economics and her higher degree in Emergency and Disaster Management from the Justice Institute of British Columbia.

With over ten years of experience in humanitarian work, Maram has worked with international organizations such as Oxfam GB, Human Relief Foundation, and IREX International, addressing critical issues like human rights, refugees, gender equality, and youth development. 

At the Canadian Red Cross, Maram is committed to strengthening disaster response systems, focusing on innovative solutions for volunteer coordination and community preparedness. Her dedication to collaboration and partnership-building has made her a trusted professional in the field.

Evergreen Foundation

Table Captains: Serena Verma , Shilpi Shah, Palu Pachchigar

Our mission to empower youth to be informed, actively engaged, and lead an action towards a progressive change in the world. Through self-reflection and growth, contributors will be activated and inspire others as stewards of positive global change.

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Serena Verma

Director

Serena Verma is deeply committed to advancing understanding of the determinants of health. A dedicated Family Doctor, she lives, works, and finds joy on the traditional lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, also known as Vancouver, BC.

Serena divides her professional time between caring for her patients and contributing to medical education, working closely with learners at the University of British Columbia.

Outside of work, she is a proud mother of three and cherishes moments spent exploring and reflecting on the world around her with her family and friends.

Serena’s passion for lifelong learning, teaching, and the determinants of health has inspired her involvement with the Evergreen Foundation, and she is excited to see the work of this Foundation continue to be translated into action. 

Shilpi Shah

Director

Shilpi Shah is a passionate advocate for community engagement and sustainable development, with a career and volunteer journey rooted in improving lives and fostering innovation. As a founding partner and director of the Evergreen Foundation, she dedicates her efforts to advancing initiatives aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Shilpi has led impactful community-focused projects, including wellness workshops, community carnivals, and education initiatives in her 18years of professional career and personal life.. Her commitment to holistic approaches and collaborative partnerships has brought positive change to diverse populations, particularly in health care and community well-being.

Shilpi’s work reflects her deep belief in creating a more equitable and sustainable future. Whether driving large-scale projects or volunteering for grassroots initiatives, she continues to champion innovation, compassion, and collective progress toward shared global goals.

Pratibha Pachchigar

Director

Pratibha is  a passionate educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. Born, raised, and educated in England, she spent a decade teaching there before continuing her career at St. George’s School, where she remains dedicated to shaping young minds. A lifelong advocate for community service, Pratibha has worked tirelessly to make the world a better place for future generations, with her commitment to volunteering beginning in childhood. She has been actively involved with the Evergreen Foundation since its inception and looks forward to contributing to its future success. A proud mother of two, she enjoys running, reading, and spending time with friends and family in her free time.

Global Shapers Community – Vancouver

Table Captain: Matin Moradkhan

Created by the World Economic Forum, the Global Shapers are a global community of over 10,000 young leaders aged between 18-30, working to create positive change in their local and global communities. Operating for over 8 years, the Vancouver Hub of the Global Shapers community works on tackling some of the most pressing issues facing our city and our world, while fostering a dynamic community of impact leaders in our city.

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Matin Moradkhan

Vice-Curator

Matin Moradkhan is the Vice-Curator of Global Shapers Vancouver, committed to driving positive change through youth-led initiatives locally and globally. A passionate advocate for mental health equity, she founded the Talk Mental Health Foundation to promote education for students’ mental fitness. Pursuing her Master of Global Health at McMaster, she also serves as a UNICEF Canada youth mentor and official advocate.

Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISSofBC)

Table Captain: Jonathan Oldman

Since 1968, ISSofBC has worked to provide a welcoming and empowering environment for all newcomers to British Columbia. Our services support settlement and English language needs, as well as employment and career ambitions. We are driven by core values and principles that put inclusivity, compassion and innovation at the centre of our work. We serve over 25,000 newcomers to BC each year. You can learn more about ISSofBC at www.issbc.org.

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Jonathan Oldman

Chief Executive Officer

Jonathan has over 20-years leadership experience in BC’s social impact sector, working with a range of organizations serving the homeless, individuals with mental health and addiction challenges, seniors, and those with cancer and at end-of-life. Jonathan also serves on the Boards of Catalyst Community Developments Society, a NFP real estate developer, and NewTrack Solutions Inc., a for-profit company owned by ISSofBC.

Lean In Canada

Table Captains: Amrita Aggarwal, Nemo Anyudan Zhao, Sana Lajporiya

Lean In Canada is a community of professional women empowering each other to build purposeful and fulfilling careers. We envision a world where people of every gender can pursue their dreams without bias or other barriers. A world where girls grow up to be confident, resilient leaders, and where more women run companies and countries. At our core, we are driven by the belief that our society and economy would be better if women and girls were valued more.

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Amrita Aggarwal

President

Amrita is a passionate storyteller and strategist, helping organizations attain an equitable and sustainable future. She envisions leveraging her energy and enthusiasm to affect positive social change in her community. She was raised by a theatre family and attained a unique blend of education in fine arts and business which all coalesced into her becoming a natural facilitator and strategist, leading organizations into a more inclusive future one policy and one conversation at a time.

Nemo Anyudan Zhao

Vice-President

Nemo is a dedicated relationship builder and strategist with a passion for fostering connections and driving meaningful changes, one step at a time. At Lean In, she is committed to creating opportunities for others to realize their potential, flourish, and ultimately achieve their career goals.

In her day job, Nemo is part of a team advancing the $3 billion FORWARD campaign, securing transformative support for impactful initiatives. She also serves as Treasurer for her building’s strata council in the Vancouver Lower Mainland, managing a $1.5 million budget and collaborating with members to ensure strategic resource allocation. Prior to furthering her career in development, Nemo gained diverse experience across sectors such as banking, energy, and
insurance, providing her with a broad perspective.

Sana Lajporiya

Vice-President

Sana’s background in marketing and strategy has been the cornerstone of her professional journey. She is currently channeling this expertise into the nonprofit sector by aiding in donations, fundraising, and social enterprise initiatives at her current organization.

Believing deeply in equity, she has dedicated her adult life to working with various non-profits. Whether it has been addressing hunger, combating poverty, tackling civic issues, or advocating for animal welfare, she has always been driven by a desire to make a tangible difference. At Lean In, her current focus is on empowering women to create a more inclusive and equitable society.

Passionate, driven, and visionary, she is committed to leveraging her skills and experience to continue being a force for positive change in our community.

Ocean Wise

Table Captain: Patrick Lamontagne

Ocean Wise’s Youth programs inspire and empower youth to take actions that will help protect and restore our oceans. Leading the Ocean Wise Youth team since 2019, Scott has spent his career seeking solutions to the complex environmental challenges of our present and future and believes empowering young people is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. Ocean Wise’s Youth initiative transforms the latest conservation research and solutions from Ocean Wise’s other initiatives (Fisheries and Seafood, Ocean Free Plastics, Whales, Seaforestation and Changing Arctic), to create a wide range of student-centered and inquiry-based programs that allow young people to design their own solutions to the challenges we collectively face.

Ocean Wise Youth has grown to reach over 500,000 people per year, with approximately 75% of youth reporting an increase in awareness, and commitment to behaviour change, after their engagement with Ocean Wise. Scott and the team partner with like-minded organizations to reach new audiences and offer an “ocean lens” to other organizations’ work.

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Patrick Lamontagne

Director, Youth

Patrick Lamontagne is the Director of Youth at Ocean Wise in Vancouver, BC. With over 9 years of experience in education and youth engagement, he has designed and led programs that empower young people to champion ocean conservation and community involvement. Patrick’s career includes roles at Ocean Wise, JA British Columbia, and Fusion Jeunesse, where he has developed expertise in areas such as curriculum development, leadership training, and experiential learning. He earned his Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. At Ocean Wise, Patrick oversees initiatives that connect youth with marine conservation efforts, fostering skills and networks essential for environmental stewardship.

BC Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Table Captain: Martin Guay

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is more than just Canada’s national police service. We have been part of the fabric of Canada since 1873 – almost 150 years. We are one of only a few police services recognized around the world for both our policing excellence and our image the “Mountie.” Over the last century-and-a-half, we have grown and evolved with and for Canadians. The result is a more modern, diverse and inclusive RCMP that serves with honour and pride to keep Canadians safe.

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Inspector Martin Guay

Operations Officer, Ridge Meadows Detachment

Inspector Guay has been the Operations Officer at the Ridge Meadows detachment since 2023. With over 19 years of dedicated service with the RCMP, Inspector Guay brings a wealth of experience in both rural and urban policing. Throughout his career, he has served in various high-profile roles, including working with major crimes units such as the Lower Mainland District Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) and the Surrey Unsolved Homicide Unit. Inspector Guay also served as the Sunshine Coast Detachment Commander before joining the Ridge Meadows RCMP. Since 2023, Inspector Guay assumed the strategic leadership role known as the RCMP “E” Division “Gold Commander” within the Gold-Silver-Bronze command structure during the BC wildfires-related emergency.

Inspector Guay holds a Political science Bachelor’s degree from Montreal University (Quebec) and Social Science College degree from Collège de Maisonneuve (Quebec).

The SHIFT

Table Captain: Leilani Farha

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Leilani Farha

Global Director

Leilani Farha is the Global Director of The Shift, an international human rights organization focused on housing rights. A legal expert with degrees from the University of Toronto, she served as the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing (2014–2020) and authored the UN’s first housing guidelines. She has advised governments worldwide on human rights and co-authored standards on homelessness and housing financialization. Leilani contributes to major media, co-hosts the PUSHBACK Talks podcast, and appears in the documentary PUSH. She is also a Commissioner at the International Commission of Jurists and former Executive Director of Canada Without Poverty.

United Nations Associations in Canada – Vancouver

TABLE CAPTAIN: GEORGE SOMERWILL , ROSIO GODOMAR

UNAC-V aims to inform, inspire, and engage with people in Metro Vancouver through local partnerships, to accomplish the vital work of the UN. Some of the many issues UNAC-V addresses, include poverty, gender inequalities, human rights, cross-cultural understanding, environmental degradation and threats to peace and security. This is all brought together under the umbrella of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our affairs are guided by our volunteer Board of Directors, who are responsible for advising local policy decisions, planning, and implementing activities, and the management of general branch operations.

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George Somerwill

UN Department of Peacekeeping / Former Director of Communications / UNAC-V Past President 

George is a Canadian former United Nations staff member who worked for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) from 1996-2011, serving in Angola, Iraq (Oil-for-Food Program), Pakistan (with UNICEF), Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and Liberia. He holds an MA in Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development from York U, UK.

George began his career with the BBC Africa service and CBC (As it Happens), traveling to troubled regions like Ethiopia and Somalia. He later worked for CIDA and CARE Canada in Ottawa and Africa (Kenya and Zimbabwe) in communications and fundraising. He is an honorary member and former President of the Vancouver Board of the UN Association in Canada (UNAC) and served on the board of MOSAIC, a Vancouver-based immigrant service organization, from 2015-2021. In 2025 George was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his international work with the United Nations and his volunteer work in Canada with the UN Association in Canada. He is a past president of the Vancouver Branch of UNAC Vancouver.

Rosio Godomar

UNAC-Vancouver Treasurer

Rosio was born in Peru and now, lives in Vancouver. She is a nutritionist and a keen amateur photographer; She has worked with the UN World Food Program (WFP) for more than 20 years in humanitarian and emergency programs in Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Sudan, Ethiopia and Liberia) and the Middle East (Iraq) as well as South Asia (Pakistan and Afghanistan). She has studied nutrition in Peru and Germany and has an MSc in Human Nutrition from the Federal University of Rio da Janeiro, Brazil. In 2013, Rosio started the “Educate Girls Network” (EGN) – initiative to sponsor girl students from underprivileged rural families in Liberia, West Africa to complete their higher education and become educators (www.educategirlsnetwork.org). This initiative was created based on the challenges facing African girls who want a higher education. From 2011 to 2017, she worked as a food service supervisor with Fraser Health. Currently she is doing a volunteer job as mentor with MOSAIC Workplace Connections Program in Vancouver, supporting new immigrants and refugees in BC,. Rosio also volunteers with the United Nations Association in Canada (UNAC), Vancouver branch.

Women Transforming Cities

TABLE CAPTAIN: ALEXA TRABOULAY

Women Transforming Cities aims to radically shift social, economic, and political power to equity-deserving groups to reshape who cities are built by and for so that communities’ needs are met and everyone can belong, participate, and thrive.

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Alexa Traboulay

Board Director

Alexa Traboulay is a passionate social justice advocate and researcher dedicated to amplifying diverse voices through meaningful community engagement. With a strong background in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) organizing, she is committed to advancing action-based programs with and for equity-deserving communities. Alexa‘s expertise spans academic and community-driven research, strategic project design, and educational program development. She excels in data analysis, report development, and writing to inform policy and social change. She currently works as a Program Coordinator at the University of British Columbia (UBC)’s Office of Regional & International Community Engagement.
Alexa holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, with a concentration in political science, and a Bachelor of Arts from UBC where she completed the Honours Political Science Program and a minor in Law & Society. Her interests include human rights theory and practice, anti-hate advocacy, digital democracy and online social movements, and racial justice more broadly.

A second-generation immigrant with Trinidadian and Hungarian ancestry, Alexa is a settler on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. She is committed to advancing decolonization in her work through continuous learning, unlearning, and self-reflexivity.

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

TABLE CAPTAIN: PATSY GEORGE

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Canada’s goals are to bring together women of different political beliefs and philosophies who are united in their determination to study, make known and help abolish the causes and the legitimization of war; and to work toward world peace; total and universal disarmament; the abolition of violence and coercion in the settlement of conflict and their substitution in every case of negotiation and conciliation; the strengthening of the United Nations system; the continuous development and implementation of international law; political and social equality and economic equity; co-operation among all people; and an environmentally sustainable development.

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Patsy George

Co-President

Patsy, a retired public servant and social worker from Kerala, India, immigrated to Canada in 1960. She holds a BA from the University of Windsor and an MSW from the University of Ottawa. She specialized in community development, working in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and BC, where she held various positions in the provincial public service. In 1983, she organized the Solidarity Coalition to oppose government cutbacks and retired in 2001 as a Director in the Ministry of Multiculturalism and Immigration.

Patsy served on the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada and co-coordinated the Backlog Division in BC and Alberta. She was appointed to a commission that led to the Child, Family, and Community Services Act of BC. Patsy held leadership roles in organizations like the BC Association of Social Workers, Boys and Girls Clubs of BC, and the United Nations Association in Canada, Vancouver Branch. She has received multiple honors, including the Order of British Columbia, the Order of Canada, and honorary doctorates from the University of the Fraser Valley and the University of British Columbia.

Youth Challenge International

TABLE CAPTAIN: ALISON ROADBURG

YCI is a leading global youth development organization that promotes youth innovation to drive positive change. Together with our partners we create market ready solutions that catapult youth around the world to succeed and prosper; we are driven by youth and their potential to affect positive change in the world. Our solutions are focused – always keeping the young people we are designing for and with at the center of the conversation.

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Alison Roadburg

PEOPLE & PROGRAM MANAGER

Alison is a program and operations management professional who has worked on the front and back end of international program design and implementation for nearly 15 years. Alison spent a large majority of her career in West Africa and she is currently the People and Program Manager with Youth Challenge International.