Michel de la Chenelière is a philanthropist, devotee of the arts, and a pioneer in French-language educational publishing in North America.

Born in Normandy, Michel moved to Montréal in 1969 at the age of 20. He worked for an American publishing house before opening his own publishing company, Éditions de la Chenelière (now Chenelière Éducation) in 1984. He served as the President and CEO of Chenelière Éducation from its inception until its acquisition by Transcontinental in 2006. He remained a consultant for the publishing house until 2008.

In 1998, Michel established the Fondation de la Chenelière. This foundation has distributed annual grants for scholarships, equipment, books, and field trips to schools in Montréal and internationally.

For over 15 years, Michel has been actively involved with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) through his numerous volunteer positions. He has been a major benefactor to the Museum, donating the funds in 2011 to create the Art & Education Studios, which host group and family educational workshops. In 2015, another generous donation created the Michel de la Chenelière International Atelier for Education and Art Therapy. He serves on the Board of Directors of the MMFA, and is Chair of the Education Committee.

In 2017, Michel was appointed a Chevalier de l’Ordre de Montréal, a Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Québec, and a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la République française. Michel was designated a Member of the Order of Canada in 2018.

Mr. Khalil Shariff joined Aga Khan Foundation Canada as Chief Executive Officer in August 2005. He was previously with the Toronto office of McKinsey & Company, an international management consultancy, where he advised governments, financial institutions, and health care providers on strategy, organization, and operational improvement.

Khalil served on AKFC’s National Committee for five years, and has cultivated his interest in international development and conflict resolution issues through a variety of activities including as: Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Negotiation Law Review; Policy Co-ordinator and Research Associate, Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research; Legal Intern, Chambers of the Vice-President, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania; Intern, Office of Under-Secretary-General, UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations.  He was the youngest member ever elected as a School Trustee in 1993 for the Board of School Trustees in Richmond, B.C.

Khalil holds a B.A. in International Relations and Economics from the University of British Columbia and a J.D. magna cum laude from the Harvard Law School.

A professional with a depth of corporate and non-profit experience, Zai Mamdani leverages her education and experience to provide strategic leadership and operational guidance. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human and Social Development from the University of Victoria, as well as a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Development.

Zai is active in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. She provides leadership and guidance at Strategic Group, the company she co-founded, in support of the organization’s vision for community partnerships and corporate sponsorships. She is also a current Board Member with the Aga Khan Ismaili Council for the Prairies – VC Special Projects Community Engagement and sits on the Board of Directors for Propellus. Zai is an active and valuable contributor to other non-profit organizations, including the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Dean’s Advisory Group for Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary and the University of Calgary President’s Campaign Advisory Group.

Building upon the strengths of the organizations she is passionate about, Zai has a demonstrated track record of identifying and capitalizing on new opportunities. She is particularly interested in organizations and issues that raise the visibility of, and access to, education, inclusion and active citizenship. Zai and her family live in Calgary, Alberta.

Known as one of Canada’s leading serial social entrepreneurs, Andreas was the original founder of Green Rewards, the world’s first mass eco-points initiative, which was eventually fused with Canada’s largest loyalty program, and spawned innovative partnerships with government to reward Canadians for healthy and responsible lifestyle choices. He subsequently launched CARROT insights, a global wellness promotion venture that partners with national governments to inspire and reward positive behaviour changes on a mass scale.

Andreas has been recognized globally for his entrepreneurial and social change achievements.  His recent bestselling memoir, Misfit: Changemaker with an Edge, has proven uniquely popular among younger audiences and is also spawning the creation of a biopic film. He is a prolific public speaker, writer and advisor to a number NGOs and University business schools. He serves on the Canadian Executive Board of the Young & World Presidents’ Organization, on the Executive Board of Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre and on the National Board of the Immigrant Access Fund.

Dr. Niigaan Sinclair is Anishinaabe, originally from St. Peter’s (Little Peguis) Indian Settlement near Selkirk, Manitoba, and is an Associate Professor and current Head of the Department of Native Studies at the University of Manitoba. He is an international commentator on Indigenous issues for outlets like Al-Jazeera, The Guardian, and national broadcasters like CTV, CBC, and The Globe and Mail and was named one of CBC Manitoba’s “Top 40 under 40” in 2015.

Niigaan is an award winning speaker, writer, and editor of such books as the award-winning Manitowapow: Aboriginal Writings from the Land of Water (Highwater Press, 2011) and Centering Anishinaabeg Studies: Understanding the World Through Stories (Michigan State University Press, 2013), The Winter We Danced: Voices of the Past, the Future, and the Idle No More Movement (Arbeiter Ring Press, 2014).

The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Canada’s 26th Governor General from 1999-2005, is universally acknowledged to have transformed the office during her six years at Rideau Hall and to have left an indelible mark on Canada’s history. She is the bestselling author of the 2014 CBC Massey Lectures Belonging: The Paradox of Citizenship, Heart Matters: A Memoir, Room for All of Us: Surprising Stories of Loss and Transformation, and a biography of Dr. Norman Bethune. She has made the astonishing journey from a penniless child refugee to an accomplished broadcaster and distinguished public servant in a multi-faceted lifetime and has received numerous prestigious awards and honorary degrees in Canada and abroad.

In 2005, Madame Clarkson co-founded the Institute for Canadian Citizenship to help new citizens in Canada integrate into Canadian life. In 2006, she established the Clarkson Cup, the championship trophy for Women’s Hockey. Since 2007, she has been the Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. A Privy Councillor and Companion of the Order of Canada, she lives in Toronto.

Essayist and novelist, John Ralston Saul proposes a new humanism through what he calls responsible individualism. His 14 works have been translated into 29 languages in 38 countries. Saul’s philosophical trilogy and its conclusion — Voltaire’s Bastards, The Doubter’s Companion, The Unconscious Civilization and On Equilibrium: Six Qualities of the New Humanism — has impacted political thought in many countries.

In A Fair Country: Telling Truths about Canada, he argues that modern Canada is profoundly shaped by Aboriginal ideas. He is general editor of the Extraordinary Canadians biographical series and contributed his own biography of Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine & Robert Baldwin. In 2012, he published his first novel in 15 years, Dark Diversions: A Traveller’s Tale. The Comeback, his latest release, explores how Indigenous peoples are empowering themselves for a grand return to a position of power and influence.

Saul is President Emeritus of PEN International, and Founder and Honourary Chair of French for the Future. Saul is a Companion in the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario and a Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France. His many literary awards include Chile’s Pablo Neruda Medal, the Governor General’s Award and the inaugural Gutenberg Galaxy Award.

Martin Katz is Founder and President of Prospero Pictures. One of the most prolific feature film producers in Canada, Katz’s credits include Hotel Rwanda, which was nominated for three Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, and Bronwen Hughes’ Stander, which the London Observer called “the greatest heist film since Reservoir Dogs.”

Maps to the Stars starring Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack and Robert Pattinson, represents Katz’s fourth collaboration with celebrated director David Cronenberg, following A Dangerous Method, starring Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender, Cosmopolis, starring Robert Pattinson, Paul Giamatti and Juliette Binoche, and Spider, starring Ralph Fiennes.

Katz’s most recent television project Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… is an Award-winning series co-produced with Rocket Pictures. It features some of the most renowned musicians in the world in conversation and performance with Costello, including Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Elton John, Norah Jones, James Taylor, Herbie Hancock, Lou Reed and Sting, among others.

Katz holds degrees in law from the University of Toronto and the Université de Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne), and has served as Professor of Law at the French-language Université de Moncton and as Special Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Toronto. Katz is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, a Director of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and Chair of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

Irfhan Rawji is a Principal with Totem Capital Corporation, an Alberta-based private investment firm. Through Totem, Irfhan currently serves as Board Chair for two of its investee companies: Carrot Insights, the provider of Canada’s national wellness rewards app, and The Organic Box, Alberta’s largest organic food hub, offering home delivery as well as click and collect grocery services.

Prior to founding Totem, Irfhan spent more than a decade as private equity professional, strategic consultant and public company senior executive. He also served as an Adjunct Professor at the Sauder School of Business at UBC. Irfhan is currently a Governor of the Glenbow Museum, a Director of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, a Director and Treasurer of imagiNation150, and Director with the Harvard Business School Global Alumni board. He previously served as Chair of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, a Director and Treasurer of the Harbourfront Centre, and a Director of Business for the Arts. Irfhan has a BCom (Honours) from the University of British Columbia, where he was designated a Wesbrook Scholar, and an MBA (High Honours) from Harvard University where he was designated a Baker Scholar and was a McArthur Fellow.