Expertise

International development - Project management

Bio

Tania Jordan is a Senior Programme Advisor at the World University Service of Canada. Tania has over 15 years of experience in international development and project management, with a specific focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Currently, Tania is managing projects in Jordan and Iraq, which focus on youth and women's economic empowerment, vocational training, and linkages to employment. Previously, Tania worked as Program Director at Canadian Leaders in International Consulting (CLIC), an international development consulting firm based in Ottawa. Prior to her work in Canada, Tania was based in Amman, Jordan where she assumed a number of senior level positions at the Office of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, a youth empowerment NGO, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Tania also worked with Save the Children where she managed a youth education program in three Palestinian refugee camps. Tania holds a MA in Medical Anthropology from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and a BA in Social Anthropology and Development Studies from the University of Sussex, UK.

Expertise

Islamic Finance - Corporate Finance - Social Finance - Corporate Governance

Bio

Mohamad Sawwaf is the Co-Founder & CEO of Manzil, the only Canadian Islamic FinTech that manufactures and distributes Halal financial solutions which currently include mortgages and investment funds. 

"Manzil offers fully compliant financial products including mortgages and investment opportunities that are locally structured and available to Muslim Canadian’s who are looking to build wealth and assets. At a time when financial health is at the forefront of Canadian’s minds, the Manzil team is ensuring that financial advice and opportunity are ethically available for all."

Mohamad holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management as well as a second Masters focused on Corporate Governance from the Henley Business School (UK) and is currently wrapping up his Doctorate in Islamic Finance. He regularly consults the UAE government on Islamic Finance practices and is considered one of the leading authorities of Islamic Finance in Canada.

He’s also the Chair of the Advisory Council of UNHCR Canada where his focus is to lead the council, oversee the Young Leaders Committee, and build relationships with the private sector to increase refugee employment and financial resources required to assist in their settlement.

Expertise

Impact measurement and management - Sustainability strategies and reporting - Stakeholder engagement and materiality - Community development

Bio

Dima started her career managing the operations of a grassroots nonprofit organization in Jordan focused on community development. This experience has led her to understand the complexities of creating, and measuring change in general, and social impact in specific. She then moved to the corporate sector and joined Aramex in Dubai, the Middle East’s leading logistics company, as a Sustainability Leader, where she worked on the company’s commitments towards environmental, social and governance goals.

After that, she joined Sustainable Square, a boutique consulting firm in Dubai, where she was the Head of Sustainability Advisory Services. She worked with c-suite teams at large-scale organizations to develop their sustainability strategies, measure impact, and produce annual sustainability and impact reports.

In 2020, Dima co-founded Tidal Impact, a coalition-based impact financing and development firm driven by social, environmental, and financial performance. Through its focus on investing and advisory, Tidal Impact aims to democratize impact measurement and management

Dima holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Jordan and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Delaware. She received executive education in leadership, organizing and change at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Expertise

Entrepreneurship - Financial Management - Writing - Community Outreach - Sustainability

Bio

Juliana Philippa Kerrest has a background in entrepreneurship and technology. She earned her BA from The Johns Hopkins University, her MBA with a Certificate in Sustainability from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and her MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Juliana started her career serving with AmeriCorps, working with immigrant women entrepreneurs. She then went on to found her own company, an eBook lending service. While working at Amazon, Juliana helped small businesses across the country run on the company’s platform. Most recently, she was Chief of Operations and Financial Management for Nuru, a Congolese solar energy startup based in eastern DRC.

In her free time, Juliana enjoys reading and collecting books, creating through a variety of art mediums, and being an aunt to seven nieces and nephews.

Bio

Joe Highland is the Board Chairman of The Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund (AGFAF), a non-profit organization that equips Afghan students with academic scholarships complimented by mentorship and financial support, to pursue projects in Afghanistan that improve the lives of the Afghan people. 

Throughout his life, injustice towards people and risks to the environment have been strong and consistent concerns. Joe was fortunate to work for Ralph Nader and the Environmental Defense Fund after completing his PhD in biochemistry. He has also done research at the National Cancer Institute, taught and done research at Princeton University and was CEO of ENVIRON a world-wide environmental consulting firm.

Expertise

Storytelling - Partnerships - Systems-change thinking

Bio

Natasha Freidus (she/her) is a social entrepreneur with two decades of experience applying human centered design for social good and a long-standing commitment to refugee and migration related issues. She believes strongly in the potential of technology to solve global challenges, when developed in partnership with affected communities.

With experience in the public, non-profit, and private sector, Natasha is comfortable in a wide range of contexts. She is the co-founder and CEO of NeedsList, a tech company creating solutions to power more efficient, more sustainable action. Our vision is a world where humanitarian aid is locally-powered, tech-enabled, and grounded in dignity.  

Natasha is a long time advocate and ally of refugee-led organizations and proud to be welcoming newcomers through Canada's private sponsorship program. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.