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The 2018
Leadership Award
ANTHONY LACAVERA
Founder, Wind Mobile & CEO Globalive
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Equipped with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering, Lacavera co-founded Enunciate Conferencing in 2000, which was acquired in 2006 by Premier Global Services for $30 million dollars. In 2008, he founded the wireless carrier WIND Mobile, where he served as chairman and chief executive officer from 2008 to 2015, and during which time, the company became Canada’s fourth largest wireless network. In December 2015, WIND Mobile was sold to Shaw Communications for $1.3 billion U.S.
Lacavera founded Globalive Technology Partners, an investment company focused on marketing machine intelligence and block-chain technology. The company was founded in 1998 under the name, Canopco with a $25,000 small business loan from the Royal Bank of Canada.
Under Lacavera’s leadership, Globalive has raised almost $2 billion dollars in private capital to compete in the telecommunications industry. Globalive Capital has invested in 95 companies in the technology, media, and telecom industries. Over the past 15 years, Lacavera has built 45 companies for his venture portfolio. He is also active on various boards, including as an advisory Board member at The DMZ at Ryerson University, Startup Canada’s Board of Directors and as co-chair at NEXT Canada.
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The 2018
Entertainment Award
SUSAN AGLUKARK
Legendary Singer & Songwriter
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Susan Aglukark is a Juno Award-winning singer and songwriter. Born in Churchill, Manitoba and raised in Arviat, Nunavut, she is the first Inuk artist to win a Juno and a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada, the highest honour in the country. Susan has performed for Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth ||, Jean Chrétien, Brian Mulroney, Nelson Mandela, Billy Graham and The Countess Of Wessex. She is the founder and chair of the Arctic Rose Foundation and is an advisor on the Collateral Damage Project.
Susan has received many awards including Canadian Country Music Association’s Vista Rising Star Award, along with several other CCMA nominations. She has honorary doctorates of Law from the University of Alberta where she also worked for three years as Distinguished Scholar in residence, an honorary law degree from Calgary University, an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the university of Lethbridge and a Doctor of Letters from the Laurentian University.
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The 2018
Lifetime Achievement Award
Pyarali Nanji
President & CEO, Belle-Pak Pacakaging Inc.
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Pyarali Nanji is the president and CEO of Belle-Pak Packaging Inc., an organization ranked as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies. He came to Canada as a refugee from Uganda in 1972 during Idi Amin’s regime. Nanji and his family were highly successful in the warehousing industry in Montreal before acquiring a packaging company which was renamed Belle-Pak. Belle-Pak is a leading manufacturer of flexible polyrhylene packaging that employs over 250 people in a 150,000 square foot facility in Markham. The company serves a variety of clients including courier companies, hospitals, banks, retail companies, hotels and others. Some of its notable clients include FedEx, Purolator, US Postal Service, Canada Post.
The Nanji Family Foundation has donated millions of dollars to various organizations including, North York General Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Aga Khan University and Hospital, Homewood Health Centre, and St. Mary’s Hospital, North York General Hospitals, Gulshan and Pyali G. Nanji Ultrasound, CT and Radiography Centre and the Gulshan and Pyarali G. Nanji Orthopaedic and Plastics Centre demonstrate their legacy. The foundation is funding an initiative at the University of Toronto to send ophthalmologists to developing countries to restore sight and train local surgeons.
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The 2018
Innovation Award
Brian Deck
Founder & CEO, Smooth Commerce
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Brian Deck is the founder and chief executive officer of Smooth Commerce, a leading mobile order, mobile pay, loyalty and engagement solution for retail verticals. His expertise in technology, sales and customer loyalty has resulted in the creation and growth of several successful businesses and products. Deck has over 15 years of business and entrepreneurial experience with a proven track record of delivering impressive results. He co-founded Smooth Commerce to make branded apps accessible and affordable to any retail business regardless of its size.
Deck has collaborated with many clients and partners including Hewlett Packard, Toshiba, Microsoft, AMD, Intel, D-Link, Arrow Electronics, Sony, Nissan, Bell Mobility, Rogers Communications, Universal Music, Star Wars, HMV, Office Depot, Astral Media, CHUM Television and many more. He is currently a board member of the Toronto Chapter of the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals. Today, Smooth Commerce serves companies such as Balzac’s Coffee Roasters, The Basil Box, Smoke’s Poutinerie and others who boast best-in-class fully integrated apps. Deck’s vision is to work with organizations to create the future of in-store payments and loyalty.
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The 2018
Enterprise Award
MONIRUZ ZAMAN
Owner & CEO, Bullion Mart
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Moniruz Zaman is the owner and CEO of Bullion Mart and a well-respected wholesaler and retailer in the precious metals industry. He is a seasoned expert in all types of Bullion including Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium. Through cutting edge technology and up-to-minute market analysis, Bullion Mart is one of Canada’s most experienced, prestigious wholesaler and retailer of precious metals. Over the years, Bullion Mart has become a significant and of one of the very few precious metal account holders of ScotiaMocatta (part of Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets).
Under the dynamic leadership of Moniruz Zaman, with a team of experienced and veteran banking and financial professionals, Bullion Mart has now become a brand and household name in the precious metals market and well reputed among its competitors in Canada. Zaman has appeared on various Canadian interviews and talk shows to offer his valuable insight to individuals looking to include bullion in their portfolio. A highly sought after speaker on matters relating to precious metals, he holds an Executive MBA from Rotman School of Management.
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The 2018
Excellence Award
Christopher Gordon
Partner, Ernst & Young (EY)
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Christopher Gordon is a Partner of EY’s People Advisory practice, where his primary focus is passionately leading diverse teams across multiple geographies, in delivering services that encompass mobile talent, immigration, cross-border taxation and strategic human resources and talent management. He serves as co-leader for EY’s Immigration Market Segment, Central Canada/US Regions and co-leader for EY’s Mobile Talent Ecosystem and PAS Account Leader for one of EY’s largest Americas region accounts. He has led EY committees at the national and global level in areas, including innovation, global practice transformation, technology, business development, market strategy, training and development as well as reward and recognition.
Gordon has been involved in the areas of Diverse and Inclusive Teams (D&I) at EY. He is the founding member and past Chair of the EY Black Network in the UK, served on the EY Diversity Committee Canada and led the EY Professional Families Network, and served as the Canadian representative on the EY Americas Diversity Network’s Steering Committee. He holds a double major honours degree in Law and Political Science from Middlesex University in the UK, is a Certified Mobility Specialist and has earned several certificates through an EY-Harvard Management Mentor training program.
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The 2018
Media Award
Deepa Mehta
Oscar Nominated Director and Screenwriter
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In 1987 she produced and co-directed Martha, Ruth and Edie which was screened at the Cannes International Film Festival. It won the Best Feature Film Award at the 11th International Film Festival in Florence in 1988. In 1991, Mehta’s debut directorial film Sam & Me broke a record at the time for the highest-budgeted film directed by a woman in Canada at $11 million. In 2002, she directed
Bollywood/Hollywood
, for which she won the
Genie Award for Best Original Screenplay
. Travelling Light, a television documentary about Mehta’s photo journalist brother, Dilip, was nominated for three
Gemini Awards
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The 2018
Public Service Award
David Mitchell
Assistant Deputy Minister, Youth Justice Division
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David Mitchell has served as a career civil servant with the Ontario Public Service for 28 years. As the successful candidate in a promotional process, he was appointed as the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Youth Justice Services Division within the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. In 2007, he founded the Correctional Services Criminal Intelligence Unit that focuses on gangs, guns, and organized criminal groups. Mitchell began his career in Institutional Services as a Correctional Officer and held progressively responsible positions within the service, including Sergeant, Anti-Racism Coordinator, Deputy Superintendent, Superintendent, Probation Area Manager and Regional Director.
Committed to diversity and inclusion, he is the founding President of the Association of Black Law Enforcers. Mitchell has also been the Executive Lead for the Council on Unity and Racial Equality, the Chair of the Humber College Justice Studies Program Advisory Committee, and a member of the Durham Regional Police Chief's Diversity Advisory Committee. He has received the Ontario Ombudsman’s Award for Complaint Resolution, the Ontario Ovation Award for Leadership and Gang Management and the Government of Jamaica Award for Excellence in Criminal Justice.
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The 2018
Harmony Award
Maria Saras-Voutsinas
Executive Director, National Ethnic Press & Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)
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Maria serves as the Executive Director of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada, a non-profit organization that works with and for diverse communities across Canada to advocate free speech, equality and human rights by working with all levels of government and private sector partners. Maria works with 800 independent ethnic media partners to ensure that Canada's diversity is celebrated. Prior to this role, Maria worked in the financial services sector as a relationship manager. She is a regular contributor and an editor for a Greek Canadian Monthly newspaper.
Maria serves on the board of the Diabetes Hope Foundation Scholarship review committee and is a fundraiser for various charities, including The Heart and Stroke Foundation, The Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation. She is also the co-founder of The Danforth Social Club which brings together local bands. In 2012, she joined the Toronto Police and Community Engagement Review (PACER) Advisory Committee. In 2017, Maria was appointed to the Ontario Trillium Foundation as a Toronto Grant Review Team member. Maria holds a Specialized Honours B.A. in Political Science from York University.
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The 2018
Heritage Award
Shiu King Kong
Community Advocate
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Shiu King Kong received his B. A. from Hua Kiu University in 1962. He furthered his education at the University of Ottawa and was conferred a Library Science degree in 1963, cum laudes standing. After graduating from the University of Ottawa, he worked at Queen's University from 1963 to 1966 as a law librarian at the law library and later as head of the Books and Exchange section. In January 1967, he then became an Associate Master with George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology, and later a Counsellor at COSTI Immigration Services.
As early as the 1960s, he started a weekly community news broadcasting show in Chinese through CHIN Radio and launched a weekly Chinese television program in 1980. He taught ESL and citizenship classes from 1972 to 1997. He assisted thousands of Chinese immigrants who became Canadian citizens, and nurtured them during their transition into Canadian society. In 1974, he created the Toronto Chinese Community Services. He serves as Hong Kong’s Global Union of Hakka and Ttsung Tsin Association’s permanent president and executive director. Kong is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada
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The 2018
Community Service Award
Charity Lebeanya
Executive Director, Heritage Skills Development Centre
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Charity Lebeanya is the Executive Director for Heritage Skills Development Centre (HSDC), a grassroots, non-profit organization that was established to promote the health, social, cultural, and economic self-sufficiency of women and girls, at-risk individuals, new immigrants and other marginalized groups. Since 1995 Lebeanya has been responsible for the management of HSDC including initiating programs, ensuring efficient services, as well as developing and maintaining partnerships and networks with community groups and social agencies. She is the founder of Scarborough Afro-Carib Fest and Scarborough Celebrates Canada.
Listed in the Who’s Who in Black Canada, Lebeanya has received many awards and accolades including being named one of the “Women of Substance” in the Nigerian Canadian Community, Black Achievement Award and the Continental African Award for Community Services. She has been recognized by Dalton McGuinty and Mayor David Miller for her leadership in helping to achieve lasting improvement in the lives of young people in Toronto’s priority neighborhoods. In 2010, she received Certificate of Appreciation from the Toronto District School Board for contributions towards human development and capacity building of inner-city school children.
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The 2018
Legacy Award
Anton Kikas
Executive Director, Heritage Skills Development Centre
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Anton Kikas is the president and CEO of Anton Kikas Limited and Comark Media Inc. He arrived in Canada in 1968 and had to learn a new language and pass professional exams to assimilate into to Canadian society. Within five years he established his own successful, multi-discipline consulting engineering, land surveying and town planning firm, Anton Kikas Limited which has designed and developed numerous new subdivisions in the GTA. In 2013, he established Cromark Media Inc. and became the Director and Producer of the weekly Croatian TV Program Croatica TV on OMNI 1. Kikas has made substantial financial support for the production of over thirty documentary and feature films. He was the chairperson raising 1 million dollars in two evenings, with his own pledge of $50,000, for the establishment of the Chair of the Croatian Language and Culture at the University of Waterloo in 1989.
Kikas He was a Committee member of the Civil engineering program of Ryerson University and Land surveying program of George Brown College. In 2001, he was a member of the Toronto Olympic Bid Team, toured Europe and was in Moscow as a member of the Canadian delegation. A talented poet and songwriter, a number of his songs are played on radio stations in Croatia and other countries. Kikas is the past president of the Canadian-Croatian Business and Professional Association. His many awards include Man of the Year award by The Ethnic Press Council of Canada, the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal, the Governor General Confederation Commemorative Medal. Herzegovina University Senate conferred on him an Honorary Doctorate.
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THE 2018
TRANSFORMATION AWARDS
FRIDAY, JUNE 15, THE LIBERTY GRAND
WHERE THE 150 LEGACY BOOK WILL BE LAUNCHED
The prestigious Transformation Awards gala will be held on Friday, June 15th 2018 at Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex in Toronto. You are invited to celebrate the spirit of excellence and harmony. A panel under the direction of the Transformation Institute for Leadership and Innovation as well as Silvertrust Media, the parent company of Diversity Magazine and other publishing, broadcasting and special initiatives, selects honourees and facilitates the gala activation.
This year, the book titled, "150 Extraordinary Canadians: Our Leadership and Innovation Legacy" will be launched at the gala. The leaders and innovators will be celebrated for their corporate, public sector and philanthropic contributions to the success of our great nation. They will be featured in the full colour, glossy, world class coffee table legacy book. This will also be presented via television, a documentary film, interstitials and a multimedia presentation as a part of the Envision Canada initiative.
GALA HIGHLIGHTS
Date
: Friday, June 15th, 2018
Awards
: Reception 6:30 PM, Dinner & Awards 7.30 PM
Venue
: Governor's Ballroom, Liberty Grand
Address
: 25 British Columbia Road, Toronto, Canada
Tickets
: $200 each or $2,000 for each corporate table of 10
Info
: TransformationInstitute.ca, DiversityMagazine.ca
Contacts
: Debra Wright or Simi Ikotun
RSVP
: info@transformationinstitute.ca | Tel: (416) 755-7788
Since 2010, the Transformation Awards gala, also known as the Diversity or Harmony Awards program, has celebrated amazing success stories. The 12 annual recipients are nominated in specific categories and go through a vetting process. This year, they will also be included in the legacy book for their unique accomplishments and public profile. The event features a red carpet reception, networking, sumptuous dinner, great entertainment, inspiring recipients, high profile presenters and a classy ceremony with many VIPs.
Past recipients of the Transformation Awards include World Vision President Dave Toycen; South Asian hotel and real estate magnate Dr. Steve Gupta; York University President Mamdouh Shoukri; former Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander; esteemed Indigenous architect Douglas Cardinal; York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe, and other extraordinary Canadians. Many of the past achievers are a part of the legacy book. Corporate, public sector and community leaders attend the auspicious gala.
Tickets are $200 or $2,000 for a table of 10. Tickets can be purchased for family, friends, associates and others. Purchasing and donating tickets to the Crossover Mentorship Program would also be appreciated. Those who wish sponsor the event or the book project can do so and sponsorship package can be provided. Benefits include one or more corporate tables, presenting an award to a distinguished recipient, advertising on television, in our publication, spotlight on television, print media as well as online.
SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS
Present and previous sponsors and partners include: RBC Insurance, Ryerson University, Jodal Health Care, TD Bank, Diversity Magazine, OMNI Television, Afroglobal Television, Skylink Capital, Kii Naturals, Component Bed Inc. Highburry Canco and Silvertrust Media. The gala is set to be showcased on OMNI Television, Diversity Magazine as well as other media platforms.
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