Young Leaders Council

Reid is a Vice President in the Financial Services Group at Aon Reed Stenhouse. Reid specializes in board and executive liability, working with publicly traded companies and financial institutions to help manage and transfer risk. Born and raised in Toronto, Reid has a keen interest in the social service sector in our city, particularly as it relates to the aging population and their caregivers. 

Allie is a Principal within the Americas Leveraged Finance, Credit Investments team at CPP Investment Board. Allie is responsible for sourcing, evaluating and managing credit investments in within the Americas, with a specific focus on the health care and industrials sectors. Prior to joining CPPIB in 2015, Allie worked at Goldman Sachs, most recently on the US Leveraged Finance Syndicate team. Allie holds a B.A. in Government and Psychology from Dartmouth College. 

Jasmine Wong is an action-oriented business leader with 10 years’ experience leading strategic planning, marketing programs and business transformations.  Currently, she is a Senior Manager in Channel Marketing at Rogers Communications and Vice-Chair of the Rogers Women’s Network.  She recently graduated from the Rotman School of Management as the Valedictorian of her MBA class. Prior to her time in telecommunications, she was a management consultant at boutique consulting firms with 20+ consulting engagements in the Public sector and Healthcare industries. Through a combination of both Canadian and international work experience, Jasmine have gained exceptional knowledge of continuous improvement, change management and business planning skills. 

Toks Ayinla is an author, speaker, coach, and course creator.  Her work is centred around empowering youth, millennials, and corporate employees with a focus on promoting diversity and inclusion, through creative, practical, and culturally relatable methods. Toks holds a double major in Economics & Psychology, a post-graduate certificate in Public Administration & Public Law as well as a certificate in Solutions-Focused Brief Therapy.

Ziva Clifford-Mandel graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Management in 2017. Since then, she has been working as an assistant at Dimensional Fund Advisors in Toronto. Ziva has been an active member of the philanthropic community for many years, attending various educational charity events and celebrations. Ziva is committed to improving the lives of all people through finding innovative solutions to critical social needs. When she’s not working, Ziva enjoys spending time at her cottage with her family. 

Maisie is a senior manager in EY’s financial services assurance practice in Toronto, with ten years of experience in the insurance sector. In addition to her client serving role, she is the Canadian representative on the steering committee for EY’s Inclusiveness Professional Networks council.  

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto, Mississauga, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA). In addition to being the VP of Member Programs and Events for Ascend Canada, Maisie is an alumna of and volunteer with the Air Cadet program. 

Michelle Ling is an Associate in the Banking and Finance group at Dentons Canada LLP. Her practice involves representing both borrowers and lenders in various banking matters and commercial transactions. She holds Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from Osgoode Hall Law School and Schulich School of Business respectively. In addition to her commitment towards helping others in both her personal and professional lives, Michelle has a keen and growing interest in the charitable and not-for-profit sector.

Jonathan is an associate with Gardiner Roberts and a member of the Dispute Resolution Group and the Municipal and Land Use Group. Jonathan joined the firm as an associate in 2017 and also summered and articled with Gardiner Roberts prior to that time. Jonathan has a varied practice and focuses on corporate and commercial litigation, municipal and land use, and regulatory and compliance. 

Born and raised in Oakville, Emma currently resides in Toronto. After completing her university degree at Wilfrid Laurier University in Economics and Financial Management, she joined Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) in May 2016. She consistently demonstrates her commitment to helping advisors and portfolio managers build and understand investment strategies for their clients by providing technical investment research and data analytics.  In her off time Emma enjoys training for long distance races, playing volleyball at Ashbridge’s Bay and kicking around a soccer ball. Emma is new to the philanthropic and social services space, however she hopeful that she will bring forth a different perspective and additional skill set to this group of like-minded, ambitious, young leaders. 

Dr. Nina Vitopoulos is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada. She holds a PhD in School and Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Toronto. Her clinical work focuses on the mental health and wellness of individuals belonging to marginalized populations across the lifespan. Nina’s research focuses on understanding the impact of trauma on the lives of marginalized youth and adults, and its implications for treatment design and implementation across health care, homelessness and justice sectors. 

Austin Walters is a Senior Director, Inclusive Client Strategy at CIBC accountable for designing and building strategies and tactics to drive growth and meet the needs of CIBC clients within the Black, Indigenous and Persons with Disabilities communities. Austin is also responsible for leading the financial education efforts from an organization wide perspective. His objective is to lead, change and be challenged in a senior leadership role where he can utilize his strengths of curiosity, innovation, influence and leadership to develop and grow the financial acumen and societal well-being of Canadian families.  In addition to his current role, Austin has lead a global employee resource group at CIBC for 4 years that has driven substantial growth and change for the organization and clients. He is an award winning banking professional and inclusive & diversity leader that has been recognized for his efforts by CIBC and external bodies.