MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR
Welcome to the Third Annual Toast to Success Conference, proudly hosted by the Canadian Tamil Professionals Association!
This year marks a significant milestone our 16th year of empowering Tamil professionals with the skills, connections, and opportunities needed to thrive in the Canadian workforce. We are honoured to continue our mission of elevating our community to new heights and fostering success.
The theme for this year’s conference, Breaking Barriers, Breaking Boundaries, reflects our belief in the power of innovation and expanded horizons Through insightful discussions and dynamic panels, we aim to inspire you and provide the tools needed to navigate an ever-changing professional landscape. As you interact with the diverse and accomplished attendees here today, we encourage you to embrace fresh perspectives and explore new opportunities. The challenges you face are stepping stones to growth, and we hope you approach them with enthusiasm.
This conference is not just an opportunity to learn and network, but also a moment to celebrate how far you’ve come Reflect on your achievements, recognize the barriers you've overcome, and take pride in your journey
Here's to a day of learning, collaboration, and celebrating your accomplishments. Together, let’s raise a toast to your success, your resilience, and the limitless potential that lies ahead.
Cheers!
Thank You, TO OUR ANNUAL SPONSORS
It is with their generous contributions and support that we bring forward remarkable experiences and opportunities. To learn more about sponsorship or partnership opportunities, email us at info@tamilprofessionalca
Neva Pang Chair
WELCOME
To the Toast to Success Conference
In collaboration with partners across the community, the Toast to Success Conference was designed to offer a full day of personal development, with industry specific panels focused on emerging trends important to novice and experienced professionals alike, as well as development workshops to provide knowledge of current topics and access to new skillsets. By bringing professionals from a wide array of backgrounds together, we hope to build stronger ties in our community and build a brighter future for Tamil Canadians.
10:00 AGENDA
10:45
11:20
12:00
12:45 1:45 2:45 R E G I S T R A T I O N
OPENING REMARKS
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
LUNCH
3:00
NETWORKING BREAK
AWARDS CEREMONY & CLOSING REMARKS PANELS
CLOSING REMARKS
PRAVEEN ARICHANDRAN
CO-FOUNDER, CO-CEO & CHAIRMAN AT ARGI
Praveen Arichandran is the Co-founder, Co-CEO, and Chairman of Argo (TSXV:ARGH). Argo is transforming public transit for a more accessible, connected, and prosperous future with a team of former executives and engineers from Tesla, Uber, and Sidewalk Labs. Prior to founding Argo, Praveen joined Tesla as head of growth in 2016 at age 25 and was the youngest member of their executive team. He was also a member of Facebook's early international growth team and led the Internet.org product team whose products connected over 100M users to the internet He's been an advisor to several companies including TikTok and Athena, and was recognized on Forbes' 2019 Under 30 list. Praveen was born in Scarborough and attended the University of Waterloo where he completed a double degree in Computer Engineering and Economics.
WITH PRAVEEN ARICHANDRAN
RAVI RAVINDRAN MODERATOR
RaviistheCEOandhostofthepodcastBLUMEx.
Whatbeganasastart-updisguisedasapodcastwithintheUniversityofToronto’s innovationecosystem,hassinceexpandedtoofferaportfolioofmediapropertiesto promoteacommunityofverifiedinnovators.
Theirteammakesinnovationdiscoverablewhilecatalyzingventuresthatsolveglobal problems Raviisalsoaserialentrepreneurandadvocatesforbusiness,technologyand innovation
Growth & Innovation in Entrepreneurship
Discussion Topics:
How to select the right venture for scalable growth
Strategies to diffrentiate in a competative market
Proven approaches to elevate your business
Leveraging AI: Exploring opportunities and overcoming challenges
Indoja - Moderator
Sathish Bala: Moderator
Sathish Bala is a dynamic entrepreneur and the CEO of Schoolio, where he’s leading a revolution in education by creating flexible, innovative solutions for families and students often neglected by conventional systems His dedication to accessibility and empowerment ensures that every child has the tools to succeed. In addition to transforming education, Sathish is the founder of DESIFEST, North America’s largest South Asian music festival, which has supported over 1,000 artists and distributed $3 million in funding. His commitment extends to mentoring first-time founders, helping them conquer challenges and achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.
Sathish’s journey embodies his passion for creativity, community growth, and empowering future leaders
Usha Srinivasan
Usha Srinivasan is the Founding Director of Brampton Venture Zone at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she leads a new incubator in the Brampton Innovation District. She also founded BReady Talent to support BIPOC and new Canadians in securing meaningful employment. A recognized leader in the Canadian innovation sector, Usha has built unique services for startups over 15 years Previously, she was VP of Partnership and Talent at Elevate Tech Fest and VP of Venture & Talent Programs at MaRS. Usha holds a PhD in environmental sciences and has co-founded multiple startups, including a foodtech venture.
Suresh Kumar
As a mentor, coach and business consultant, his focus through both Connecting GTA and Kashden is to help entrepreneurs in small and medium-sized businesses to achieve their full potential to thrive in a demanding business environment, overcome business challenges and to exercise their passion to take their projects to next level He offers consultancy services such as business strategy, marketing solutions, technology solutions, project management services, process improvement, and mergers and acquisitions. As the business environment becomes increasingly complex and business longevity a challenge, the only way to remain afloat is by identifying and adapting to the changes and economical processes.
Chithra Priya
Chithra Priya is the founder and creative director of 'The Design Wolf'. With a Master's in digital filmmaking and as a three-time motorcycle record holder, she blends creativity and adventure Her expertise in design, animation, and marketing allows her to craft exceptional work that enables businesses to scale in a competitive market.
Sabashan Ragavan
Sabashan is the Co-founder of HeyMilo - an AI voice agent reshaping how companies scale interviews and candidate evaluations Before launching HeyMilo, Sabashan held roles at Meta and Microsoft, working on building recommendation systems at IG reels and Microsoft Teams in both engineering and product management capacities. Challenges around building new products especially excite Sabashan, and he actively advises other early-stage startup founders.
Breaking Barriers in STEM
Discussion Topics:
Strategies for overcoming barriers and advancing in STEM careers
The impact of emerging tech and how to adapt in a fast-changing world
Identifying gaps in STEML How to foster a more inclusive and ethical future
Indoja - Moderator
husan Kathirgamanathan: Moderator
Jathusan Kathirgamanathan’s past projects include: Grandlinq – Waterloo LRT, Queen’s Park, TTC College Station, a twenty-storey tower in Oshawa and Skyservice’s Private Hangar extension to Pearson. He has recently launched a general contracting company with his partners, Stone Island Construction, which focuses on commercial and residential renovations.
Daniel Meissner
Daniel is VP of Growth & Strategic Partnerships at EllisDon, leading Building Digital, a tech-focused subbrand. With 15+ years in engineering consulting, he began his career in Bogotá, Colombia, before joining EllisDon in Canada. Daniel specializes in leveraging data and driving digital transformation in the construction industry.
A physician-turned-educator-slash-parallel entrepreneur with executive education from Harvard, an MBA from the Ivey Business School and an MD from All Saints University, Mark currently serves as an Entrepreneur-In-Residence for a few business schools in addition to sitting on a number of boards, and being a CTPA Paalam Mentor, all while running numerous ventures in the medical education, edtech and real estate space.
Abey Sivanesan
Abey Sivanesan is the Manager of Financial Planning and Analysis at Apotex Inc., and is responsible for the global forecasting, budgeting, and board reporting processes. Leveraging her educational background in Actuarial Sciences and Medical Sciences, she grew through her FP&A career at Roots Canada and Mejuri On the side, she enjoys being on the Board of Directors for CTPA, traveling, rock-climbing, and playing the violin.
Arany Sivasubramaniam is a Health Justice Specialist at William Osler Health System and a PhD Candidate in the Aging, Health, and Well-Being program at the University of Waterloo. Arany also has a passion project, called anga Skincare which is a small business that challenges e dominant discourse surrounding skincare, beauty, and wellness.
Arany Sivasubramaniam
Mark Raju Mauleesan
Navigating The Finance Industry
Discussion Topics:
Experiences and challenges faced by POC and women in the finance industry
Emerging trends in finance and strategies to stay at the forefront
Navigating opportunities and challenges in a slow labor market
Indoja - Moderator
Kabi Thaya: Moderator
Kabi joined Munro Partners in April 2021 and is currently our Institutional Strategist based out of Toronto, Canada. Kabi’s primary mandate as a client facing professional includes serving as a conduit between our Investment Team and various channels representing the Canadian asset base, while also supporting the growth of our assets under management Combining a thorough understanding of our investment philosophy and process with regular interactions with our investment team, Kabi provides investors and prospective investors with insights on our portfolio management decision-making, ranging from risk management, stock selection and general market sentiment in order to enhance our client servicing presence in Canada. Previous to Munro, Kabi worked at BMO’s Private Investment Counsel in Toronto, a discretionary investment management firm Kabi is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto.
Kiran Navaratnam
Kiran works in the Private Trading Office at RBC as a Senior Trader and Investment Strategist He brings 8 years of investment experience, trading derivative products across asset classes including currency, rates, equities, and commodities. Kiran was previously at OMERS working across a variety of departments. He began his career in risk management covering market risk, liquidity management and strategic asset allocation He then joined the currency centre of excellence and worked on active and passive strategies to manage the funds exposures. The last four years were spent with the Global Macro team. Kiran traded global markets using derivatives and a top-down approach to structure asymmetric trades and portfolios The culmination of experiences has led to a strong foundation in macroeconomics, market structure, geopolitics, thematic opportunities, and tactical asset allocation. Throughout his career, Kiran has published and communicated macro market commentary and investment strategy Kiran earned a dual degree at Western University, completing the HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, and HBMSc from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry He has been a CFA charterholder since 2020
Prasanth Pahi
Prasanth is the head of the performance reporting & attribution function as part of the Performance & Controllership team in Finance supporting the Capital Markets business. The team is responsible for measuring investment performance and assessing drivers against benchmarks, and providing senior management with additional insights and analytics. Prasanth currently leads a team of 12 people and prioritizes team engagement, career development and coaching with junior colleagues. Prasanth graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Accounting & Financial Management and holds both the CPA and CFA designations.
Rishi Ganesamoorthy
Rishi Ganesamoorthy is a seasoned finance professional with over 10 years of experience in capital markets. Renowned for his expertise in risk management, he has successfully implemented numerous risk mitigation protocols throughout his career. Rishi holds a degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Waterloo and is passionate about the financial implications of climate change. Currently, he serves as Vice President within the Prime Brokerage group at TD Securities, where he advocates for clients and acts as their liaison with various Risk Management teams. In his free time, Rishi enjoys listening to podcasts on architecture, design, and history, which enrich his perspective at work.
Samantha Nagaratnam
Samantha has over 15 years of experience working across retail banking and capital markets roles within G-SIB banks in Canada With a strong focus on Canadian compliance, she has worked extensively with financial institutions, consulting on derivatives data reporting, market misconduct risk, and the trade life cycle. Her expertise spans across leading and contributing to several risk and regulatory committees, including ISDA, IIROC CCLS Educational Sub-committee, and IIAC. As Director & Consulting Chief of Staff at PwC Canada, Samantha plays a key role in steering transformative initiatives within the firm’s Capital Markets Consulting practice She combines strategic oversight with hands-on leadership, delivering innovative solutions and operational excellence for clients. Her deep foundation in project management, problemsolving, and banking empowers her to drive impactful results in highly regulated environments.
CAREER FACILITATORS
Nicki Sabapathy
Athavan Anpalagan
Praveena Jegathees Shanghavy Karunakaran
Aurelia Joseph Jeby James
NETWORKING FACILITATORS
Sathish Balakrishnan
Ravi Ravindran
Rebecca Lena Prashanth Chandrapal
Karthy Subramaniam
Paalam is CTPA’s flagship mentorship program that connects emerging and established professionals in the Tamil community. Established in 2013, the program provides individuals at any stage of their career with the resources, guidance and training required for a meaningful mentorship experience. However, what really is Paalam and how can you be part of it?
10 YEARS OF MENTORSHIP
Our Mentorship team has worked to enhance the Paalam mentoring experience for both mentors and mentees.
We have a wide range of programs designed to ensure participants get more value out of the mentorship program
These features are available to participants who are successfully paired
PAALAM EVENTS INCLUDE ACCESS TO:
• High-quality, professional & interpersonal skill development
• Experienced speakers to deliver curated content for both mentors and mentees
• Introductions to our vast network of Tamil-Canadian professionals and leaders
• Discounted tickets for regular CTPA events
WHY MENTOR?
• Satisfaction of contributing to the Tamil community
• Create meaningful impact in an emerging professional's career
• Exposure to fresh perspective and ideas
• Enhance leadership skills and embark on new challenges
WHY BE A MENTEE?
• Network with other professionals in the Tamil community
• Develop and advance professional goals
• Gain guidance and support to face challenges and problem solve
• Improve interpersonal skills
ANNUAL SPONSOR
John Aruldason is the founder and visionary leader behind The Aruldason Group, a distinguished real estate firm based in North York, offering comprehensive realty, legal, and financial services. With over 16 years of hands-on experience in the Greater Toronto Area real estate market, John has expertly navigated numerous market cycles, establishing himself as a trusted authority in the field. His academic background includes a degree in political science and history from the University of Toronto, a Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa, and an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
In addition to his professional achievements, John imparts his extensive knowledge by teaching business law and real estate to post-graduate students. He excels in assisting clients with real estate acquisitions, sales, redevelopment, and financial planning. John's excellence in the industry awarded him the prestigious Century 21 Centurion Award, an honor given to the top 1% of Toronto Real Estate Board producers. His deep understanding of market trends and strategic financial planning continues to empower countless clients to achieve their real estate goals.
ANNUAL SPONSOR
369 Global is a group of companies with business interests in skills training and workforce development, media and communications, and global market facilitation. Our vision is to inform, educate and activate global citizens to make a worldwide impact. We do this by providing our clients with innovative, inclusive, and scalable training, business and communications solutions that prepare our clients to address global challenges.
Global Empowerment
We believe in empowering people and companies and giving them tools, resources, and opportunities that unlock their potential to tackle global challenges.
Authentic Excellence
We are committed to fostering a culture where people’s talents, experiences and aspirations are celebrated and integrated into every part of our work.
Principled Leadership
We lead by example, upholding the highest ethical standards in our work, setting a benchmark for responsible and inclusive leadership.
Entrepreneurial Mindset
We embrace challenges, are comfortable with ambiguity, demonstrate entrepreneurial zeal and discipline, and know that high performance is rewarded.
TITLE SPONSOR
Foundation Capital Private Real Estate Trust (FCPRET) aims to acquire, operate and improve real estate assets, primarily multi-residential buildings in secondary markets in Ontario (with a focus on London and surrounding), that will generate consistent long term cash flow and/or have potential for value creation through a repositioning strategy.
Target Return of 12-15% per annum (7% Distributions + 5-8% Capital Appreciation)
FCPRET is part of a Greater Toronto Area based asset management group with an extensive focus on real estate multi-family properties throughout Southern Ontario.
Their management has acquired 18 properties since inception, taking group AUM to greater than $50 million (fair market value). They have achieved a greater than 50% gross IRR since inception on the total portfolio.
TFSA/RRSP eligible
Eligible & Accredited Investors only.
BOOTH SPONSOR
The Centre for Leadership and Innovation (CFLI) is a registered non-profit dedicated to fostering leadership and innovation within Tamil Canadian and multicultural communities.
Since 2012, CFLI has empowered over 3,500 youths, aged 10 to 18, to develop essential skills like public speaking, teamwork, and leadership. These skills, often underemphasized in traditional curricula, are nurtured in a dynamic, facilitator-led, and hands-on learning environment. CFLI's approach helps students build confidence, learn at their own pace, and apply their skills in real-world settings, from school to community initiatives. Together, we are on a mission to empower youth to lead for a better tomorrow.
Join our mission!
BOOTH SPONSOR
At Mantra Chai Co, we believe chai is more than just a drink it’s an experience, a ritual, and a connection to culture. We invite you to explore our blends and make chai a part of your daily mantra. Let Mantra Chai bring the flavors of South Asia into your home, or event one sip at a time.
COMMUNITY SPONSOR
The Canadian Tamils’ Chamber of Commerce (“CTCC”) was established as a voluntary non-profit, non-sectarian, non-sectional organization in 1991 to “develop and foster entrepreneurship”. For over 32 years, CTCC has built a strong community that consists of innovative, successful and passionate individuals who continue to lead the approximately 500,000 strong Canadian Tamil community to success.
CTCC has become the platform that connects entrepreneurs and business professionals to develop and grow in Canada’s diverse economy. Through the use of educational, philanthropic and networking initiatives, CTCC aims towards enriching the socioeconomic development of the Canadian Tamil community. We facilitate local and global opportunities and provide members with a supportive environment to develop skills and promote economic growth in Canada.
COMMUNITY SPONSOR
EllisDon, an employee-owned, $5 billion-a-year construction services company that has grown exponentially beyond its modest origins in London, Ontario. With over 5,000 salaried and hourly employees across fifteen national and international offices, EllisDon has become a leader in every sector and nearly every facet of the construction industry.
EllisDon has positioned itself as a ‘Cradle To Grave’ Services Provider with guaranteed performance outcomes through its Capital Services, Facilities Management, and Sustainable Buildings Divisions. EllisDon is determined to lead the coming disruption in the construction sector, having recently created pioneering initiatives in Energy Management, Smart Buildings Software and Data Analytics.
MEDIA SPONSORS
Videographer
Photographer
ABOUT US
The Canadian Tamil Professionals Association (CTPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization focused on developing career opportunities for emerging and established Tamil professionals. For as long as CTPA has existed, the mandate has been to provide Tamil professionals with tools, training, and resources that maximize their potential and accelerate their success Today, we continue to shape the future of Tamil professionals with innovative, forward-thinking programs that advance and support their profession at every stage of their career.
OUR MISSION
To foster professional development by facilitating powerful conversations, creating opportunities and inspiring future leaders
OUR VISION
Provide all Canadian Tamils with the tools, resources, and support to overcome barriers to their professional growth
OUR VALUES
Integrity | Progressive | Collaborative | Inclusive | Passionate | Empowering
https://tamilprofessional.ca/ @ctpa
@tamilprofessionals
@tamilprofessionals
