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Introductions & keynote address Discuss future trends in finance, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and law develop your public speaking, leadership and mental health management skills ROUND 2 ROUND 3 ROUND 1 KUMUTHA RAMANATHAN 1
award winning international journalist
She was nominated for the Asian Women of Achievement Awards UK 2017 following her accomplishments as a journalist She is currently a television reporter with BNN Bloomberg, Canada’s business news network.
From Toronto to New York to London and beyond, she has covered murders, protests, floods, hostage takedowns and many other dramatic events for well over a decade. Along the way, she has also sat down with CEOs, politicians and other notable public figures as an anchor and reporter asking them the tough questions Her investigative feature on gay and illegal migrants in the United States of America led to her being awarded the First Place Prize for reporting by the South Asian Journalists Association
Ramanathan holds degrees from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University and the University of Toronto
Ramanathan eventually chose to specialise in business journalism after moving to London, reporting on air and producing for Bloomberg TV and Radio, Yahoo Finance and other publications
S P E A K E KR E T N O T E 3.
KUMUTHA RAMANATHAN
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@tamilprofessional.ca.
On behalf of the Canadian Tamil Professionals Association, I’d like to welcome you to the inaugural Toast to Success Conference.
Thank You,
TO OUR ANNUAL SPONSORS
!In our 14th year, our mission has continued to be to provide Tamil professionals with the skill sets and network required to succeed in the Canadian workforce. This year, we have focused our efforts on finding synergies with our community partners to see how we can continue to push our community to new heights. We firmly believe we are stronger together and look forward to the many more collaborations that lay ahead.
MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR
Today’s conference focuses on how we can prepare ourselves for the fast changing, technologically focused world ahead while also developing the emotional intelligence skills required to live a well balanced lifestyle. I hope today’s event will provide you with the inspiration to continue to grow and innovate along your own path, while taking a moment to appreciate how far you have come already and Toast to your Success!
GOBI BRODIE
PLATINUM SPONSORS 4.
Law p 8 9
Tamil Civic Action p.25 26
TARMS (Healthcare) p 15 17
CFLI Public speaking and leadership p 18 19
Glens Shields Foot Clinic p 27
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Round Three - Soft Skills Workshops p.1821
Skillify p 25
Thank You p.28
Welcome Address p.6
CTPA p.22 24
C O N T E N T S
Paalam mentorship p 23 24
Agenda p.7
Exit Survey p 28
Sponsor Ads p.25 27
Aravanai p 12 14
Round Two Industry Workshops p.8 16
Mental Health and Wellness p 20 21
Tamils in Finance p 10 11
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Welcome To The Inaugural 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 workshops focused on emerging trends important to novice and experienced professionals alike, as well as soft skill coaching to develop the intangible skills required for success.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. All partner logos
10:00 AGENDA 10:30 11:30 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 R E G I S T R A T I O N ROUND 1 ; INTRODUCTIONS & KEYNOTE ADDRESS DISCUSS FUTURE TRENDS IN FINANCE, HEALTHCARE, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND LAW NETWORKING ROUND 3 ; SOFTS SKILLS & MENTAL HEALTH WORKSHOPS NETWORKING ROUND 2 ; INDUSTRY WORKSHOPS DEVELOP YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING, LEADERSHIP AND MENTAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT SKILLS 7. 3:30 AWARDS CEREMONY & CLOSING REMARKS LUNCH
Suresh Sriskandarajah
Nathaniel Balakumaran
Technology and business lawyer with a background in engineering and entrepreneurship. He completed his articles at boutique firms in the areas of corporate, technology and administrative law. Over the course of his professional career, Suresh has held executive roles with various organizations, launched three ventures and mentored dozens of startups. He has also worked for leading companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and BlackBerry.
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Provides legal services to non profits and charities on a wide range of corporate matters, including governance, drafting and interpreting by laws, obtaining and maintaining charitable registration, drafting and negotiating contracts, winding up, regulatory compliance and filings. Nathaniel represents a wide range of clients, including professional and industry associations, self regulated bodies and organizations in such fields as religion, health, education, social services, poverty abatement, childcare, athletics and recreation.
Discuss future trends in finance, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and law.
ROUND 2: INDUSTRY WORKSHOPS
LAW
Kartiga Thavaraj
an associate with a particularly specialized practice in both construction and constitutional litigation Kartiga routinely represents clients in complex commercial cases, including on public private partnership (P3) projects and has acted as counsel on various human rights cases before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal and under section 15 of the Charter. Prior to joining PRRR, Kartiga practiced both construction and equality/discrimination law at a leading firm in Toronto.
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Sangeetha
practises intellectual property litigation and has over a decade of experience litigating copyright, patent, and trademark matters. She also provides strategic advice in the procurement and enforcement of global brands in a variety of industries, with a focus on pharmaceuticals. Sangeetha is a regular speaker, a published author, and an active member of the intellectual property community.
Punniyamoorthy
Leadership: Provide emerging and seasoned Tamil professionals in financial services with opportunity to strengthen representation and visibility
Networking: Build a stronger community of Canadian Tamils working on Bay Street and increase their collective impact in the financial services sector
Our goal is to provide our members with a unique opportunity to mentor and support each other, purposefully grow their professional networks, and increase the collective influence of Tamils in Canada’s financial services sector. Three pillars of focus: Mentorship, Leadership, Networking.
Tamils in Finance is a network of Canadian Tamil executives and emerging leaders in investment, commercial and retail banking, asset management, private equity, venture capital, and at other financial institutions.
Mentorship: Ensure that new and young Tamil professionals in financial services are connected to expert mentors within our network
Together, both women provide valuable insight and experiences of being Thamil women in finance. They hope to educate attendees on capital markets and the influence it has on the operational and global economic realms. Brammy and Priscilla will share their experience in growth in their specific fields which also tackles the opportunities and obstacles women of colour in finance can be presented with.
The speakers this year bring two unique takes on micro and macro global trends. Brammy Raveendran brings her expertise in operations and the business need to innovate and adapt to the inevitable change that arise, much like the pandemic. Priscilla Thiagamoorthy brings her vast knowledge of macro economic trends and can provide explanations to some of the recent buzz words and phrases in the news such as “inflation” and “rising interest rates”.
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Brammy Raveendran Head of Operations
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Recently joined Northstar Trading as the Head of Operations Brammy has held various leadership roles in capital markets over the last 10 years, managing global teams in Commodities & Foreign Exchange Operations at RBC Capital Markets & RBC Investor & Treasury Services She completed her undergrad in accounting and finance at University of Waterloo, and has her Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Accountant designations
Joined Anson Funds as a Marketing and Investor Relations Associate in July 2022. Prior to this she was an Investor Relations Manager at SS&C Technologies Arani holds an undergraduate degree of Political Science with a minor in Public Administration from University of Waterloo, as well as a post graduate certificate in Investor Relations from Seneca College
Priscilla Thiagamoorthy Economists
PJoined BMO Capital Markets in 2016 and plays a key role in analyzing Canadian household trends and the U.S. regional economy. She also contributes to the group’s AM Notes and various special reports Priscilla previously worked at the Bank of Canada in the Financial Markets Department. She holds an undergrad degree from the Schulich School of Business and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Ottawa
Arani Raskumar
FINANCE
Investor Relations and Marketing Associate
The underlying philosophy is that the success of startups manifests itself in the form of academic partnerships and employment opportunities in local communities. Building this environment in the North East of Sri Lanka will create a positive feedback cycle that will sustain emerging talent and improve the quality of life for youth in the region for years to come.
Don't hesitate to start. Get past the start line and then be prepared to pivot as you get more information. Timing is everything, Be data driven and pay attention to metrics to move your business from a side hustle to being the main act.
Expect and be prepared for "isms" one may face in a new area you are entering, racism, sexism and such. Such is the world we live in and we have to be strong enough to push back and not be held back
Family and friends may not believe in your idea or the risk of your entrepreneurial endeavour. Don't let societal norms or views decide the course of your vision. You only need one person to believe in your idea to make it big so stick with in, keeping practicalities and metrics in mind.
The right co founder can make the entrepreneurial journey less lonely. The right team will make the entrepreneurial journey less hard and more successful. Be financially literate about a startup's needs and financial positioning
key insights
The panel on Entrepreneurship : A Journey of Adaptability & Evolution
Aravanai was founded to empower the startup ecosystem in underserved communities.
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Aravanai's core goals involve supporting education, enabling entrepreneurship and helping create employment opportunities. The organization works directly with non profit partners to teach technical and entrepreneurial skills to students in these underserved communities to provide them with the necessary tools to develop solutions to real world problems. Aravanai provides mentorship to encourage them to turn these solutions into viable startups.
Manjula Selvarajah
Journalist, national columnist to the CBC and guest host on CBC Radio's Toronto and Ontario shows. She is the host of the MaRS podcast Solve for X and a frequent speaker with repeat appearances at Collision and Elevate. Formerly, Manjula was on the executive team of a now acquired Toronto based startup and holds a degree in Engineering from Queen’s University. She is co founder of the non profit Tamil Women Rising and sits on the board of Scientists in School.
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Sathish Bala
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Moderator
Nivatha Balendra is the CEO & Founder of Dispersa, a CleanTech startup transforming food waste into natural soapy compounds, called biosurfactants, as sustainable alternatives to synthetic surfactants Nivatha's work has garnered numerous awards, including the inaugural World Economic Forum Young Scientists Prize, Quebec's Young Entrepreneur for ARISTA 2020, and Corporate Knight's 30 Under 30 list for her involvement in environmental sustainability She was recently selected as one of Top 6 female Canadian CleanTech founders for Natural Resources Canada & MaRS Discovery District's Women in CleanTech Challenge
Founder and CEO of Schoolio, an award winning entrepreneur with expertise in the fields of digital marketing, operations management, and product development Bala works to harness digital strategies to define roadmaps, deliver client centric solutions and identify opportunities for development and advancement He has pioneered the development and launch of three digital companies, totaling $50M in sales with 150+ staff across 5+ countries. He is also the co founder of a South Asian music festival in Toronto, DESIFEST.
Nivatha Balendra
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
CEO of maajja, a company he co founded with the legendary A R Rahman with a vision of creating music as a stand alone industry for South Asians As a technology enabled label alternative, maajja’s mission is to empower the next generation of South Asian artists with complete creative control and resources to attain global reach. He's also been responsible for building and scaling large cross functional teams within multinational corporations such as Motorola, Google and Lenovo, with over 15+ years in various leadership roles
Co founder and CEO at TC Global Inc. which connects the global Tamil community through its media platform TamilCulture.com, and dating site myTamilDate.com. Previously, she was on the executive teams of a quantum computing and fintech startup. She is a CPA and graduated with a B.Com from the University of Toronto Her hobbies include ultimate frisbee, yoga and kayaking
Shivanu Thiyagarajah
Noel Kirthiraj
Thomas Savundra
The president and co founder of Sync.com, and an entrepreneur and technology leader with more than 20 years of experience helping businesses and organizations of all sizes transform the way they work. Thomas is passionate about leveraging the cloud to empower people to work better together to get the world in sync. Outside of the office Thomas enjoys travelling, reading, dreaming up new ideas, and inspiring and mentoring future leaders.
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The Tamil Association of Residents and Medical Students (TARMS) Canada is an
TARMS
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Extensive experience in the management of all areas of medicine, surgery, pain management and pediatrics. He has unique expertise in Healthcare IT integration. Dr. Sathiaseelan completed a biochemistry degree at University of Toronto and graduated from medical school and residency at University of Ottawa. He is a lecturer at University of Toronto.
Dr Seyon Sathiyaseelan
Emergency Medicine
She is currently a clinical associate at Mount Sinai Hospital. She completed her medical school at University of Calgary, and her internal medicine training at Western University with Geriatrics fellowship. She's currently completing her MASc Patient Safety and Health Quality at John Hopkins.
Dr. Luxey Sirisegaram
HEALTHCARE
Geriatric Medicine
Shinthuja Wijayasri
Field Epidemiologist
She was an epidemiologist at Public Health Ontario, where she worked on a variety of vaccine preventable disease files, vaccine safety, and foodborne outbreak investigations. Shinthuja's main interests and experiences are in communicable diseases surveillance and outbreak management. She is currently a senior epidemiologist with Public Health Agency of Canada's Centre for Immunization Surveillance.
President and CSO of JN Nova Pharma Inc.
Dr. Nathan Yoganathan
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HEALTHCARE
University and industrial research scientist, turned entrepreneur who became an experienced CEO, having successfully launched several private and a public biotechnology company. He has over twenty five years of experience in scientific research in cell signalling and gene expression technology He has published several articles, and is an inventor of many patents recipient of numerous awards, including ones from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Thyroid Foundation of Canada
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Experienced Senior Director with a demonstrated history of working in the Human Resources and Actuarial Services industry. Skilled in HR Consulting, Customer Relationship Management, Retirement Planning, I&D and Talent and Development . Passion for science communication and translating scientific discoveries to everyday life Management experience, an effective communicator and a catalyst for team work Skilled in managing a multi disciplinary team both in house and external partners Chen Muthukumaraswamy, ASA Nishani Rajakulendran Ph.D Thas Yuwaraj Ph.D, P.Eng. ROUND THREE: SOFT SKILLS WORKSHOP Senior Director & Head of Retirement Toronto, Willis Towers Watson Director of Clinical Operations, Edesa Biotech, Inc Senior Director, Data Science HealthLoblaw Companies Ltd. Importance of Soft Skills for working professionals for today’s work place How one can develop Soft Skills that will differentiate them from their peers Breakout group discussion interesting case studies on application of Soft Skills PUBLIC SPEAKING AND LEADERSHIP 19.
In a virtual or in person friendly and supportive environment, Zaamilah offers the following: a) 1 on 1 psychotherapy sessions, b) 1 on 1 private yoga sessions, c) group yoga sessions She addresses such areas as depression, stress, anxiety, anger management, trauma and low self esteem.
Zaamilah Balasubramaniam
For more information on the psychotherapy services she provides, please check out:
She firmly believes that a comfortable rapport is essential in order for therapy to be beneficial She is here to listen and will only provide strategies that individuals feel comfortable with.
https://wwwpsychologytodaycom/ca/ther apists/zaamilah balasubramaniam etobicoke on/929316
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By working together, her and her clients promote strength and resilience and work to navigate life’s many challenges. With her background in yoga and experience with mindfulness, Zaamilah's goal is to provide a safe and non judgmental therapeutic space that supports clients in understanding their needs and developing better coping mechanisms to ensure they have the best quality of life. By blending psychotherapy and yoga, she offers an eclectic lens through which her clients can explore themselves.
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SIn addition to yoga sessions, Zaamilah provides psychotherapy/counselling services. Psychotherapy provides a unique experience for clients to connect to themselves and allow for interpersonal discovery and to make meaningful connections
How one can develop Soft Skills that will differentiate them from their peers
Zaamilah Balasubramaniam
GROW WITH MENTAL HEALTH FT. ZENWITHZAAM, VARMAN SMILE, & TARMS
Mornisha Panchalingam
Breakout group discussion interesting case studies on application of Soft Skills
Mary Joe Prakash
She is a registered Traditional Thamil Hatha Yoga Teacher, lifelong student, and founder of Zen with Zaam (@zenwithzaam) She recently completed her Master's in counselling psychology at Yorkville University and is a Qualifying Registered Psychotherapist with the CRPO She is currently working at the South Asian Autism Awareness Center as a Classroom Facilitator
She is the content manager of Varman’s smile foundation as well as a mental health advocate. Her mental health journey started in September 2021 when she was diagnosed with ADHD, PTSD, and GED. She will be talking about struggles of being minorities and experiencing burn outs and what can we do to detect the signs of burnout, coping mechanisms, and self care..
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS
She is a fourth year medical student at the University of Ottawa She has a special interest in mental health and is the mental wellness lead for TARMS Canada She also has previously completed research on burnout and career satisfaction in physicians
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Importance of Soft Skills for working professionals for today’s work place
ABOUT US
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 22.
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
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?
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Paalam (பால ), meaning “bridge” in Tamil, is focused on connecting individuals in the Tamil community and facilitating the sharing of knowledge and expertise to support professional growth and development It also means that, like a bridge, mentorship is a two way learning relationship in which mentors and mentees mutually contribute to the relationship and continue to learn from one another.
To date, we have paired 165 mentors and mentees, and this number continues to grow! Being part of Paalam provides countless benefits to prospective mentors and mentees. For mentors, the program allows established professionals to give back to the community, strengthen leadership skills, and be exposed to fresh ideas and perspectives While for mentees, the program enables them to network with other professionals in the Tamil community and gain the much needed guidance to thrive in their careers.
Interested in joining the Paalam Mentorship program either as a mentor or mentee? APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN ALL YEAR AROUND Visit the Paalam webpage for more details on the application process If you have any further questions about the program, write to us at mentorship@tamilprofessional.com. 24.
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT SCAN THE QR CODE PLEASE FILL OUT THE SURVEY 28.
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