Meet Our Board Members
Neha Shrivastava – Chair
Neha is a Director with Gartner Consulting with 19 years of work experience in the IT & High Tech industries working across Canada, US, France and India. She works closely with the Canadian Public sector, advising on sourcing strategies. She has previously worked for large MNCs like Hewlett Packard, Airbus and Sopra-Steria in business development and sales divisions. Neha has volunteered at TIFF, HotDocs, imagineNATIVE, CN Tower run for United Way and other cultural events in Toronto.
Neha has also volunteered at the Sopra Steria Foundation, managing fundraising for educational initiatives. She actively mentored and coached underprivileged students and organized and managed arts and computer literacy workshops for schools. Neha holds an Executive MBA degree from the Rotman School of Management and a Masters degree in International Business from Toulouse School of Management, France. Neha is trilingual and speaks English, Hindi and French fluently.
Leigh Merlo – Vice Chair
Leigh has spent 25 years working with clients in financial services. Having begun her career in Toronto and expanding her experience in a variety of senior roles in Johannesburg, New York and finally back in Toronto. After her career in financial services, Leigh worked with Public Impact to create a portfolio of social impact businesses – businesses that did servd the community while being profitable.
Leigh is the co-owner of Discerning Seniors Inc., a company that works with seniors and their families to navigate the challenges and transitions that come with aging. Leigh thrives on the challenge of solving problems thoughtfully and quickly. All of Leigh’s client experience has taught her that planning is key to managing outcomes. Leigh is married with two children, and lives in midtown Toronto with her husband.
Sameena Velshi – Treasurer
Sameena is a lawyer, called to the bar in Ontario and New York. She currently owns and runs a technology consultancy with clients in Canada and the US. And has a small property development company with projects in Canada and Costa Rica. She has spent the bulk of her career leading product teams across a range of industries including artificial intelligence, advertising technology, FinTech, and software as a service etc.
As a first generation Canadian and the daughter of east-African-Indian immigrants, Sameena recognizes the importance and responsibility of the community to support prosperity for newcomers to Canada. Her experience with community development stems from her time as a research assistant with Roots of Empathy. Roots of Empathy is an international children’s charity that helps develop empathy in children. Sameena also previously served as project accountant and procurement officer for the Maasai Girls Secondary School in Arusha, Tanzania.
Sofia Arora – Secretary
Sofia is a Manager, People and Culture with Daily Bread Food Bank and has over 8 years of experience in driving strategic human resources initiatives and optimizing organizational performance. She has earlier worked with SKETCH, a community art organization supporting homeless and marginalized youth and was instrumental in setting up their human resources department from scratch.
Sofia has a Master’s degree from Seneca College and holds a Certified Human Resources Professional designation (CHRP). She has a strong passion for women rights, empowerment and issues affecting women in our community.
Aleks Dhefto – Marketing and Communications
Aleks is a corporate affairs professional with over a decade of experience in the public and non-profit sectors. He is currently the Manager of Communications and Outreach at the Condominium Authority of Ontario – a provincial consumer protection organization whose aim is to provide information, education and dispute resolution services to condo communities. He holds a BA from Queen’s University as well as an MA and MBA from the University of Toronto. Aleks moved to Canada as a young teenager with his family and landed near Thorncliffe Park, an experience that has instilled in him a deep sense of community and civic duty.
Farkhunda Ateel Siddiqi – Community Relations
Farkhunda has a diverse background spanning medical practice, community activism, and project leadership. As a medical doctor and climate activist in Afghanistan, she led initiatives focused on resilience, sustainable livelihoods, and maternal and child healthcare. Farkhunda has been actively involved in community outreach and engagement at Working Women Community Centre, Victoria Park Hub. She also served as Head Chef and Community Ambassador at the Thorncliffe Park Women’s Committee, where her contributions were recognized with the Community Champion Award. She is currently pursuing the Community Worker Program at George Brown College.
Her exceptional contributions to community development have been internationally recognized by the prestigious Equator Initiative Award in Paris in 2015, Nature’s Noble Prize (also known as the Energy Globe Award) in 2018. These honours highlight her innovative approaches to climate adaptation and her commitment to fostering positive change at both the local and global levels.
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