CILAR Success Stories

On April 3, 2024, Humber College welcomed industry specialists to a panel discussion on ‘Leveraging AI for good’.

Chief Scientist at Knockri, Dave Mayers, took the opportunity to reflect on challenges faced by organizations while adapting AI in recruitment processes, removing bias from the technology, and the impact of AI on the future of work.

Adapting ethical AI practices within the organization, Mayers explained how,
“At Knockri we have developed a way to score responses to structured behaviour interview questions by training natural language models to understand the nature of work,” thus utilizing AI to automate the recruitment process efficiently and objectively.  

Dean Mary Wells of Waterloo Engineering and Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Science, Health and Technology Communication Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher at the University of Waterloo recently appeared in the Hill Times, a popular news source for Canadian politics and government news.

CILAR is proud to have been invited to present at the recent CASSA Social Justice Summit, where important themes about decolonizing the workplace emerged.

Discussions centred on regulating hate content online, addressing rising hate in diverse communities, and ensuring psychological safety in the workplace.

The summit emphasized the importance of community trust in law enforcement and advocated against tone policing. Additionally, speakers highlighted various advocacy levers at different levels of government and underscored the significance of allyship in creating meaningful change.

CASSA (Council of Agencies Serving South Asians) is a social justice umbrella organization that brings Ontario's South Asians from various backgrounds together to address various social and economic issues.

CILAR extends gratitude to Stacey Madge of Visa Canada for her invaluable support of our youth mentorship program and her dedication to advancing digital equity. As Stacey embarks on new endeavours, we extend our best wishes for her continued success.

We take this time to welcome Michiel Wielhouwer as the new executive director at Visa Canada. With over 22 years of international experience, Michiel brings a wealth of expertise to his role. His appointment is timely as Visa navigates Canada's evolving financial landscape.
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We anticipate Michiel's leadership will drive innovation and growth, building on Stacey's commendable contributions in expanding client relationships, fostering fintech collaborations, and launching innovative products.

On February 14, MDA (TSX:MDA) announced Yung Wu's appointment to its Board of Directors.
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Formerly CEO of MaRS Discovery District, Wu brings extensive experience as an entrepreneur and investor across various sectors, enhancing MDA's leadership in space missions and technology.

"We are pleased to welcome Yung Wu to our Board of Directors. Yung is an experienced innovation and technology leader, entrepreneur and investor. He brings core competencies and valuable insight to the MDA Board at a time of rapid technical and market transformation in the space sector."

-John Risley, Chair of the MDA Board.

The new leadership superpower is adaptability, says Aliya Ramji, partner of McCarthy Tétrault and co-founder of MT>Ventures.
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With everyone “growing up on artificial intelligence,” lawyers are uniquely situated to navigate future complex challenges. But with men disproportionately at the helm in the AI sector, there is currently a female perspective gap, she says. Ramji spoke with a Canadian Lawyer about female representation in the AI space and MT>Ventures.

“Leadership in AI doesn't have to come from a technical perspective. Responsible AI will require strong voices to advocate for accountability, inclusiveness, reliability and fairness.”

- Aliya Ramji, Co-Founder, MT>Ventures

“What’s happening right now is what I would call “rightsizing.”The companies who always intended to do the work, who were working to centre human rights in good faith, are continuing to do that work. And then there are the companies who are simply moving on to the next flavour of the month.
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It really pains me when Black lives, racialized lives, women’s and children’s lives are seen as a fad, as opposed to, for example, how J.P. Morgan has consistently said this is the right thing to do.”

- Maya Roy, CEO, CILAR.

The recent Aspiring Innovators Alumni Hackathon was more than just a one-time event; it was a crucial step toward building a lasting community. Your insights and contributions matter greatly as we work towards creating a more inclusive and innovative future.
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We invite you to continue the conversation and share any new ideas you may have. Your input is essential in maintaining the momentum generated during the event!

We are thrilled to share the success story of Sheila Knight, Executive Director of JP Morgan's digital marketing team. Sheila successfully completed our ACCELERATE Leadership program, where she gained leading frameworks for enabling and championing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) integration in the innovation economy. We are proud to announce that Sheila has now joined ACCELERATE Mentorship as a Coach. Her commitment sets a powerful example of taking leadership actions to drive inclusive innovation. Congratulations, Sheila!  Your journey inspires us all.

“CILAR’s Leadership and Mentorship program inspired me to learn and navigate new ways to enable positive change, whether it’s coachee career progression, or business objectives. I’m forever on a learning journey and the guidelines empower me to be more conscious when mentoring others. Thank you for allowing me to participate in the programs and be a part of the change and progress I hope to see.”

- (Sheila Knight, Executive Director, JP Morgan Chase)

We're excited to announce our partnership with BIPOC Executive Search, an inclusive consultancy firm operating in both Canada and the US. Their work in cultivating expansive leadership networks within Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities, and their diligent allies is commendable. Their expertise aids organizations in securing candidate rosters that mirror the diverse global society we live and operate.