Our Leadership

Board of Directors

Our board of Directors is a group of dedicated volunteers that meet on monthly basis to set the strategic direction of our organization.

Following the Policy Governance Model, they provide financial oversight, strategic planning, analysis of needs and trends, and linkages to help move us towards achieving our organization's mission and vision.

Meet the Board of Directors

Blake McCall, Board Chair

Blake grew up in a small town in southern Alberta and moved to Hamilton for University in 2007. There, he finished with a Master’s Degree in Work and Society in the School of Labour Studies. He currently runs a small business doing furniture restoration and repair. Blake’s personal motto is “a just world is possible if we want it.” Meaning that we can make the world just and fair if we collectively do the work to change it.

Conny Lo, Board Vice-Chair

CFRE, MFA-P, CM, PMP

Conny Lo is an accomplished professional with over 20 years of international experience in fundraising, marketing, and communications, specializing in strategic planning and business development.

With a diverse background spanning both private and non-profit sectors, Conny currently serves as Director of Development at Lakebridge Health’s AP Hospital Foundation, where she leads impactful initiatives. Prior to this, she was the Associate Director of Major Gifts at the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (PMCF) in Toronto and played a key role in launching a new fundraising initiative at SickKids Foundation.

In the for-profit sector, Conny worked at Scotiabank as Senior Marketing Manager for Multicultural Banking, where she humorously notes, “Instead of spending millions on marketing dollars for the bank, I end up being an ally to fundraisers and was given a goal to raise millions.”

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Conny is trilingual, fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Her deep understanding and appreciation for diversity in Canadian culture have shaped her approach to cross-sector business development. In 2020, she was recognized as one of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants and an Outstanding Community Leader.

Heino Doessing, Board Secretary

Heino joined the IWC board in May 2023. Heino was born and raised in Denmark, moved to Canada in 2010, and now calls Hamilton home. He is energized by serving the local community and has a strong passion for a more inclusive Hamilton and Canada.

Heino is a Chartered Business Valuator (CBV) and holds a MSc Economics from Copenhagen Business School (Denmark) and University of North Carolina at Charlotte (USA). Heino works in finance for one of Canada’s biggest pension plans.

Beyond work and volunteering, Heino enjoys time with his family and friends, checking out local community events, and watching live sport (go Ticats, Rock, Cardinals, Forge FC, and Buffalo Bills!). His motto is “means are ends in the making” (Mahatma Ghandi).

Daniella Girgenti, Board Member

Daniella joined the IWC Board in 2024. She was born in Hamilton, ON, living in several Southwestern Ontario cities (and even South Korea) before settling back in her hometown. With an understanding of her grandparents’ and parents’ challenges as new and first-generation Canadians, Daniella is committed to supporting Hamilton’s diverse immigrant communities and helping them thrive.

A trained journalist-turned-marketing-communications leader in the non-profit sector for 15+ years, Daniella has developed and managed brands and public relations for a broad spectrum of industries, including healthcare, technology, accounting, and sustainability. With a lifelong love of learning, she completed an Executive MBA in 2023 that saw her working with team members across the globe, developing friendships with students in the U.S., France and Colombia.

When she’s not at her computer working or learning, Daniella can be found watching her musician husband play a show at Bridgeworks, sipping a cappuccino while her very smart kiddo is in coding class, or snuggling with her rescue cats.

Natalie Charette, Board Member

Natalie Charette, is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of work experience in business administration and compliance for profit and non-profit sectors. She exhibits exceptional leadership, management, and business transformational skills. Her diverse expertise spans across areas such as corporate governance, contract management, policy analysis, conflict resolution, negotiations, and much more.

Natalie was born Ontario, Canada and is proud to call the City of Hamilton her hometown. Natalie pursued her Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities with a concentration in Philosophy, Labour Studies and a minor degree in Environmental Studies at McMaster University as well as a Social Service Diploma from Mohawk College. Natalie continues her educational pursuits through a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Phoenix.

Natalie’s proficiency extends to humanitarian efforts, through her commitment to family mediation, and legal advocacy work. Natalie’s strong dedication and achievements have made her capable of excelling across diverse industrial sectors and her extensive background is a testament to her commitment.

Nidhi Nagori, Board Member

Nidhi Nagori is a CA, CPA US, CPA Canada, CISA and currently runs her own consulting firm. Prior to this, she spent a decade in corporate doing mergers & acquisitions across industries, handling asset management and has worked in 28 countries. While doing her job, Nidhi started creating career content online and amassed over 2 million followers on social media, in a span of 3 years.

Originally from India, Nidhi moved to Canada from the US and knows firsthand the experience of being a newcomer on a foreign land. An opportunity to move to Canada changed her life, and she wants to ensure that door remains wide open for others as they look for their new home.

Noor Akhtar, Board Member

Noor is a legal enthusiast who is determined to use her legal skills and knowledge to facilitate people and businesses into their day to day affairs to help achieve their short term and long term objectives in the best possible way.

Noor pursued her law degree from University of London, UK and graduated with Honours. Noor acquired her primary education in Lahore, Pakistan.

Noor was called to the Ontario Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor in September, 2020 and joined Vellani Law Professional Corporation soon after as a Lawyer.

Being an immigrant herself, Noor understands the challenges that immigrants may face on their day-to-day basis and is motivated to assist her fellow immigrants to integrate into the Canadian society smoothly.

Rob Andrews, Board Member

Rob was born and raised in the UK. He attended the University of Bradford School of Management and has completed corporate-sponsored studies at the London Business School (UK) and the MIT Sloan School of Management (US).

Rob is President & CEO of Union Benefits, a multi-employer-focused Pension and Benefit Third Party Administrator with clients across Canada. In previous roles, he has worked extensively with businesses across the UK, US, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Czechia, Russia, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. He worked in the City of London for ExxonMobil Corporation, Deloitte Consulting and Royal Sun Alliance, before he and his family moved to Quebec, Canada in 2012. Rob and his family are permanent residents living in Oakville, Ontario. He is passionate about supporting the health, welfare, and opportunities of all.

Rob is Freemen of the City of London (England) and actively involved in the Livery movement in the UK and across North America.

He is a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in London (UK) and an active advocate for Rugby Union within Canada, including through Oakville Crusaders Rugby Club.

Vagish Sharma, Board Member

Vagish Sharma is a certified Project management professional (PMP) and currently working as Senior Project Specialist with Deloitte Canada . He has more than 8 years of work experience working across companies, industries, start-up’s, multilateral organizations and NGO’s .

Vagish has completed his MBA and worked on projects with UN’s, Greenpeace, USAID for which he was selected as Global Social Fellow by University of Waterloo, East Asia Future Leader by Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Young Pacific Leader by United Nations.

He has recently moved to Canada and feels passionate to counsel and teach New immigrants. He believes that counselling and early handholding to new immigrants should attract and retain more skilled workers and their families in Canada.

Zahra Ahmad, Board Member

With over 18 years of global experience in business and strategy, Zahra is a dynamic professional making waves in leadership consulting and business transformation. Her tenure as a former Associate Partner at McKinsey and Company has endowed her with a wealth of expertise, enabling her to spearhead national transformation programs across diverse sectors spanning healthcare, education, finance, non-profits, and government services. Zahra’s forte lies in seamlessly bridging strategic planning with practical implementation, as evidenced by her successful project leadership across the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Kuwait, Singapore, and Japan.

In addition to her corporate achievements, Zahra is the driving force behind Authentic Leaders in Canada. She initiates and oversees local and global projects dedicated to change management, leadership development, diversity, and inclusion systemic change.

Driven by her passion for fostering positive change in her local community, Zahra focuses on initiatives aimed at employment, navigating cultural differences, and facilitating the success of newcomers in Canada. Her commitment to these causes stems from her own experiences; originally from Eritrea, Zahra spent her formative years in Saudi Arabia before immigrating to Canada as a first-generation immigrant.

As a mother of three, Zahra balances her professional endeavors with her responsibilities. She holds an MBA from Hult Business School and is recognized as an Executive Coach at the PCC level by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Zahra is pursuing a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at Columbia International University, further solidifying her commitment to driving positive change and innovation in leadership and organizational dynamics.

Nidhi Nagori, Board Member

Nidhi joined the board in January 2021. Born and raised in India, Nidhi immigrated to Canada in 2019 and currently works with the Internal Audit Department of Lincoln Electric Company. A CA and CPA by profession, Nidhi enjoys adding value by suggesting process improvement measures. Being an immigrant herself, she understands newcomer struggles first hand pushing her to advocate for better opportunities for all immigrants alike. Nidhi’s personal motto in life is to “have equal opportunities for all- when we all come work together, we grow together.”

Shalini Duggal, Vice-chair

Shalini Duggal has over 13 years of executive experience in Human Resources, Marketing, and Communications. Currently, she serves as the Chief People Officer of Wattpad and WattpadWebtoon Studios.

Before this role, she served in various leadership roles at Centrilogic, Achievers, Ontario Telemedicine Network, and SCM Insurance Services. Shalini is a member of the Neythiri Executive Women’s Council, Forbes HR Council, Canadian Learning Council Research Advisory Board, Canadian Society Training Development Board, and the Canadian Professional Sales Association.

She holds certifications as a Certified Training and Development Professional, Certified Sales Professional, and Emotional Intelligence Coach. Shalini is also currently pursuing an executive MBA in Leadership