Your Story Matters: Inclusive Design Showcase & Panel

Speakers

Tosen Nwadei (Keynote Speaker & Moderator) is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management in the Department of Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough, with a cross-appointment to the Organizational Behaviour and HR Management area at the Rotman School. His research sits at the intersection of intergroup relations, stigma, and authenticity. Specifically, he investigates the antecedents, consequences, and organizational constraints associated with the expression of racial and ethnic minority identities in predominantly-White settings. Tosen's research has been published in leading academic journals in both psychology and medicine, including the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
 
 

Neala Persad (Panelist) is an inclusive leader who believes there is no limit in the potential of young adults and professionals. She has successfully led her teams to achieve remarkable sales results over the last 20 years at American Express Bank of Canada. Currently, as the Senior Manager, she leads an Account Development & Sales team to drive efficiency, portfolio growth and retention for both large and global accounts. She fosters and creates an environment for her team to excel and grow professionally, 90% of her current team has transitioned, being promoted or selected for progressive roles within the organization within 2022. She believes that YOU CAN BE authentic since there is ONLY ONE YOU and Amex makes it easy to show up! She is an experienced coach who has fostered and built teams to drive some of the highest performance metrics, from the Canadian Call Centers to Specialized Small Business Units/Corporate Services/Merchant Services and both Large & Global departments. Her leadership has been recognized with notable awards including the Leadership Top Results >200 “Top Performer” amongst Senior Managers and a Team that surpassed their annually targets. She was also selected for the Centurion Club Award, in recognition of outstanding leadership in surpassing Large Market Account Development Growth targets. She is known as a dedicated leader who contributes to an inclusive culture where respect is a foundation for trusted relationships to flourish. She is a passionate advocate for all gender identities, helping to ensure her colleagues have a platform to showcase their skillsets and talents. As the Chair for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging within the International Card Services (Global Services Department), she leads a diverse team focused on ensuring all colleagues drive their passion for equality and inclusiveness, through relationships with internal and external partners.  She also led and built Chapter Networks for WIN (Women’s Interest Network) ANA (Asian Network) and Co-led the PRIDE Network.  She encouraged teams to participate in community events such as local charity drives which not only contributed to the community but also built a strong sense of employee belonging across the organization. As a woman of colour, born in the Caribbean, who migrated to Canada at a young age, Neala appreciates the immigrant journey and is very connected to her Caribbean roots and upbringing. Each year since childhood, she participates in Carnival and enjoys the scenes of blended culture and music especially “steel pan” from her birth country. She enjoys a spicy stew chicken, the ocean, reading books, and sitting in a hammock appreciating nature. She enjoys fitness, wellness and connecting with friends and family to share stories and laughter. She draws inspiration from leaders like Mahatma Ghandhi and Margaret Thatcher. She practices mindfulness, yoga and healthy living to maintain a positive energy that feeds her soul to be the best she can be in this life. Looking forward, she would like to continue giving back & sharing with colleagues, friends and new partners; how a little girl from an island has been able to grow, maneuver, survive and succeed in a “big country”. She is keen to learn from others and challenges everyone to be the leader and colleague you wish you had. Together we aspire and together we can achieve.
 

As part of efforts to ensure an ongoing commitment to meaningful social change within the Toronto Raptors organization and community, John Wiggins (Panelist) was named Vice-President, Organizational Culture and Inclusion for the Toronto Raptors in July 2020. Wiggins leads a group drawn from all parts of the organization to address social injustice, inclusion, equity and political reform. He considers both internal matters – such as how the Raptors build a team culture that addresses social injustice, inclusion, equity, and political reform – and leads external outreach. Wiggins joined the Raptors from Raptors 905, where he helped launch Canada’s first G League franchise. He most recently held the title of vice-president and oversaw all day-to-day and business operations for the club. During his tenure, Raptors 905 won Franchise of the Year for the 2019-20 season and captured the G League championship in 2017. Wiggins is a graduate of the University of Windsor, grew up in Mississauga and lives in the Greater Toronto Area with his family. In 2019, Wiggins launched Focused Dreams Forward Foundation, a charitable organization aimed at supporting youth in the Caribbean with academics and athletics. He was awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Community Service Award in August 2022 for the meaningful impact he made in his community through sport. In January 2023, the NBA announced that the Toronto Raptors were the recipient of the 2021-22 NBA Inclusion Leadership Award. The Raptors were acknowledged for their cross-functional inclusion program that commits to creating meaningful and lasting impact for communities facing barriers.
 

Teniola Onabanjo (Panelist) is the founder and CEO of makingTheMove and Senior Manager of Inclusion, Diversity & Equity at KPMG. As someone who moved from Nigeria to Canada to pursue her career, she has seen firsthand the difficulties faced by newcomers when moving to a new country. Over the years, she has provided support to various organizations(through workshops, 1:1 coaching) such as Council of Nigerian Professionals, Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster, Restoration House Hamilton. She recognizes the importance of coaching, providing resources and connecting others to a network of industry professionals in the Canadian job landscape. The desire to broaden the support has led to the development of makingTheMove with a mission to connect skilled newcomers native to the African continent secure jobs pre and post arrival that mirror their skillset as they transition smoothly into Canada. Teniola is also a Senior Manager, Inclusion Diversity and Equity at KPMG Canada, collaborating and innovating with teams and stakeholders to retain, increase and advance BIPOC talent. Teniola has her undergraduate degree in Economics and Human Resources diploma from McMaster University.
 

Trae-Vond Wood (Panelist) is public speaker and student recruiter with CPA Ontario. "A big part of my job is educating students on the CPA designation and also doing skill building workshops to help students develop and strengthen their soft skills," he says. Trae-Vond earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Trent University where he specialized in Human Resources Management.