| John R.V. Palmer, Founding member and Chairman of the Board |
John Palmer is a Canadian Chartered Accountant who has had extensive experience in the private sector and government. He is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Toronto Centre and became Chairman of the Board in June 2005. Mr. Palmer became Superintendent of Financial Institutions of Canada in 1994 following an illustrious career at KPMG where he became Managing Partner and Deputy Chairman in 1989. During his seven-year term as Superintendent of Financial Institutions, Mr. Palmer was responsible for the regulation and supervision of all Canada’s banks, and other deposit-taking institutions, insurance companies and pension plans under federal jurisdiction.
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| Babak Abbaszadeh, Chief Executive Officer |
Babak Abbaszadeh joined the Toronto Centre as Chief Executive Officer on June 1, 2010. Accountable to the Board of Directors, Mr. Abbaszadeh is responsible for all aspects of the organization’s strategic and operational activities. With more than 20 years of experience in public policy and stakeholder relations in the private sector, government, agencies, and NGOs, Babak has held leadership roles in highly regulated sectors such as financial services, energy, and natural resources. He has worked closely with financial regulators in Canada and led advocacy strategies for major internationally-oriented Canadian financial institutions. From 2006 to 2009 he was the Director of Stakeholder Relations at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. He also served as Director of Government and Industry Relations at Sun Life Financial from 1998 to 2003, a period that coincided with a major overhaul of financial services in Canada. From 2004 to 2006, Babak held senior positions in the Ontario government including the Chief of Staff to two Ministers of Energy.
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| Hooi Eng Phang, Program Director |
Hooi Eng Phang joined the Toronto Centre in July 2007 as Program Director to assist the Executive Director in the design and implementation of leadership programs as well as strategy development and project planning. Before joining the Toronto Centre, she was the Executive Director responsible for 12 countries in the South East Asia Voting Group at the International Monetary Fund. Prior to that, she was the Senior Director of the Economics Department of Bank Negara Malaysia, where she worked since 1984. Besides policy-oriented research work at the Economics Department, her experience included a two year stint at the HR Development Centre where she was responsible for the conduct, design and budgeting of training courses for BNM staff. Hooi Eng is the author of several economic papers and recipient of several Economic scholarships and awards. As a Colombo Plan scholar, she studied at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, where she completed her Master of Commerce and Administration while undergoing training at the Christchurch Teachers’ Training College where she attained her Diploma in Education. She has a Ph. D. in Economics from the University of the Philippines. Hooi Eng can be contacted at hphang@torontocentre.org.
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| Bruce Thompson, Program Director |
Bruce Thompson joined the Toronto Centre as a Program Director in October 2010. At the Toronto Centre he is responsible for the design and implementation of Risk Based Supervision, and related technical programs. Prior to joining the Toronto Centre he had been with the Federal Government of Canada’s Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) for 30 years – originally joining a predecessor organisation: The Department of Insurance in 1978. Bruce can be contacted at bthompson@torontocentre.org.
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| Chris Cardoza, Program Director |
Chris Cardoza joined the Toronto Centre in March 2011 as Program Director to assist in the design and implementation of the former OSFI-IAG technical programs, the Toronto Centre leadership programs, as well as strategy development and project planning. He is on a two year secondment from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) Canada, where his position was a Senior Director in the Supervision Sector. He has been with OSFI for over 24 years. Chris can be reached at ccardoza@torontocentre.org.
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| Yoke Wang Tok, Program Director |
Yoke Wang Tok has 18 years’ experience in central banking, spanning macroeconomics research, financial stability analysis and international relations. Tapping on her extensive international experience, she is now working as a consultant in the areas of financial stability and economics. She has given presentations and consulted for the Toronto Centre, the Asian Development Bank, the South-East Asian Central Banks Research and Training Centre (SEACEN), CFA Singapore and CFA Malaysia as well as public-listed companies. While at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), she held various senior positions, including leading the Financial Surveillance Division and the InternationalEconomies Division. She also worked at the International Monetary Fund as Senior Advisor from 2007-2009, dealing with key macroeconomics and financial issues. In her most recent role at the MAS, she led a group of economists responsible for monitoring global economic developments, analysing the impact of major economic events like the global financial crisis on Asia, and developing economic forecasts for Asian and G3 economies.
Yoke Wang holds a Masters Degree in Economics from Cambridge University and a First Class Honours Degree in Economics from the National University of Singapore. Yoke Wang can be reached at ytok@torontocentre.org.
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| Salvador Chang, Program Director |
Salvador Chang is a strategy and finance manager and accomplished professor in economics with a wealth of experience in the analysis of global financial markets, banking and international economics. He has held senior positions in the areas of strategy, economic analysis and finance at Royal & Sun Alliance Canada (RSA), Mercantil Servicios Financieros a leading financial services provider in Venezuela, and Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). He has also served as a research professor in economics at Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales (IIES) a non profit economic and social studies think tank of Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB), where he produced extensive research in the areas of external debt, financial crisis and economic stabilization plans in Latin America. He has an MBA in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business. Salvador can be contacted at schang@torontocentre.org.
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| Maureen Corrigan, Manager - Office Operations and Administration |
Maureen Corrigan has been involved in office administration and event management for over 25 years. In her current position Ms. Corrigan is responsible for Toronto Centre administration, coordination of the Toronto Centre Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Advisory Boards, management of office operations and accounting. Maureen can be contacted at mcorrigan@torontocentre.org.
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| Lesley Myers, Communications & Project Manager |
Before joining the Toronto Centre, Lesley Myers served as an economic and social policy advisor to elected officials in the governments of Canada and Ontario. Lesley has also served as a case worker with the UnitedNations High Commission for Refugees in Malawi, and as a business analyst at Argosy Partners, a private equity firm based in Toronto. She holds an honours degree in Economics and Management from the University of Oxford. Lesley manages the Toronto Centre’s communications initiatives, and provides support to the CEO. Lesley can be contacted at lmyers@torontocentre.org.
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| Rosemary Quinsey, Program Administrator |
Rosemary Quinsey joined the Toronto Centre in January 2012 as a Program Administrator. In her current position, she organizes program planning and development, coordinates program delivery, assists in proposal and report writing and provides support to the program directors. She holds an honours degree in English Literature from the University of Ottawa. Rosemary can be reached at rquinsey@torontocentre.org.
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| Vanessa Pham, Program Administrator |
Also a new addition to the Toronto Centre, Vanessa Pham has been involved in administration for over four years. She previously worked in the finance department at the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network. In her current position, she is responsible for the administration of programs and provides support to the Toronto Centre’s program directors. She has a business administration degree in Marketing and International Business fromSimon Fraser University in British Columbia. Vanessa can be contacted at vpham@torontocentre.org.
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| Thuy Bui, Part-time Administrative Assistant |
Thuy Bui is the most recent addition to the Toronto Centre, bringing with her over five years of experience in administration. She previously worked in the administration department at Forbes/Hutton Financial Corporation. In her current position, she is responsible for the administration of the Toronto Centre’s office operations. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Sociology and City Studies from the University of Toronto.
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