Despite a rapidly evolving global context and backlash from some quarters, attention to EDI remains critical to good governance, business performance and risk management. Join Canadian Club Toronto, in partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University’s Diversity Institute, on February 19 for a thought-provoking discussion on evolving governance frameworks and trends, with particular focus on the experiences of Black leaders in today’s evolving business landscape. This expert panel features:
*For virtual attendees, please note that the live stream will begin at approximately 12:40 pm ET & the link will be provided closer to the event date*
Dexter John
Chief Executive Officer of Sodali & Co, Canada; board member for Organigram Inc., CanPR, and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (Ontario)
Dexter is the Chief Executive Officer of Sodali & Co, Canada. Prior to Sodali & Co’s Acquisition of Gryphon Advisors, Inc., Dexter was President and CEO of Gryphon where he was responsible for the North American business and led a team of experienced governance and financial professionals.
With over 25 years of experience in capital markets, Dexter has a strong knowledge of corporate law and a thorough understanding of financial markets. From his work at a major Canadian law firm as a Securities Associate to his tenure at the Investment Dealers Association, Ontario Securities Commission and the Toronto Stock Exchange, Dexter has a strong public equities market background as well as significant regulatory experience.
Prior to joining Gryphon, Dexter held the Executive Vice President position at a D.F. King Canada. Having worked on a number of Canada’s largest M&A transactions as well as proxy fights, Dexter has a strong background in corporate governance.
Dexter holds the ICD.D designation and is currently a director of Organigram Inc. and Prosper Gold Corp. and recently was a Chairman of the board and board member of Partners Real Estate Investment Trust.
Dexter received his law degree from Queen’s University and holds a Mathematics for Commerce degree from York University.
Charlene Theodore
Chief Inclusion Officer, McCarthy Tétrault
Charlene Theodore is Chief Inclusion Officer at McCarthy Tétrault. Committed to concrete action in advancing the Firm’s core mission to accelerate diversity, inclusion and corporate social responsibility, Charlene oversees McCarthy Tétrault’s award winning Inclusion Now program. Charlene sits on the Firm’s Inclusion Now Council, an action-oriented governance model that leads the implementation of our EDI programs. Charlene also supports the firm’s clients with strategic advice on innovative and impactful solutions to realizing equity in the workplace.
Charlene has a unique understanding of the interconnection between the legal profession and EDI, and how to achieve tangible results. As the first Black president of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) and 10th woman to hold Office, Charlene designed and implemented a series of initiatives for law firms and Corporate Canada to reimagine workplaces ꟷ building productive, profitable, healthy, diverse and inclusive work environments.
Charlene’s achievements in workplace equity and inclusion are informed by her experience as a former employment and labour lawyer. She has appeared before administrative tribunals and various levels of court, including Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal. She has also represented the interests of Canadians of African descent before federal and provincial legislative committees, as well as United Nations human rights treaty bodies. Her employment and labour practice was centred on advising management and boards on all aspects of governance and workplace operations including government relations, labour negotiations, pensions, and benefits.
In 2022, Charlene Theodore, was appointed to the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments with a mandate to provide non-binding merit-based recommendations to the Prime Minister on Supreme Court of Canada appointments.
Charlene is a member and former Director of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL), Canada’s largest national association of Black lawyers and judges. She is a recipient of a 2017 Lexpert Zenith Award honouring her for work in advancing the interests of women in the legal profession and society. In 2020, Charlene was named one of Canada’s 25 Most Influential Lawyers by Canadian Lawyer Magazine.
Charlene is also a member of the Top 40 Advisory Board, a body that reflects the diversity and leadership excellence in Canadian business and identifies outstanding young business leaders for Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award.
Tamara Thermitus
Visiting scholar, McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism
Tamara Thermitus is a lawyer emeritus and an award-winning lawyer. Called to the Quebec Bar in 1988, Tamara Thermitus holds a Master of Laws from McGill University (2013). Ms.Thermitus holds a significant role as a Distinguished Boulton Senior Fellow of McGill University’s Faculty of Law (2023-2025). Her influence extends to her membership in McGill University’s Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism and the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law.
Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Ms. Thermitus arrived in Sept-Îles, Quebec, in 1967—concerning women and minorities’ rights. She has worked for Justice Canada and was the President of the Quebec Human Rights Commission. Thermitus served as chief of staff and Policy and Strategic Planning director for the Office of Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada. She was the Chief Negotiator for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s mandate.
From 2000 to 2003, she chaired the Advisory Committee on Visible Minorities of the Department of Justice. She also chaired the Committee on Cultural Communities of the Québec Bar Association and several other committees related to discrimination and equality in the profession and the justice system. From 2004 to 2010, she was President of the Quebec Bar’s Committee on Cultural Communities. She was among the first to raise issues of racial discrimination within the profession. She played a key role in developing a course on the social context of law, which is now part of the compulsory curriculum for professional training at the Bar.
Ms. Thermitus is a national and international speaker. She also regularly publishes articles in various media outlets to inform and raise awareness among Canadians and Quebecers on her research subjects, such as racism, intersectionality, reconciliation with Aboriginal peoples, and violence against women. She has also given many keynote speeches on these subjects.
In 2011, she became the first Black woman and lawyer for the Ministry of Justice Canada to receive a Prix Mérite from the Quebec Bar. Ms. Thermitus regularly publishes articles in various media on issues such as racism, intersectionality, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and violence against women. A laureate of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2012), she has earned numerous awards, including the Employment Equity and Diversity Leadership Award (Department of Justice, 2010 and 2016). In 2024, she received the Prix Impact Dynastie awarded by the Gala Dynastie focusing on Black Communities of Quebec.
