Join Canadian Club Toronto on June 7 for an evening of conversation and celebration as we celebrate 2SLGBTQ+ Pride Month. Our panel will explore how issues affecting 2SLGBTQ+ people are changing, who has the biggest voice, and what companies need to know about the role business plays in driving full inclusion and belonging.
Join us for a provocative conversation about advancing 2SLGBTQ+ equity in a world demanding less talk and more action, featuring a performance from Tynomi Banks (Drag Entertainer) and moderated by David Simmonds, Senior Vice-President, Global Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer, Great-West Lifeco and Canada Life. Our panel will feature:
**The livestream for virtual guests will begin at approximately 6:00pm ET & a link will be provided closer to the event date.**
Shibani Ahuja
Vice President, Executive Product Owner, Customer Engagement, TD
Shibani is a global executive with extensive experience working across multiple disciplines and geographies, holding several roles around the globe, within Business and Corporate functions including Digital, HR, Finance, Actuarial, Treasury, Audit, Product Development and Internal Business Consulting.
In her current role as Vice President, Executive Product Owner, she leads a team of technology professionals responsible for setting the strategic vision and agile implementation of innovative capabilities supporting end to end Customer shopping engagement journeys across the enterprise. She is also a member of TD’s LGBTQ2+ Executive Steering Committee, Black Experience Executive Steering Committee, Chair of TD’s LGBTQ2+ Women’s Committee and a member of the Canadian Women’s Foundation Annual Grants committee.
Prior to joining TD, Shibani lived abroad for 4 years with expatriate assignments in Asia with Manulife, first with the Global Strategic Initiatives Function, working out of Hong Kong and in then in the Philippines establishing Manulife’s Regional HR Operations hub.
Shibani lives in East York with her partner Sharon, son Carter and pup Monkey III.
Alim Dhanji
Chief People Officer and Executive Vice President, Equinox
Alim brings over 25 years of global leadership experience in creating high-performing teams and developing innovative talent strategies. In his most recent role as President of adidas Canada, Alim was responsible for retail and ecommerce wholesale businesses, including business development, brand strategy, and operations for both adidas and Reebok across Canada. Previously, Alim was the Senior Vice President of Global Talent and Head of Human Resources for adidas Global Brands. He has also held senior leadership roles at companies such as KPMG, TD Bank Financial Group, and Citigroup. He holds an MBA from Royal Roads University and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Having lived in six countries around the world, Alim’s expansive insights and diversity of lived experiences uniquely position him to serve as Equinox’s Chief People Officer as they look ahead towards global growth in 2023 and beyond.
Alim has been named by Yahoo! Finance as a Top 100 LGBT Executive in 2020 and Top 10 in 2021 and is a recognized thought leader and speaker on how organizations foster inclusive communities.
As a long-standing Equinox member, fitness has always been an important part of Alim’s daily rituals to help him lead a high-performance lifestyle.
Alim plans to focus on building strong growth momentum by reimagining talent strategies to continue to attract top talent. Please let me know if you are interested in speaking to Alim about his new role and vision for Equinox employee’s and culture as a leader in luxury lifestyle.
David Simmonds
Senior Vice-President, Global Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer, Great-West Lifeco and Canada Life
A member of the Executive Management Committee, David leads a team responsible for global communications, reputation and brand management, corporate impact, and Environment, Social and Governance issues (ESG). David also provides strategic partnership and advisory guidance to the CEO’s agenda, including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
A respected business leader, David brings deep experience to Lifeco, from senior roles across consulting, public policy, media, and healthcare, including time as senior vice president at McKesson Corporation. At McKesson, David drove global initiatives across marketing, communications, public policy, and corporate strategy in both Canada and the United States, including leadership of the program coordination office for the development of the company’s multi-year growth initiative.
David is a member of Western University’s Board of Governors, is Past President of the Canadian Club Toronto, a Governor of the Stratford Festival, and an Advisory Board Member at Catalyst Canada.
David has been named one of the “Top 100 Black Canadians” by the Diversity Advancement Network, recipient of the Black Business and Professional Association’s “Harry Jerome Leadership Award”, Canada’s highest achievement in African Canadian excellence, and has been awarded Western University’s Alumni Award of Merit.
David holds a BA (Hons.), MA, and completed the executive development program at The Wharton School.
Tynomi Banks
Drag Entertainer
Tynomi Banks is a International, world-class Drag Entertainer.
Recognized best for her full production performances, Banks dominates a stage while radiating a powerful, but playful energy. Her hustle lead her to become the first Drag Entertainer to perform in Toronto’s Dundas Square during World Pride 2014. In just one month, during Pride 2018, she became the first Drag Entertainer to work with Hudson’s Bay Company and the only Queen to partner with Spotify for a featured playlist, which also resulted in a billboard over Dundas Square in Toronto during Pride. She has since partnered with Sephora, Shoppers Beauty, Amazon, Absolut, Netflix, Crest, and Ikea to name a few.
Banks became the first Drag Entertainer to be the trophy bearer at the 7th Annual Canadian Screen Awards.
In 2021, Banks was the only drag performer to be featured in a SuperBowl ad other than Rupaul herself. Then in February, she partnered with Black Lives Matter Canada to create and sell a line of merchandise where partial proceeds went to dismantle all forms of anti-Black racism, liberate Blackness, support Black healing, affirm Black existence, and create freedom to love and self-determine.
Catch Tynomi Banks on Season 1 of Canada’s Drag Race on Crave (Canada), LogoTV (USA) and BBC3 (UK).
