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Meet the Board
We are incredibly fortunate to benefit from the expertise, dedication and guidance of our TELUS Friendly Future Foundation Board of Directors.
Ashif Mawji
Chair of the Board
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Ashif Mawji is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, venture capitalist, mentor and community builder. He chairs the Edmonton Police Foundation and TELUS Friendly Future Foundation and serves on numerous private and nonprofit boards, including the Invest Alberta Corporation, Sarah McLachlan School of Music, Hockey Canada Foundation, CN Community Foundation, Premier’s Council on Civil Society and others.
Ashif has directly invested into more than 100 companies globally, is invested in over 10 funds and also serves as a venture partner with Rising Tide (a VC firm in Silicon Valley). He advises and mentors entrepreneurs globally. Ashif has built (ground up) and exited several companies in the tech space, with one of his companies having a presence in over 150 countries and in virtually every industry.
He received the EY Prairies Entrepreneur of the Year award, named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 and received Canada’s 50 Best Managed companies award three years in a row. Ashif was inducted into the Junior Achievement (NA) Business Hall of Fame in 2019. Ashif is an active member of YPO (Young Presidents Organization) and won the coveted Laing Award - he has served in the executive including as Chair of the organization (YPO-AB).
Ashif received NAIT's Alumni of Distinction Award and was named one of the Top 50 Graduates in 50 years and received an Honorary Degree in Bachelor of Business Administration. He was also named in 2021, a Distinguished Friend of the Institute.
Ashif has served as an Honorary Colonel in the Canadian Army and received the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals and the Alberta Centennial Medal.
He was named a Henry Crown Fellow (part of the globally renowned Aspen Institute) in 2015. Ashif is happily married to Zainul and has two amazing boys Kinza and Aariz and a wonderful dog, Rocky.
Lane Merrifield
Treasurer
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As a former Dragon on CBC’s hit show Dragon’s Den, Lane Merrifield is one of Canada’s leading tech entrepreneurs. He is the founder of Club Penguin, the largest children’s online social network. At age 28, he sold it to Disney for $350 million, and, as their youngest executive vice president, turned it into a billion-dollar brand. In 2012, Lane returned to his entrepreneurial roots and launched FreshGrade, a learning assessment tool that connects teachers, parents, and students to help personalize and improve learning. It’s now used in 80% of districts across Canada. Lane is also the founder of Wheelhouse, an organization that invests in and supports early-stage tech companies and entrepreneurs through mentorship, access to capital, and connections to global business networks.
Under his leadership, Lane’s teams have won dozens of awards including a Webby and the prestigious BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television) award for Club Penguin.
Lane is also the recipient of an Honorary Fellows Award, Business Leader of the Year, and was named as one of the “Top 35 Executives Under 35” by The Hollywood Reporter. Lane currently sits on the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation board and is an advisor for Dreamscape Immersive and several other startups.
Martin Belanger
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With close to 20 years of experience, Martin is a proven leader in workplace benefits & insurance management sectors, who is focused on leveraging technology and innovation in the benefits and PBM space to better serve our clients.
Martin currently oversees Health Benefits Management across Canada, ensuring a continued focus on transformational priorities and growth. His focus on a client-centric approach is critical in shaping how HBM is evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of our clients and partners.
Prior to joining TELUS Health, Martin was a Senior Partner, Business & Technology at Levio. As a member of the Global Development Executive team, he advised clients on creating the right mindset to make real successes in digital transformation. Martin previously had a distinguished career at iA Financial Group, culminating at the executive committee of the organisation in his role as Senior Vice-President, Group Benefits & Retirement Solutions where he led the business line P&L and its strategic vision, while managing close to a 1000 employees across Canada.
Martin attributes his success to communicating with clarity and transparency while building a performing team. He also has a strong belief in diversity, empowering team members and embracing digital transformation.
Fiona Entwistle
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Fiona is co-founder and director of The Entwistle Family Foundation, a charitable foundation focused on helping at-risk youth in Canada to realize their full potential. Fiona is also a director of the TELUS Vancouver Community Board, a charitable organisation focused on enabling vulnerable youth to succeed. She is proud to be a part of the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation and is excited to support its efforts to improve the lives of young Canadians in need through her philanthropic and corporate experience.
Born and raised in Ireland, Fiona moved to Canada with her family in 2000. Since then, her focus has been on supporting her family and actively volunteering in the community. Fiona’s volunteer experience includes ongoing support at her children’s schools, fund-raising events, public relations and hands on work. She has volunteered for organisations such as Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, BC Children’s Hospital, Canadian Cancer Society, Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and UBC Museum of Anthropology.
Prior to moving to Canada, Fiona worked as a company executive in the UK. During her 10 years in London, Fiona achieved extensive experience in investor relations, management accounting, corporate finance and public relations in the Music and Communications industries. Fiona held roles such as SVP of Investor Relations for PolyGram Music and Film, a worldwide entertainment company and major music label that expanded into the largest global entertainment company at that time, VP of Investor Relations at Cable and Wireless Communications, the UK’s largest Cable TV provider and Corporate Finance Professional at Cable and Wireless PLC, a multinational communications company.
Fiona has a Bachelor of Science (Management) from Trinity College Dublin and is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant, having studied at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in the UK. Fiona also studied Advanced Corporate Finance at the London Business School.
Judith Irving
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Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Judith Irving grew up in a business and philanthropic environment as the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.K. Irving and granddaughter of industrialist K.C. Irving. Following in the family tradition, she joined the J.D. Irving Group of companies. She successfully owned and operated a photography studio and a marketing/design company, Hawk Communications Inc.
With a long-standing history of humanitarian work, Judith served on the Board of Directors of OneXOne as well as participated in a mission trip to Rwanda and eight mission trips to Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquakes. She also assisted President Bill Clinton, the UN Special Envoy to Haiti.
Judith enjoys close ties with the Canadian Armed Forces. In June 2012, she was appointed First Patron of the Royal Canadian Regiment and Honorary Colonel of 1st Battalion The Royal New Brunswick Regiment (Carleton & York). She also acted as Dinner Co-Chair for the True Patriot Love Foundation, which is a national charity that honours the sacrifices of members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Judith served on the Advisory Board for The Salvation Army for many years as well as on the New Brunswick Child & Youth Advocate board 'Champions for Children' and participated in the 'Strategy for the Prevention of Harm to Children & Youth'.
As a tireless advocate of children, Judith provides on-going support to an inner city school 'Saint John the Baptist', by assisting in meeting unmet educational, food and other identified needs to improve the learning experience for youth.
Founder of Rise & Shine 'Joy Comes In The Morning', Judith developed a unique initiative committed to inspiring children and families to achieve their fullest potential by providing individualized room makeovers for children.
Judith served as a member of the TELUS Atlantic Community Board, presently serves on the board of The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation and assists the non-profit Mriya Aid in providing aid to Ukraine. She is the recipient of the Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian Award, The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law from Saint Mary's University, and the Rotary Club of Saint John’s Paul Harris Fellow recognition.
A mother of four children, Judith resides in Rothesay, NB with her husband Rob Roy.
Craig Kielburger
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Craig Kielburger is a social entrepreneur and the co-founder of a family of organizations dedicated to the power of WE, a movement of people coming together to change the world.
Along with his brother Marc Kielburger, Craig co-founded WE Charity, which provides a holistic development model called WE Villages, helping to lift more than one million people out of poverty in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Back at home in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, WE Schools & WE Day provide comprehensive service learning programs to 10,000 schools, engaging 2.4 million young change-makers.
Lastly, he is the co-founder of ME to WE, a pioneering social enterprise, the profits from which help sustain the work of his charitable organization. His work has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes and the BBC.
Craig is the youngest ever graduate from the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA program. He has also received 15 honorary doctorates and degrees for his work in the fields of education and human rights. Craig is a New York Times bestselling author who has published 12 books, as well as a nationally syndicated columnist. Craig has received The Order of Canada, the Nelson Mandela Freedom Medal and the World Children’s Prize.
Bobbie Racette
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Bobbie Racette is the Founder and CEO of Virtual Gurus, a talent marketplace that leverages proprietary technology to match organizations and entrepreneurs with highly skilled Canadian and American fractional administrative workers. Forbes recently announced Virtual Gurus as one of the top 19 Innovative Tech Startups to watch.
Bobbie is on a mission to create employment opportunities for underrepresented individuals, setting a mandate within her own company that 95% of her workers will identify as female, 65% a part of the BIPOC community, and 45% part of the LGBTQ+ community.
An unstoppable force in the Canadian startup community, Bobbie acts as a mentor for eCommerce North and serves on the Board of the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, helping to build brighter futures for at-risk youth through the power of technology. She’s also a member of The51’s Community Council and Calgary’s CORE Working Group, ensuring the voices of underrepresented folx are included at both local and national levels.
Named as one of 50 Changemakers for 2021 by Report on Business magazine, Bobbie was also recently honoured by Startup Canada as Indigenous Entrepreneur and Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. Bobbie is a Cree-Metis woman who prides herself on building an inclusivity-first company, championing indigenous people and the LGBTQ+ community.
Jill Schnarr
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As TELUS’ Chief Social Innovation and Communications Officer with more than 28 years of telecommunications experience and communications expertise, Jill Schnarr leads TELUS’ corporate citizenship and communications team. Jill brings TELUS’ social purpose to life to drive social change, leveraging its world-leading technology and compassion to enable remarkable human outcomes, while amplifying internal and external campaigns, bolstering TELUS’ storytelling impact, and fostering strong, positive relationships with customers and all Canadians.
At the helm of corporate communications, media relations, government advocacy, social media, community investment, cause marketing, team member giving, volunteerism, humanitarian relief, sponsorships, brand office, brand marketing, TELUS Studios, and corporate events, Jill has significantly influenced, built upon and safeguarded TELUS’ reputation as a global leader, enabling TELUS to be the most trusted telco brand in Canada.
Furthering her dedication to giving where she lives, Jill serves on several boards and associations including a founding board member of the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, and previously served as a director on the B.C. Women’s Hospital Foundation for seven years, and as a TELUS Vancouver Community Board member for six years. She was also a Board Director and Chair of the Women’s Leadership Circle on the Vancouver Board of Trade, served on the fundraising cabinet for B.C. Women’s Health Foundation (formerly B.C. Women’s Hospital Foundation) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and was Co-Chair of Glow, the inaugural B.C. Women’s Hospital Gala.
Hilen Wong
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Hilen is Vice President, TELUS Stores and Koodo Shops. In this role, his team is responsible for increasing sales and providing exceptional customer experience in TELUS Stores and Koodo Shops. He does this with the support of over 2,700 team members across Canada. Hilen and his team also proudly support TELUS’ commitment to Give Where We Live by actively fundraising and volunteering with partners such as Pancreatic Cancer and One Walk to Conquer Cancer. In over 15 years at TELUS, Hilen has held various leadership roles at TELUS including positions in Business Intelligence, Product Development, Pricing and National Retail. Trained as an electrical engineer, Hilen worked as a management consultant supporting clients primarily in the communications sector prior to joining TELUS. Hilen and his wife Karen have two wonderful children. In his spare time, Hilen enjoys spending time with his family.
Meet the team
Shanan Spencer-Brown
Executive Director
Jodi Baxter
Senior Manager, Fund Development & Partnerships
Noah Kravitz
Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications
Louisa Niedermann
Manager, Fund Development
Erin O’Neill
Senior Manager, National Programs & Strategic Initiatives
Gail Ovelson
Manager, Governance and Reporting
Elijah Klassen
Administrative Coordinator