Canada needs immigrants

Canada has long become home to newcomers from all corners of the world. Immigrants, and the generations that follow them, are a critical source of our economic strength, innovative ideas, and diversity.
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Our openness as a country is already a competitive advantage to build upon. Discover why entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders from across Canada are champions for immigration – and for the big, bold Canada it creates.

Champions for Immigration

Murad Al-Katib
Martin Basiri
Victor Dodig
Amal Soliman and
Gina El Kattan
Hanif Joshaghani
Rania Llewellyn
Manjit Minhas
Irfhan Rawji
Muraly Srinarayanathas
Murad Al-Katib | President & CEO, AGT Food and Ingredients
Murad Al-Katib is President, CEO and board member of AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. He was born to Turkish immigrant parents in Davidson, Saskatchewan, a small rural community. In 2001, he founded AGT, building the Canadian start-up into a global multi-billion-dollar value-added pulses, staple foods, and ingredient company operating manufacturing and processing facilities on five continents. Murad has a deep and extensive experience in the Middle East, India, Africa, and Asia.

A passionate advocate of Canadian agriculture, Murad speaks extensively on the opportunities and challenges facing Canada’s agriculture sector. Murad is also passionate about entrepreneurs, championing compassionate entrepreneurism and working to expand female, youth, and First Nations participation in business start-ups, advocating the role of entrepreneurs in driving social change and innovation in the new global economy. 

Murad recieved a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction in Finance and Organizational Strategy from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master of International Management with great Distinction from Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. His career began in the public service with the Government of Canada and then as a founding director of the Saskatchewan Government’s international trade and export development agency the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership.  

Murad resides in Regina with his wife Michelle and his twin son and daughter Tariq and Serra. 
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Martin Basiri | Co-Founder and CEO, ApplyBoard
Martin Basiri is the CEO & co-founder of ApplyBoard, the world’s largest online international student recruitment platform.

Martin began his own international student journey in 2010 as he began his Master’s in Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He then helped his brothers, Meti and Massi, take on the same complex process of applying to study abroad. Knowing the value that international students offer, they saw an opportunity to help others like them navigate the study abroad process.

Together, they founded ApplyBoard in 2015: a global technology company that has assisted more than 400,000 students with their study abroad search, application, and acceptance process. Headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, ApplyBoard now employs 1,500+ team members across the globe, with representatives in over 30 countries, including India, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States.
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Victor Dodig | President & CEO, CIBC
Victor is a strong advocate for Canada on the world stage, and a proponent of economic growth to enable a more prosperous and inclusive future.

As President and CEO of CIBC, Victor leads a team of over 47,000 team members globally. He also serves as the current Chair of the Business Council of Canada, and was President of the 2022 International Monetary Conference. He is a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Brookings Institute and also serves on the board of Telus Corporation Inc.

Victor is committed to inclusion, both to strengthen Canada’s social fabric and as an economic imperative. He serves as Chair of CIBC’s Inclusion and Diversity Leadership council and is Past Co-Chair of the Black North Initiative. He is a recipient of the 2017 Catalyst Canada Honours (Company Leader) Champion award, is Past Chair of the Catalyst Canada Advisory Board and Past Chair of the 30% Club Canada.

Over the course of his career, Victor has also held a number of leadership roles within CIBC, led several businesses with UBS and Merrill Lynch in Canada and internationally, and was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company.

Victor resides in Toronto with his wife, Maureen. They are the proud parents of four children.
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Victor Dodig | President & CEO, CIBC
Victor Dodig is a strong advocate for Canada on the world stage and a proponent of economic growth to enable a more prosperous and inclusive future.

As President and CEO of CIBC, Victor leads a team of over 47,000 team members globally. He also serves as the current Chair of the Business Council of Canada and President of the International Monetary Conference. He is a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Brookings Institute and also serves on the board of Telus Corporation Inc.

Victor is committed to inclusion, both to strengthen our social fabric and as an economic imperative. He serves as Chair of CIBC’s Inclusion and Diversity Leadership council and is Past Co-Chair of the Black North Initiative. He is a recipient of the 2017 Catalyst Canada Honours (Company Leader) Champion award, is Past Chair of the Catalyst Canada Advisory Board and Past Chair of the 30% Club Canada.

Over the course of his career, Victor has also held a number of leadership roles within CIBC, led several businesses with UBS and Merrill Lynch in Canada and internationally, and was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company.

Victor resides in Toronto with his wife, Maureen. They are the proud parents of four children.
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Amal Soliman
Gina El Kattan
Amal Soliman and Gina El Kattan | Co-Founders, Nuba Tisane
Mother-daughter duo Amal Soliman and Gina El Kattan are the proud founders of Nuba Tisane, a ready-to-drink hibiscus tea start-up. Based in Oakville, Ontario, the company is rapidly expanding across Canada. 

The pair arrived in Canada from Egypt with the rest of their immediate family in 2011, choosing Canada for its strong education system. Hibiscus tea was an ever-present drink in the family’s kitchen in Egypt. Upon arriving in Canada, it became a welcome drink for new neighbours in their community as the family began to build their roots here. After seeing it was a hit, the pair turned their drinks into a business. 

Gina and Amal are strong advocates for the role immigrants and their families play in building Canada’s economy. Their entrepreneurial spirit was sparked, in part,  by the challenges they faced finding employment as newcomers in Canada. Now, their business has become a way to support other newcomers, especially women and students, by offering employment opportunities. They also directly support farmers in Egypt, where they source the hibiscus for their products.
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Hanif Joshaghani | Co-Founder & CEO, Symend
Hanif Joshaghani is a serial entrepreneur who is passionate about building high-performing teams that deliver results to clients and the consumers they serve. He has raised over $200 million across the four companies he founded and has invested in over a dozen start-ups. Currently, Hanif is focused on growing Symend, a Calgary-based Behavioral Engagement Technology™ company he ardently believes in, as it represents an intersection between disruption, value creation, and social good. 

Hanif arrived in Canada at 13 after living in a refugee camp in Iraq. Today, he’s committed to supporting refugees and other newcomers to Canada by investing in start-ups founded by immigrant entrepreneurs, among other initiatives. Along with offering mentorship to fellow entrepreneurs, he is an active angel investor in several technology companies.

Hanif’s background includes 15 years of senior roles in capital markets, energy finance, business development and entrepreneurship in a broad range of industries, including investment banking, energy, and technology.

Hanif was named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2021 Prairie Region Winner and Avenue Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40, Class of 2020. In 2022, Symend ranked 7th on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50TM and 39th fastest-growing company in North America on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™. Symend was also named Tech Deal of the Year by Start Alberta and was featured in LinkedIn’s 10 Top Startups in Canada list in 2020.
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Rania Llewellyn | President & CEO, Laurentian Bank
Rania Llewellyn was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of Laurentian Bank in 2020, the first woman to head a major Canadian chartered bank. She is a first-generation Canadian, having immigrated from the Middle East in her teenage years.

As a transformational change leader, her top priority is building high-performance teams and creating a culture of equality, diversity, and inclusion. Her focus on improving the customer experience and driving growth and shareholder value has earned her wide recognition and awards, including being named on Maclean’s 2022 The Power List and one of the Top 25 Women of Influence in 2021. In 2019, she received the Global Association of Women in Payments Award in the category of Thought Leader.

Rania has more than 27 years of experience in the banking industry. She received a Bachelor of Commerce and Master in Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University, where she focused on finance, marketing and international business. In 2022, Ontario Tech University awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Laws, and she received an Honorary Doctor of Commerce from Saint Mary’s in 2014. She is married to Sean Llewellyn and is the mother of two wonderful children, Sofia and Zachary.
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Manjit Minhas | Co-Founder & Co-Owner, Minhas Brewery, Distillery and Winery
Manjit Minhas is the co-founder and CEO of the Minhas Brewery, Distillery and Winery.    Born and raised in Calgary, she started her companies in 1999, when she launched her spirits at age 19. In 2002, she launched beers in Alberta with her business partner and brother, Ravinder Minhas. Today, she has over 90 brands of beers, spirits, liqueurs, and wines, leading a privately owned empire with revenues in excess of $270 million.  

Manjit’s grandparents and parents were newcomers to Canada from India. Growing up, she witnessed her family’s work ethic, entrepreneurialism, and sacrifices. She is a strong believer in the resilience, optimism, and adaptability newcomers and their families bring to Canada – and the positive impact that has on our economy and culture.   

A petroleum engineering student turned beer baroness, Manjit also stars on the hit TV show Dragons' Den on CBC for the last 8 seasons/years. She also currently serves as a Board of Director for ATB Financial, YYC Calgary Airport Authority, Decibel Cannabis, Hull Mental Health Services, YWCA and Alberta Brewers Association. Manjit donates time and money to philanthropic causes in Calgary that benefit women and children such as United Way.  Manjit proudly still calls Calgary home, where she resides with her husband and two young daughters.
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Irfhan Rawji | Founder & Executive Chair, MobSquad and Managing Partner, Relay Ventures
Irfhan Rawji is the founder and executive chair of Canadian start-up MobSquad, whose mission is to ensure high-calibre technology talent from around the world can build lives and careers within Canada. He has over 20 years of experience as an investor, strategic consultant, entrepreneur, and public company senior executive. Much of his work is grounded in a passionate belief that immigration – specifically, attracting high-quality skilled labour – has a positive impact on Canada’s economy and culture.
In addition to leading MobSquad, Irfhan is a Managing Partner with Relay Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm with over US$700MM of assets under management, with offices in Toronto, San Francisco, and Calgary. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia, where he teaches finance, public policy, strategy, and leadership.

Irfhan received a Master of Business Administration with High Honors from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours from the University of British Columbia. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Award of Merit, the Sauder School of Business’ Teaching Excellence Award, the Business for the Arts’ Arnold Edinborough Award, and was recognized as a member of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 (2017) by The Caldwell Partners International Inc.
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Muraly Srinarayanathas | Executive Chairman, 369 Global Inc.
Muraly Srinarayanathas is the Executive Chairman of 369 Global Inc., a rapidly growing business conglomerate with interests in education and training, financial services, creative and entertainment, venture capital, and more.

A newcomer to Canada at age seven, Muraly has built a career spanning 25 years and international markets. He has been the Chief Executive Officer of Computek College, one of Ontario’s leading private career colleges, since 2015. Having lived and worked in North America, Europe, South Asia, and Southeast Asia for over 25 years, Muraly possesses a strong business acumen and a unique global perspective, and excels in bringing together diverse groups of people around a common goal.

Inspired by nearly a century-old tradition of philanthropy that first began with his grand uncle in Jaffna, Sri Lanka and continued with his father, Muraly also oversees the Srinarayanathas Foundation, which supports a wide variety of causes in education, health, and economic empowerment – both in Canada and around the world.

Muraly firmly believes in civic responsibility, public service, and the promotion of Canadian multiculturalism. A father of two children, Muraly hopes to build a strong future for his family and community; one where young Canadians and new Canadians can fulfill their goals and dreams together.
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