Leadership
Claudia Hepburn
CEO
Claudia has devoted her career to building innovative charities that convert human potential into prosperity. Before Windmill, she co-founded and ran NEXT Canada, to develop high-impact young entrepreneurs. She also founded and ran an award-winning program to improve educational opportunities for children living in poverty in Canada and has led the education policy work of a leading Canadian think tank.
Claudia serves on the board of the LCBO and of SickKids Foundation, and is a member of the Human Resource and Compensation Committees of both organizations. She is a member of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Human Capital Council, and is an advisor of Impression Ventures and Gotcare. During her 18 years serving on the board of the Kids & Company, it grew from a start-up into Canada’s largest childcare company with over 12,000 spaces across North America.
Carrie Church
National Director, Operations
Carrie joined Windmill in March 2014, and was appointed as the National Director, Operations in April 2015. Carrie’s passion and experience for ensuring that the right people are in the right position, and have access to the appropriate tools to meet the needs of our clients, are the driving force behind her work at Windmill.
Prior to her work with Windmill, Carrie spent more than 20 years in the charitable sector in Saskatchewan; leading team development projects; supporting CEOs and Board members; facilitating technology directives; and aligning operational and human resource strategies.
Jon Lam, CFA
National Director, Finance, Risk & IT
Jon is a finance professional with deep operational experience in the start–up software and non-profit sectors. His entrepreneurial spirit has driven him to build companies that range from tutoring high school kids in math to building video games that have been played by over 4 million people. Most recently, he has been focusing on giving back to the community – volunteering on the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary for 9 years, and then as their Director of Finance for the 2 years before he joined Windmill in 2017.
Oumar Dicko
National Director, Stakeholder Relations & Quebec
Oumar is a seasoned government relations and public affairs professional, who brings years of experience helping organizations across the country build partnerships with all levels of government. He has a deep understanding of the Canadian political landscape and public policy topped with a track record helping organizations access government funding, run successful campaigns and achieve their advocacy goals.
Oumar is well known in Ottawa, having served in senior positions with the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and the Minister of National Revenue. In both roles, he dealt with complex issues that impacted a variety of public policy areas. He has also played a key role as a researcher for a leading think tank and has been involved in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Oumar is a frequent media contributor on economic and public policy issues and has appeared on programs such as CBC – The National, BNN Bloomberg, CTV News and Global News, as well as provided commentary for many radio shows, Financial Post, the Globe and Mail, iPolitics, The Hill Times, and industry magazines.
He holds both a Masters degree and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Economics from the University of Ottawa and is a first-generation immigrant, having moved to Canada from Côte d’Ivoire as a teenager. Oumar is fully bilingual in French and English and is an active member of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves.
Rob Hindley
National Director, Marketing & Communications
With broad marketing experience across a range of sectors, Rob drives Windmill’s ongoing efforts to develop Windmill’s brand and engage clients and donors in support of Windmill’s dynamic mission.
Prior to joining Windmill, Rob was Vice President, Marketing and Product Development at CNIB and part of the executive team that led a major restructuring of the 100-year-old charity serving blind and partially sighted Canadians. Rob has owned and operated a full service marketing agency, supporting well-known multinational brands and large not-for-profits. Earlier in his career Rob also worked in senior marketing roles with high-profile brand organizations in consumer goods, food service and entertainment, domestically and internationally.
Sandy Marett
National Director, Philanthropy and Campaign Planning
Sandy is a high performing advancement professional who possesses a wide range of fundraising, alumni engagement, advancement communications and special events experience. During her 17-year career in the charitable sector she has worked as a fundraiser at The Nature Conservancy of Canada, York University and Fleming College. Most recently Sandy was the Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations at Fleming College, where she was accountable for directing all aspects of fundraising and alumni relations for the college’s various campuses.
A Certified Fund Raising Executive, Sandy’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts from Western and a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University. Sandy is on the Board of the Art Gallery of Peterborough and has volunteered at many organizations including the Jane Goodall Institute, the Toronto Wildlife Centre, the Toronto Zoo, and OneChild.
Board of Directors
Carsten Jensen
Chair | Chair, Executive Committee |
Partner, JSS Barristers
Carsten is one of the founding partners of JSS Barristers, a Calgary based litigation law firm. Carsten’s practice focuses exclusively on civil litigation, with an emphasis on corporate and commercial litigation including commercial class actions, oil and gas disputes, shareholder disputes, multi-party litigation and arbitrations. In 1998, Carsten commenced a two-year leave of absence during which time he acted as senior legal officer and eventually team leader at the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) in Geneva, Switzerland. The UNCC was established to process and resolve compensation claims arising from Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait. Carsten is a past bencher (director) of the Law Society of Alberta, which is the governing body for lawyers in Alberta, and in that role he served at various times as Chair of Finance, Chair of Credentials and Education, and Chair of Conduct. Carsten is also a past-President of the Law Society of Alberta, and is now the Law Society’s representative to the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. Carsten has served on the board of the Alberta Lawyers Insurance Exchange, which provided regulated professional negligence insurance coverage to lawyers in Alberta. Carsten joined the Windmill board in 2017 and assumed the role of Chair in May 2019.
Shamira Madhany
Secretary | Chair, Loan Committee |
Managing Director and Deputy Executive Director, World Education Services
Shamira joined World Education Services (WES) in 2018 after more than two decades of government service in Ontario. Her last position was Assistant Deputy Minister for Health, Education, and Social Policy, in Cabinet Office. She also served as Chief Diversity and Accessibility Officer, ensuring that 62,000 employees met accessibility and inclusion goals. Shamira has extensive experience working with employer associations, licensing bodies, non-profit organizations, and the post-secondary sector. She served as the chief architect of several government programs that enable internationally educated professionals to obtain employment in their fields. Shamira is a guest lecturer at Queen’s University and the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She serves on the boards of Touchstone Institute, Herzing College Toronto, and the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). Shamira was featured in Profiles in Diversity Journal’s 2019 Women Worth Watching® Awards, which recognizes women who have demonstrated high levels of leadership. She is the recipient of the Metropolis Policy Maker Award at the 2020 Metropolis Canada Awards of Excellence. Shamira joined the Windmill Board in May 2019.
John Montalbano
Treasurer | Chair, Finance & Risk Management Committee |
Principal, Tower Beach Capital Ltd.
John retired as CEO of RBC Global Asset Management in 2015, at which point the company managed $370 billion in assets, placing it among the 50 largest asset managers worldwide. John currently serves as Director and Audit Chair for the following organizations: Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, AbCellera Inc. (NASDAQ), and Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals (TSX). He also serves as Director for Aritzia Inc. and Chairs White Crane Capital, a Vancouver-based hedge fund. John’s past volunteer roles have included Chair of the UBC Board of Governors, Chair of St. Paul’s Foundation, Chair of The Vancouver Police Foundation, Killam Trusts Trustee, co-Founder of Take a Hike Youth at Risk Foundation and Chair of the Vancouver Public Library Capital Campaign. He serves as a Director for the Gairdner Foundation, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, and the Rideau Hall Foundation. John holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation, a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Honours from the University of British Columbia, and an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. John joined the Windmill Board in September 2020.
Lori Sterling
Director | Chair, Governance & Nominating Committee |
Senior Counsel, Bennett Jones LLP
Lori has been a public servant leader at both provincial and federal levels and is currently senior counsel at Bennett Jones LLP. She received the United Nations Public Service Award for Building Aboriginal Relations in 2013. She was named Top 100 Most Powerful and Influential People in Government and Politics in Canada in 2018 and a nominee for top lawyer in Canada in 2014. Until September 2018, she was Canada’s Deputy Minister of Labor with responsibility for Disability Accessibility and Associated Deputy Minister, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Previously, she held the positions of Deputy Minister of Indigenous Affairs for the province of Ontario where she helped create the inaugural ministry, the Associate Deputy Minister of Justice for Canada, and the Assistant Deputy Minister for Legal Services in Ontario. She has taught constitutional and labour law school courses and appeared as legal counsel at all levels of court including 15 cases before the Supreme Court of Canada. Lori earned her ICD designation from the Rotman School of Business, University of Toronto. She currently serves as the Board Chair, Pearson United World College (UWC), Governance Committee Member, UWC International Board, Governance Committee Chair, Windmill Microlending, and Board Member, The Spark Centre for Innovation and Commercialization. Previously, she served on the Boards of the Public Service Management Insurance Plan, the Supreme Court of Canada Advocacy Institute, the Niagara Parks Commission and the Ryerson University Aboriginal Governance Institute. Lori joined the Windmill Board in February 2021.
Peter Aghar
Director | Founder & President, Crux Capital Corporation
Peter is the Founder and President of Crux Capital Corporation, a boutique value-add real estate partner, developer and venture capital investor active across Canada. Since 2013, Crux and its partners have purchased, developed or have under development over five million square feet of commercial and residential property. Peter has a successful track record of over 25-years as a value-add investor on an institutional scale, having led more than one hundred real estate transactions totaling far in excess of $10 billion in value. Transactions have consisted of investments in Canada, the United States and internationally. Peter was formerly President and Chief Investment Officer of KingSett Capital and a Managing Director of Institutional Accounts at GE Capital Real Estate. Peter is a board member in a variety of companies and investment funds, as well as a member of the Young President Organization (YPO). He is a trustee and chair of the investment committee of Granite Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: GRT.UN; NYSE: GRP.U). He is a CPA, CMA and a graduate of the University of Waterloo with an Honors Mathematics Degree. Peter, his family and Crux support a variety of charitable and social enterprises including Windmill Microlending, We Charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres, True Patriot Love, Daily Bread Food Bank, Sistering and the Children Aid Foundation of Canada. Peter joined the Windmill Board in May 2020.
Dapo Bankole
Director | Founder & President, Mopheth Systems Corp.
Dapo is an entrepreneur, a social innovator, and a successful podcaster whose technology leadership experience spans over 22-years of an intense professional and character moulding journey. At the core, Dapo is a service-oriented and strategic individual whose love for people and technology led him to build a business that delivers true value to small businesses in Canada, Nigeria, UK, US, The Netherlands, and the UAE. His organization, Mopheth Systems, offers digital marketing services and lead generation, business process automation, custom software development and implementation. Founded in 2015, Mopheth Systems employs both full-time and contract staff. Dapo is also the creator of Immigrant Life, the Canadian Narrative – a podcast and community that focuses on helping first-generation Canadian immigrants have a better story in Canada. He served on the boards of the Project Management Institute (PMI) Nigeria as Vice-President Administration and Communication, and Heritage Christian Academy (HCA) Calgary as Technology Chair. A Certified Management Consultant, Dapo holds a Master of Arts degree in Leadership from Royal Roads University, Victoria and is a certified Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell team in the USA. Dapo, a first-generation Canadian, lives in Calgary with his award-winning wife, Buki and three boys. Dapo was a 2013 client of Windmill Microlending and joined the Windmill Board in February 2021.
Jennifer T. Lee
Director | Canadian Managing Partner, Emerging Growth Businesses and Partner, M&A – Value Creation Services; Deloitte Canada
Jennifer Lee is a bold, inspiring leader who creates global transformation for her Deloitte clients. In her experience across a wide-variety of global and Canadian leadership roles, her focus is in the areas of growth strategy and analytics, mergers and acquisitions, and value-creation. Her clients include global tier-one consumer, retail and private equity firms. Recently, Jennifer was promoted to serve as the global lead partner for a complex multi-national consumer-retail client. She pioneered Deloitte’s emerging businesses in cannabis, trust, climate change, digital identity, and led the firm’s highly acclaimed global COVID response leadership team. Global Consulting Magazine recognized Jennifer as the 2019 Future Leader in Consulting. As a champion of diversity and inclusion, she orchestrated the Deloitte NextGen program that elevates Deloitte women, establishing a global pipeline of female executives. Jennifer’s passion for driving a local and global impact through volunteerism and board work is demonstrated by empowering under-privileged immigrants in Canada through bursary and micro-loan programs; and by providing access to micro-finance opportunities for women in Central Asia. She earned her Executive MBA from the University of Toronto and undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo. Jennifer is curious and an avid reader. Her family is global and adventurous. They have traveled all over the world together. She lived in five countries and plans to live in five more. Jennifer joined the Windmill Board in May 2021.
Geneviève Morin
Director | President & CEO, Fondaction
President & CEO of Fondaction since January 2020, a Québec labour-sponsored fund with $3.1 billion in net assets, Geneviève Morin has been leading the shift and focus of the financial industry towards sustainability for over 30-years. Recognized as a pioneer for her expertise in sustainable finance, she actively works to mobilize capital and various stakeholders for the positive transformation of the economy to make it more equitable, inclusive, green and successful. Geneviève joined Fondaction when it was established in 1996, initially in administration, then in finance and corporate development, before being appointed as Chief Investment Officer in 2011. From February to December 2019, she was the Chief Executive Officer of Anges Québec Capital. Previously, she held several positions at Desjardins Group. Geneviève sits on the board of directors of Écotech. She is a past board member of Investissement Quebéc (2011-2020), and past co-president (2010, 2011) and Governor (2011) of Réseau Capital. Geneviève is a member of the Association of Québec Women in Finance and the Association des MBA du Québec. She has an MBA in Finance from HEC Montréal, a BA in Economics from Concordia University, and a Certificate in Public & Community Affairs from the Concordia School of Community & Public Affairs. She co-wrote the Guide d’analyse de l’entreprise d’économie sociale, released in 2004 and produced by Cap Finance, and has won various awards, including the Inspiration–Andrée Corriveau Award (2019) from the Association of Québec Women in Finance. Geneviève joined the Windmill Board in September 2019.
Nicolas Plourde
Director | Lawyer/Partner, Sarrazin+Plourde
Nicolas Plourde is a partner at Sarrazin Plourde, a litigation boutique firm in Montreal. He is an accomplished and versatile commercial litigator in a wide range of areas, including bankruptcy and insolvency, insurance, banking and injunctions. He also has expertise in governance matters. Nicolas was President of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada in 2021-2022, which is the national coordinating body of the 14 provincial and territorial law societies which regulate lawyers in Canada. Previously, he was Bâtonnier (President) of the Quebec Bar (2012-2013), Bâtonnier (President) of the Bar of Montreal (2009-2010) and President of the Young Bar of Montreal (1997-1998). He played an important role in establishing Justice Pro Bono (Quebec) in 2008 as one of its founding directors. Nicolas is also actively involved in his community. He has sat on various boards of charitable organizations, such as Quebec Special Olympics and the Fondation Accueil Bonneau, a shelter for homeless people. Nicolas joined the Windmill Board in September 2019.
Naeem Siddiqi
Director | Senior Advisor, Risk & Quantitative Solutions, SAS
Naeem is a Senior Advisor in SAS’s Risk division. He is the author of Credit Risk Scorecards: Developing and Implementing Intelligent Credit Scoring (Wiley and Sons, NY, 2005), Intelligent Credit Scoring: Building and Implementing Better Credit Risk Scorecards (Wiley and Sons, 2017), and various papers on credit risk topics. He currently advises bankers worldwide on areas such as the development and validation of credit scoring models, infrastructure planning for analytics, climate risk and retail credit risk strategy. He has also trained hundreds of bankers in over 25 countries on the art and science of credit scorecard development, and helps credit risk analysts develop better scorecards. Naeem has an Honours Bachelor of Engineering from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of London, and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto. Naeem serves as Vice Chair of the Olive Tree Foundation, which funds community development projects in Canada through grants. Naeem has served as a volunteer on the Finance and Risk Management Committee since September 2021 and joined the Windmill Board in September 2022.
Non-board Volunteers
Armaitish Sethna
Finance & Risk Management Committee | Loan Committee
Director Inspections, Canadian Public Accountability Board
Armaitish is an experienced Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) specializing in the audits of public companies. Currently, Armaitish is a Director in the Inspections team at the Canadian Public Accountability Board (CPAB) – Canada’s independent, public accounting firm regulator. In her role at CPAB, Armaitish performs inspections of audit firms to ultimately provide investor confidence in the integrity of financial statements and the capital markets. Prior to joining CPAB, Armaitish worked several years at a Big 4 accounting firm in Toronto and had a short-term secondment to work in Germany. Armaitish brings her knowledge of accounting, finance and high-energy to the workplace. When Armaitish was young, her family immigrated to Canada and she witnessed first hand the struggle her parents had in their careers as immigrants, so Windmill’s mission deeply resonates with her. Armaitish joined Windmill in November 2019 to serve as a volunteer on the Loan Committee and as of September 2021 also serves on the Finance & Risk Management Committee.
Miho Donald
Loan Committee | Senior Manager, Operations Change Delivery, TD Securities
Miho Donald is an expert in capital markets, specialized in strategy and operational enhancement. Her 18-years of experience across Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank Group and TD Bank Group is uniquely entrepreneurial in that the majority of her roles was focused on launching a new department or a function. She is recognized as the first local female employee to become the head of the Listed Derivatives department in Deutsche Bank Group’s Tokyo office, where she also served as a key member of the Diversity Committee. She is a true believer in the power of community, education and equal chance, and enjoys taking part in giving back to the immigrant community, of which she is a member of, through volunteering at Windmill. Miho joined Windmill in November 2019 to serve as a volunteer on the Loan Committee.
