Anne Smith, Chair
Anne worked for more than 20 years in varied and progressive fundraising positions before shifting to community development work. Working in the non-profit sector has fueled her passion to help make a difference in the lives of people in her community, particularly women and children. She is a strong feminist and mother of three who believes that all people should be treated fairly regardless of their race, gender or sexual orientation. She was drawn to Embrave for the incredible supports they offer to women and children in the most vulnerable situations. She holds a Marketing Management diploma as well as a Business Administration degree. Anne is currently the Executive Director at The Lighthouse for Grieving Children.
Ripika Kapoor, Vice-Chair
Ripika is a University of Toronto graduate with an Honours Bachelor of Science, double major in Health Care Ethics and Psychology, and also has a Master’s in Public Health and Health Promotion from Brunel University in England. Her research thesis was focused on the motivations and perspectives of volunteers (previous survivors) who offer support to other survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and rape. She is passionate about women’s rights, and has previously been a volunteer counsellor at the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre. She eagerly joined Embrave to continue to be an advocate for women’s rights and to work towards supporting the journey against violence directed at women.
Sofia Arora, Secretary
Sofia Arora is working as a Manager, People and Culture with Daily Bread Food Bank and has over 8 years of experience in driving strategic human resources initiatives and optimizing organizational performance. Prior to Daily Bread, She has worked with SKETCH, a community art organization supporting homeless and marginalized young people and has been instrumental in setting up the human resources department from scratch.
She has a Master’s from Seneca College and is a holder of the Certified Human Resources Professional designation (CHRP). She has a strong passion for social justice and believes in creating a safer and more equitable society by combating gender-based violence. This is the reason she has joined Embrave.
Luxmi Jeyavel, Board Member
Luxmi is an MBA graduate of the Smith School of Business at Queens University, and has her Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University. During the last five years, she has been actively involved as either a supporter, volunteer or organizing committee member of several organizations, including Women in Capital Markets and Ascend Canada. She is passionate about issues facing women and children, as well as challenges around diversity and inclusion. Luxmi has held various roles over the past 15 years at RBC Royal Bank of Canada, where she is currently a Director in Customer Relationship Management.
Josie Cancilla, Board Member
Josie has 20+ years experience as a Human Resources Executive most recently with Flow Hydration. She earned a Double Honours Bachelor of Psychology & Social Sciences with a postgraduate degree in Human Resources Management. In both her professional & personal journey she’s an active advocate championing for Diversity, Inclusion, Civility & Equity inside and out of the workplace. Josie is passionate about women’s rights, she is relentless in her pursuit raise awareness for the safety & protection of women and their children.
