Foundation Board of Directors & CDO

Matt joined the CICC Foundation Board of Directors in November 2020.

With over 15 years of financial services experience, Matt is currently Director of Trading at the Canadian Securities Exchange, a stock exchange based in Toronto. At the CSE, Matt is responsible for the business development, market quality and integrity of the equity trading businesses. Prior to joining the CSE in 2023, Matt spent 4 years at Itiviti (later Broadridge Canada) leading software sales for Canada following 8 years at TMX Group (Toronto Stock Exchange) in progressively senior roles within equities trading. His career at CIBC World Markets after an education at Dalhousie University where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in finance.

Outside of his professional life, Matt enjoys spending time with his family and travelling, while finding time to play golf, squash, curling & baseball. He was born and raised in Toronto and currently lives there with his wife and two young children.

Email: boardchair@cicc.on.ca

Barney Savage is a public policy professional with over 30 years of experience in government, the non-profit sector, and mental health and addictions. He currently serves as the interim director of policy and stakeholder relations at the Ontario Association of Social Workers. Barney was CICC’s interim executive director in 2022, and was impressed by the remarkable work of the Centre’s staff in the pre-school and early intervention community programs.

Barney was raised in Nova Scotia and has lived in downtown Toronto for decades.

Simon is a communications consultant at CIBC and a freelance journalist. Simon joined the CICC Foundation Board of Directors in 2019.

Simon is passionate about connecting people and sharing stories, with more than a decade of communications, public relations and digital marketing experience spanning the non-profit, government and private sectors. Prior to CIBC, Simon worked at Canada Lands Company (a federal Crown corporation) and March of Dimes Canada.

Simon graduated with a BA in Media, Information and Technoculture from Western University, as well as a journalism degree from Humber College. Simon lives in Toronto with his wife and two young children, who are just as thankful as he is for the opportunity to make a positive impact for so many families via Centennial.

Sukrit joined the CICC Foundation Board of Directors in July 2023. He is a trained Chemical engineer, obtaining his undergraduate and Masters degree from the University of Toronto. He started his career in in the oil and gas industry before pivoting to Capital Markets at TD Securities. He has held roles in sales and origination functions before becoming an equity derivative trader.

Sukrit lives in Toronto with his wife and four children, one of whom has attended CICC’s preschool program. The wonderful help and care that the CICC personnel provided his son was a key factor in Sukrit wanting to get involved with the Foundation. He hopes to be able to leverage his experience in helping the Foundation meet its goals now and in the future.

Abishan joined the CICC Foundation Board of Directors in June 2024.

Abishan has over 10 years of experience working in the banking and capital markets sector. He currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for BMO InvestorLine where he is responsible for oversight over the broader finance function including reporting, forecasting, planning and capital management. Prior to joining BMO, he worked at PwC in their Banking & Capital Markets practice where he audited financial institutions and private equity firms.

Abishan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Toronto and is a qualified Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and a CFA Chaterholder.

Outside his professional career, Abishan enjoys spending time with family, travelling and working out.

Praneil Ladwa is a senior financial services executive with over 25 years of global leadership experience in brokerage, wealth management, and banking innovation. Most recently, Praneil was Head of Canada’s largest independent broker, Questrade Inc. Prior to Questrade, Praneil has also held senior roles at CIBC and RBC Financial Group. Praneil brings a wealth of experience in Risk Management, Financial Management, Vendor Management, Product and Program Management disciplines and has served on a number of other boards and advisory committees.

Praneil holds a MBA from the University of Phoenix and an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Toronto Metropolitan University and is also a certified PMP. Praneil resides in Toronto with his wife, two young daughters and their adopted cat from Barbados.

Sudipta joined the CICC Foundation Board of Directors in June 2026. He was introduced to the foundation through another Director, and he immediately felt motivated and fortunate to have the opportunity to serve in the board to make a positive impact to families who need help with children.

Sudipta is a risk management executive with a career spanning over 25 years in the financial services industry. During this time, he served in various leadership positions in American Express, RBC and Questrade.

Sudipta grew-up in India and moved with his wife to Toronto in 2007. He currently lives in Markham and like many parents, he is always in look-out for tips to understand the mood swings of his teenage son and daughter.

Sudipta picked up running since COVID lockdown. He can usually be found pounding the sidewalks of Markham during the weekend completing his weekly 20k run. In addition, he also swims with the Markham Masters Swimming club.

Megan is a partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Toronto, practicing exclusively in the area of commercial litigation. She advises a wide range of clients, including hospitals, municipalities, multi-million dollar corporations, and Schedule I banks. Megan completed her undergraduate and Master’s degrees at New York University in philosophy and bioethics, and attended McGill University in Montreal for her law degree. She has been practicing law in Toronto for nearly 10 years.

Megan is also the mother of two young girls, one of whom received exceptional care through CICC’s Early Intervention program following her premature birth. She is grateful for the opportunity to give back this wonderful community by joining the Board of Directors of both CICC and the CICC Foundation.

Melissa Syme has been working in leadership within the charitable sector for over 25 years with a focus on development, marketing and communications.

Her focus has always been on social justice, equity, and inclusion. Throughout her 25 years, she has been in leadership with youth and children’s organization including a children’s mental health not for profit.

Melissa has a full life with her two children and husband. She really enjoys taking time to spend with friends, travelling and having lazy days at the cottage.