Lisa stepped into an interim board member position at SALCO in 2019. Lisa is a human rights, employment, and labour lawyer, and has worked throughout her career to improve access to justice for marginalized Ontarians. Having worked with a few Toronto legal clinics since her call to the bar, she truly understands and fully supports the vision and the daily practice of community legal clinic work. As a South Asian person, Lisa has also personally witnessed and understood the limits of these community legal clinics in their ability to provide appropriate legal services to our diverse South Asian communities.

Jennifer is the Founder and Principal Lawyer of Asnani Joban Law, with over 15 years of experience in commercial real estate, leasing, franchise and regulatory compliance. She has held senior legal and compliance roles at Loblaw Companies Limited and Choice Properties REIT. Jennifer was called to the Ontario Bar in 2010 and is a former President of the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto (SABA).

Mackinder has a strong financial background and is currently a working at Sunlife Financial as a
Manager in the Reporting and Analysis Department, where he reviews financial
reporting to ensure compliance and alignment with the company’s mandate. Mackinder
is also working towards their Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation with
an expected completion in 2024. In the application to become a SALCO Board member
Mackinder noted a view that most institutions are inherently flawed, where the intended
demographics are not actually benefitting from their policies. Mackinder hopes to
volunteer with an organization that is actually helping. Mackinder also noted that a lot of
individuals from our community, especially the newcomers, are working multiple
jobs, are barely making ends meet, are getting taken advantage of by their employers,
their landlords, and he wants to be apart of an organization that champions against all
that.

Kish Mahmud is currently a Commercial Account Manager, RBC Commercial. Her role includes the implementation of robust market plan to achieve and exceed growth targets ensuring client centric execution and the analysis of financial statements for Not for Profit Clients. Kish has an extensive background in banking and financial management. Kish is hoping to leverage her education, work experience in the not for profit sector as well as her personal life experience with an organization whose values aligned with her own. She hopes to bring her own diverse background to the Board. Having both South Asian and Indigenous heritage, she feels strongly that the work the SALCO does is essential to create a healthy and sustainable ecosystem for an equitable future for all.

Priyanka is a lawyer
who practices in estates and civil litigation. Priyanka is deeply committed to supporting
South Asian causes. She was the President of the South Asian Law Students’
Association and was also mentored other South Asian women through the South Asian
Women Legal Mentorship Program. Priyanka was honoured to receive the Student
Award from the South Asian Bar Association (SABA). She remains a member of SABA. Priyanka’s professional work in estate litigation, civil litigation, and public policy has
further exposed me to the systemic challenges many South Asians encounter when
navigating the legal system. These experiences fuelled her desire to be part of an
organization like SALCO that is dedicated to breaking down these barriers in a culturally
and linguistically sensitive manner. She hopes to bring her passion, experience, and
dedication to SALCO, whose values align with her own.

Shivali is a litigation lawyer specializing in employment and human rights law, who believes that creating greater access to justice is essential for positive change. She believes that the most meaningful change is born from work that integrates empathy and advocacy, and it is this belief that brought her to SALCO. Having experienced and observed the challenges faced by members of the South Asian community, Shivali values the opportunities, security, and guidance that SALCO’s initiatives provide, and hopes to be an ally in its mission. As a member of the Board of Directors, Shivali is eager to utilize her transferrable skills and passion to contribute to the ongoing growth and success of SALCO. In her spare time, you can find Shivali tackling sudoku puzzles and caring for any animal she comes across.

Chrishyami is a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) who is now the Director of HR at the Canada Revenue Agency (Ontario Region), after several years as Assistant Director of Staffing and Recruitment. She served as the Employment Equity Champion as well as the Recruitment champion at the CRA and is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion.

She has also been involved in a variety of volunteer initiatives over the years, including being a former member of the GenNext Cabinet at United Way Greater Toronto and serving as chair of Golden Future South Africa, a volunteer led initiative aimed at empowering South Asian Youth to be leaders in their community. Chrishyami is committed to supporting the important work that SALCO does and ensure their continued success in supporting the most vulnerable. Her extensive HR experience is a significant asset to the board.

Iniyana is in her second year of the English Common Law Program at the University of Ottawa. Among many other roles she serves as the student member on the Ontario Bar Association’s Charity and Not-for-Profit Section Executive and as President of the University of Ottawa’s Tamil Law Students’ Association.

Iniyana has gained over a decade of practical experience through volunteer work with people with disabilities, children, seniors, and immigrants, and she is eager to contribute that experience to the board. During her first year, she worked at the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO), where she became one of the clinic’s first 1L students to represent a client before a Social Benefits Tribunal. Following this work, she was nominated by SALCO and honored as a recipient of the South Asian Bar Association Student Recognition Award, recognizing her contributions to access to justice and advocacy for marginalized communities. Iniyana brings a perspective shaped by resilience and inclusivity and is eager to continue supporting the clinic’s work while learning from other board members.

Adel is the Secretary of SALCO’s Board and has served in that role since becoming a board member in 2024. Adel also chairs SALCO’s Policy Committee and previously chaired the Nominations Committee. Adel is a public law lawyer and Discipline Counsel at the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). Adel began his legal career over a decade ago as a civil litigator in private practice and has a decade-long relationship with SALCO, a strong commitment to poverty law (including volunteer work with Parkdale Community Legal Services), experience addressing wrongful conviction issues, and extensive service with the North York Muslim Association in multiple executive roles. As a practising Muslim and a visible minority of South Asian descent, Adel is an advocate for proper representation, in all aspects of life, especially in the legal system. Adel is committed to ensuring that SALCO’s mandate is fulfilled and the challenges facing SALCO clients (and Muslims and South Asians across Canada) are addressed.

Marium is a seasoned legal professional, with extensive work experience in human resources, governance and compliance, and project management. Currently working for a children’s mental health agency in Toronto funded for by the Ministry of Health, Marium has a Master of Laws in International Human Rights with a focus on Refugee Law from University of London. She has previously worked for Amnesty International at the International Secretariat in London, UK leading its global campaign on the War on Terror and Guantanamo. In Toronto, Marium has previously served on the Board of Directors for Amnesty International Toronto and was one of organizers of the AI Toronto REEL Awareness Film Festival.