Team
Adam Spence
Manager, Special Projects
Adam Spence has led the development of the SVX (formerly the Social Venture Exchange) as the manager of special projects at SiG@MaRS. He is an active researcher and a leader behind a number of innovative social enterprise and development projects in Ontario—most recently the Centre for Impact Investing.
Prior to joining SiG@MaRS, he was the executive director of the Ontario Association of Food Banks.
Adam has spoken to audiences ranging from students to CEOs and from politicians to front-line community organizers across the country on issues related to education, poverty and social issues. He has written extensively on these topics, and has been featured widely in the media. He has also worked as a community animator for the skilled trades in Hamilton, and was the executive director of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, where he successfully advanced a number of reforms during Ontario’s post-secondary education review, including low-income grants for Ontario’s students.
In 2002, Adam was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, which is given to Canadians who have made a significant contribution to their fellow citizens, their community or to Canada.
Adam Jagelewski
Manager, Social Finance
As a manager of social finance for MaRS, Adam leads policy and partnership projects in an effort to accelerate social finance developments nationally. Two notable initiatives in which he has played a leadership role include the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance and the Social Impact Bond Incubator project. Both programs are now housed at the Centre for Impact Investing.
Prior to joining Social Innovation Generation, Adam worked in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Vancouver Advisory Group as a performance management consultant specializing in aboriginal and not-for-profit services. He focused on governance policy, community investment and performance measurement.
In addition to his role at MaRS, Adam helps oversee SocialFinance.ca, Canada’s leading online community for information and opinion on social finance. Adam has a degree in economics from the University of British Columbia.
Joanna Reynolds
Program Manager, MaRS Centre for Impact Investing
As a program manager for the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, Joanna leads the education and engagement initiatives. Since 2008, Joanna has focused on social finance development in Canada with Social Innovation Generation National and now with MaRS Centre for Impact Investing
Joanna has worked in the community sector in Toronto for over 10 years. This experience sparked her interest in finding ways for not-for-profits to diversify their revenue base and opening opportunities for people to get involved in their local economy.
Joanna is a graduate from Queen’s University and completed her Master of Education at the University of Toronto. She is currently a board member of TREC Renewable Energy Co-operative.
Joyce Sou
Manager, Benefit Corporations (B Corps) and Social Impact Metrics
Joyce is the manager of B Corps and social impact metrics at the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing. She spent over seven years at KPMG and worked as a manager of assurance services in the Consumer Markets Group. In her role, she focused on leading audits of manufacturing and retail clients throughout North America and also worked as a recruiting manager for campus talent attraction. She has also spent time in South Africa on secondment, auditing oil and gas companies and chasing elephants on safari.
Joyce is a partner at Social Venture Partners Toronto and serves on the Investment Committee as well as on the Advisory Team to selected investees. She holds an undergraduate degree in commerce from Queen’s University and is a chartered accountant. Joyce is an avid traveller and recently visited over 15 countries around the world.
Nabeel Ahmed
Managing Editor, SocialFinance.ca
Nabeel Ahmed is the managing editor of SocialFinance.ca and an associate at the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, providing research and program support. SocialFinance.ca was incubated by SiG@MaRS and is now a program in the Centre for Impact Investing.
Nabeel also manages media and online marketing for the Association for the Development of Pakistan, a micro-philanthropy organization that identifies and funds sustainable development initiatives in Pakistan. He was previously a freelance journalist with experience in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Canada. Nabeel has a Bachelor’s degree from the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi, Pakistan, and has completed a Certificate in Public Administration and Leadership at Ryerson University. He enjoys cricket, football, photography, and staying busy.
Ted Anderson
Director of the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing
Ted has an extensive background in venture capital investing in both Canada as well as in emerging markets.
With thirty years of experience in venture investing, most recently as the Managing General Partner of Ventures West Capital, Canada’s largest institutionally backed venture capital fund management company, Ted has been an investor in many of Canada’s most interesting technology companies.
Ted is also a past President and a former Director of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association Canada’s national private equity trade association.
Ted has also been very active in e markets, particularly Africa. He has worked with the International Finance Corporation on initiatives relating to the establishment of venture capital funds in Africa and has participated in projects in east Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) and in Ethiopia. He was also an advisor to the Government of Canada on the establishment of the Canada Investment Fund for Africa (CIFA), a US$212 million pan-African investment fund, and currently sits on the Advisory Boards of the Aureos Southern Africa Fund and the Aureos Western Africa Fund, two investment funds focusing on small and medium sized business investments in southern and western Africa respectively.
Ted is also a Technical Advisor (providing operational support and management guidance to the Operating Partners) and a member of the Board and the investment committee of Injaro Agricultural Holdings Ltd. a fund providing investment capital to small and medium sized agriculturally oriented enterprises in West Africa. In 2009 Mr. Anderson travelled to Haiti and prepared a report for the Canadian Government (DFAIT) and USAID on increasing access to financial services for Haitian SME’s.
Mr. Anderson has also worked with the Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC) providing professional development seminars and consulting with emerging fund managers in Morocco and Tunisia. Ted has a BA (Economics) from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University, where he was also a lecturer.
Trish Nixon
Associate, Social Finance
Trish Nixon provides research, writing, communications and other support services to the Centre for Impact Investing. Before joining the CII team she worked as a reporter at Thomson Reuters in Toronto and has prior experience in sponsorship marketing at RBC and the Globe and Mail.
Nixon holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She is a member of the executive committee of TORONTO+acumen, an official volunteer chapter of the Acumen Fund, and helps lead fundraising efforts for Peacebuilders International, a Canadian charity that works to provide at-risk youth with appropriate access to justice
Tristina Sinopoli
Associate, Social Finance
As a social finance associate, Tristina Sinopoli supports the execution of the Centre for Impact Investing’s education and engagement strategy and initiatives. She is a recent graduate of the Schulich School of Business at York University having completed her degree in international business administration.
Sinopoli has had public sector experience as a constituency assistant at the City of Toronto and as a co-ordinator for her local business improvement area. She is passionate about social and economic development and the role that impact investing plays in bettering local and global economies. She is an avid foodie and believes that travelling is the best form of education.
Ivy So
Associate
Ivy leads the research and coordination of outcomes-finance and social impact bond opportunities with CII clients. Prior to joining MaRS, Ivy spent over three years at Deloitte as a management consultant serving public and not-for-profit clients, with a focus in strategic and operational reviews, cost reduction, and procurement and contracting advisory. She was a key driver in building Deloitte’s Social Finance practice in Canada, and co-authored the publication “Paying for Outcomes: Solving complex societal issues through Social Impact Bonds”.
Ivy is Co-Founder of Hub Ottawa, a social enterprise that provides collaborative workspace and professional development to catalyze ideas into actions to create a better world. She has also spent time in Kingston, Jamaica, as a Cuso volunteer serving as Social Enterprise Advisor for a local non-profit. Ivy holds an honours degree in Business Administration and Communication from Simon Fraser University.
Carlos Pinto Lobo
SVX Compliance Officer
Carlos is an accomplished, compliance, governance and risk management professional with over 25 years of extensive experience in the financial services industry, including futures, options, retail compliance, LCM, SOX, credit, operational risk management, anti-money laundering, privacy regulations and successful business solutions.
Carlos has had previous roles as a Director and VP at CIBC, Deutsche Bank AG, Alpha ATS, and BMO InvestorLine Inc., as well as been a guest speaker at a variety of industry related events. He has also been instrumental in the development of regulatory regimes and groundbreaking industry initiatives.
Muska Ulhaq
Associate
Muska Ulhaq works on reporting, policy issues, updating finance records and contact management for the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing. She also provides the MCII team with events and covening support. Muska is also a member of the MaRS Social Committee, and has assisted many teams with administrative, database and events-related projects.
Prior to joining MaRS, she worked as a Policy and Research Analyst with Humber Bay Shores Condominium Association and as a Policy Analyst with the Ontario Ministry of Revenue. Muska has a master’s degree in Public Policy from University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy and Governance, and an undergraduate degree in Political Studies and Psychology from Queen’s University. Muska is passionate about social policy and is an active volunteer with TAIBU Community Health Centre. She is fluent in Farsi (Dari), Hindi, Pashto and Urdu.