Shibani Ahuja (TD) & Alim Dhanji (Equinox Group) with David Simmonds (Great-West Lifeco & Canada Life)
Join Canadian Club Toronto on June 7 for an evening of conversation and celebration as we celebrate 2SLGBTQ+ Pride Month. Our panel will explore how issues affecting 2SLGBTQ+ people are changing, who has the biggest voice, and what companies need to know about the role business plays in driving full inclusion and belonging.
Join us for a provocative conversation about advancing 2SLGBTQ+ equity in a world demanding less talk and more action, moderated by David Simmonds, Senior Vice-President, Global Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer, Great-West Lifeco and Canada Life, featuring:
Alim Dhanji – Chief People Officer and Executive Vice President, Equinox Group
Shibani is a global executive with extensive experience working across multiple disciplines and geographies, holding several roles around the globe, within Business and Corporate functions including Digital, HR, Finance, Actuarial, Treasury, Audit, Product Development and Internal Business Consulting.
In her current role as Vice President, Executive Product Owner, she leads a team of technology professionals responsible for setting the strategic vision and agile implementation of innovative capabilities supporting end to end Customer shopping engagement journeys across the enterprise. She is also a member of TD’s LGBTQ2+ Executive Steering Committee, Black Experience Executive Steering Committee, Chair of TD’s LGBTQ2+ Women’s Committee and a member of the Canadian Women’s Foundation Annual Grants committee.
Prior to joining TD, Shibani lived abroad for 4 years with expatriate assignments in Asia with Manulife, first with the Global Strategic Initiatives Function, working out of Hong Kong and in then in the Philippines establishing Manulife’s Regional HR Operations hub.
Shibani lives in East York with her partner Sharon, son Carter and pup Monkey III.
Alim brings over 25 years of global leadership experience in creating high-performing teams and developing innovative talent strategies. In his most recent role as President of adidas Canada, Alim was responsible for retail and ecommerce wholesale businesses, including business development, brand strategy, and operations for both adidas and Reebok across Canada. Previously, Alim was the Senior Vice President of Global Talent and Head of Human Resources for adidas Global Brands. He has also held senior leadership roles at companies such as KPMG, TD Bank Financial Group, and Citigroup. He holds an MBA from Royal Roads University and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Having lived in six countries around the world, Alim’s expansive insights and diversity of lived experiences uniquely position him to serve as Equinox’s Chief People Officer as they look ahead towards global growth in 2023 and beyond.
Alim has been named by Yahoo! Finance as a Top 100 LGBT Executive in 2020 and Top 10 in 2021 and is a recognized thought leader and speaker on how organizations foster inclusive communities.
As a long-standing Equinox member, fitness has always been an important part of Alim’s daily rituals to help him lead a high-performance lifestyle.
Alim plans to focus on building strong growth momentum by reimagining talent strategies to continue to attract top talent. Please let me know if you are interested in speaking to Alim about his new role and vision for Equinox employee’s and culture as a leader in luxury lifestyle.
A member of the Executive Management Committee, David leads a team responsible for global communications, reputation and brand management, corporate impact, and Environment, Social and Governance issues (ESG). David also provides strategic partnership and advisory guidance to the CEO’s agenda, including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
A respected business leader, David brings deep experience to Lifeco, from senior roles across consulting, public policy, media, and healthcare, including time as senior vice president at McKesson Corporation. At McKesson, David drove global initiatives across marketing, communications, public policy, and corporate strategy in both Canada and the United States, including leadership of the program coordination office for the development of the company’s multi-year growth initiative.
David is a member of Western University’s Board of Governors, is Past President of the Canadian Club Toronto, a Governor of the Stratford Festival, and an Advisory Board Member at Catalyst Canada.
David has been named one of the “Top 100 Black Canadians” by the Diversity Advancement Network, recipient of the Black Business and Professional Association’s “Harry Jerome Leadership Award”, Canada’s highest achievement in African Canadian excellence, and has been awarded Western University’s Alumni Award of Merit.
David holds a BA (Hons.), MA, and completed the executive development program at The Wharton School.
