Chief Executive Officer
Jemima Sabapathy is an empowering and strategic leader with a wealth of leadership experience in organizational management, operations and change management at leading organizations in the not-for-profit sector. Jemima is driven by a passion for making a difference in the lives of vulnerable and marginalised people within local communities.
Jemima is a results-oriented leader with over two decades of proven leadership experience in the settlement and employment sector. As a skilled professional from Sri Lanka, her personal journey encouraged her to help others overcome challenges and build a successful life in Canada. In the two decades since, Jemima has held senior leadership roles at WoodGreen Community Services, JobStart, and Skills for Change designing and implementing innovative programs that served newcomers, youth, seniors, persons with disabilities, and women. Some of her previous leadership roles were in the education sector and with U.S. Peace Corps and VSO.
She has been instrumental in the sustainability, growth, and expansion of organizations she worked for and successfully led innovation, strategic planning, diversification of funding resources, labour relations, organizational transformation, and risk management.
Jemima joined CultureLink as the CEO in late 2021 and is committed to working with a broad scope of stakeholders to build collaboration, deliver change, and drive meaningful impact for the clients CultureLink serve with the support of her 70-member staff team.
Board of Directors 2023-2024
Arlene Clement (Chair)
Arlene Clement is Director of Housing and Identity Card Services at the University of Toronto. She has over twenty years of experience in leadership in a unionized environment, with a strong record of accomplishment of strategic leadership and expertise in human resources, financial management, policy development, and consensus building in a complex multi-stakeholder environment. Arlene also has over 15 years of experience serving on the Board of Directors of three non-profit charitable organizations.
Sean Pimenta (Vice-Chair)
Sean Pimenta is an Operations, Supplier Management and Outsourcing professional with work experience across the banking, financial services, insurance, technology and airline industries. Sean currently works with the Royal Bank of Canada as Senior Manager of Card Production and Invoicing Operations. He has also held positions at RBC in Outsourcing Supplier Management and Fraud Operations. Sean is a dedicated coach and mentor to newcomers to Canada and has been a volunteer with CultureLink since 2013, with TRIEC since 2009 and has also helped individuals that have reached out via LinkedIn over the years. In addition to mentoring, Sean also volunteers for fundraising with the Knights of Columbus.
Sameera Akram (Treasurer)
Sameera Akram is a trusted advisor and collaborative HR professional with over 15 years of global experience leading and implementing HR strategies across various industries for public and private organizations. She currently works for Danaher Corporation as their Employee and Labour Relations Manager for North America. Sameera is passionate about leading teams, solving complex problems to drive business results, coaching junior staff to succeed both professionally and personally, and lifelong learning.
Roxanne Dias (Secretary)
Roxanne Dias is an enterprising cyber security professional with over six years of experience spanning various domains in technology, ranging from IT operations to security transformation. Having served on two boards previously, she is able to leverage her insight from her lived experience as a neurodiverse and LGBTQIA2S+ person to embolden inclusion and accessibility initiatives in board governance. As a first-generation immigrant herself, she is passionate about eliminating the barriers that exist for newcomers. Her involvement with various non-profit organizations as a mentor, including Canada Learning Code and TRIEC, exemplifies her dedication to empowering people to achieve their fullest potential through experiential learning and professional development opportunities.
Andrew McAlpine
Andrew McAlpine provides strategic insight informed by 40 years working as an architect, planner and business executive in Canada, the UK and Australia. For most of his career, he was a Principal with Arup, a global leader in planning, design and consulting in the built environment. Over a period of 15 years, he led and grew an initial team of a dozen airport planners to become a multidisciplinary organization of almost 400 staff in multiple offices delivering prominent and transformative projects in the aviation, education, commercial, transportation, and culture sectors in Canada and globally. Andrew’s experience includes the full spectrum of strategic and operational responsibilities with leading ambitious projects and a growing organization.
Kitty Raman – Costa
Kitty Raman – Costa is the Executive Director of the Parkdale Community Food Bank, a local food bank providing barrier-free access to food to over 7,000 families every month. Kitty is an experienced fundraiser and non-profit leader, dedicated to building and implementing programs that work to uplift her community.
Prem Arumugam
Prem Arumugam is a seasoned financial services professional and transformation specialist with over 20 years of experience in the industry. He currently works at RBC supporting business clients. He has held multiple roles at RBC, including stints as a management consultant shaping bank strategy to roles in HR supporting leadership development, performance management and talent initiatives. Prior to RBC, he has worked at organizations such as Salomon Smith Barney, CIBC, IBM and PwC. Prem has a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. In his spare time, when he is not chauffeuring his 2 daughters to soccer practice, he hits the courts to play tennis.
Viji Hariharan
Viji Hariharan is the Director of Finance at WoodGreen community services. Her journey embodies resilience, determination, and a profound commitment to empowering others. Arriving in Canada in 2000, she embarked on a transformative path. Her career at WoodGreen Community Services commenced in 2008, driven by a passion for supporting new immigrants. Inspired by the organization’s impactful work, she became a vital part of their mentorship program, guiding aspiring immigrants and foreign-trained accountants through their integration process. Viji believes her grade 12 teacher inspired her with the statement that “nothing is impossible.” As the Director of Finance at WoodGreen, she continues to pave the way for others while cherishing the limitless possibilities that life offers.
Board Meetings
Public may attend Board meetings as observers.
