Patrick MacKenzie
CEO
Patrick MacKenzie is the CEO of the Immigrant Employment Council of BC. He has made a career of public service from coast to coast, working in policy and program areas aimed at supporting many of Canada’s most vulnerable communities through economic and social development as well as international relations. Previously, Patrick spent 11 years working for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada at its national headquarters in Ottawa and its regional offices in Vancouver. Throughout his career, Patrick has worked with partners on matters affecting Indigenous and immigrant populations, including immigrant economic integration, provincial nominee programs, credential recognition and labour mobility.
Daisy Quon
Senior Manager, Programs and Stakeholder Relations
Daisy is the Senior Manager, Programs and Stakeholder Relations at IEC-BC where she is responsible for oversight, coordination and implementation of IEC-BC’s programs and services, as well as external relations with employers, service provider organizations, government and other key stakeholders. She holds a BA and MA – following completion of her university studies, Daisy worked internationally, primarily in Hong Kong and Madrid, Spain. Her professional background includes senior positions in the private, non -profit and public sectors in the areas of strategic partnership development and corporate leadership, community investment, immigrant labour market integration and policy development. Her commitment to the work of IEC-BC is fuelled by its blend of economics and social mission, thereby, resulting in the ability to “do good and do well”.
Dimitry Morales
Senior Manager, Centralized Services
Dimitry is the Senior Manager, Centralized Services and is responsible for IEC-BC’s day-to-day financial management of funding contracts and ongoing organizational operations. He has extensive experience with accounting, information technology, operations and event management for non-profit organizations. As a Labourer-Teacher, he worked along migrant workers from Mexico and the Caribbean on farms in Southern Ontario and taught them ESL English and computer skills while helping them integrate into Canadian society. He has also taught secondary school accounting credit courses at a private school.
Dimitry is a strategic thinker who likes to take a holistic approach to his work. He is passionate about being involved through community engagement. Dimitry holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Commerce from Ryerson University, has completed the Certified Management Accountant accelerated program and believes in lifelong learning.
Devon Franklin
Senior Manager, Skills Validation & Strategic Initiatives
In her role as the Senior Manager of Skills Validation and Strategic Initiatives, Devon oversees the dynamic teams responsible for the development and delivery of innovative, digital tools that support the recognition of the skills and competencies immigrants and refugees bring to the Canadian labour market. In addition to managing the existing tech-enabled solutions, Devon is responsible for identifying and pursuing strategic opportunities that ensure the on-going sustainability and business continuity of IEC-BC. Before joining IEC-BC, Devon has held progressively senior roles at several different institutions, where she has focused her efforts on developing demand-driven, collaborative initiatives to address the pervasive challenge of under- and unemployment of immigrants and refugees. Through her collaborative, action-oriented leadership approach, Devon has been successful at bringing a unique employer-informed lens to program development and mobilizing stakeholders for collective action.
Devon holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts in Immigration and Settlement Studies from Ryerson University.
Jonathan Waiching Ho
Manager, Communications
Jonathan is the Communications Manager of the Immigrant Employment Council of BC. He is a multi-faceted storyteller with more than 11 years of integrated marketing & communications (IMC) experience across Canada, the Middle East, and Asia. His areas of expertise include digital communications, brand strategy, communications counsel and social media. Having worked with both government and private organizations, he brings fresh ideas to the IEC-BC team. He holds a Bachelor in Commerce with a specialization in Marketing & Comms Management. Jonathan also worked for the British Council in Asia, where he found his true passion for creating awareness on diversity, education, and inclusion within niche communities.
Jonathan is a social strategist wearing many hats and will continue to work on driving strategic communications & partnerships across corporate communications. He is involved in multiple marketing projects and leads the communications team at IEC-BC. Jonathan holds certifications in Social Media Marketing and Digital Marketing Certifications in SEM and SEO from BrainStation. He has been working on website development and marketing alongside exploring UX and UI for targeted users.
Chris Anderson
Manager, ASCEND
Chris is the Manager for the Immigrant Employment Council of BC’s ASCEND project. Upon graduating from SFU, he conducted primary research and developed work plans used to review and analyze documentation into the history of residential schools in Canada on behalf of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and INAC. Chris then moved to Asia where he completed Mandarin-language studies at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies and oversaw a portfolio of skills-development and income-generation projects for the Canadian Embassy in Beijing. Upon returning to Canada, Chris completed studies in project management through the UBC Sauder School of Business, obtained Project Management Professional certification and, most recently, helped to deliver asset management planning strategies in BC’s non-profit housing sector.
Iona Santos-Fresnoza – On Mat Leave
Manager, FAST
Iona is the Lead responsible for the FAST (formerly FAST BC) project. With over a decade of work in government, tourism, IT, academia, and non-profits, she brings to her role not only extensive experience in project coordination, program development, and community outreach, but also advocacy for social justice, diversity, and inclusion. Before moving to Canada, she collaborated with digital agencies in Singapore and the US – believing that with the tools available to us today, a world without borders is possible. A Journalism Major from the University of the Philippines, Iona is currently completing an Award of Achievement in Community Management at the University of British Columbia.
Daniel Chen
Specialist, Learning and Inclusive Workplaces
Daniel is the Learning & Inclusive Workplaces Specialist at IEC-BC. He leads the development and implementation of strategic learning programs and resources to support employers in creating inclusive workplaces and in recruiting, hiring, and retaining diverse workforces. With over a decade of corporate learning experience, Daniel has extensive experience in learning administration, management, and design. As a certified Master Trainer, Daniel has facilitated workshops across North America and the UK. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from The University of British Columbia and is a life-long learner advocate.
Hana Bilikova
Coordinator, Administration
Hana is the Program Coordinator for FAST. She enjoys helping others succeed and brings over 12 years of progressive experience in executive support and office administration. Prior to joining IEC-BC, Hana worked in the business education & management training field, helping employers in Western Canada improve their operations and employee management practices. Hana has lived and worked in Europe and the United States before moving to Canada. Her professional experience includes event planning, corporate training, marketing research, graphic design and website development.
Narissa MacLeod
Coordinator, ASCEND
Narissa is the Coordinator for the ASCEND project. She completed a BA degree double majoring in political studies and sociology, and double minoring in criminology and women’s studies at Bishop’s University. Additionally, she completed a MA degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at the University of Sunderland. She lived, worked and studied abroad for 10 years in South Korea and Australia and recently returned to Canada. She is an experienced project coordinator, instructional designer, instructor and training developer, skilled in curriculum development, e-learning, virtual reality, gamification, training and facilitation. She is an innovative professional who believes strongly in helping newcomers to Canada achieve their dreams.
Farizan Razie
Coordinator
Farizan is the Coordinator at the Immigrant Employment Council of BC. He brings 5+ years of extensive global experience to this position. He’s previously been a consultant to social entrepreneurs in Ecuador, an ambassador for an environmental agency in Indonesia, and a caseworker for immigrants & refugees in Vancouver. He was vital to incubating “PowerHack”, a hackathon event that connects employers to skilled immigrant talents in the Information & Technology sector, into IEC-BC.
He is passionate about the intersection between capitalism and social justice, hence his passion to connect employers to skilled immigrant talent so that they fully contribute to our society and economy.
Rania Younes
Special Advisor for Programs and National Manager for the Immigrant Employment Councils of Canada
Rania has over 17 years of progressive marketing experience. She excelled in areas of expertise in impact, strategic design and clarity, value framing and brand positioning, participatory research and effective stakeholder management.
In the past decade, Rania worked with various equity-seeking organizations and co-founded a grassroots initiative that works with local community groups to articulate and bring attention to settlement challenges and opportunities, envisioning a dynamic settlement network where all newcomers are welcomed with open hearts and minds. She also co-founded a networking and mentoring platform for professionals within racialized communities getting started in their new homes and careers.
Peiman Sadeghi
Coordinator, Finance
Peiman will be working as a Coordinator, Finance and be working closely with the team to support the financial sustainability of the organization as we continue to grow. Previously Peiman provided bookkeeping and accounting services to various organizations. He also worked as an Auditor for the Ministry of Finance in Iran and a faculty member at Azad University. Peiman holds a Ph.D in Accounting from Turkey.
Christian Toussaint
Coordinator, Centralized Services
Christian will be working as a Coordinator to support the team in an operational role. Previously Christian provided excellent customer service in various industries including hospitality, consumer products and transportation. He is passionate about offering professional and results-driven work. Christian holds a BBA in Marketing from Mexico.
Noha Hamed
Program Administrator, ASCEND
Noha is the program administrator for the ASCEND program. She is a trained web designer and developer with a passion for technology. She has volunteered in the past as a web developer on a learning platform for the TechWomen program from ISS of BC. Before that, she worked in administration and research for more than 10 years. Her previous experience includes researching and developing a labour market analysis for the city of Alexandria as well as managing the development of a website to promote foreign investment in Alexandria. Noha holds an MBA from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport and a BCom from Alexandria University.
Ryan Carter
Project Lead, Tech Bootcamps
Ryan is the Project Lead for the Tech Bootcamps initiative. This project aims to create a new intervention to improve tech-skilled newcomer labour market integration and address barriers and biases in the hiring processes of tech employers. He also oversees BC JobConnect and Connections Events, focused on connecting employers and newcomers for high-skilled roles.
Ryan has a background in project management, stakeholder relations, and over five years of research and data analysis experience gained in the academic, non-profit, and for-profit sectors. Ryan is passionate about personal growth and believes in the importance of open and informed dialogue.
Kim Tobin
Project Coordinator, FAST & SPRINT
Kim is the Project Coordinator for FAST/SPRINT. Before moving back to Canada in 2018, she was working as an ESL teacher in South Korea for a private academy. Upon her return, she worked at a financial and investment firm in Ontario, providing administrative support, coordination and team management for sales teams. During her master’s studies, she volunteered with the Canadian Immigration Historical Society (CIHS) as a graduate student researcher.
Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Heritage Studies/Archaeology and History from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Arts in Immigration and Settlement Studies from Ryerson University. She is passionate about environmental and social justice, as well as community engagement.
Sahar Sayedy
Specialist, Research and Partnerships
Sahar has more than 7 years of experience in research, data analysis, and health promotion. She is a Fulbright Scholar and holds a Master of Science in Community Health Promotion from the University of Arkansas, a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Kabul University, a Diploma in Business Administration from Kardan Institute, and a Diploma in Public Health and Nutrition from the Indian Institute of Public Health. Sahar worked for World Health Organization (WHO) on multiple projects and capacities and engaged with project partners and stakeholders, including the UNICEF, Nutrition Cluster, Action Against Hunger, USAID, and Global Affairs of Canada.
Vania Barber
Communications Specialist, National Network
Vania is a seasoned Communications and Branding professional with 16 years of progressive experience in Financial Services. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Advertising and Digital Marketing at University Anahuac in Mexico and received an MBA in Digital Marketing & Transformation from the University Rey Juan Carlos in Spain. Born and raised in Mexico City, Vania has had the opportunity to travel around the globe and meet people from various cultures. She strongly believes in the importance of multicultural talent empowerment and the powerful contributions newcomers can bring to the Canadian economy.
Monica Joshi
Specialist, Employer Relations
Monica Joshi brings 15 years of experience leading branch operations for a consulting firm where she managed strategic planning, client relations, project management, and regulatory & compliance. She volunteers with non-profit organizations in Canada and the US which serve various humanitarian causes. Her experience working in corporate & non-profit environments has provided her with a holistic view of the different segments of society. Monica holds a Master’s degree in Commerce and has completed Chartered Accountancy (ICAI, India) and the Uniform CPA Exam (CBA, USA).
Anshul Modi
Project Coordinator
Anshul has over 8 years of project management and entrepreneurial experience across multiple sectors. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media, he managed projects from start to finish while completing his Master’s degree in Commerce with a specialization in Management. He has also earned a diploma in Event and Tour Management and has managed multiple events and international tours. Having been a trustee of a charity for the past decade, Anshul has organized numerous fundraising campaigns in India and has volunteered with Teach for India. He is also a student pilot and has trained on small fixed-wing aircraft.
Carlos Haddad
Specialist, Employer Engagement
Carlos is the Employer Engagement Specialist at IEC-BC. He has over 10 years of combined experience in strategic planning, project management, government and public affairs, stakeholder engagement and corporate branding, working with diverse internal and external stakeholders. Most recently, he was the Stakeholder Relations Manager at the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce. Carlos holds an MBA in Strategic Marketing and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing & Social Communication.