Team Category: General

King Tshibanda-Kadima is a dedicated professional with over six years of experience in people management, known for his collaborative approach and strong teamwork skills. A graduate of Providence University with a degree in Business Administration, King excels at fostering cooperation and developing cohesive teams that achieve their goals. His ability to communicate effectively and create an inclusive environment has helped him build strong relationships within diverse work environments.

In addition to his professional pursuits, King has a passion for traveling, which allows him to explore new cultures, meet new people, and enjoy diverse cuisines. In his downtime, he enjoys watching sports games, especially basketball and soccer, on TV.

Rosiane Torres is a digital marketing and sales professional. Originally from Brazil, she moved to Canada in July 2022 to pursue new opportunities and expand her horizons. Rosiane holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and is currently pursuing a Certificate in Business and Marketing at York University to enhance her education and stay on top of industry trends.

Rosiane believes that by embracing diverse perspectives and promoting inclusivity, organizations can foster creativity, innovation, and collaboration among their team members.

Outside of work, Rosiane loves to watch movies and explore new places and cultures. She believes that immersing herself in different experiences helps her to grow both personally and professionally.

Sonia Thiara is an experienced Human Resources professional who values living and working in service to others. She supports people to reach their goals with positivity and compassion. She has held leadership roles in retail management and health care.

Sonia was raised in Calgary and is a proud University of Calgary alum, having received her BA in Psychology. As a lifelong learner, she has gone on to earn her HR certificate from MRU and most recently has become a Certified Talent Management Practitioner and hopes to continue expanding and growing professionally.

Sonia has always been interested in learning about other people’s stories and backgrounds, from her days in the International Student’s Association to her work with helping foreign trained immigrants gain experience in their field in Canada. She continues to be an active volunteer in her community.

Along with her husband, Sonia is the parent of two amazing humans, grandmom to a precious pup, and loves spending time with family and friends. Yoga is an integral part of her health and fitness journey, and music and dancing fill her soul.

Thanuja Thananayagam is a Sri Lankan-born antiracism practitioner with over two decades of dedicated experience in holistic human resources. She is a seasoned professional expert in various facets of the field and her journey encompasses talent acquisition, talent management, equity, diversity, and inclusion, all centred around cultivating an environment where every individual feels a sense of belonging. Thanuja’s passion for fostering inclusivity and fairness has led her to become a prominent advocate for equity and diversity, consistently driving initiatives that bridge gaps and promote understanding.

Beyond her HR expertise, Thanuja holds an MBA and MEd and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. She is a devoted antiracism researcher presently engaged in the research phase of her Ph.D., further exemplifying her commitment to dismantling systemic prejudices and generating knowledge that fosters meaningful change. Her research focuses on challenges faced by immigrant women of colour in navigating the Canadian job market. She hopes that her research findings will shed light on the need for an intersectional approach to federal policy decisions.

As a mental health advocate, she’s a board member of GenWell, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting human connection. She’s also a member of the advisory council of ElevateHer, a program that advances gender equity and promotes inclusive workplace practices that support women’s career advancement and leadership.

As Project Manager at CCDI, Jen brings over a decade of leadership experience, guiding cross-functional initiatives that are shaping the future of the organization. She’s passionate about turning strategy into action, with a focus on creating lasting, meaningful impact.

Throughout her career, Jen has led transformative initiatives, like securing the first-ever B Corp certification in Canada’s swim school industry. She’s a firm believer in the power of collaboration—knowing that when businesses and communities work together with purpose, everyone thrives.

A lover of learning and growth, Jen embraces challenges and strives to push beyond her comfort zone. Her goal is to inspire bold action for positive change, whether it’s through leading projects or speaking at national and regional conferences on sustainability and DEI, where she encourages others to make an impact in their own communities and workplaces.

Outside of work, Jen enjoys quality time with her family—especially her two adventurous boys—exploring the outdoors, crafting, and embarking on epic superhero missions.

With seven years of experience, Evanne Souchette specializes in training, consulting, and implementing effective diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies. She excels in facilitation, leveraging strong communication and problem-solving abilities. She has a proven track record in developing impactful training content and workshops that enhance cultural competence and promote equity awareness. Her approach integrates policy development to align with DEI best practices, fostering inclusive organizational cultures.

In 2020, she was part of the United Nations fellowship for People of African Descent, she was also a member of the Youth Advisory Committee of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.

Trained in visual arts, she is interested in the promotion and protection of cultural rights.

She has designed and facilitated programs aimed at enhancing equitable representation in the arts sector, contributing to the creation of a more inclusive and diverse artistic environment.

In her spare time, Evanne works hard to fill her apartment with as many plants as possible.

Ashley is the Manager and Lead Facilitator of CCDI’s youth education initiative, See Different, a certification program and national network for youth in Canada aged 15-26. In this role, she designs and delivers interactive programs that help young people across Canada build leadership skills, challenge inequity, and create change in their schools and communities.

She holds a master’s degree in international relations from McMaster University and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education at Ontario Tech University, with a focus on Indigenous youth, digital belonging, and community-driven learning spaces. Multilingual and multicultural, Ashley spent over six years living and working abroad, where she learned to speak French, Spanish, and Japanese. She is currently working hard to learn Mi’kmaw.

Now living in Nova Scotia with her partner and their two dogs, Millie and Watson, Ashley brings heart, humour, and a deep commitment to creating spaces where young people feel seen, supported, and trusted to lead on their own terms.

As the Specialist, Research and Knowledge Solutions for the Learning and Knowledge Solutions team at the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), Anna Lendvai coordinates the development of CCDI’s toolkits, educational guides, and other resources available to Employer Partners and the public.

Born and raised in Calgary, Anna Lendvai is a graduate of Mount Royal University’s Bissett School of Business with a dual major in Human Resources (honours) and General Management. During her time at MRU, Anna completed an honours thesis titled “Seeking a ‘decisive’ leader: The role of stereotype threat and self-efficacy in women’s leadership application intentions”, which explored gendered language in leadership job postings and its effect on women’s application intentions. This project earned Anna three awards: The Library Individual Research Excellence Award, the BBA Honours Thesis Award, and Best Presentation, Faculty of Business and Communication Studies at MRU’s Research and Scholarship Days. Before CCDI, Anna worked with the Alberta Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub and co-authored a report titled “Disrupting Capital Through the Crowd: A Case Study of Innovation in Rewards-Based Crowdfunding for Women Entrepreneurs”. Anna is passionate about research and its potential for answering the world’s complex questions.

In her spare time, Anna enjoys puzzles, baking, and exploring with her rescue dog Megan.

Justin is a graphic designer with experience in providing creative leadership and thoughtful art direction to progressive organizations. He is passionate about creating distinct visual work and branding, intuitively capturing the essence of an idea or message. He provides value by translating strategic objectives into captivating graphic design materials that drive business goals.

Graduating from OCAD University with a Bachelor of Design degree, Justin has a depth of experience in graphic design and the implementation of campaigns, branding, and strategic communications, working with organizations to help them tell the story of who they are and what they do. Through a combination of creativity and cultural awareness, he creates meaningful, engaging, and innovative work that helps elevate the presence of an organization.

Over the past few years, Justin has made it his goal to continuously learn new skills and evolve in new directions. To complement his graphic design skills, he is expanding his knowledge through education and training, and he is looking forward to continuing to develop his professional skills in digital marketing.

Justin believes that organizations can promote creativity, innovation, and collaboration among their team members by embracing inclusivity and welcoming diverse perspectives.

In his personal time, Justin enjoys spending time with his family, going on road trips across Canada, and hiking in the mountains of British Columbia.

MacKenzie Pudwell is a part of our Learning & Knowledge Solutions team and is responsible for managing our business-to-consumer (B2C) programs, from development to full implementation. Additionally, she oversees the development of curriculum and content related to the individual DEI learning content and DEI practitioner engagement activities.

MacKenzie started her DEI journey with CCDI and was most recently part of CCDI Consulting as the IDEA Learning Programs Manager. While there, she was responsible for managing all the DEI for Individual programs.

MacKenzie uses her lived experience and education to facilitate the topics of gender and 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion. She is extremely passionate about inclusive events and spaces, allyship, and investment in lifelong learning on IDEA topics. She loves sharing her knowledge and learning from the many folks she meets along the way in this inclusive journey.

When not working, you can find MacKenzie volunteering, baking, or in the mountains, come rain or shine.