About
WE
ARE
REBELS
DISRUPTORS
STRATEGISTS
DESIGNERS
ARTISTS
FUTURISTS
RESEARCHERS
ACTIVISTS
Mohamed Huque
SOCIAL IMPACT | STRATEGY
Mohamed has spent his entire career advancing social change, from grassroots organizations to global charities and has served the largest community-based funders in Canada and many of the world’s leading NGOs on programs that ranged from supporting micro-enterprises in Afghanistan to establishing agricultural co-operatives in Sudan. As a former charity executive, he helped develop Canada’s first national reading strategy & led a frontline social service agency serving low-income communities. He is a past Board Chair at Amnesty International Canada and Ariane de Rothschild Fellow at Cambridge University.
Mohamed has spent his entire career advancing social change, from grassroots organizations to global charities and has served the largest community-based funders in Canada and many of the world’s leading NGOs on programs that ranged from supporting micro-enterprises in Afghanistan to establishing agricultural co-operatives in Sudan. As a former charity executive, he helped develop Canada’s first national reading strategy & led a frontline social service agency serving low-income communities. He is a past Board Chair at Amnesty International Canada and Ariane de Rothschild Fellow at Cambridge University.
Sonia Chwalek
SYSTEMS | PROCESS & VISUAL DESIGN
With a deep commitment to human-centered design and innovation, Sonia's award winning work with Paradeigma showcases her capacity to shape solutions that resonate deeply with communities. Sonia’s empethatic facilitation skills coupled with her dedication to social-impact-driven organizations make her instrumental in ushering in emergent solutions. With a Master's degree in Strategic Foresight & Innovation from OCAD University, she aims to sculpt a future where systems are inherently supportive and life-enhancing.
With a deep commitment to human-centered design and innovation, Sonia's award winning work with Paradeigma showcases her capacity to shape solutions that resonate deeply with communities. Sonia’s empethatic facilitation skills coupled with her dedication to social-impact-driven organizations make her instrumental in ushering in emergent solutions. With a Master's degree in Strategic Foresight & Innovation from OCAD University, she aims to sculpt a future where systems are inherently supportive and life-enhancing.
Amanda Palmer
CIVC ENGAGEMENT | FACILITATION
Amanda believes in a future where citizens connect based on strengths to care for one another to ensure that everyone thrives for generations. She is a community facilitator who draws on the Art of Hosting and other participatory processes to help design and host conversations and community engagement sessions that deepen our understanding and connect our experiences to transformative change. Passionate about community development and civic engagement, Amanda has contributed to change efforts on food security, poverty reduction, social inclusion, anti-racism and decolonization, and climate action.
Amanda believes in a future where citizens connect based on strengths to care for one another to ensure that everyone thrives for generations. She is a community facilitator who draws on the Art of Hosting and other participatory processes to help design and host conversations and community engagement sessions that deepen our understanding and connect our experiences to transformative change. Passionate about community development and civic engagement, Amanda has contributed to change efforts on food security, poverty reduction, social inclusion, anti-racism and decolonization, and climate action.
Eva Oloumi
STRATEGY | FORESIGHT | COLLABORATION
Eva is the founder and practice lead of Paradeigma, and is known for guiding mission-driven organizations through transformative change. Her expertise in convening diverse stakeholder groups is evident through award-winning projects, reflecting a commitment to addressing critical global issues. With over 13 years of experience & an MBA from the Sprott School of Business, her approach ensures initiatives align with stakeholders’ values and objectives. Eva’s work underscores the power of collaborative strategy in shaping a better future.
Eva is the founder and practice lead of Paradeigma, and is known for guiding mission-driven organizations through transformative change. Her expertise in convening diverse stakeholder groups is evident through award-winning projects, reflecting a commitment to addressing critical global issues. With over 13 years of experience & an MBA from the Sprott School of Business, her approach ensures initiatives align with stakeholders’ values and objectives. Eva’s work underscores the power of collaborative strategy in shaping a better future.
Ehsan Dereyati
STRATEGY | INNOVATION | DISRUPTION
Ehsan is a strategy advisor and professor specializing in strategic management, innovation & disruption. His passion lies in harnessing collective genius to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Ehsan brings a decade of experience in the strategy field, augmented by his background in engineering along with insights from his work in the biotech and fintech sectors. Ehsan holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from John Molson School of Business in addition to an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Ehsan is a strategy advisor and professor specializing in strategic management, innovation & disruption. His passion lies in harnessing collective genius to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Ehsan brings a decade of experience in the strategy field, augmented by his background in engineering along with insights from his work in the biotech and fintech sectors. Ehsan holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from John Molson School of Business in addition to an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Gina Babinec
SOCIAL JUSTICE | COMMUNITY BUILDING
With extensive experience in program management and strategic leadership, Gina has made significant contributions to organizations such as the United Nations in Canada and Impact Hub Ottawa. Gina's expertise lies in fostering impactful partnerships, driving initiatives focused on gender equity, social justice, and economic empowerment. With a master's degree in Gender, Policy, and Inequalities from The London School of Economics and Political Science, Gina is passionate about making a difference in society.
With extensive experience in program management and strategic leadership, Gina has made significant contributions to organizations such as the United Nations in Canada and Impact Hub Ottawa. Gina's expertise lies in fostering impactful partnerships, driving initiatives focused on gender equity, social justice, and economic empowerment. With a master's degree in Gender, Policy, and Inequalities from The London School of Economics and Political Science, Gina is passionate about making a difference in society.
Emmy Pepper
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | ECONOMICS
With over 10 years of expertise in international development economics and finance and an MBA specializing in international development economics, Emmy’s extensive experience spans deal origination, investment analysis, and portfolio management, with a successful track record in fundraising for fund managers and early-stage enterprise. Passionate about fostering growth and mitigating risk, Emmy excels in financial modelling, risk assessment, & investor relations. She is dedicated to empowering mission driven organizations to thrive and make lasting impact in the global community.
With over 10 years of expertise in international development economics and finance and an MBA specializing in international development economics, Emmy’s extensive experience spans deal origination, investment analysis, and portfolio management, with a successful track record in fundraising for fund managers and early-stage enterprise. Passionate about fostering growth and mitigating risk, Emmy excels in financial modelling, risk assessment, & investor relations. She is dedicated to empowering mission driven organizations to thrive and make lasting impact in the global community.
Xuan Yen Cao
FOOD SECURITY
Aydin Shahidi
EXPERIENCE DESIGN | SOCIAL IMPACT | FACILITATION
Jackie Khayat
STRATEGY | TRANSFORMATION
We're not satisfied with the status quo.
We believe in better futures.
Beliefs that guide us:
We engage directly with the unavoidable, the unsolvable, and the unstoppable to understand, embrace and manage them. We resist against the trap of “either/or” fallacies to leverage seemingly opposing truths.
We greet challenges with the understanding that effectively tackling the most impossible challenges requires us to meet vast amounts of complexity with a requisite variety of perspectives. We develop strategies hand in hand with those most impacted by their outcomes and solutions are often the sum of diverse collective creativity
We view the capacity to engage in healthy conflict and making room for dissent as preconditions to creativity and innovation. Conflict aversion inhibits the ability to exercise full collaborative potential. We work to mitigate power imbalances to create space for constructive debate.
We are optimistic about the challenges we face and the positive impacts we can bring about – we don’t believe in being resigned to pessimism or defeat. We know that small changes upstream can have exponential ripple effects downstream. We’re here to make waves.
“In order to change an existing paradigm you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model.
You create a new model and make the old one obsolete.”
Buckminster Fuller