Mastercard Foundation Transitions Fund Governance Council

The role of the governance council is to approve activities and projects that are funded by the McGill Mastercard Foundation Transitions Fund. There are seven (7) non-permanent voting members of the Mastercard Foundation Transitions Fund Governance Council who review and allot funds for the “Startup Stream” projects of between $1000-5000, and “Partnership Stream” projects of above $5000.  

Members

Biographies

Fanta Ly

Fanta Ly is a third-year law student and Co-President of the McGill Black Law Students’ Association. She holds an MSc. from the London School of Economics (LSE), specializing in African economic development, a Certificate in Social Sciences and Humanities from Sciences Po Paris, and an Honours Bachelor in Political science from the University of Ottawa. Her familial roots hailing from the Futa Tooro (Sénégal) to the Futa Djallon (Guinea), paired with her multicultural upbringing, have nurtured her interest in education law and reform, African diasporic initiatives, and the praxis of Black solidarity and economic empowerment. 

She is passionate about African affairs and has participated in various projects and initiatives. Namely, she: attended the Model African Union Simulation in Reims France, the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS) African Development Forum, the LSE Africa Summit, and the Oxford Africa Business Forum. Fanta also worked as a Junior Policy Analyst in the Pan-African Affairs Division at Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and as a compliance officer at the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED). Fanta is an avid writer and researcher. She conducted a research project on the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. At LSE, she worked as a research assistant on presumptive taxation schemes of African Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and at McGill, she is currently a research assistant in the areas of international labour law, employment, and human rights. Fanta is excited to join the Council at a time when the African Continental Free Trade Agreement(AfCFTA) is poised to (re)shape labor markets and facilitate domestic resource mobilization opportunities on the continent. 

Dr. Horace Laryea 

Dr. Horace Laryea (McGill MD’73) is a member of the McGill Community for Lifelong Learning (MCLL). He is a licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada and a certified fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Internal Medicine and Hematology. He has been working as Assistant Professor of Medicine and Oncology at McGill since 1984 and is an Associate Physician at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). He has also worked at the Lakeshore Hospital in Pointe Claire in the department of Medicine from 1978 to 2018 where he was director of the Blood Bank and served as Chief of Internal Medicine from 1992-2002. 

Dr. Laryea has also served on Advisory boards for many Pharmaceutical companies including, Amgen, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis and others. He has served as the President of the Canadian Sickle Cell Society as well as a Board member for the Black Community Resource Centre of Montreal. He is an elected fellow of the Ghana College of Physicians and surgeons and remains the Chairman of the Board for the Ghana/Canada House Inc. In 1988 Dr. Horace was awarded the recognition of Professional of the Year by the Montreal Association of Black Business Persons and Professionals (MABBP). 

Ismael Ouale Fanny 

Ismael Ouale Fanny is an Investment Officer for the Caribbean region at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Co-Founder of Kajou, a Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) aiming to revamp the cashew industry in West Africa. Ismael engages with partners across Anglophone and Francophone networks, including in Côte d'Ivoire, his country of origin, Benin, Haiti, and Canada. Prior to joining IFC, he was managing Platinum Consulting, a boutique consulting firm specialized in quantitative analysis. He is an actuary by training and worked in this field several years before deciding to focus on investment. In 2009, he also co-founded F.N.M. Food Inc., an international trade SME aiming to make African cuisine more accessible. Ismael holds an MBA in Finance from McGill University and a BS in Mathematics, from the Université de Montréal. 

Marjorie Leon

Marjorie Leon is a member of the McGill Community for Lifelong Learning (MCLL). She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), an experienced and innovative Financial and General Manager, strong leader, team builder, negotiator, and problem solver. She has over 30 years of varied experience in business and government. She was chief financial officer (CFO) for 10 years prior to retiring of manufacturing and research and development (R&D) firms in the communications industry. She was Chairperson and member of Board of Directors of Financial Cooperative for 12 years. 
In addition to her CPA, she is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and has a BA with a major in Economics from the University of Toronto. Her retirement interests are social justice and international development. 

Natasha Alani 

Natasha Alani is Chief Operating Officer (COO) at J.W. McConnell Foundation. Natasha completed an MBA with a concentration in Strategy at McGill University and has an undergraduate degree in Finance. As a fellow for the Marcel Desautels Institute for Integrated Management, Natasha worked on the Social Innovator's Integration Lab. Natasha started her career in finance, which included working on Mergers and Acquisitions in Boston. She later led an international ethnographic design research study to understand the impact of illiteracy on the growing technological divide in rural communities. This led to the development and publishing of design principles shared by Adaptive Path, an international design consultancy. Natasha's journey in social justice began in San Francisco where she led two businesses in the city's downtown core, which provided on the job training for employees experiencing severe mental illness. 

Natasha also founded a sustainable food services company, Kiffin, which served organizations like C2 Montreal and McKinsey Consulting in their efforts to promote sustainability and social justice through food. Natasha served as the President of the Desautels African Business Initiative (DABI) and has been featured in the Globe and Mail for her pursuit of social innovation with a business lens. She has lived and worked from Boston to San Francisco and from China to Uganda. She now oversees operations at the McConnell Foundation, a leader in Canadian social innovation and social finance.

Sinikhiwe Niki Maphosa 

Sinikhiwe Niki Maphosa is the Director of Finance and Administration at the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) at McGill University. Originally from Zimbabwe, where she graduated with a B. Comm Hons. Marketing, Niki is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA) with over 15 years of experience in accounting and financial management. She is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA). She is a strategic thinker and has a proven track record in driving results in a collaborative manner. She is recognized for her ability to lead complex transformational projects, a strong work ethic, and leading diverse multi-disciplinary teams. 

Niki possesses a deep knowledge of all aspects of the finance discipline including strategic planning and multi-year budgeting. She also has expertise in organizational change management, resource allocation, and management of government grants. 

Shobhita Soor 

Shobhita Soor is President, Ghana & Co-Founder at Aspire Food Group/Legendary Foods, a disruptive business that aims to innovate and advance responsible insect farming and consumption. Recipient of the prestigious Hult Prize, Aspire’s founders recognized the importance of alternative protein sources, due to population growth’s impacts on water and arable land. With offices in Canada, Mexico, Ghana, and the US, Aspire aims to make insect protein more accessible, bringing it to dinner tables around the world. 

At Aspire, Shobhita develops business strategies that comply with the cultures of potential markets. She also executes projects to educate rural farmers in insect farming and breaking through into formal economies. She received a joint law and finance degree (BCL/LLB/MBA) from McGill University in 2015.