Our Leadership Team
Our leadership team brings a wealth of expertise from the public, private, and social sectors to WES’ unique intersection of education, workforce development, philanthropy, policy, advocacy, and research. Passionate and committed, team members work together to further the global mobility and success of immigrants, refugees, international students, and their communities.
Our Leadership
CEO and Executive Director
Esther Benjamin
CEO and Executive Director
Esther T. Benjamin has been a global executive in the public, private, and civil society sectors for more than 25 years. Before joining WES as CEO and executive director, Esther worked with Laureate Education, Inc., a leading global higher education organization. Esther served as the Associate Director for Global Operations of the U.S. Peace Corps, and held senior management roles with the International Youth Foundation and the International Partnership for Microbicides.
Managing Director Canada and
Deputy Executive Director
Shamira Madhany
Managing Director Canada and
Deputy Executive Director
Shamira Madhany joined WES in 2018 after more than two decades of government service in Ontario. Her last position was Assistant Deputy Minister for Health, Education, and Social Policy, in Cabinet Office. She also served as Chief Diversity and Accessibility Officer, ensuring that 62,000 employees met accessibility and inclusion goals. Shamira has extensive experience working with employer associations, licensing bodies, non-profit organizations, and the post-secondary sector. She served as the chief architect of several government programs that enable internationally educated professionals to obtain employment in their fields. Shamira is a guest lecturer at Queen’s University and the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She also serves on the boards of Windmill Microlending, Touchstone Institute, Herzing College Toronto, and the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC).
Chief People Officer
Abbie Cowan
Chief People Officer
Abbie Cowan is a human resources executive with decades of experience leading people strategy in the public and private sectors. For the past 10 years she’s been at Atos, a global leader in digital transformation. As Senior Vice President of HR and Global Chief Diversity Officer at Atos, Abbie worked closely with senior leaders and staff around the world. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She is also a certified executive coach and mentor. Abbie received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Warwick and a master’s degree from the University of Central England (now Birmingham City University).
Chief Operations Officer
Cheryl Cramer Toto
Chief Operations Officer
Cheryl Cramer Toto has spent over two decades in operational leadership and business transformation in the private sector and with non-profit organizations. Before joining WES as COO Cheryl served as President and CEO of the Marketing Science Institute. Cheryl also spent ten years at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt where she helped to turn a paper-based educational publishing house into one of the sector’s digital pioneers.
Senior Director, Strategy & Planning
Megan Blackburn
Senior Director, Strategy & Planning
Megan Blackburn joined WES in 2019, bringing over 15 years of experience in higher education as well as the public and private sector. Before joining WES as the Senior Director for Strategy and Planning, she worked at Laureate Education, Inc on the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences Miami campus and Monash South Africa in Johannesburg. She also spent time in the public sector at U.S. Peace Corps, U.S. HELP Commission, and U.S. Senate.
Chief Social Impact Officer
Monica Munn
Chief Social Impact Officer
Monica Munn joined WES in 2019, bringing over a decade of experience leading social impact and economic development initiatives in the philanthropic, social enterprise, and private sectors. Monica oversees WES’ social impact and philanthropic initiatives, including the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, funding partnerships, and corporate philanthropy. Previously, Monica held several positions at the Rockefeller Foundation and worked at Next Street, a social enterprise that drives equitable economic and community development. She currently serves on the steering committee of the Workforce Matters Funders Network.
Chief Financial Officer
Niteese Lenton
Chief Financial Officer
Niteese Lenton joined WES in October 2024. She brings more than 25 years of financial leadership experience in the automotive and logistics sectors, including a distinguished career at Ford Motor Company in the U.S. and overseas, serving as Finance Director for the Middle East and Africa.
Before joining WES, she was the Group Chief Financial Officer at Averda International, a prominent waste management and recycling company in the Middle East, where she led the finance team, investment strategy, and supported sustainability initiatives. Niteese holds an MBA in Finance from Florida A&M University.
Board of Trustees
Board Chair
Sidney R. Hargro
Board Chair
Sidney Hargro is the executive director of the Leaders Trust. He is the former executive director of Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia and the Community Foundation of South Jersey. He has also served as the Senior Officer of Strategy and Organizational Learning at The Columbus Foundation, the nation’s 7th largest community foundation. He is the author of “Lessons Learned,” a chapter in the Foundation Center’s fundraising guide After the Grant: A Nonprofit’s Guide to Good Stewardship. Sidney served on the Board of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, as well as the boards of regional and national organizations including Wells Fargo Regional Foundation and CDC, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, New Jersey Council for the Humanities, and the advisory committee of the New Jersey Nature Conservancy. He is a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Ohio State University, and the United Theological Seminary.
Board Vice-Chair
Fanta Aw
Board Vice-Chair
Fanta Aw is Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. She has been a dedicated member and leader within NAFSA since 1996. From 2013 to 2016, she served as NAFSA’s President and Board Chair. Fanta is a recognized and highly respected figure in the fields of international education and higher education administration.
Fanta has dedicated her academic studies and professional career to the American University in Washington, D.C., where she received several degrees. Her accomplishments include a bachelor’s degree in accounting, a master’s in public administration with a specialization in organizational development, and a doctorate in sociology with a focus on international education, social stratification, and transnational migration.
At American University Fanta previously held the position of Vice President for Undergraduate Enrollment, Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence, and she has been recognized as an award-winning teacher having fulfilled her role of Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer at the university’s School of International Service.
Board Treasurer
Feridun Hamdullahpur
Board Treasurer
A professor of mechanical engineering, Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur has served as an educator and leader over the span of a more than 35-year career in research and higher education. In 2021, Feridun retired following ten impactful years as the sixth President and Vice Chancellor of University of Waterloo. Feridun previously served as the Provost and Vice-President Academic and as the Vice President Research and International at Carleton University in Ottawa. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Istanbul in Türkiye.
Board Secretary
Helen Hayward
Board Secretary
Helen Hayward was born and educated in Hong Kong and came to Canada as an international student. She has a successful track record of advising and leading change in high profile and complex environments. In 2018, Helen retired as a National Partner with Western Management Consultants (WMC), a Canadian management consulting and executive search firm. She was previously with Mercer Delta International Organizational Consulting, a consulting firm based in New York. As a Certified Management Consultant, she has consulted extensively with national, provincial, and municipal governments and their agencies. She serves on multiple health care, justice, and education boards.
Board Member
Kamal Bhattacharya
Board Member
Kamal Bhattacharya is a computer scientist and technology executive with a notable career spanning academia and industry. He co-founded and serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Future, a company dedicated to empowering individuals to make positive impacts on climate change. He is also the Vice-Rector for Research & Transfer at IU International University, where he also serves as a Professor of Computer Science.
Prior to that he co-founded Advancity, an edtech company, served as Chief Innovation Officer at Safaricom PLC, Kenya’s leading telecommunications company, was a commissioner of the Pathways for Prosperity platform, Kenya country manager for IGC, CEO of the iHub in Nairobi and served as Vice President at IBM Research and Director of IBM Research – Africa, where he led initiatives to address key challenges in the region through technological innovation.
Bhattacharya holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Göttingen University in Germany. His career reflects a commitment to leveraging technology for societal advancement, particularly in emerging markets.
Board Member
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
Board Member
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup. He is responsible for leading the Center of Excellence for Assessment and Analytics, developing data-driven solutions and insight to create new value for clients and candidates by driving predictable performance. Tomas is passionate about leveraging people, analytics, and assessment to help individuals understand themselves better and companies better understand their people.
He was previously CEO at Hogan Assessments, a leader in personality assessment, leadership, and organizational effectiveness.
Tomas is also a Professor of Business Psychology at University College London and Visiting Professor at Columbia University in New York. He has written 10 books and published over 150 scientific papers on the psychology of talent, leadership, innovation, and artificial intelligence, and has been recognized by the American Psychological Association, the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Board Member
Donna Daniels
Board Member
Donna Daniels is CEO of Possibility Labs, an organization dedicated to creating frameworks for societal well-being. With a background in cultural anthropology, Daniels has experience in higher education, venture capital, market research, social entrepreneurship, and philanthropy. Previously, she was Vice President at the Heron Foundation and RSF Social Finance, and Interim Executive Director at Social Venture Network. She has also worked in market research at Iconoculture and as a consultant. A former professor at Duke and Columbia Universities, Daniels specializes in supporting communities of color with hands-on efforts to build a regenerative economy. She holds a PhD from Stanford, an MA from Yale, and a BA from Haverford.
Board Member
Caroline Gayle
Board Member
Caroline Gayle is an experienced IT, business, and technology transformation leader. She is the Managing Director for the Technology Financial Service Practice at Accenture Canada, where she has spent more than 21 years. She has extensive experience implementing large and small systems projects, as well as 22 years of IT experience in all industries. Over the course of her career, she has earned several awards recognizing her excellence as a leader, women’s advocate, and mentor, including the 2019 Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) Mentorship Award and the Canadian Inspirational Leader Award. Caroline earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of the West Indies (Mona) and an MBA from Golden Gate University.
Board Member
Joanna Harries
Board Member
Joanna Harries is the Senior Vice President of Expansion at Endeavor Global, the world’s leading organization working with high-impact entrepreneurs in more than 30 countries. Endeavor identifies, mentors, and co-invests in entrepreneurs that build world-class businesses and grow entrepreneurial ecosystems. The organization has tripled its footprint over the last decade. Joanna has launched Endeavor offices across the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. Prior to Endeavor, Joanna was an Acumen Fellow working in Mumbai and a brand manager at Unilever. Joanna is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University’s School of Business and Economics. She has been recognized as a Kauffman Fellow and serves on the advisory board for the Lazaridis Institute
Board Member
Ajay Patel
Board Member
Ajay Patel, President and CEO of Vancouver Community College (VCC), the oldest public post-secondary institution in British Columbia, is a distinguished leader in the education sector. With a career spanning over two decades, Ajay has been instrumental in guiding VCC since 2019. An esteemed alumnus of VCC-Langara and the University of British Columbia, his expertise extends from competitive sports leadership to academic administration. Recognized as the City of Vancouver’s Volunteer of the Year and a Top 25 Canadian Immigrant, Ajay’s contributions reflect his deep commitment to inclusivity and community enrichment. His transformative impact in international education and notable roles in various sports organizations demonstrate his dedication to societal progress. At VCC, Ajay’s strategic vision and dedication to community development and educational excellence are shaping a dynamic and inclusive future on both local and global stages.
Board Member
Julie Reddy
Board Member
Julie Reddy is the former Chief Executive Officer of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), where she held senior management positions since 2012. She previously served in senior management and leadership roles for over 30 years in the international and South African education, skills development, and civil society sectors.
Over the years, Julie has worked at numerous national and international entities, including the National Skills Authority and the Human Resource Development Council in South Africa.
Julie has participated in or worked on various UNESCO and other global initiatives. She is currently a UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning International Juror for its Learning City Award and a director on the board of the Groningen Declaration Network. In 2022, the Minister of Basic Education designated her the Deputy Chair of the South African National Commission for UNESCO. Her appointment to the World Education Services Board of Trustees began in 2023.
Julie received a Master of Science (as a Fulbright scholar) and a doctoral degree, both from Cornell University.
Board Member
Paolo Varias
Board Member
Paolo Varias is a registered nurse who is currently serving as Associate Director of Clinical and Support Services for Niagara Region in Southern Ontario. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Philippines and a Master of Science in Aging and Health from Queen’s University in Canada. He is currently pursuing McGill University’s International Masters for Health Leadership. He has studied the impact of universal health care programs and contributed to an international USAID project. Before becoming Associate Director, Paolo held several leadership positions in long-term care facilities. He also has broad knowledge and experience in managing and leading health operations in primary healthcare and public health. He was a former Fellow of Health Policy Development Program (HPDP) and a current surveyor at Canadian Centre for Accreditation (CCA). In 2014, he immigrated to Canada and began the process of becoming licensed as a nurse. He received his registration from the College of Nurses of Ontario in 2016.
Paolo is a passionate healthcare advocate committed to challenging systemic barriers facing internationally educated health professionals (IEHPs).
Board Member
Aaron Williams
Board Member
Aaron Williams has extensive experience in the strategic design and management of assistance programs in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In addition to his role as Director of the Peace Corps, he was for 22 years a diplomat and senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he reached the rank of career minister in the Senior Foreign Service. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of directors of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, and ChildFund International, as well as the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs’ Advisory Board. Aaron has also served on the board of directors for the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, CARE, the National Peace Corps Association, and the Institute for Sustainable Communities. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Chicago State University, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
CEO and Executive Director
Esther Benjamin
CEO and Executive Director
Esther T. Benjamin has been a global executive in the public, private, and civil society sectors for more than 25 years. Before joining WES as CEO and executive director, Esther worked with Laureate Education, Inc., a leading global higher education organization. Esther served as the Associate Director for Global Operations of the U.S. Peace Corps, and held senior management roles with the International Youth Foundation and the International Partnership for Microbicides.