Alumni Association

Teo Salgado, UTMAA President  
(HBA 1997 UTM) 

Principal, VerveSmith Independent Educational Consultants 

Teo Salgado is the Principal of VerveSmith Independent Educational Consultants where he uses his more than 20 years of experience in higher education to provide comprehensive, personalized admissions counseling to students, and their families, interested in secondary and post-secondary options in North American and the world. 

 Teo is the UTMAA President since 2025. He has served as a Director on the UTMAA since 2020. Service to his community is second nature for Teo. He has a long history of involvement with the University of Toronto community since he was a student when he was awarded a Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award in recognition of his volunteerism and leadership. As an alumnus, he’s supported student success as a mentor, panelist and keynote speaker. His popular sessions on writing a personal statement have influenced more than 700 students and young alumni looking to apply to graduate school. In 2020, Teo was recognized for his outstanding volunteer contributions with a U of T Arbor Award, the university’s highest honour given to volunteers for their contributions to U of T.   

In addition to his Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto Mississauga, Teo earned a Master of Arts in Political Science from McGill University. He holds a graduate certificate in college counselling from the University of California, Los Angeles and a project management certificate from U of T School of Continuing Studies.  

Fatima Ul-Haq, UTMAA Past President 

(HBSc 2007 UTM) 

Director, Health System Strategy, Design and Engagement, Ontario Health 

Fatima Ul-Haq is the Director, Health System Strategy, Design and Engagement for Ontario Health where she provides leadership for the development of health system planning, integration, coordination, service innovation across the Toronto region, including community engagement, patient and caregiver engagement and co-design ensuring a health equity lens. 

Fatima is the UTMAA’s Past President after serving on the Board for over nine years. Fatima is an enthusiastic supporter of student success at UTM. She has served as an alumni mentor, orientation week speaker, keynote speaker and as an alumni volunteer at numerous student-alumni events. As an alumna from the Psychology program at UTM, Fatima moderated an alumni lecture featuring UTM Psychology Professor Loren Martin and his research on the science of pain. 

Fatima holds an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto Mississauga and a Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law, from York University. 

Asif Mohammed, UTMAA Director 

(HBA 2001 UTM) 

Partner, Risk, Performance and Technology Advisory Services, Richter 

Asif Mohammed is Partner of Risk, Performance and Technology advisory services for Richter where he is responsible for practice strategy, oversight and delivery of services. He has over 20 years of progressive experience in building sustainable programs surrounding business and technology challenges. In addition to his role at Richter, Asif teaches as an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Waterloo School of Accounting and Finance. He is the Past-President of the ISACA Toronto Chapter, an international professional association focused on IT governance, and served on the Board of Directors for the University of Waterloo’s Centre for Information Integrity and Information Systems Assurance for nearly a decade. 

Asif joined the UTMAA as a Director in 2022. Since then, he was selected to serve as a community member on the U of T Mississauga Campus Council that oversees the academic, business and student affairs of the campus and, most recently, appointed to the Governing Council College of Electors to help oversee the election of the University’s Chancellor and alumni members of the Governing Council. As an alumni volunteer, Asif uses his extensive career experience and talent to support students and new graduates as an alumni mentor. 

Asif graduated from the University of Toronto Mississauga with an Honours Bachelor of Arts. He received an Executive Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University Smith School of Business along with a certificate in responsible leadership. 

Farhan Ali Khan, UTMAA Director 

(BCom 2004 UTM, MBA 2008 Rotman) 

Executive Vice President & Chief Revenue Officer, LendCare, goeasy Ltd. 

Farhan Ali Khan is the Executive Vice President & Chief Revenue Officer, LendCare, at goeasy Ltd. Farhan has more than a decade of experience in the investment banking industry in Toronto, primarily at RBC, progressively achieving senior roles. He made the leap to join a client and become an operator and business builder.   

Farhan joined the UTMAA Board as a director in 2022, bringing his many years of experience serving on business and non-profit boards. He continues to be actively involved as an alumni volunteer for both UTM and Rotman as a mentor, speaker and participant. 

Farhan graduated from the University of Toronto Mississauga with a Bachelor of Commerce and went on to complete his Master of Business Administration from Rotman at U of T. 

Hamza Ansari, UTMAA Director 

(HBSc 2014 UTM) 

Head of Global Partnerships, HelpAge Canada 

Hamza Ansari leads the Global Partnerships Unit at HelpAge Canada where he is the government relations lead with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada on humanitarian, development and advocacy to increase engagement on global issues that affect the lives of older people. He works closely with counterparts at Help Age International (UK) and country offices in over 93 countries to support emergencies, international development and advocacy with the Government of Canada (Global Affairs Canada), Civil Society and multilateral organizations.  

Hamza joined the Board as a director in 2025. Before his time on the UTMAA, he supported student success as an alumni panelist with the UTM Career Centre, mentored students and recent grads and volunteered with the U of T Ten Thousand Coffees Hub.  

While attending UTM as a student, he enjoyed representing students and working with administration as Vice President, University Affairs and Academics, UTMSU. He credits his extracurricular involvement at UTM as the inspiration to pursue a career in international relations. 

Hamza holds an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto Mississauga where he majored in in Political Science and Biology. He attended Columbia Law School for Mediation, Conflict Resolution and Negotiations between countries at the UN and went on to study International Relations and National Security at Harvard University. 

Joanna Rutkowska, UTMAA Director 

(HBA 2018 UTM) 

Program Advisory Specialist, Ministry of Finance  

Joanna Rutkowska works as a Program Advisory Specialist for the Ministry of Finance and has several years of experience in various roles with the Government of Ontario. She is the Co-Chair of the Tomorrow Ontario Public Service (TOPS) London Chapter where the team fosters an inclusive culture of engagement, learning, leadership, and professional development in the Ontario Public Service.  

Before joining the UTMAA as a Director in 2025, Joanna had a long history of volunteerism at UTM and beyond. She developed a passion for mentorship that inspired her to mentor students and recent graduates as an alumni mentor at UTM and with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel. She has volunteered with SASTB Anti-Black Racism Committee at MCCSS, was the administration, finance and stakeholders co-lead for the Attorney General’s Victim Services Awards of Distinction, and a member of the social committee at the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee with MAG. 

She graduated from the University of Toronto Mississauga in 2018 with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, Sociology and Political Science. As a student, she received the Principal’s Involvement Award and the Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award for her community engagement. 

Joey Santiago, UTMAA Director 

(BSc 2011 UTM) 

Manager, Data & Analytical Insights, Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada 

Joey Santiago holds the title of Manager, Data & Analytical Insights at the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI). He brings over a decade of experience in risk management and the financial services sector. 

Joey joined the UTMAA as a director in 2023. He has a passion for coaching young professionals and post-secondary students with their professional and academic careers, and volunteers his time as an alumni mentor to help new graduates succeed. He is also an active volunteer at U of T Scarborough, working closely with the Management Co-op department. 

In addition to his Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto Mississauga, Joey holds certificates in Big Data Analytics, Data Modeling & Warehousing, and Advanced Data Science & Predictive Analytics, Artificial Intelligence from York University. 

Mohamed Sidibé, UTMAA Director 

(BCom 2016 UTM) 

Equity Research Analyst, National Bank Financial 

Mohamed Sidibé is a Certified Professional Accountant who works as an Equity Research Analyst at National Bank Financial. With several years of experience in Audit and Capital Markets, he updates financial models to develop investment recommendations.  

Joining the Board as a director in 2024, Mohamed brings a wealth of experiences, including serving as an alumni mentor in several mentorship programs, an alumni panelist for the UTM Black Excellence Orientation, a case competition judge for UTM’s annual Ready, Set, Market event, and a volunteer with Rotman Commerce Capital Markets Night.  

Mohamed came to Canada as an international student after having lived in four different countries in Africa. He pursued accounting at UTM to better understand the language of business and to give him the opportunity to work in any industry of his liking. During his time at UTM, Mohamed held leadership roles as President of the Undergraduate Commerce Society and a Teaching Assistant for Business Finance.  

His commitment to volunteering extends into his professional career. Mohamed actively participates in various events, demonstrating his dedication to community engagement.   

Nicole Danesi, UTMAA Director 

(HBA 2016 UTM) 

Senior Director, Strategic Storytelling and Communications, Kids Help Phone  

Nicole Danesi is fueled by the ambition to build a better world. With more than a decade of experience as a leader in marketing and communications at CanadaHelps, Canada’s largest online giving platform, she now works as the Senior Director of Strategic Storytelling and Communications at Kids Help Phone.  

Before joining the UTMAA as a Director in 2025, Nicole spent many years volunteering at UTM as an alumni mentor and speaker sharing her industry expertise and supporting students on their journey to discover their professional interests. In addition, she volunteers with CivicAction, Food Banks Mississauga and GivingTuesday Canada. She’s received numerous awards in recognition for her community engagement. 

Nicole graduated from the University of Toronto Mississauga with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Culture, Information Technology and Environmental Management and a certificate in Digital Communications, Communication, Culture, Information and Technology from Sheridan College. She completed certificates in Brand Management and Digital marketing Management from the U of T School of Continuing Studies. 

Sarah Girgis, UTMAA Board Member 

(BCom 2019 UTM) 

Manager, Canada Life 

After graduating as UTM’s Class of 2019 Valedictorian, Sarah started her career as an External Auditor at KPMG. Shortly thereafter, she achieved her Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) Designation and joined Deloitte’s Finance and Performance practice to continue her career in one of the best consulting environments.  

Sarah currently works as a Manager for Canada Life where she specializes in distribution strategy. She also holds several Teaching Assistant positions across upper-year classes at UTM, the Graduate Diploma Program at Rotman School of Management, and Rotman Commerce. 

Sarah joined the Board as a Director in 2023 after many years of service to U of T. As an alumni volunteer, Sarah has served in numerous roles, including as an alumni mentor, a member of the UTM Student Leadership Award Selection Committee, an alumni speaker at U of T’s annual Alumni Reunion, a case competition judge, a Rotman Industry Expert, and an alumni panelist for the UTM Career Centre’s annual Sweats to Suits Conference. In February 2024, Sarah hosted a session on financial literacy for new graduates. 

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto Mississauga and a Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting from the Rotman School of Management.     

Dr. Sheliza Ibrahim, UTMAA Director 

(HBA 2001 UTM) 

Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream; Numeracy 

Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy 

Faculty Advisor, Mississauga Academy of Medicine  

Dr. Sheliza Ibrahim is an experienced educator with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. As a research professional, she is skilled in science education, mathematics education, STEM initiatives, teaching, higher education, professional communication and public speaking. She currently serves as an assistant professor, teaching stream at the Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy at the University of Toronto Mississauga.  

Dr. Ibrahim has served as a director on the UTMAA Board of Directors since 2021. In addition to her role on the UTMAA, she actively volunteers as an alumni mentor, panelist and speaker for students at UTM. She brings her passion for STEM and communications to her role as a mentor with the UTM Women in Science and Computing Club Mentorship Program where she provides a space to be open about how to navigate academia. 

Dr. Ibrahim graduated from the University of Toronto Mississauga with an Honours Bachelor of Arts, Queen’s University Belfast with a Master of Science in Science Communication, and a PhD in Science Education from York University. 

Sohaib Tariq, UTMAA Director 

(BCom 2003 UTM, MBA 2009 Rotman) 

Senior Director, Customer Value Management, Coupa Software 

Sohaib Tariq is a seasoned procurement professional, currently serving as the Senior Director of Customer Value Management at Coupa Software. His expertise lies in leading and supporting leading and supporting enterprise-level procurement transformation programs, adeptly navigating complex strategic, people, and operational challenges.   

After dedicating many years to serving as an alumni mentor and volunteer, Sohaib joined the UTMAA Board of Directors in 2024 

Sohaib completed his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto Mississauga and his Master of Business Administration in strategy and finance from U of T’s Rotman School of Management. During his time at UTM and Rotman, Sohaib stayed actively engaged with various student clubs and organizations.