Board of Directors

Petra Kuret was the Head of Partnership at SkyHive – a for-profit, social impact B Corp that provides an AI end-to-end reskilling platform aimed at addressing unemployment in the world. Previously, Petra was the Senior Vice President of Business Transformation, driving innovation across the enterprise to ensure Vancity continues to deliver the greatest impact – to its members, communities, and employees in order to deliver the business results. Petra brings passion and energy to deliver strategic planning, innovation, operational excellence and change management in pursuit of transformation.

Petra enjoyed a successful 25-year career at Accenture as the Managing Director for British Columbia and serving clients across North America from both a consulting and outsourcing capacity. Petra has been recognized in Canada by being named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada in 2016 and 2017.

Petra dedicates many hours to organizations making contributions to the community. She currently serves as the Board Chair for the German Canadian Care Home overseeing the building and delivery of a new innovative care model for seniors. In the past, she has had leadership roles with Minerva, BC Women’s Hospital and BC Children’s Hospital as well as at her children’s school. Petra enjoys antiquing, cooking, travelling and exploring the outdoors. She is also trilingual.

Serena Mawani is a Faculty Member at KPU’s Melville School of Business. She is passionate about education, from the early years to adult and lifelong learners. Serena has spent much of her career in the financial services industry, leading various projects around change management and client acquisition and retention.

An avid community volunteer, Serena has experience with various levels of community service, including with the City of Burnaby, the Children’s Heart Network of BC, and as the Honourary Secretary for the Aga Khan Education Board for BC.

Serena holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia, a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Simon Fraser University, and a Master of Professional Education from Western University. 

Synthia is a proactive, driven business leader who has achieved tremendous success for global organizations in several industries, including technology, logistics, finance, real estate, and, most recently, law. Synthia’s career accomplishments in business strategy and leadership earned her recognition as one of Canada’s Best Executives in 2021 by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Magazine.

In her current role as Chief Operating Officer at Clark Wilson LLP, Synthia works closely with the executive committee and partnership to optimize organizational processes and deliver both the firm’s short and long-term strategic plans. She is also responsible for ensuring day-to-day decisions and the firm’s overall direction are aligned with its core values and empowering her reports to fulfill their potential through mentorship sessions.

Throughout her career, Synthia has been a passionate champion of Equity Diversity and Inclusion. She is the co-chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Advisory Committee. Since 2019 Synthia has mentored new immigrants to Canada as part of the Workplace connections mentoring program for MOSAIC.

Sylvia Ceacero has over 25 years of executive experience in non-profits. She has extensive experience in strategy, finance, HR, risk management, change management, governance, fundraising and more. Her experience expands from local non-profits, to national ones as well as charitable organizations with a focus on fund development.

Sylvia has a passion for volunteering her expertise on non-profit Boards and committees. She is currently a Board member for the Vancouver Communities Arts Council; a Committee member with the Laurier Institution as well as a member of the Civic Affairs Committee of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. Recently she served on the Board of Vantage Point and previously served as Co-Chair of the Tri-Cities Local Immigration Partnership and as VP of the TC Social and Communities Co-op.

Sylvia holds a Master’s of Business Administration from HEC Montreal, a Master’s in Political Science from McGill University, Executive Certificates in Strategy and Governance from Queen’s University as well as a Master’s Certificate in Risk Management.

Marie Bassey is an experienced risk and strategy professional with over 20 years of leadership across higher education, government, financial services, and the non-profit sector. She moved to Canada with her family in 2017 and has since achieved significant professional and personal milestones.

She is currently Associate Director of Enterprise Risk Management at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), where she works with executive leadership to strengthen the Institute’s ERM framework and embed risk-informed decision-making. Previously, Marie held senior risk roles with the Canada Revenue Agency and, in 2021, was appointed a Fellow in the Privy Council Office’s prestigious Impact Canada Fellowship Program, advancing national innovation priorities. She also contributed to business transformation at ICBC and earlier held progressive leadership positions in Nigeria’s banking sector.

Marie holds an MBA (Distinction) from Vancouver Island University, an MSc in International Management from the University of Hertfordshire, and the PMP, CRM, and Change Management Practitioner designations. She serves on the Board of the Women’s Economic Council and has volunteered with Dress for Success Vancouver, Nanaimo Tourism, and local school governance.

Recognized for her ability to bridge strategy, governance, and culture, Marie brings to the boardroom both technical expertise and lived experience, grounded in advancing resilient, inclusive systems that deliver long-term value.

Matthew is a Vancouver based real estate development professional who focuses on helping institutional and not for profit landowners redevelop underutilized properties. Originally from the UK, he moved to Vancouver in 2002. He has managed real estate development projects for UBC Properties Trust, Great Northern Way Campus Trust, Simon Fraser University, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Polygon, the United Church of Canada, and the Jewish Community Centre for Greater Vancouver. He has a strong interest in affordable housing issues and was a founding member of Catalyst Community Developments Society – a not-for-profit development group. Matthew lives in East Vancouver with his wife and 3 teenage children.

Alex is an experienced accounting and finance professional with over ten years of public practice experience. He is a Chartered Professional Accounting (“CPA”), Chartered Accountant (“CA”), Chartered Public Accountant (Illinois), and Chartered Business Valuator (“CBV”) specializing in financial reporting, assurance and valuations. Alex has also co-authored expert reports submitted to the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta.

He is currently an Associate Director, Inspections at CPAB, an Instructor for various professional education programs, and an MBA Candidate at the University of British Columbia. He was previously a Principal at a mid-sized accounting firm and his past volunteer experiences include serving on the Board of Directors of the Stroke Recovery Association of B.C. and Family Montessori School Society.

Mehran Kiai is the Principal of K&L Unity, a group of privately held companies that actively acquire, develop, and manage commercial properties throughout the metropolitan Vancouver area. Previously, he was the Dean of Lifelong Learning at BCIT and the Director of Enrolment Service at Simon Fraser University. His extensive experience in teaching engineering and higher education leadership spans over 25 years.

Previously, he served on the MOSAIC Board from 2009 to 2019 and he is now re-engaging for another term, drawn by Canada’s prominent position in global immigration and refugee efforts. An immigrant himself, having arrived in Canada more than four decades ago, he holds a deep sense of appreciation and commitment to contributing to the country. Mehran actively invests his time in various community-based boards and organizations, prioritizing non-profit initiatives.

Mehran’s educational background includes degrees in Bachelor and Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Doctor of Education in Management and Change from Fielding Graduate University and Executive Development from Queens University.

Tina Leung has over 2 decades of experience working at large law firms and multinational corporations in Hong Kong and Vancouver, holding several senior management positions. Her international legal experience included providing business and legal advice in different countries and industries. This has allowed her to travel to different areas of the globe and experience different local practices and cultures. Prior to her recent retirement from law, she was a member of both the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Law Society of British Columbia. She has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from UBC and a JD from the University of Toronto.

Tina believes strongly in the importance of giving back to the community and in particular, in the areas of education and immigration. She’s currently a board member of Learning Buddies Network and Dunbar Community Centre.

Fariba Pacheleh is a distinguished leader in project and program management, currently directing the Project Management Office at the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC). With a robust background in IT and business process optimization, Fariba excels in steering strategic initiatives that bolster operational efficiency and drive impactful outcomes.

Previously at the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, she led the Enterprise Project Management Office, where her efforts significantly enhanced project delivery and organizational collaboration. As a board member of MOSAIC, Fariba champions social enterprise innovation and dedicates her expertise to advancing programs that empower immigrant women to ascend in their careers.

Fariba, recognized among the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants, embodies leadership committed to fostering diversity and inclusion. Her work extends beyond professional realms into community enrichment, where she passionately engages in activities like hiking, yoga, and gardening. Her leadership at MOSAIC reflects her deep commitment to creating opportunities and nurturing growth within diverse communities.

Emilie Roy is a Provincial Director of Business Planning at the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) where she provides leadership and strategic financial planning, budgeting and financial advisory to the Information management and Technology Services portfolio.

Prior to PHSA, she has held progressively senior positions in public and private sectors such as Information Technology and Mining industry. She has experience in financial planning, analysis, reporting, and leading organizational projects and change with multiple stakeholders. She also worked at EY as an Assurance Manager where she led the audit team for an initial public offering and audited multiple organizations.

Emilie’s past volunteer experiences include serving on the Board of Directors of the Plein Milieu, a non-profit organization which focused on building trusting relationships with people who are drug users, homes or at risk of homelessness.

Emilie is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) with dual bachelors in Computer Science and Mathematics from Laval University and Commerce from HEC Montreal.