.jpeg)
Meet our Board of Directors
Darwin Schandor is currently the Regional President, British Columbia, National Bank of Canada, where he leads and supports 250 employees integrating all business lines for their clients. He joined National Bank in 2016 to help start Private Banking 1859 that has successfully positioned itself as a Euro-Style Family Office Boutique for High Net Worth Clients and their families. Before joining National Bank, Darwin was employed for 25 years at Royal Trust and RBC, providing strategic leadership for their Wealth Management business, including Financial Planning, and, more recently, as Regional Vice President Private Banking from 2005 to 2015.
Supporting the community has always been important to Darwin. He does so by serving on the Board of the North Shore Winter Club, volunteering as a Hockey Coach and Manager, and providing support for many BC charitable organizations, including most recently on the Board of Work With Us that works closely with the Streetohome Organization.
Joanne Gassman was with BMO Bank of Montreal for more than 39 years, most recently retiring from her position as the Senior Vice President of Personal & Commercial Banking for BC & Yukon Division. After retiring, Joanne took on a new consulting role with BMO Financial Group nationally, as the Senior Vice President, Women’s Market. In this new capacity, Joanne will continue to promote BMO’s focus on the needs of women entrepreneurs by improving the business and financial information available for women.
Joanne is also a member of the Board of Advisors for GroYourBiz, an initiative developed for women entrepreneurs who want to take their business to the next level and is a member of the Women’s Business Economic Advisory Board. As well as sitting on the Work With Us and Streetohome Board, Joanne is Chair of the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, Chair of I am Powerful Council (Vancouver) for CARE Canada. She holds an MBA from Dalhousie University.
Paul Tournier is an entrepreneurial executive with 20+ years of experience in leadership roles. Paul has worked with organizations and clients across the globe and led complex global transformation programs, delivering significant business value to clients through the combination of Consulting, Technology, and Business Process Outsourcing.
Having worked both as a consultant and as a business executive, Paul brings strategic and operational experience.
Our Founding Partners
Nabeela Nathu has 15+ years of experience in leveraging technology to inspire change.
Working across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, she has driven technology transformations internationally throughout North and Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
She has extensive experience in technology strategy and delivery, change and transformation, and leading teams to achieve impactful results. In her capacity as a Board member with Work With Us, she is driving programming related to technology upskilling.
Outside of Work With Us, Nabeela lends her skills and expertise to driving innovation in British Columbia’s health sector as the Director of Innovation & Transformation, within the Alliance Office at the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA).