Workplace team captains — the unsung heroes of corporate giving

The Bank of Montreal (BMO) team with Toronto Mayor John Tory (centre).

Stepping up as team captains gave long-time Walk volunteers a great opportunity to translate corporate giving strategies into meaningful action 

For more than 20 years, Aga Khan Foundation Canada has partnered with financial institutions like Bank of Montreal to promote team participation in the Walk. Driving these efforts are dedicated team captains like Karim Shivji and Zahra Visram. As captains of corporate teams in Toronto, they engaged colleagues at every level of their respective companies in a collective effort to raise funds that are deployed to fight global poverty.

Leading from the top at BMO 

Karim Shivji is a senior network planner at BMO. He took over the Toronto team this year, building on 20 years of staff engagement and participation in the Walk. 

The BMO team really scaled up in 2019,” said Karim. “The success was a result of early organization and consistently reminding past participants to register and reach out to others.”  

According to Karim, the early backing of Nadim Hirjiexecutive vice president and head of Canadian commercial banking, sent a signal to staff that BMO encourages employee engagement in initiatives that create positive, sustainable change in the world.  

“At BMO, we believe that growing the good is not just about finance. It is about giving back to the communities within which we and our clients operate in order to make a positive social impact in Canada and abroad,” said Nadim. “This has to be leaderled as the tone has to start from the top.  We are proud of our relationship with AKFC and I am personally humbled by the dedication and support of our BMO team over the years which continues to gain strides year after year.” 

BMO rallied a 118-strong team that raised nearly $15,000 in donations, and secured a $25,000 corporate sponsorship, with executive support across the country that included Andrew Hung in British Columbia, Allison Hakomaki in the Prairies, and Anar Samji from the Greater Toronto Area to name a few. 

Since 1994, BMO has contributed more than $900,000 to AKFC, including the funding of the Foundation’s fellowship for young Canadians in microfinance.