2022 Reach Symposium Event Details
Day 1 – Thursday, April 21, 2022, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Day 2 – Friday, April 22, 2022, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
To overcome current social and economic shocks, exhibit vigilance in the face of future disruption, and ensure the hardest-to-reach are not left behind, we must be resilient.
The 2022 Reach Symposium will centre on resilience and navigating global shocks to advance the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
A Message From
The Reach Alliance

Joseph Wong
Founder, Reach Alliance; Roz & Ralph Halbert Professor of Innovation, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy; Vice-President, International, University of Toronto
Marin MacLeod
Executive Director, Reach Alliance
Persisting global shocks – such as the coronavirus pandemic, populism, and racial injustice – continue to exacerbate inequality and further marginalize the hardest-to-reach populations, those living in extreme poverty, the administratively invisible and geographically remote.
The pandemic threatened to break global systems, yet we have remained resilient — as individuals, as organizations, and in our commitment to making the world a more just, equitable and ultimately flourishing place. Resilience, in some instances, has been about staying true to original goals and pathways to achieve them; resilience, in other cases, has been about adapting and discovering new and innovative pathways.
This year’s symposium is more important than ever. The task before us now is to apply what we’ve learned to our shared goal: the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Reach research uncovers insights about society’s margins to understand the story of human resilience, studying the mechanisms that help hard-to-reach communities prepare for and endure inevitable shocks. We investigate how organizations pivot in the face of challenges and remain steadfast in their commitment to reaching the hardest-to-reach.
A Message From The
Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

Arturo Franco
Senior Vice President,
Thought Leadership,
Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
Ali Schmidt-Fellner
Director,
Knowledge and Insights, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The Center leverages the company’s core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund, to produce independent research, scale global programs and empower a community of thinkers, leaders and doers on the front lines of inclusive growth.
Our partnership with the Reach Alliance, at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, is a great example of cross-sector collaboration for impact. Reach recruits top student researchers and faculty mentors and applies academic rigour to close important knowledge gaps related to the Sustainable Development Agenda. The Center for Inclusive Growth elevates the insights, making them actionable and visible to public, private and third sector leaders. The partnership model is scalable, and we’re bringing in other university and private sector partners to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Speakers

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Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr
Mayor, Freetown, Sierra Leone
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Meric Gertler
President, University of Toronto
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Lynne Innes
President and CEO, Weeneebayko Area Health Authority
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Michael Froman
Vice Chairman and President, Strategic Growth,
Mastercard -
Homer Tien
President and CEO, Ornge
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Dr. Claire Melamed
CEO, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
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Joseph Wong
Founder, Reach Alliance; Roz & Ralph Halbert Professor of Innovation, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy; Vice-President, International, University of Toronto
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Dr. Danil Mikhailov
Executive Director, data.org
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Desta Lakew
Group Director of Partnerships and External Affairs, Amref Health Africa
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Claudia Hepburn
CEO, Windmill Microlending
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Arturo Franco
Senior Vice President Thought Leadership, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
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Sue Szabo
Director General, Innovative and Climate Finance Bureau, Global Affairs Canada
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Kristen Chenier
Director, Policy, Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness, Global Affairs Canada
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Angela Min Yi Hou
Policy Analyst, Government of Canada
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Neal Myrick
Global Head, Tableau Foundation
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Virginia Wilson
CEO, Shared Value Initiative Hong Kong
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Jessamy Bagenal
Senior Medical Editor, The Lancet
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Verónica Arroyo
Digital ID Policy Lead, Access Now
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Alexandra Lambropoulos
Researcher, Reach Alliance
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Hui Wen Zheng
Associate, Boston Consulting Group
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Mduduzi Mhlanga
Project Officer, Canadian Council for Youth Prosperity
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Perri Termine
Program Coordinator, Continuing and Professional Learning, OISE, University of Toronto
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Marisa Terán
Chief Marketing Director, Travelers with Cause
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Eric Jackson
Incoming Analyst, Future of Canada Centre, Deloitte
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Jasmine Ali
Business Analyst, McKinsey & Company
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Anita Li
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Green Line
Symposium Schedule

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Day 1 – Thursday, April 22, 2022
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9:00 AM Opening Remarks
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9:20 AM Reach Roundtable: Innovative and Inclusive Public-Private Partnerships to Reach the Hardest-to-Reach
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10:05 AM Keynote & In Conversation: Resilient Cities for Sustainable Development
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10:40 AM Break
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10:50 AM Fireside Chat: Data and Digital Technology for Social Good
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11:20 AM Reach Roundtable: Reach Research – Insights & Actionable Pathways
Day 2 – Friday, April 22, 2022
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9:00 AM Opening Remarks
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9:15 AM Reach Roundtable: Mitigating Global Health Shocks
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10:00 AM Fireside Chat: Indigenous-led Initiatives
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10:40 AM Break
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11:00 AM Keynote
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11:10 AM Reach Roundtable: How to Responsibly Use Data and Digital Technology to Achieve the SDGs
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11:50 AM Closing Remarks