Our Advisory Council: Empowering Global Leaders with the Reach Alliance

As a global consortium of eight leading universities from Canada, Ghana, South Africa, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Singapore, the Reach Alliance is dedicated to collaborating with local institutions to generate actionable research insights and drive impactful change 

Together, we cultivate the leaders of tomorrow — driven researchers equipped with the essential skills to identify innovative solutions to climate, public health, and economic challenges. To do this work we are proudly guided by an advisory council of leaders in academia, and in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, who help to drive impact, influence, and scale, as well as support fundraising efforts. Our esteemed advisory council currently includes: 

• Walt Macnee — retired vice chairman, Mastercard Worldwide 

• Margaret Biggs — former president, Canadian International Development Agency; non-resident senior fellow, Center for Sustainable Development, Brookings Institution 

• Stephen Toope — president and CEO, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research 

• Zabeen Hirji — retired chief HR officer, Royal Bank of Canada; executive advisor, Future of Work, Deloitte 

• Susanna Kempe — CEO, Laidlaw Foundation 

• Erica Di Ruggiero — associate professor of global health and director of the Centre for Global Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto 

• Juan Pablo Murra — rector for higher education and professor at Tecnológico de Monterrey 

• Sydney Piggott — alumna Reach Alliance; senior social impact manager, Shopify 

Advisory council chair Walt Macnee describes the Reach Alliance’s work beautifully: “At Reach, our focus is on ensuring universal access to critical resources. We leverage the power of networks to bring together stakeholders from various sectors, promoting collaboration between academia, civil society, private enterprise, and government.” 

Our mission is achievable thanks to their continuous guidance, support, and cross-sectoral experience. Or as council member Zabeen Hirji puts it: “Addressing significant challenges necessitates collaboration and co-creation across disciplines and sectors, guided by humane leadership. Reach equips future global leaders by turbo-charging the development of essential human skills — adaptability, collaboration, creativity, and empathy.”  

Over the years, our advisory council has played a crucial role in enhancing the Reach Alliance’s impact. Their expertise and perspectives have been instrumental in shaping our strategic development and achieving our milestones. Their interdisciplinary and international collaboration enables Reach to expand, mobilize knowledge, and make a global impact. We are deeply grateful for their steadfast support. 

To learn more about the members of the advisory council, you can read their profiles here.