Pro Bono & Social Impact Initiatives

Passionate about mentorship and giving back, I founded IBM Toronto’s Pro Bono Consulting initiative that connects local non-profits with data and AI experts to deliver 35+ mission-driven solutions that turned social impact goals into operational reality.

Highlights: Year: 2018 - Present

  • Founded IBM Toronto’s Pro Bono Consulting Initiative: matched university students and IBM experts with local charities, delivering 35+ successful AI and data-driven solutions.

  • Global AI Ethics ROI Framework: developed methods to calculate the return on investment of AI Ethics initiatives across Europe, North America, and Asia, enabling strong business cases for governance and explainability.

  • Mentorship & Workshops: guided students and early-career professionals through Python learning camps, career coffee chats, and work-life balance panels.

Pro Bono Consulting Initiative

  • Many local charities in Toronto face complex challenges but lack access to enterprise-grade expertise and structured support. At the same time, students and early-career professionals seek meaningful opportunities to apply their skills while gaining mentorship and guidance.

  • I founded and led IBM Toronto’s Pro Bono Consulting Initiative, which trained, prepared, and supported the future leaders of Toronto and Ontario by providing structured mentorship, hands-on learning, and practical experience to students across local universities.

    Community Support
    Empowers Toronto's NPOs by providing access to IBM consultants' expertise and connecting them with emerging talent to deliver high-impact, data-driven solutions tailored to their unique challenges.

  • Founded & Launched: Conceptualized and launched the initiative from 0→1, inspired by IBM's Montreal team.

    Established Teams: Built and structured cross-functional teams including NPO Representatives, Charity Liaisons, IBM Mentors, and student-consultant teams.

    Defined Scope & Framework: Created working documents, project scopes, and governance frameworks to ensure scalability and enterprise-grade delivery.

    Led Execution: Oversaw end-to-end program management, ensuring alignment between charities, mentors, and student teams.

  • NPO Representative: Primary contact for charity-related questions and needs.

    Charity Liaison: Owns the communication channel between student teams and the NPO to ensure alignment and clarity.

    IBM Mentors: Act as engagement leads and advisors, guiding the solution process with enterprise-grade rigor.

    Teams: Comprised of students and consultants responsible for designing, developing, and delivering actionable solutions.

  • This initiative created a sustainable model for social good by bridging the gap between enterprise expertise and community need. It wasn't just about delivering solutions - it was about building capacity and community. Students gained real-world consulting experience and mentorship that shaped their careers, while charities received enterprise-grade solutions they would otherwise not have been able to access. Most importantly, it demonstrated that social impact and professional development aren't mutually exclusive; they can fuel each other to create lasting, scalable change in our communities.

Organizational chart of a team with portraits and names of team members divided into Lead, Advisory, and Operational Lead Team sections, with additional text describing roles and responsibilities, and IBM logo at the bottom
The image promotes the IBM Pro Bono initiative in Toronto, featuring the IBM logo, the phrase "Pro Bono" with "Made with Love in Toronto," and a pink heart-shaped balloon.
A graphic showing IBM's mission to support the community through education and mentorship. The image includes logos of IBM, universities, and non-profit organizations, with a description of IBM Pro Bono's goals to train future leaders and empower local NPOs.

Mentorship & Learning Initiatives

  • Hands-on coding workshops designed to teach Python fundamentals, data analysis, and AI applications. These sessions helped students build technical confidence and practical problem-solving skills in a supportive, collaborative environment.

  • Led workshops focused on helping non-profit organizations understand and leverage data and AI solutions to address their operational challenges. Covered topics including data strategy, AI use cases, and responsible implementation tailored to the non-profit sector.

  • One-on-one mentorship sessions for students and early-career professionals exploring careers in consulting and tech. Provided career guidance, resume reviews, industry insights, and practical advice on navigating career transitions.

  • Developed and delivered workshops on creating practical frameworks for organizations to measure the value and impact of AI governance initiatives, enabling better business cases for investment in responsible AI and explainability.