David Sculthorpe | Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada - Irfhan Rawji

After a 15-year career with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Bobbe Wood, President, has decided to
retire. Her last day with us will be October 31, 2014.Bobbe joined the Heart and Stroke Foundation in September 1999 as CEO of BC & Yukon. She led the BC team to introduce the Aboriginal Heart Smart Kids program, which now reaches 80% of band schoolsin BC, and to build partnerships with BC universities and hospitals, governments, health charities and the private sector. Bobbe was the driving force behind The Heart Truth, and was a founding member and Chair of the BC Healthy Living Alliance. Under her tenure the BC & Yukon Foundation nearly tripled its revenue.In October, 2010 Bobbe assumed the national CEO role, her primary mandate to be the staff lead in our unification process. Working together with Irfhan Rawji, Doug Roth and the leadership volunteers and CEOs across the country, she helped bring unification to reality. After unification I appointed Bobbe to the role of President, and over the last three years she did a stellar job leading teams responsible for the redesign of our Governance model, the development of our new Strategic Plan and the Foundation’s ongoing mission work.On behalf of our volunteers and our employees, I’d like to thank Bobbe for her many contributions to the success of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the heart health of Canadians. We will miss her, but carry forward her passionate spirit.Over the coming months we will develop and implement a transition plan, and share details as they
become available.

Irfhan Rawji - Joins Relay Ventures to expand its western Canada presence

Relay Ventures has announced that Irfhan Rawji has joined the firm as a venture partner. In this role, he will be responsible for the firm’s market development in Western Canada and the US Pacific Northwest.
Rawji, who is based in Calgary, brings 15 years of experience in roles like associate at McKinsey & Company; director at Onex Corporation; and principal at Birch Hill Equity Partners. Rawji has also acted as adjunct professor at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia, where he taught finance, public policy, strategy, and leadership.
“Irfhan’s depth of experience in private equity and strategic consulting is a valuable complement to the Relay team,” said Kevin Talbot, co-founder and managing partner of Relay Ventures. “He has been an active business builder throughout his career and will undoubtedly benefit our current and future portfolio companies.”
Rawji currently sits on the boards of The Organic Box, as well as Relay portfolio company Carrot Insights. He is also a board member of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and Vice Chair of Glenbow Museum.
“Relay has a long history of supporting great companies from startup to scale, providing them with more than just capital,” said Rawji. “I look forward to leveraging my experience to benefit Relay’s current portfolio. At the same time, I will also be exploring new opportunities for the firm in Western Canada and the US Pacific Northwest.”

Irfhan Rawji - Venture Partner

Irfhan is a Venture Partner at Relay Ventures. Irfhan has been a strategic consultant, public company senior executive, and investor for over 15 years. Irfhan has also served as an Adjunct Professor at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia where he taught in the areas of finance, public policy, strategy and leadership.Irfhan holds an MBA with High Honors from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and a BCom with High Honours from the University of British Columbia, where he was a Wesbrook Scholar. He is a recipient of The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and Arnold Edinborough Award. Irfhan is actively involved in civic affairs as a board member of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, Vice Chair of Glenbow Museum, member of the Harvard Business School Global Alumni Board, and member of the Calgary 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Bid Exploration Committee. Irfhan is based in our Calgary office.