Our Board of Directors - Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Anupam Kothari
Chair

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Since 2002, Anupam Kothari has been President of Kothari Group, a diversified company founded in 1996 by his father Norton Kothari, with investments in mortgage financing, equipment leasing, real estate development, and hotel management. He sits on the boards of family companies Mercury Mortgage Investment Corporation, Orchid Leasing, and Sargent Berry Hotels Inc. Winnipeg-based hotel projects have included the Hampton Inn by Hilton, Four Points by Sheraton, and the new Hyatt House hotel announced in 2018. They also built Winnipeg condo developments Crocus Gardens, Murano Gardens and Van Hull Place.

Prior to joining the family company, he worked in product marketing for Soma Networks. Anupam earned a BSc, Computer Engineering from University of Waterloo in 2000, and went on to York University’s Schulich School of Business and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management to complete his MBA in 2015.

Mr. Kothari recently joined the board of Concordia Foundation in Winnipeg. In October 2018, Mr. Kothari was appointed as a Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

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Arni C. Thorsteinson, O.M.
Vice Chair

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Arni Thorsteinson is President of Shelter Canadian Properties Limited. He is a Director or Trustee of a number of private and not-for-profit boards, including Lanesborough REIT, Temple REIT, ONEX Corporation, Bird Construction, Historica Canada, Michaelle Jean Foundation and Council on Canadian American Relations. He served as the first Chair of the Board for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in 2008.

Mr. Thorsteinson received a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and L.L.D. from the University of Manitoba and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

In January 2017, Mr. Thorsteinson was named Vice-Chair and named Chair in December 2021. He was appointed to the board as a Director in July 2011.

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Dave Angus
Past Chair
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Dave Angus is the President of Johnston Group Inc., one of Canada’s leading group benefit providers. He joined Johnston Group after 17 years as the President & CEO of The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.
Under his leadership, The Chamber has been instrumental in bringing World Trade Centre to Winnipeg; establishing Leadership Winnipeg; and initiating Yes! Winnipeg. Most recently, Dave was involved in the Winnipeg BOLD initiative. This is a grassroots public policy campaign that mobilizes the community in support of bold ideas to increase Winnipeg’s prosperity.

Recently, Dave co-chaired the Province of Manitoba Economic Growth Action Plan Initiative, which outlined a series of initiatives and actions based on extensive consultation with Manitoba business.

Dave is an avid supporter of United Way. He co-chaired the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council and lead an Employer Consortium initiative in support of TRC #92. . Dave has been a member of the Campaign Cabinet for a total of eight years (non-consecutively) and was the Campaign Chair in 2020.

In his current role with Johnston Group, Dave works with their 295 staff to continue to grow the business, be an employer of choice, and set a high bar for contribution back to the Winnipeg community. Johnston Group is a platinum member of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, having held the Best Managed distinction every year since 2001.

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Gail Asper, O.C., O.M., LL.D.
Past National Campaign Chair

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Gail Asper is President of the Asper Foundation, a private charitable foundation, which spearheaded the creation of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Ms. Asper graduated with a B.A. and LL.B. from the University of Manitoba in 1981 and 1984, respectively. After receiving her call to the Bar of Nova Scotia in 1985, Ms. Asper practiced corporate and commercial law with Goldberg and Thompson. In 1989, she joined CanWest Global Communications Corporation in Winnipeg, as corporate secretary and legal counsel. She served on the Board of Directors from 1992 to 2010.

Ms. Asper has also served on the boards of numerous other non-profit groups. She is currently on the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is Chair of the National Arts Centre Foundation. As well, she sits on the Board of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Ms. Asper has received numerous awards including being awarded the Order of Manitoba and appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, in recognition of her work as an arts advocate, fundraiser, and business and community leader.

In July 2011, Ms. Asper was appointed to the board as a Director of Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

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Japman Bajaj

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Japman Bajaj is an executive and thought leader working at the intersection of education, workforce development, and public policy.

He currently serves as Executive Vice President of Vametric, a skills-tech company advancing inclusive and legally defensible credentialing systems that support equitable access to learning and employment. His work has helped reshape how post-secondary institutions, apprenticeship programs, and workforce initiatives across North America assess and recognize talent — removing barriers for underrepresented learners and creating scalable pathways to opportunity.

Japman’s leadership is grounded in practical innovation and public purpose. He has developed industry-driven solutions that build robust, future-ready talent pipelines, and he is actively contributing to national conversations on adult education, skills-based hiring and inclusive economic growth. He is an Action Canada Fellow in Public Policy and a long-time member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community.

Currently pursuing the highly regarded ICD.D designation, Japman brings a commitment to principled, forward-looking governance to every role he holds. His approach blends systems thinking with on-the-ground experience, always focused on making institutions more transparent, accountable and human-centred.

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M. Ann McCaig, C.M., A.O.E., LL.D.
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Ann McCaig is a leader in Canada’s charitable sector with a passion for education, health, culture and youth development. Born and raised in Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Ann received her Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan and undertook a career as a teacher. After moving to Calgary in 1970 with her husband and three children, Ann dedicated increasing amounts of her time to community service.

Over the years she has helped many charitable organizations by providing guidance as a board member and assistance with major fundraising campaigns. Ann is a member of the National Arts Centre Foundation and serves as Chancellor Emeritus at the University of Calgary where she is a former member of the Board of Governors. She is a Director Emeritus of the Gairdner Foundation, a former Trustee of the Killam Trusts and a former director of the Banff Centre Foundation. Ann is the Honourary Chair of the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute and Chair Emeritus of the Calgary Health Foundation and the Calgary Stampede Foundation. Ann has served on the boards of the Calgary & Area Child Advocacy Centre, the Calgary Foundation and the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre.

Ann has received an Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta and Mount Royal University. She was recognized by the U of S with an Alumni Humanitarian Award and received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Award, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Award, the Paul Harris Fellowship Rotary International Award, the YWCA Woman of Distinction Lifetime Achievement Award and the Generosity of Spirit Award for Outstanding Lifetime Philanthropist. Ann has been given the name ‘White Wolf Woman’ for her support of Alberta’s First Nations people.

In October 2018, Mrs. McCaig was appointed as a Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

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Benjie Nycum
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Benjie Nycum, MRAIC, NSAA, AANB, NLAA, AAPEI, PMP, ICD.D, is an architect who leads Nycum & Associates, an architecture, planning and project management firm in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a focus on public institutions.

Benjie teaches at Dalhousie School of Architecture, the Dalhousie School of Health Administration and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Syllabus Program. He has led many strategic, culture change and DEI initiatives in the health and not‐for‐profit sectors.

He is the author of The XY Survival Guide and co‐produced JIM IN BOLD, a full‐length documentary about youth suicide and resilience. He is an advisor to the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce 2SLGBTQI+ National Entrepreneurship Program. He also serves on the boards of The Nova Scotia Centre on Aging and Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

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Alex Robinson, P.Eng, MCP

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Alex Robinson is currently employed as the Business Development Manager at Graham Construction and Engineering. He has over 25 years of diverse government and private sector senior project management experience gained through positions as the Vice President of Planning and Development at the Winnipeg Airport Authority and the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Winnipeg.

Mr. Robinson’s educational background consists of degrees in Engingeering and City Planning from the University of Manitoba and he is also an alumnus of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His political experiences ranges from being the senior political advisor to the Mayor of Winnipeg (he is a Fundraising Co-Chair for the Federal Liberal Party) as well as for President Barack Obama in the 2012 United States election.

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Helen Seibel

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Helen Seibel leads BMO’s Employee and Community Giving team which is reimagining how BMO engages in community building to drive positive social impact. Helen has over two decades of experience in the design, delivery and measurement of strategic corporate giving and volunteerism programs, building brand reputation and employee engagement.

She previously held roles as a senior consultant at GrantStream; as Director of Communications at the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy; as Global Grant Manager at Ericsson Telecommunications; and as an Instructor at the Chang School of Continuing Education at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she developed a course on Corporate Social Responsibility Foundations for public relations and communications professionals. Most recently, Helen led the global Community Investment and Philanthropy strategy at AstraZeneca where she set policy, led programs and managed major partnerships across more than 70 countries to create global impact.

Helen holds her Certificate in Corporate Community Involvement from Boston College Carroll School of Management and her Basic and Advanced Certificate from the Reputation Institute; has completed educational programs at Yale and the University of Melbourne in Global and Adolescent Health, and holds a Global Executive MBA in Health and Life Sciences from University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. A strong advocate for community-focused grantmaking, Helen serves as Vice-Chair of the Board at the Community Foundation of Mississauga. Helen lives in Ontario with her husband Rob, two kids, Isobel and Emmett and her Whoodle, Paddington.

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