06 - How might you be a Muslim Canadian? with Aatif Baskanderi

Aatif Baskanderi is CEO of The Northpine Foundation, a startup philanthropic foundation supporting ventures to achieve scalable outcomes for underserved and underinvested communities in Canada. Their starting portfolios include refugees, formerly incarcerated persons, climate, carbon, and nature. Northpine deploys around $40M annually through gifts, grants, loans, equity, and hybrid means - and, more importantly, aims to build deep relationships with its portfolio organizations as they pursue their ventures.

Aatif is also the Co-Founder of Salaam B’y, an award-winning documentary and anti-racism education initiative. His previous work spans multiple angles, leading innovation across sectors and communities. His educational background includes engineering, social policy, and technology management.

We recorded this episode during Ramadan, and explored Aatif’s intersectional identity as a Canadian, Muslim, husband, Newfoundlander and individual.  We also discussed the appointment of Canada’s Special Representative on Combating Islamaphobia, Amira Elghawaby, and what that means for Canada, and finding common ground.

I hope you’ll join us for this great conversation on finding common ground, optimism, generosity and compassion!