ABOUT US

During the holiday season, many families in Toronto turn to shelters for help and support due to various reasons, including domestic violence, poverty, and mental health issues. According to the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, domestic violence is one of the top reasons families seek help and support from shelters in Canada. At Santa Comes to Bay Street (SCTBS), we understand the importance of hope and assistance for these families. We provide an opportunity for families to offer their children and themselves the necessities for the winter, and a personalized gift to open during the holidays.

2024 marks our 21st anniversary and thanks to all of the generous supporters over all of these years we have been able to distribute over $2M in gifts and necessities.

SCTBS TEAM

Board of Directors

Robert Cancelli

Chairman

Robert is a Managing Director and Head of the Prime Services Group and Investor’s Edge at CIBC Capital Markets. He has been with CIBC since 2007. Prior to CIBC, Robert worked in institutional sales and trading on both the buy and sell side in New York and Toronto. A graduate of Dartmouth College in the US, Robert has spent his entire career in the financial services industry.

In his role as Chairman, Robert has widened the reach and broadened the depth of SCTBS. As the Chairman, Robert has been instrumental in raising funds and awareness for SCTBS.

Stephanie Orloff

President and Co-Founder

Stephanie Orloff is the President and Co-Founder of Santa Comes to Bay Street, where she plays a pivotal role on the Santa team, driven by her passion for assisting those in need. With a career centered around technology sales supporting Capital Markets, Stephanie is currently making significant contributions at Salesforce.

In 2019, Stephanie participated as a True Patriot Love Expeditioner on a remarkable journey to Baffin Island. Together with her team, she successfully raised over $1 million to support military families affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to their honorable service.

Dave Keggin

Vice-President

Dave joined the Board of Directors in 2020, and has been involved with SCTBS since 2015. Dave is exceptional at recruiting and organizing Elves to help shop, fundraise and manage events.

Dave has been in the Financial Services industry since 2000, moving from the UK to Toronto in 2009. Since 2010 when he joined RBC Capital Markets, he has held management roles in Technology, Business Management and Operations, and now Risk Management running Operational Risk Advisory & Oversight for RBC Capital Markets, and the Global Head of Electronic Trading Risk.

Mary Matthews

CPA, CA, ICD.D, Board Advisor, Co-Founder and Past President

It was Christmas time 2003, a year of excess on Bay Street. Mary reached out to a friend in a Church for names of kids she could buy toys for. The person came back with two names, Angelica (12) and Ravi (10). Food Stamps was the requested gift for both. The thought that a child would ask for Food Stamps over a toy was numbing. Employed on Bay Street, where in comparison everyone seemed awash in money, Mary knew that with the help of a TEAM of other like-minded people, she could give the Angelica’s and Ravi’s of the future a requested gift focused on them. Thus came the genesis of Santa Comes to Bay Street (SCTBS). It has taken years of dedication from all TEAM members for SCTBS to flourish.

During her career, Mary held numerous positions with both public and private corporations in the financial sector, most notably VP CIBC, EVP Sprott Asset Management, Sales and Marketing. Mary was also very active in the charitable sector, holding the positions of Treasurer, and subsequently President of Ontario Special Olympics.

In addition to her role of the SCTBS Board, Mary is also a Director of AirBoss of America (BOS/T), a public company.

Carol Elmalem

Head of Procurement

Carol has been an SCTBS volunteer for since 2012 and is responsible for purchasing all essential goods distributed by the charity.

Carol has been a leader in the financial services industry since 1999 where she held senior management roles with expertise in trading, market data, technology and operations. Carol is currently leading the Infrastructure project delivery team at CIBC.

Brian Tsang

Treasurer

Brian has helped with Santa Comes to Bay Street since its launch in 2003, doing all odd jobs necessary to deliver on the wishes of moms and children for this Charity. He took on a more formal role in 2011 as Shelter Liaison, communicating with all the shelters, managing the wish lists and distributing them among all the volunteer shopping elves. More recently in 2022 he joined the Board of Directors as Treasurer.

On the Financial Advisory side, Brian also helps manage in-kind stock donations and cash management, and overall, counsels the Board regarding its financial assets.

Kris Backus

Head of Operations / Secretary

Our newly appointed Head of Operations and Board Secretary, Kris is a dedicated professional with a long-standing commitment to both corporate excellence and community welfare. Having been actively involved in SCTBS since 2012, Kris has held various roles across the organisation including more recently the Executive Committee Chair.

With a career spanning over two decades at TMX Group, Kris has consistently demonstrated versatility and leadership. Kris has held various roles within TMX Group and currently leads a team supporting the AV, Broadcast and Building Technology needs of the firm, ensuring the seamless operation of cutting-edge technology integration at TMX.

Bryan Blake

Head of Fundraising

Our newly appointed Board member as Head of Fundraising, Bryan has been actively involved with Santa Comes to Bay Street since 2015. Bryan is Vice President and Head of Canadian Equities at Cboe Global Markets. He is responsible for overseeing product development and sales for the company’s equity trading business in Canada.

Operational Committee Members

Zahra Bhutani

Compliance Lead

Zahra Bhutani joined the SCTBS Executive Committee in 2022 and assists with updating Compliance Policies & Procedures. She has extensive experience in Compliance Advisory and Surveillance functions related to Equities Electronic Trading, Listed & OTC Derivatives, Fixed Income, Currencies, Commodities and Anti-Money Laundering. She has held Compliance Director and Vice President roles at RBC Capital Markets, National Bank Financial, Fidelity Clearing Corp. and ITG Canada Corp. (now Virtu Financial). She is presently a member of the CIRO National Hearing Committee and serves on Disciplinary Hearing Panels. She has an MBA from Dalhousie University and was the Founding President of TD Bank’s Supreme TD Toastmasters Club in 2005.

Tamara Forbes

Tamara is Vice President of Client Management at Waratah Capital Advisors. Tamara joined Waratah Capital Advisors in February 2022. Prior to Waratah, Tamara worked in Prime Services at Scotia Capital and CIBC Capital Markets. Tamara joined the SCTBS Committee in 2022 and works as the teams Shelter Liaison.

Helen Chau

Helen is Associate Vice President, Client Management at Waratah Capital Advisors. Helen originally joined Waratah in 2015 and returned in 2020. Prior to this, Helen was at a Global Private Bank. Helen joined the SCTBS Committee in 2022 as the Shelter Coordinator.

Chilton Barrow

Chilton is a driven, hard-working student completing her Bachelor of Commerce degree at Dalhousie University. She’s interested in a career in the real estate sector including property development, design, planning and real estate management. She has experience working in fast-paced, multi-tasking environments as a summer associate in Muskoka and demonstrates her creative and social media skills in her work at Santa Comes To Bay Street as the Social Media Manager.

Operational Committee Members

Zahra Bhutani

Compliance Lead

Zahra Bhutani joined the SCTBS Executive Committee in 2022 and assists with updating Compliance Policies & Procedures. She has extensive experience in Compliance Advisory and Surveillance functions related to Equities Electronic Trading, Listed & OTC Derivatives, Fixed Income, Currencies, Commodities and Anti-Money Laundering. She has held Compliance Director and Vice President roles at RBC Capital Markets, National Bank Financial, Fidelity Clearing Corp. and ITG Canada Corp. (now Virtu Financial). She is presently a member of the CIRO National Hearing Committee and serves on Disciplinary Hearing Panels. She has an MBA from Dalhousie University and was the Founding President of TD Bank’s Supreme TD Toastmasters Club in 2005.

Tamara Forbes

Tamara is Vice President of Client Management at Waratah Capital Advisors. Tamara joined Waratah Capital Advisors in February 2022. Prior to Waratah, Tamara worked in Prime Services at Scotia Capital and CIBC Capital Markets. Tamara joined the SCTBS Committee in 2022 and works as the teams Shelter Liaison.

Helen Chau

Helen is Associate Vice President, Client Management at Waratah Capital Advisors. Helen originally joined Waratah in 2015 and returned in 2020. Prior to this, Helen was at a Global Private Bank. Helen joined the SCTBS Committee in 2022 as the Shelter Coordinator.

Chilton Barrow

Chilton is a driven, hard-working student completing her Bachelor of Commerce degree at Dalhousie University. She’s interested in a career in the real estate sector including property development, design, planning and real estate management. She has experience working in fast-paced, multi-tasking environments as a summer associate in Muskoka and demonstrates her creative and social media skills in her work at Santa Comes To Bay Street as the Social Media Manager.