The Brampton Board of Trade is pleased to announce Angela Carter, as the 2023 recipient of the Naseem Somani Memorial Leadership Excellence Award.
The award is named in honour of the memory of Naseem Somani, former CEO of Dynacare. Naseem was an important member of our business community and a giant in corporate Canada. She was a leader who was known both for her competitive and collaborative spirit. In growing her business, Naseem demonstrated that working with others, together, we can grow our community, our nation and beyond. The award is designed to recognize, inspire, develop and encourage women’s personal and professional leadership.
Angela Carter is currently the executive director of the Roots Community Services Inc. (RootsCS), a charitable multi-service organization that provides culturally-relevant programs and services to inspire, empower and motivate individuals, primarily from the Black, African and Caribbean communities, to make positive changes in their lives and within their communities.
In this capacity, she actively advocates for the advancement of Black and other racialized communities and works tirelessly to break down systemic racism and other barriers that continue to negatively impact members of these communities. She currently co-chairs the Anti-Black Racism & Systemic Discrimination collective in the Region of Peel and the Black Health Task Force of Peel as well as represents RootsCS on a number of committees in Peel, Halton Region and Toronto that are seeking equity and equality for all groups.
A social and behaviour change communications advocate, Angela has a deep interest in how various cultures developed and evolved as well as the participation of communities in shaping policies that impact their well-being. She is passionate about reducing poverty and helping people attain a quality of life that brings joy and prosperity to them and their community. This passion has taken her to more than 20 countries, including India where she volunteered at a school in Punjab and conducted training sessions with the management board at a hospital in that state.
Angela has a strong corporate background working in the financial sector as well as in leadership positions in journalism and as general manager of the Cricket Legends of Barbados. These experiences, coupled with many years of voluntary service in the Greater Toronto Area and Barbados, have given her valuable insight into balancing the business needs as well as the human side of the social service sector.
Angela also volunteers with CESO through which she has worked with First Nations communities in Northern Ontario and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. She is a board director of FOCUS Accreditation, the Ontario Nonprofit Network and the board chair of Central Park Baptist Church. In previous years she held positions such as board chair of Telecare Distress Centre Brampton (now part of the Distress Centres of Greater Toronto) and was actively involved in the United Way of Peel Region, International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the Association of Professional Fundraisers (AFP), the Brampton Board of Trade, Correctional Services Canada, and the Rotary Club of Barbados. She has received many awards over the years for her voluntary and professional work.
An avid lifelong learner, Angela has taken and continues to pursue courses in various disciplines. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies, from York University, Ontario, and a Master of Professional Communication degree, with specialization in Intercultural and International Communication, from the Royal Roads University in British Columbia.
The award presentation occured at InspiHER, in celebration of International Women’s Day. Members of Naseem Somani’s family and Dynacare family were in attendance. We celebrated Naseem’s memory and the achievements of our award recipient on March 1st at InspiHER.
