Published February 27, 2017.
Windmill Microlending, formerly Immigrant Access Fund Canada, is pleased to announce the appointment of a new national leader for the organization. Following an exhaustive search across Canada, Claudia Hepburn has been appointed as the organization’s first Chief Executive Officer. The creation of this new top leadership position is a reflection of the organization’s growth in prominence, relevance and geographic reach across the country.
Ms. Hepburn’s experience building innovative, national organizations makes her uniquely qualified to lead an ambitious strategy for rapid growth and serve many more immigrants nation-wide.
Ms. Hepburn is a widely recognized Canadian leader in the field of human capital development. In her most recent role, as Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Next 36, she was instrumental in creating a world-leading platform for accelerated development of young entrepreneurs. Prior to that, she was the Fraser Institute’s first Director of Education Policy and founded Children First: School Choice Trust, a program that gave grants to lower-income families to assist with school tuition. Claudia has been named one of Canada’s Top 25 Women of Influence and is a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. She serves on several prominent boards and councils including The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, Fraser Institute, Kids & Company, and the C.D. Howe Institute’s Human Capital Council.
Dianne Fehr, Immigrant Access Fund’s founding Executive Director, has now assumed the role of Vice President, Stakeholder Relations and, along with all staff and Board members, looks forward to working closely with Claudia. Ms. Hepburn is working in the Toronto office. “We are proud of this expansion of our leadership team as we continue to broaden our ambitions for impact among new immigrants all across the country,” said Laura Wood, Chair, Windmill Board of Directors (Immigrant Access Fund at the time).