Guyana-born banker Winston Shyam Liaquat Kassim was presented with the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honour for lifetime achievement.
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of
Canada, announced new appointment to the Order of Canada, and Kassim will be
among other awardees who will be invited to accept their insignia at a
ceremony to be held at a later date.
Kassim is Vice Chairman of the International Development and Relief Foundation
(IDRF).
The appointment cites Winston Kassim “for his contributions as a community
volunteer who played a key role in establishing several community and
religious centres that provide outreach services to refugees and
immigrants.”
According to a release from the IDRF, Kassim has made significant
contributions over 30 years as a dedicated volunteer who has demonstrated
exceptional leadership with many regional, national and international
charitable and humanitarian organizations.
“In this moment of Mr Kassim’s recognition,” said Dr. Cassim Degani,
Chair of IDRF, “We at IDRF are especially proud as he has devoted a
considerable amount of time to the sustainability and growth of the IDRF over
the past five years.”
Kassim is the first Guyanese to receive the Order of Canada.
Born in Albouystown, Georgetown, Guyana, he is the sixth of seven children of
the late Guyana Supt. of Police, Mr. Subaydar Kassim (retired in 1971) and
Hajjin Noorun Nisa Kassim. His siblings are all professionals in their own
right. His elder brothers are retired Deputy Commissioner of
Police, Sultan
Feroze Kassim and the late Dr. Sultan Farook Kassim and his sisters are Bibi
Fernando, Dolly Dhaniram, Anne Sawh and Ingrid Innes who are all residing in
Canada.
He attended St. Patrick’s Anglican School in East Canje, Berbice and
completed his primary education at St. George’s Anglican School in Georgtown.
He completed his secondary education at Indian Education Trust College in
Georgetown and then began his professional career at Barclays Bank while still
a teenager.
He rapidly advanced through increasingly senior roles which led him to running
various banking operations in Dominica, St. Lucia, and Barbados.
During this time Kassim completed his professional banking exams and by the
age of 22 returned to Guyana assuming his new role as Senior Supervisor with
Barclays Bank and it was at this time that he began to focus on volunteer
work.
It was in 1975 that Mr. Kassim made the move with his wife, Ms. Kameni Cheddie
to Canada to seek more opportunities.
Early in his career, Kassim became drawn to volunteerism and he credits his
mother for instilling in him his passion for community service.
He volunteered for organizations such as the Junior Achievement of Ontario and
United Way.
He was instrumental in the fundraising and establishment of two prominent
Greater Toronto Area mosques in 1981, The Sunatul Jamaat of Ontario Canada and
the Malton Islamic Association, and continues to be involved in advisory
capacities to their community programs.
By the late the 1980s and early 1990s he had assisted in establishing four
more community centres for other faith-based groups which offer venues for
social events, education and skill building, all paramount to community
building.
His impact and influence have created a lasting legacy for these various
communities and Canada as a whole.
A well respected banker with a social conscience, Winston Kassim, in
complementing this community building effort, also saw the importance of
people developing their life skills, so he leveraged his expertise and
knowledge in banking to develop and deliver financial seminars to various
groups.
During the 1980s he broadened his volunteerism to a more global stage. Along
with so many others, Kassim worked with various groups/ individuals to support
the release of Nelson Mandela.
Canada, as head of the Commonwealth, led the call for sanctions against the
South African apartheid, culminating in the release of Nelson Mandela.
Canada’s efforts towards the release of Nelson Mandela propelled it to gain
world prominence for its moral position.
As well, Mr. Kassim continued his lobbying and advocacy by working on the
committee for the sponsorship of Nelson Mandela as an Honourary Canadian
Citizen.
He was a unique player in the Nelson Mandela campaign as he represented a very
small minority of Non South Africans from corporate Canada to champion this
cause.
In continuing his humanitarianism on a global level, Mr. Kassim has greatly
contributed to Canada’s recognition as one of the top philanthropic
countries in the world.
Mr. Kassim currently lends much of his time, expertise and passion to IDRF
where humanitarian work benefits people in our world community who are the
victims of crisis and disasters, or who are struggling against deprivations
caused by severe poverty.
Through Kassim’s instrumentality, the IDRF donated $1M towards the fund for
victims of the Lusignan massacre and other causes in Guyana.
Mr. Kassim has been associated with IDRF for over 10 years with his active
participation spanning the last five years, and Board membership for the last
three years with him currently serving as our volunteer Vice-Chair.
In this role, he assists in leading IDRF with our work that is dedicated to
empowering the disadvantaged people of the world.
“It is volunteers such as Mr. Kassim who help IDRF positively impact
disadvantaged people from all corners of the earth in some 26 countries,
including Canada,” said Dr. Degani.
Mr. Kassim is currently Head, Strategic Initiatives, Canadian Banking of RBC
and he holds an MBA from Athabasca University.
Despite his increasingly senior roles within the bank, he maintains that his
top priority is his wife Kameni, three children Nadina (married to Kiren),
Shaun and Sara and grandson Joshua, and his mother, Hajjin Noorun Nisa Kassim.
Mr. Kassim includes his family in many of his community service and volunteer
efforts.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
- Late Dr. Sultan Farook Kassim was a medical doctor, County of Berbice.
- Sultan Feroze Kassim was a former Divisional Police Commander, County of Berbice.