Boyden Assists Planned Parenthood Toronto in the Recruitment of New CEO

May 3, 2021 – Following a comprehensive search, Boyden has placed Mohini Datta-Ray as the new executive director of Planned Parenthood Toronto. Partner Pamela Colquhoun led the assignment. “Mohini’s past work has seen her lead HIV community development, prevention education, youth-focused sex education and healthy relationship projects with a number of communities impacted by racism and poverty in Toronto and Ontario,” said Tom Gleason, board chair on behalf of Planned Parenthood’s board of directors. “Driven by social justice, Mohini believes that leadership means being transparently values-driven, speaking truth to power and building alliances across movements in order to become a conduit for change, justice and the shifting of power.”

Since 2015, Ms. Datta-Ray has served as executive director of North York Women’s Shelter (NYWS), one of Toronto’s oldest shelters for survivors of gender-based violence. As executive director, she secured over $21 million in funding to completely rebuild NYWS to fulfil a paradigm-setting, beautiful trauma-informed design that is trans-inclusive, accessible, sex-positive, supports harm reduction, is child and youth centered and welcomes pets.

Fluently bilingual in Bengali and English, Ms. Datta-Ray holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from McGill University. Her past roles include director, Provincial Women and HIV/AIDS Initiative, Toronto Women and HIV/AIDS coordinator at the AIDS Committee of Toronto, and prevention education coordinator at the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention.

Planned Parenthood, founded in 1916, provides reproductive health care, sex education and information to millions worldwide. It is also an advocacy group that partners with similar organizations around the world. Its 56 unique, locally governed affiliates nationwide operate more than 600 health centers. Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of health care services, the majority of which involve preventive care to prevent unintended pregnancies through contraception, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections through testing and treatment, and screen for cervical and other cancers. The organization’s affiliates provide educational programs and outreach to 1.5 million young people and adults every year.

Veteran Search Consultants

Boyden, headquartered in Purchase, NY, is a leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 65 offices in over 40 countries. It continues to expand and add talent across several global regions.

Ms. Colquhoun has built a reputation as a leader in the highly specialized field of healthcare executive and physician leadership recruitment. For nearly 20 years she has worked with a range of public and private sector organizations, leading hundreds of searches nationwide, with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Her clients include hospitals, academic centers, regional health authorities, associations, not-for-profit and private sector healthcare organizations. Ms. Colquhoun also expertise in diversity and inclusion, spanning the LGBTQ community, seniors, women and children, faith-based organizations and other groups, placing leaders who positively impact marginalized populations.

Recently Called In

NAV CANADA recently selected Boyden to lead in its search for a new CHRO. As a key member of the executive team, the CHRO will inspire a culture of change and innovation. As a trusted advisor, the CHRO will effectively communicate purpose, strategy, and vision with a variety of senior stakeholders in alignment with company objectives. As an ideal candidate, candidates must bring experience in the aviation industry or, if not, experience leading HR in a large, multi-faceted organization with the ability to learn the intricacies of NAV CANADA quickly. NAV CANADA is a publicly accountable, non-share capital corporation with annual revenues of approximately $1.4 billion prior to the global pandemic and over 4,400 employees.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media