Leadership excellence award bearing Naseem Somani's name bestowed on Angela Carter
March 29, 2023
Though she never met Naseem Somani, Angela Carter is inspired by the pragmatic leader’s journey and honoured to be the recipient of an award bearing her name.
Fleeing Central Africa in 1974 with her two siblings and their parents, she pursued chartered accountancy and was a Controller in a small medical lab acquired by Dynacare in 1991. Elevated to Vice-President of Operations and General Manager of its Central Ontario division five years later, she was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2005.
Consolidating the Brampton-based medical laboratory Ontario operations, Somani expanded into Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta, transforming the company into Canada’s largest provider of medical laboratory services before passing away suddenly in May 2019.
To celebrate her leadership and business acumen, the Brampton Board of Trade created the Naseem Somani Memorial Leadership Excellence Award that is presented at the InspiHER gala to mark International Women’s Day.
Carter, the Executive Director of Roots Community Services Inc., was the fourth recipient of the annual award on March 1.
“Naseem expanded, developed and cemented Dynacare in the health care system,” she said. “She broadened the organization’s scope and was a strong leader.”
Somani’s siblings, Alykhan and Naaz Jetha, made the presentation to Carter.
“When we read Angela’s bio, we knew Naseem would be proud of the selection,” said Alykhan Jetha who is the President & CEO of Marketcircle which is a software company that develops the award-winning Customer Relationship Management and productivity business app, Daylite.
Siblings Alykhan and Naaz Jetha made the presentation to Angela Carter (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Somani was born in Rwanda to Ugandan parents who resided in the Congo before coming to Canada.
“Very humble, she always wanted to help people even though we were in situations where we needed help,” added her brother.
Naaz Jetha said her younger sister was kind, positive and uplifting.
“She wanted women to grow personally and professionally,” the Toronto District School Board French Immersion teacher pointed out. “She also stuck to the values we were brought up with.”
The high esteem in which Somani was held is reflected in the renaming of Midair Court, the street where Dynacare is located, to Naseem Somani Way.
Carter is worthy of the accolade.
A few months after arriving in Canada from Barbados in 1989, she moved to Brampton and established a strong bond with the community.
“I got very involved before relocating to Barbados for a few years,” Carter said. “When I returned, I came back to Brampton and was actively engaged in the community. Though I moved to Mississauga five years ago to be with my partner, I work in Brampton and spend a lot of time here. I am a Bramptonian at heart.”
One of 10 siblings (one is deceased), she grew up in the Caribbean with a maternal aunt who lived alone after her only child married.
“She liked me and asked my mom if I could stay with her,” the mother of two children said. “That was an interesting time for me. Barbados is a small island and I often saw my siblings and my parents. Living with my aunt, I became independent at an early age and learned how to love myself.”
Carter’s love of books sparked her curiosity and love for travel.
“I often thought about what it would be like to go to space and other countries,” she said. “My favourite subjects in school were French and Geography and I wanted to work in a travel agency after completing high school.”
That didn’t happen.
Instead, Carter spent six years at Royal Bank of Canada.
“I was 17 when I started and I rose to the position of Head Teller which meant I spent most of the work day in a vault and was responsible for transferring large sums of money to the Central Bank,” she recounted. “I didn’t like that job and I resigned with two young children. I am someone who is prepared to live with the consequences of my actions, whatever that might be.”
Back home with her parents, Carter – who was a pistol shooter and the Barbados Rifle Association first female executive member -- was introduced to journalism after being called upon to represent the association at a meeting with the Barbados Nation newspaper
“An article about the association in the paper didn’t go over well with our executive and they wanted someone to go and set the record straight,” she said. “I met Trevor Thorpe who wrote the article and he later introduced me to Harold Hoyte (the late founder Editor Emeritus of the paper). While talking to him, he asked what I was doing and I told him I was looking for a job.
“At the time, there was a midweek and weekend paper and they were looking to start the Sunday Sun, covering primarily sports. They were seeking reporters and Harold asked if I could write. “I said ‘of course’ and he told me to return the next day for an interview which I did.”
Obviously making a good impression on Hoyte, Carter was assigned to cover regional netball and shooting competitions in 1979 taking place simultaneously in Barbados the following week.
“I had never written a news article, but I played netball in school, was a pistol shooter and very familiar with both sports,” she said. “While back in the office writing the netball story, Al Gilkes came over to my desk and advised me that my first paragraph should include who, why, what and where. I said okay and that article made it in the paper.”
A few days later, Carter was hired as the first designated sports reporter in Barbados.
Covering all sports was challenging at the beginning for the newcomer whose duties included proofreading.
“I was comfortable with those sports I knew and I learnt about those I didn’t along the way,” she said. “Not knowing golf, I called the Barbados Golf Club and told them this was my beat and I wanted to come down and learn more about the sport. They allowed me to walk 18 holes to get a better understanding of the sport. I got my first byline on a soccer story that Don Norville (the late journalist was the island’s first International Soccer Federation-accredited referee) helped me with by explaining certain things during the run of play that I didn’t know.”
On Saturdays, Carter covered cricket for the Sunday Sun whose editor was the late Tony Cozier, considered the doyen of Caribbean cricket journalism.
“It was great to be around these veterans,” she pointed out. “They understood journalism and how to write. I learnt so much from those stalwarts.”
Though rising to Editor of the Friday flagship edition and flourishing in her career, Carter felt she had hit the glass ceiling and accepted a sister’s invitation to come to Canada 34 years ago.
Her first job was with ‘Share’, a community newspaper founded in 1978 by Arnold A. Auguste. Two weeks after starting, she received a call from CIBC and accepted the offer to return to the banking industry.
Carter, who completed a Liberal Studies degree at York University in 1999, freelanced for ‘Share’ while employed at the bank for 13 years.
In 2002, she quit and started a communications and consulting firm. She also volunteered with several organizations, including Telecare Distress Centre, United Way Greater Toronto Peel and United Achievers Club of Brampton.
With journalism still in her blood, Carter – in 2004 -- convinced Nation Publishing to start a Canadian edition which she led for just over a year until the Trinidad & Tobago-based Caribbean Communications Network and the Nation merged at the start of 2006 to become ONE Caribbean Media Limited. The divestment led to the axing of the Canadian edition.
Shortly after the paper folded, she did a three-month Business Communications program in Punjab, India.
With the Caribbean preparing to host the men’s cricket World Cup for the first time in 2007, Carter was invited to return to Barbados to be Project Executive for The Nation Publishing Company Ltd. that was awarded the licensing and merchandising contract to produce the World Cup official publications.
After the championship game in Barbados, she spent 17 months as Manager/Editor of the Nation’s Fourth Estate section before successfully applying to be the Cricket Legends of Barbados General Manager.
Away from her daughters and grandchildren for nearly six years, Carter came back to the Greater Toronto Area in 2012 and was Weston Frontlines Centre Interim Executive Director for 13 months.
The holder of a Master’s degree from Royal Roads University also edited a few books for a friend, did some consultancy and volunteered before joining United Achievers Community Services as Executive Director in July 2015.
The organization, whose major funders include the federal and provincial governments, United Way Greater Toronto, the City of Brampton and the Central West Local Health Integration Network, changed its name to Roots Community Services Inc. four years ago.
When Carter started, the multi-service charitable organization ran four programs with six staff members.
The staff has expanded to 43, a total of 18 programs are offered and the operating budget hovers around $1 million.
