Trusted Advisors to UHNW Families

Aneil Gokhale is passionate about the intersection of philanthropy and community. Increasingly motivated by equity and social justice, he deeply focuses on ensuring that philanthropic resources are directed where they are needed most.

He is currently Director, Philanthropy at Toronto Foundation where he is responsible for the development and management of the new business portfolio. He focuses on helping individuals, families, professional advisors, companies and charities engage in more strategic philanthropy. In 2020, Aneil played a key role in the development and execution of the Black and Indigenous Futures Fund, an answer to the inequity that exists within the philanthropic sector. This was an exciting initiative that unlocked unrestricted multi-year resources to some of the communities most marginalized members.

In 2018, Aneil spearheaded the successful creation and launch of Vision 2020, a program developed to attract and inspire the next generation of philanthropists. The program successfully engaged 115 millennials and gen-xers in a “Philanthropic MBA learning journey” that enabled them to participate in active city building philanthropy. Since then, he has recruited for annual learning cohorts, in total welcoming over 250 new fundholders under the age of 50 to Toronto Foundation’s philanthropy network.

Aneil has been with Toronto Foundation for 11 years and before that, he worked at United Way Toronto for 5 years and in the private sector, with GE Healthcare in Medical Sales for 4 years after graduating from the University of Waterloo with a Science and Business degree.

Aneil serves on the Board of Directors for Give Foundation, a tech startup in the philanthropy ecosystem. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for Visions of Science, an organization working in Toronto that aims to advance the educational achievements and positive development of youth from low-income and marginalized communities through STEM.

Aneil is a member and volunteer with the Estate Planning Council in Toronto and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP). He has also previously been a mentor with CAGP, Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Inclusive Giving and Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), He was also the past Toronto City Ambassador for NEXUS, a global community founded to bridge communities of wealth and social entrepreneurship.

Aneil was born and raised in Scarborough and is a husband and father of two young children who loves coaching their sports teams, and spending quality family time exploring every corner of Toronto, all while cheering on his beloved Blue Jays and Raptors.

Varugis is the President of Cambridge Executive Connections (CEC), a subsidiary of Cambridge Forums Inc. Since 2003, Varugis has held sales, production and management roles at three global conference and business information providers. Prior to joining Cambridge Forums in 2015, he was the Director of Conference Development at Insight Information, the Canadian subsidiary of ALM Media, LLC. In 2019, CEC was established as a specialised provider of sophisticated learning and networking experiences for private clients, family offices, institutional investors, and corporate leaders. Along with the flagship Forums, CEC builds Communities for members to engage and develop meaningful connections with their peers globally. As President, Varugis is responsible for the overall strategy, growth, and delivery of all services under the CEC banner.