We are pleased to announce several new appointments to the board of directors of the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA). As of January 11, 2022, TIFA welcomes Shagorika Easwar, Malcolm McLean, Nalini Stewart and Iris Tupholme to its board of directors. All will serve the board, chaired by Charles Baillie, for a three-year term. Easwar’s appointment is effective as of September 2021, and the appointments of McLean, Stewart and Tupholme begin this month.   

Shagorika Easwar is a seasoned journalist with years of leadership roles in media in India and Dubai. Easwar is the co-founder and Editor of Desi News, which she launched a year after arriving in Canada in 1995. Twenty-five years later, Desi News is Canada’s premier South Asian print and online magazine with Canada-wide readership, and continues to resonate with the burgeoning community. In 2006, Easwar co-founded Grant’s Desi Achievers Awards in partnership with PMA Canada, a bi-annual event that honours high achievers in Canada’s South Asian communities. Easwar also serves as the Editor of CanadaBound Immigrant magazine, which she co-founded in 2009. The magazine caters to the informational needs of newcomers to Canada and draws its readers from over 50 countries. 

After completing the International MBA program at Schulich with a specialty in Russia and Eastern Europe, Malcolm McLean worked for several years in Germany before returning to Canada to embark on a career in brand strategy in the world of advertising. After making contributions at some of Canada’s leading agencies, including BBDO, Cossette, Lowe Roche, TBWA, and Grey Canada, he joined Cundari to invigorate and innovate their strategic offering and was subsequently elevated to the position of President, CSO in March 2019. McLean has had the privilege to work with a variety of not-for-profit organizations including CBCF, the Salvation Army, Special Olympics, Moms Demand Action for Gun Control in America, Strong Minds Strong Kids (Psychology Foundation of Canada), and the Missing Children’s Society of Canada.     

For over thirty-five years, Nalini Stewart has held leadership roles on local, provincial, and national boards. She has been Chair of the Ontario Arts Council and the Writers’ Trust of Canada. She has been Acting Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts and President of the Canadian Club. She is a Founding member of the Ontario Arts Foundation, The Power Plant Art Gallery, the Asia Pacific Foundation, the Art Canada Institute and the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund. She is currently Chair of Necessary Angel Theatre and Friends of WWF Canada. She is an honorary governor of York University and the National Theatre School of Canada. Stewart received the Order of Ontario and the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship for “contribution to the arts, education and communication, and for efforts to promote diversity awareness and inclusion.” She has a lifetime achievement award from the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce.     

Iris Tupholme is SVP, Executive Publisher at HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. Iris leads the Canadian publishing team and is proud to be the publisher of esteemed and award-winning authors including Lawrence Hill, Michelle Good, Tanya Talaga, Hilary Mantel, Emma Donoghue, Thomas King, Heather O’Neil, Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Rosemary Sullivan and Kenneth Oppel, among many others. Iris was born in Saskatchewan and lived in northern Ontario before moving to the Toronto area. She is a graduate of the University of Guelph, the University of Toronto, Ryerson College and the Rotman School of Business (MBA Essentials). Iris was chosen as the Editor of the Year in 2013 by Canadian Booksellers. She has been a Fellow in Sydney, Jerusalem and Scotland. Iris is the Founding Chair of the International Visitors (I.V.) Programme at TIFA, now in its 15th year.  

“We are delighted to welcome Shagorika, Malcolm Nalini and Iris to TIFA’s board of directors. They share our enthusiasm for literature and our desire to build upon TIFA’s rich history to ensure the organization’s success as we expand our offerings to the book-loving community this year, and onwards,” said Charles Baillie, TIFA board chair.   

“We are so pleased that Shagorika, Malcolm, Nalini and Iris are joining the TIFA Board. They bring a depth of knowledge, experience and expertise that will enable us to continue to successfully navigate these challenging times, and that enhance our abilities to realise our ambitions for 2022 and beyond, as we bring the best books, stories and ideas from around the world to audiences in Toronto,” said Roland Gulliver, TIFA Director.   

The board of directors for the Toronto International Festival of Authors is composed of Charles Baillie (President), Harriet Lewis (Vice President/Secretary), Cam di Prata (Treasurer), Gail Appel, Randy Boyagoda, Marah Braye, Shagorika Easwar, John Macfarlane, Malcolm McLean, Beth Nowers, Valerie Pringle, Nalini Stewart and Iris Tupholme.