Appointment of New President and CEO

TORONTO — November 6, 2018 — Dale Patterson, Chair of the Board of Directors of Opportunity International Canada, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dan Murray as President and CEO, effective November 19, 2018.

Dan comes to Opportunity with a solid and successful history of senior leadership experience in the business, public service and NGO/charitable sectors. He most recently spent seven years with Teen Challenge Canada, as COO for 1-1/2 years and then was appointed CEO for the last 5 years. During his tenure with Teen Challenge, Dan focused on strengthening the health and growing the impact of this national, faith-based, charity in its mission to help men and women overcome addiction to live full and productive lives.

Prior to that, Dan served as Executive Pastor at Creekside Church and led the overhaul of their governance model, recruited and empowered a team of ministry leaders in an expanded ministry focus and building project. In addition, Dan was also the President of two technology-based, start-up companies, providing entrepreneurial leadership in business and product development, and also served as a Design Engineer and R&D Project Manager. He served six years as a Trade Diplomat in the Trade Commissioner Service with Global Affairs Canada, including four years based in Seoul, South Korea. Dan has a BSc and MSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

“We are pleased that Dan has accepted this important appointment,” said Dale Patterson, “especially in this celebratory 20th year of Opportunity’s operation in Canada. His proven track record of success is conducive to leading our domestic and partnership teams of consummate professionals, and thereby leading our organization to the next level of our accomplishment. As I continue in the role of Board Chair, I look forward to my new partnership with Dan.”

Dan is pleased to be working with Opportunity International Canada. “I believe that my role as CEO is to inspire, support and serve the Opportunity staff team, Board, volunteers and donors as together we execute our mission of unleashing the power of entrepreneurs in the developing world with our innovative approaches and services to allow more people to expand their businesses, create jobs and change the world.”

Opportunity International Canada, founded in 1998, provides access to savings, small business loans, insurance and training to millions of people working their way out of poverty in the developing world. Clients in more than 20 countries use these financial services to start or expand a business, provide for their families, create jobs for their neighbours and build a safety net for the future. Opportunity International Canada is a registered charity and serves all people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or gender.