Learning that works, for everyone.

2006

Where it started

I began my career in 2006 as an HR consultant at Aon in Toronto. I learned to dig into massive amounts of data, find the insights and make clear recommendations to executive teams. It was valuable training, but I wanted my skills to do more good.

2008 to 2009

Seeing the gap

In 2008 I moved into global development. I worked first with a local microfinance non-profit in Cape Town, then at the Paris headquarters of a global NGO. My time there was split between building external partnerships with companies, and internally building the capacity of the organization's own people.

Two key lessons stayed with me:

1. Non-profits need the same skills and training that companies take for granted.
2. Partnerships between sectors work best when each partner contributes what it does best, while learning from the expertise of the others.

Then, at the Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurship in 2009, I met a community of founders proving that business can be a force for social good.

Accenture, Oxford and Dalberg

Building the toolkit

Soon after that, I joined Accenture as a management consultant. I led complex change management programs for business process and tech transformation projects. I designed leadership programs for executives and worked on strategy and organizational change. I also started an initiative that placed corporate executives on the boards of non-profits across the Greater Toronto Area, promoting the kind of cross-sector partnerships that I knew could drive social innovation and positive impact.

This work showed me that companies want to support their communities in more ways than simply donating money. They can share skills, time and know-how. That's when the idea for Talentrade began.

I tested it during my MBA at the University of Oxford. My master's thesis looked at how to structure learning partnerships between sectors using design thinking and strategic problem-solving. I then worked as a strategy consultant at Dalberg in London, on projects with large private foundations, multilateral agencies like the UN, global think tanks and developing country governments. Everything I saw told me the idea was needed and could work.

2016

Starting Talentrade

I launched Talentrade in 2016. It took years of testing to learn which skills each sector needs most, and how adults learn them best. Along the way, Mastercard funded and facilitated a pilot of our leadership program for non-profit leaders.

Since then, Talentrade has delivered training programs and workshops for participants from the UK government, UN agencies, large global non-profits, start-up companies and multinational corporations.

2017

Learning at every age

In 2017, a serious illness in my family led me to step back from full-time work and care for an elderly parent. It changed how I saw my work and the importance of learning. I tirelessly researched which habits and interventions help people stay healthy and independent as they age. That's why Talentrade's mission covers every stage of adulthood, including older adults and the families who support them.

Since 2020

The best learning is social

Since 2020 I've been a seasonal Program Director with Shad Canada. Each summer I design and lead a month-long STEAM, design and entrepreneurship program for high-achieving high school students from across Canada. The program is built on psychological safety, a growth mindset and creative problem-solving that positively impacts society.

Our guest speakers have included leaders from Toronto Police Services, LinkedIn, CityTV News and IKEA. Watching teenagers and executives share and learn from each other reminded me that the best learning is social, at any age.

Today

Why I do this

For the past decade, my work and my life have both come back to one idea: learning, particularly when it's relationship-based, is the lever for high performance, health and wellbeing, for teenagers, professionals and seniors alike.

“If we know what works, I believe everyone has a right to learn it.”

That's what Talentrade does. Our courses combine the problem-solving methods of top consulting firms with research from psychology and neuroscience on healthy living and aging. We take out the fluff, keep what works, and deliver it live through trusted facilitators and coaches. Our vision is a world where everyone has the skills and knowledge they need to be healthy, happy, productive citizens at every age.

Wherever you are in your life or career, I'd love for you to come learn with us.

Ginu ChackoFounder and CEO, Talentrade