Board of Directors

Michael became involved in grassroots basketball as a consequence of assisting his son’s teams through his teenage years. Michael realized that he could make an important difference in the lives of many at-risk youth and began dedicating more of his spare time and charitable giving in support of these student athletes. Michael founded The Drive for Dreams Foundation in 2014 as a way to formalize his own charitable giving and to organize his fundraising efforts.

A successful entrepreneur with an extensive background of management, investment, and capital markets, Michael was also the Co-Founder of a number of asset management firms and a software company as well as an investor in several other successful businesses. Other achievements include: Michael is a Chartered Professional Accountant and is a former Director of the Toronto Board of Trade and of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Michael is also involved in a number of community activities.

Michael is the driving force behind all of DFD’s initiatives and spends countless hours fundraising and exploring ways for DFD to positively impact youth and their communities.

Rashay Jethalal is a financial services professional with a background in management consulting. He is currently the CEO of CEM Benchmarking. Previously, Rashay was with RBC as a Managing Director, Enterprise Strategy, a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and Managing Director & Head, Global Banks at CIBC. Rashay holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia, an MBA from INSEAD and is a CFA charterholder. His primary responsibilities for DFD include strategy development and fundraising.

Robert Thompson Jr. is an experienced senior leader, transformational strategist, and community advocate with over 16 years of experience in financial services, leadership development, and organizational transformation.

Throughout his professional career, Robert has led high-performing teams, driven strategic initiatives, and supported organizational change through product management, Agile methodologies, and disciplined delivery execution. His leadership approach emphasizes collaboration, continuous improvement, and empowering individuals to achieve their full potential.

Beyond his professional career, Robert brings over a decade of basketball coaching experience and a longstanding commitment to youth development, mentorship, and community engagement. His work focuses on creating environments where young people can build confidence, resilience, leadership, and transferable life skills through sport.

Robert also holds a certification in Marketing Management from Ryerson University and has contributed to community initiatives focused on inclusion, representation, and economic empowerment.

As a Board Member and Director of Career Development at Drive for Dreams, Robert is committed to connecting the lessons learned through athletics with meaningful educational, career, and personal development opportunities, helping young people build pathways to success beyond the game.