About Us
Our Story - OneHub Growth
集大莊 a place of integration
OneHub Growth co-founder Eddie Lee came to Canada as an immigrant in 2011. With his extensive experience working in the IT field as a global financial controller, Eddie still faced challenges in his job-seeking journey. Despite facing difficulties, he demonstrated his positive values and volunteered his time to help people in communities by sharing his knowledge. In 2012, Eddie won the JVS Toronto Newcomer Award and successfully found a job that matched his skill sets. In collaboration with community agencies such as the Centre for Immigrant & Community Services (CICS), Job Skills, Skills For Change, and JVS Toronto, Eddie has provided mentorship programs with newcomers and facilitated workshops on various topics as a guest speaker. In 2019, Eddie decided to establish a non-profit organization focusing on employment-related issues. With social responsibility in mind, Eddie continues to help individuals and families in communities build, bridge, and boost opportunities in the Canadian workforce.
OneHub Growth believes in the power of community work that can foster a growth mindset across different points of one’s life. Our co-founder, Sann Chan, used the word “growth” as the driving force for us in helping one build their employability and income security. With the establishment of our organization, she has used a social work lens to set a clear direction for our organization that is consistent with the idea of social responsibility.
To continue the story..
Eddie would like to name the organization in Chinese 集大莊. To honour his grandfather, Eddie picked the name集大莊to pass on the legacy of his grandfather’s Chinese calligraphy brush company, which played an important role in promoting traditional cultural practices in the Hong Kong community. 集大莊means a place of integration. The words “集大成者” were used by the famous Chinese scholar Mencius(孟子) to praise Confucius (孔子) as the one who epitomizes success in career, knowledge, skills, and morality. This is a perfect match for the goal of OneHub Growth, which is to optimize the strengths and potentials of individuals in the communities.
Since 2022, OneHub Growth has begun offering community-based programs and services to people in need. OneHub Growth has the uniqueness and capacity to play a key role in supporting vulnerable members of the community. Living in vulnerable circumstances can be caused by limited capacity or inadequate access to resources and opportunities. Anyone can find themselves in these situations at some point in their life (CIHR, 2018). From the perspective of social determinants of health, our community work addresses social justice issues such as local poverty, unemployment, equity, and inequalities. In response, we explore the contemporary realities of different populations, including newcomers, women, youth, older adults, persons with special needs, and low to modest-income families.
Sann F.S. Chan
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Sann upholds social work values and uses an equity lens to lead OneHub Growth as an organization that addresses individual and structural barriers faced by disadvantaged individuals. She oversees the organization and brings to life our mission, vision, values, and mandates. Through her leadership, OneHub Growth acknowledges Canada’s poverty reduction strategies to help individuals gain income security and maintain their well-being from a social determinant of health perspective. She ensures that OneHub Growth’s service delivery and practices are based on the best interests of our community members. Sann holds a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from the University of Manitoba. Sann is pursuing her Master of Social Work (MSW) at the University of Waterloo as a life-long learner. With extensive experience working with charitable and not-for-profit organizations, she is a community leader, registered social worker, and volunteer in her professional life.
My passion for social justice and equity guide my worldview. As a co-founder of OneHub Growth, I would like to demonstrate my social work values and ethics through my work at the organization. Everyone should be able to exercise their fundamental rights regardless of their socio-economic status. I find my advocacy roles in viewing persons with special needs as People of Determination and promoting the rights of equal access to resources. With extensive experiences working with charitable and not-for-profit organizations, I have been a social worker, editor, reporter, writer, autism intervener, teacher, Chinese school principal, and volunteer. As a woman of colour with an immigrant background, I feel privileged to use this identity to impact others through inclusive practices.
Eddie Lee
Co-Founder
Eddie Lee is the co-founder of OneHub Growth. He is also the Founder & CEO of OneHub Business Consulting, a Canadian-based management consulting firm in Markham, Ontario, serving clients in dozens of industries. Over his 30 years+ of work experience, he led Acer Group Global and was a part of one of the first venture capitalists established in Shanghai, China. In addition to his past leadership experiences, he has made significant contributions to the community. In 2012, he received the JVS Toronto Newcomer Award, a prestigious award that recognizes individuals who greatly impact the community. He is a Director on the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto Board of Directors. For his education, he has his Executive MBA from ETH in Zurich. ETH is ranked as one of the top 10 best global universities in the world