Anila is the President & Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Newcomers. She has 24 years of experience in the settlement sector. Beyond traditional settlement services, Anila has spearheaded programming to include volunteer-led refugee supports; indigenous integration for newcomers; LGBTQ+ supports, domestic violence, homeless and mental health support services and broadened vulnerable youth programming and social venture opportunities.

Amongst many volunteer positions, Anila is the Co-Chair of the Calgary Local Immigration Partnership (CLIP) and is the Vice Chair of the Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA).

Anila holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology (Behavioural Neuroscience) and a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Calgary and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. She is an alumnus of the US State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program and is a featured author in the International Museum of Women’s anthology Imagining Ourselves: Global Voices from a New Generation of Women and the recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Person’s Case in 2001 for her work advocating for the rights of immigrant and minority women and children in Canada. In 2017 she was honoured with receiving the University of Calgary Alumni Award and Top 40 Under 40 designation. In 2019 she received the Woman of Wonder award and a Women of Inspiration Award.