What happens when you get Mayor Olivia Chow; the godfather of Ozempic, Daniel Drucker; the ministers of AI and foreign affairs; the producing brains behind Frankenstein; star athletes, academics and many more in a room together? On November 14, Toronto Life celebrated the launch of our 2025 Most Influential issue with a glam fête complete with a killer DJ, fine wine, and steak tartare bites catered by Oliver and Bonacini. Editor-in-chief Malcolm Johnston and publisher Jason Maghanoy played host to over 200 guests in a room filled with some of the most exciting luminaries in the city. See what went down below.
With special thanks to SixtyEight, O&B Catering, Tudor, Newton, Air Canada, Pelee Island Winery, Fiji Water and Incepta
Jennifer Bernard (Most Influential No. 42), president and CEO of SickKids Foundation Guests enjoying the Newton Crypto brand activation From left, University of Toronto academics Jason Stanley and Marci Shore (No. 34) and U of T president Melanie Woodin (No. 30) Sharan Kaur, principal at Navigator, and physician Andrew Boozary (No. 32) Tudor watches Ana Bailão (No. 22), CEO of Build Canada Homes Doug Knight, former president of St. Joseph Communications, and Shelley Ambrose, former executive director of the Walrus Dr. Nicole Kozloff and Dr. Daniel Drucker (No. 29), one of the researchers behind the active ingredient in Ozempic Chef Eva Chin (right, No. 31) and guest A sample of Oliver and Bonacini’s catering Rising star Emma Knight (right), author of The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, and her husband Pelee Island wine Rising star Sarah Bartnicka, writer of business-meets-culture newsletter Milk Bag, and her partner Cycling activist Michael Longfield (No. 50)
Joanna Griffiths (No. 43), founder of Knix, and Malcolm Johnston, EIC of Toronto Life Guest enjoys Tudor brand activation Society columnist Shinan Govani, writer John Tracey and publicist Jack-Malcolm Samedi Philanthropists Moez (No. 33) and Marissa Kassam, flanked by guests Anita Anand (No. 10), Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Evan Solomon (No. 16), Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Jagmeet Singh, former NDP leader Fiji Water brand activation Philanthropists Susan and Perry Dellelce (No. 45) Danny Soberano and Charles Khabouth (No. 26), restaurateurs Liz Guber, EIC of Fashion Chris Abraham and Michael Healey (No. 24) of Crow’s Theatre with Crow’s executive director Sherrie Johnson Pelee Island Winery brand activation Justin Stockman (right), VP at Bell Media, and his partner Malcolm Johnston, EIC of Toronto Life; Mayor Olivia Chow (No. 4); and Jason Maghanoy, publisher of Toronto Life J. Miles Dale (No. 8), producer of Frankenstein, and his wife, Sylvie Rising star author Emma Knight and Carley Fortune (No. 14), author of romance novels Meet Me at the Lake and Every Summer After Tassie Cameron (middle), showrunner of Law & Order: Toronto; Sharan Kaur (right), principal at Navigator; and guest More of Oliver and Bonacini’s catering TTC CEO Mandeep Lali (left) and guest Andrew Joyner of Tricon (No. 40) and Kristina Joyner Ashley Ballantyne, publicist, and Julie Adam, president and CEO of Universal Music Canada Entrepreneur Daniel Debow (No. 38) and Jordana Huber Lina and Tony Gagliano, chairman of St. Joseph Communications Martha Leonard, chief of staff at Penguin Random House Canada, and Toronto Life writer Courtney Shea Video greetings from Prime Minister Mark Carney, No. 1 on the Most Influential listToronto Star culture and lifestyle director Laura deCarufel, fashion writer Shayne Stephens, and Star EICNicole MacIntyre
