Western graduates help build the Toronto Tempo, Canada’s first WNBA team
Alumni hold roles from general counsel to finance and sales, and an Ivey student landed the team’s first internship.
Many Western graduates were part of the Toronto Tempo before the first ball was thrown. Karisma Sharma, BMOS’19, is manager of human resources, and Patrick Lee, BMOS’07, is chief financial officer. Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, HBA’92, LLD’26, is part of the ownership group. Aaron Barrett, JD’20, is general counsel and helped secure the expansion agreement in 2024, and Amy Kong, HBA’24, works in premium sales and service.
Esra Osman, a fourth-year Ivey student, won the team’s first internship after three rounds, working in business operations to promote the Tempo in local communities. Barrett says it became clear only about six weeks before the season that a team would take the court, and the roster was set 30 days before the first game.
The Tempo season wraps up at the end of September. Barrett said Tempo fans stay on their feet even when the team is down 20 points.
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