Leslie McCarley is the new president and CEO of Women’s College Hospital Foundation, the fundraising arm of the University of Toronto’s teaching hospital.

The appointment, effective today, sees McCarley taking over duties from Chaim Cutler, who held the post of interim president and CEO of the foundation since the spring.

McCarley is most recently VP of advancement for the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). Prior to assuming the CIFAR role in 2020, McCarley was senior director of philanthropy and campaigns for theoretical physics research hub, Perimeter Institute. For four years, she was also VP of development for Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, with accountability for teams working on major gifts, planned giving and sponsorships, which raised $30 million annually.

Founded in 1883, Women’s College Hospital was the first place in Canada where women could study and practice medicine. The teaching hospital is home to one of the only hospital-based research institutes in the world dedicated to women’s health. The facility, which serves 300,000 patients annually, is a provincial hub for critical networks such as sexual assault and domestic violence care centres and substance use care programs.

This May, Women’s College Hospital Foundation picked Empathy as its AOR following a competitive RFP. The institution had previously handled its marketing in-house.

In its most recent, 2020-2024 strategic plan, the foundation said it would develop a marketing framework that will serve the next five years with a view to building brand and awareness around Women’s College Hospital’s vision and mission and to raise its profile in key target communities. The foundation also said that it would develop a joint marketing and communications strategy in partnership with the Hospital to create an integrated brand platform.

Last spring, it partnered with LCBO in alignment with International Women’s Day for an in-store fundraising campaign, in which customers could donate $2, $5 or $10 alongside their purchase at LCBO stores to support the hospital’s mission to provide equitable and compassionate healthcare.