Speakers Biography

Liana Bagworth
Founder, EQals

EQals is a unique provider of emotional intelligence informed consulting, assessment, learning and coaching, supporting the growth of leaders, teams and organisations. Liana’s vision is a world of courageous and emotionally intelligent leaders who inspire learning, sharing and growing by the way they show up. Her mission is to help create opportunities for greatness by supporting the courageous journey to stand up and stand out.

Liana is proud to be a partner and facilitator in the world's first government mandated emotional intelligence development for lawyers, with The Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department, Continuing Legal Professional Development Programme. She is also a Dare To Lead™ certified Facilitator, an advanced EQ practitioner, certified in a variety of Emotional Intelligence assessment and measurement tools, and is an on-going student of the neuroscience of behavior and performance and its applications. Her latest achievement is Certified Applied Neuroscience Practitioner, (London, UK). Liana has worked with start-ups, and mid and large organisations across many vertical markets in the Middle East, North America and Africa, and was part of a neuroscience research and development organisation in Toronto, Canada.

Naturally curious, Liana is a committed life-long student of learning, sharing and growing, globally. She is a sports and travel enthusiast, and combines her passions together with her love of connecting with her clients and partners, and the world.

She holds designations as a certified Coach (U.S.A) and Leading Change agent (Rotman School of Business, Toronto, Canada), Her 16 year Human Resources career was supported by the Certified Human Resources Practitioner status (Rotman School of Business, Toronto, Canada), She is the Former President of the Board of Directors of the International Coach Federation , Toronto Chapter.

Helle Bank Jorgensen
CEO and Founder, Competent Boards Inc

Renowned global sustainability, climate change, and ESG advisor with close to 30 years of experience helping companies and investors turn sustainability into strong financial results. Helle has worked with hundreds of world-leading companies, including IKEA, Nike, Levi's, Pfizer, Shell, Orsted, Unilever, Maersk, Novozymes, Novo Nordisk, Vestas, as well as SMEs and investors.

Competent Boards Certificate Program is a professional development program for boards, executives, investors and their advisors on how to identify, articulate and confidently act upon the most material environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects of their business. Over 70 of the greatest board stewards from around the world train participants in 12 online sessions related to ESG, Climate and Sustainability oversight and reporting. The program has engaged several world-class business leaders like Paul Polman, former Unilever CEO, who calls it an “Incredible initiative.”

Besides being a board member and running Competent Boards, she serves on His Royal Highness Prince of Wales A4S Global Expert Panel, the Cornerstone Capital Global Advisory Council, the WBCSD Governance & Internal Oversight High-Level Advisory Group, The Ethical Corporation Global Responsible Business Awards 2020 Expert Judge team and the Future-Fit Business Benchmark Release Council. Helle is a Board Facilitator for the UN Global Compact Board Program and a regular keynote speaker and author of many thought-leading articles and books.

Helle was the creator of the world's first Green Account based on lifecycle assessment, as well as the world's first Integrated Report, the first holistic supply chain program, and was the principal organizer for the CEO/Investor-network for Business Ethics and Non-Financial Reporting. She led the improvement of DJSI and CDP ranking and investor communication for global companies and has worked on Natural Capital Accounting for IFC/World Bank.

Helle was a Partner with PwC for 11 years, building and leading sustainability and climate change practices in Europe and the US. She has extensive experience providing strategic and operational guidance to all functions within an organization, including advising at the C-suite and board level.

Helle is a Business Lawyer, and State Authorized Public Accountant by training and holds a Master's degree in Business Administration and Auditing.

Jeremy Barretto
Partner, Cassels Brock

Jeremy Barretto is a partner in the Business Law Group at Cassels. Jeremy offers extensive regulatory, environmental, and Aboriginal law experience in obtaining approvals and negotiating agreements for resource development projects. He also has expertise in renewable energy, oil and gas, and infrastructure development. Jeremy frequently represents project proponents in hearings before courts and regulators across Canada. He has presented at national conferences and published articles, including in the Alberta Law Review, Globe and Mail and CBC. Jeremy is an expert with the Canada Climate Law Initiative, which advances knowledge on effective climate governance practices for corporate directors.

Norma Beauchamp

Ms. Beauchamp is a corporate director with over 30 years of healthcare experience in corporate and non-profit organizations, including executive positions at Bayer Healthcare (Canada and Global) and Sanofi Canada. Most recently, she served as the President and CEO of Cystic Fibrosis Canada (2014 to 2017). Throughout her career, she has been a patient advocate, working with patient and health care organizations to enhance access to care.

Beauchamp currently serves on the respective boards of Extendicare (TSX:EXE) and Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSX: ACB), as Chair of its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and a member of its Human Resources and Compensation Committee, and Dialogue Health Technologies (TSX:CARE), a leading Canadian health and wellness virtual platform.

Formerly, Ms. Beauchamp served on the respective boards of Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation (TSX: ASP), as Chair of its Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and a member of its Audit Committee; Quest PharmaTech Inc. (TSXV: QPT); and prior to its acquisition by Aurora, MedReleaf as Chair of its Corporate Governance and Compensation Committee and a member of its Audit Committee.

Ms. Beauchamp gives back to her community and serves as a member of the National Research Council of Canada and on the respective boards of the Ontario Caregiver Organization, ALS Canada and BETA-I(Black Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Incubator. She is a Regional Ambassador with Women Get on Board where she connects with women aspiring to serve on boards. In the past, she has served on the respective boards of the St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation, Providence Healthcare Foundation, Health Charities Coalition of Canada and the Breast Cancer Society of Canada.

Ms. Beauchamp has completed the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management Directors Education Program (ICD.D), and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Bishop’s University.

Brian Brown, CIA, CPA, CMA, C.Dir, CFE
Principal, Best Job in the Company Consulting Services

Brian Brown possesses a unique combination of senior-level private, public, and non-profit sector experience in governance, internal audit, risk management, fraud, and internal controls.

Brian is a recognized leader in the internal audit profession with over 30 years of experience collaborating with and supporting Boards of Directors and Audit Committees. Now retired and providing independent consulting and education services, he previously he led internal audit activities with The Canadian Grain Commission, The Great-West Life Assurance Company, Agricore United and its predecessor, UGG, and with Sears Canada Inc.

He has served on numerous not-for-profit and association Boards, currently serving on three.

Brian has been providing education services for many years and is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars. He is a founding faculty member of The Directors College and a Distinguished Faculty Member for the Institute of Internal Auditors. He also serves as faculty for the Institute of Corporate Directors, the Caribbean Governance Training Institute, and the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association. 

Brian is a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and holds the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Chartered Professional Accountant, Certified Management Accountant (CPA,CMA), Chartered Director (C.Dir.), and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designations.

Louise Champoux-Paillé, C.M., C.Q. F.Adm.A. ASC, MBA, Economist
Executive in Residence, John Molson School of Business

An economist by training, Louise Champoux-Paillé holds an MBA, a master's degree in museology and a certificate in governance from Laval University. She has successfully completed the governing for not profit excellence program of the Harvard Business School. Breaking new ground in a number of senior management positions, she has served as founding president of the Bureau des services financiers du Québec and executive vice-president of the Ordre des administrateurs agrées. Her research and volunteer work have helped promote good governance, ethics and women's access to strategic roles. In her career, she has served on numerous boards, including the Quebec state corporation SAAQ and the Ste-Justine Hospital. In 2012, the Québec government named Ms. Champoux-Paillé a member of the Ordre national du Québec. In 2014, she won the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case, granted to women who have made outstanding contributions to the quality of life for women in Canada. In 2016, she was appointed to the Order of Canada for her contributions as an administrator and for her commitment to promoting women in governance. Recently, she received an award of excellence from Laval University and was named one of the Top 20 personalities for diversity.

Christopher Chen
Managing Director, Compensation Governance Partners

Chris is the Managing Director of Compensation Governance Partners, based in Toronto. He advises boards and management on supporting stakeholder value through effectively aligning organizational strategy to executive pay.

Prior to CGP, Chris was the National Practice Leader of Executive Compensation at a multinational human resources consulting firm. As a lawyer and tax advisor, he provides deep technical and industry expertise in all aspects of executive compensation and governance.

With over 25 years of experience at HR advisory, accounting and law firms, Chris has worked extensively with private and public sector clients worldwide. He has advised human resources and compensation committees in organizations ranging from the S&P/TSX 60 to not-for-profits, providing advice in the areas of governance, compensation strategy, competitive benchmarking and incentive design.

Chris holds a Chartered Director (C.Dir) designation from The Directors College and has been a faculty member for over a decade. He holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Ocean Chen, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan

Caroline Codsi, ICD.D
President & Founder, Women in Governance

Caroline Codsi is the Founder & Chief Equality Officer of Women in Governance, a non-profit created in 2010 with mission to help women access decision-making bodies and male dominated fields through advocacy, major events, mentoring programs and governance training. In 2017 Women in Governance developed the first North American Parity Certification with the probono support of McKinsey&Company to close the gender gap in the workplace with an emphasis on intersectionality, recognizing added obstacles for under-represented groups (BIPOC, LGBTQ, etc). The organization is also well known for the important role men are given as allies of the cause.

A Citizen of the world having lived on three continents, Caroline was born in Beirut and grew up through the civil war. A highly sought-after speaker, Caroline has addressed audiences across the globe, including two TEDx. Widely quoted in national and international media, she is the recipient of numerous awards from prestigious organizations such as the United Nations’ Women’s Committee, the Quebec Business Women Network, The Federation of Chambers of Commerce or the New Delhi Women’s Economic Forum, to name a few.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated Caroline on Canada’s National Gender Equality Committee and Mayor Valérie Plante on the City of Montreal’s Busines Committee. She was also recognized as a Top 20 Diversity Leading Figure in Quebec, Top 75 Canadian Immigrant, Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada and Top 100 Entrepreneurs changing the world.

Michelle de Cordova
Principal, ESG Global Advisors

Michelle has played a prominent role in Canadian responsible investment for over ten years and has more than twenty years’ experience in sustainability. As a Principal at ESG Global Advisors, she works to bridge the gap between companies and investors on environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors: assisting companies and boards of directors to develop ESG strategies that generate long-term value and respond to emerging capital markets expectations, and assisting investors to integrate ESG to their investment processes. Prior to joining ESG Global in 2019, for eight years she was Director of Corporate Engagement at NEI Investments, leading the firm’s well-regarded program of dialogue with portfolio companies, engaged proxy voting, and public policy work on corporate regulations and standards. Before moving to Canada, she worked for ten years as a staff member and consultant for environment and social development non-profits in Europe, Asia, and Africa, including Oxfam and WWF, and earlier she served for six years in the U.K. Diplomatic Service. She holds a Master of Science degree in the management of integrated conservation and social development. Michelle is a member of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance Environmental and Social Committee and the BC Securities Commission Corporate Finance Stakeholder Forum. She has played a leading role in numerous ESG collaborations at the Canadian Responsible Investment Association, the U.S. Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, and globally through the Principles for Responsible Investment and the Investor Alliance for Human Rights. She is a 2020 Clean50 Honouree for leadership in clean finance.

Judy Cotte,
CEO, ESG Global Advisors

Judy is the CEO of ESG Global Advisors, a firm that bridges the gap between companies and investors on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. With over 20 years’ legal experience, the last twelve of which has been exclusively focused on ESG, Judy is a globally recognized expert on ESG and responsible investment.

Prior to forming ESG Global Advisors, Judy was V.P. & Head of Corporate Governance &Responsible Investment for RBC Global Asset Management (“RBC GAM”) and was amember of the firm’s Executive Committee. Judy launched the Corporate Governance& Responsible Investment group at RBC GAM in 2012 and was responsible for developing the firm’s overall ESG strategy, working with the investment teams to integrate ESG into the investment process, overseeing all proxy voting globally and engaging with investee companies, both individually and collaboratively with other investors.

Previously, Judy was the Director of Policy Development & Chief Operating Officer forthe Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (“CCGG”), a coalition of most of Canada’s largest institutional investors. Judy has a Master's degree in securities law and practiced law in various capacities, including as enforcement counsel with the OSC,litigation counsel with a large broker/dealer and as a partner in a Bay Street law firm.

Judy is a Board Advisor to Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group and a Director of Gibson Energy (GEI) and Altius Renewable Royalties (ARR). She is a current member of the TSX Listings Advisory Committee, the CCGG Public Policy Committee and the UNPRI’s Global Policy Reference Group. She was previously the Canada Correspondent for the International Corporate Governance Network. In 2020, Judy received a Clean50award for her leadership in advancing sustainability and clean capitalism in Canada.

Joanie Coutu-Bellerose
Co-President, Certification Committee

Joanie leads the Total Rewards and Performance Strategy at Richter. She began her career in consulting in executive compensation before specializing in total rewards, performance, and talent management. Joanie supported multiple mandates for companies of all sizes and in all industries by defining total rewards strategies, assessing local and international market studies, and designing career tracking models. She leads projects and initiatives related to pay equity, gender pay, diversity, and inclusion. She is also a speaker and content writer of many articles in her field of expertise.

She is a member of the Alumni Association’s board of directors in addition to being a lecturer and a philanthropist member of the 100 Club at HEC Montreal. As a total rewards expert, her contribution to break down ideas and preconceived notions to enhance the well-being, wellness, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

She is the co-president of the Parity Certification Committee, at Women in Governance, a non-profit organization whose mission is to assess an organization’s commitment to implementing mechanisms that enable women at all levels to achieve career advancement.

Dr. Wendy Cukier (she/her)
Founder & Academic Director; Professor, Entrepreneurship & Strategy

Dr. Wendy Cukier is the Diversity Institute Founder, Academic Director of the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub and Research Lead of the Future Skills Centre. She is the co-author of the bestseller, Innovation Nation: Canadian Leadership from Java to Jurassic Park and former VP of Research and Innovation. The Diversity Institute has 100 research staff, 100 research associates world-wide, 200 industry partners and focuses on dimensions of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, future skills, and entrepreneurship and innovation. For more than a decade she has been challenging conventional wisdom about technology adoption and the “skills gap”, and examining how we can leverage inclusive innovation to address it. She serves on a host of non-profit boards and many advisory committees. She has also received numerous awards, most recently the International Women’s Forum 2020 Women Who Make a Difference. She holds two honorary doctorates as well as the Meritorious Service Cross, one of Canada's highest civilian honours.

Roopa Davé,
Partner KPMG Sustainability Services

Roopa is a partner in KPMG’s Sustainability Services practice. Having trained as an accountant, Roopa focused her career on sustainability because she believes there is a role for business in addressing societal issues like climate change and human rights. She sees an opportunity for organizations and individuals to look beyond the traditional way of doing business and to recognize a wider group of diverse stakeholders and ever-changing business issues, whether environmental, social or economic, in their activities.

As a sustainability professional, Roopa works in a global setting helping clients and boards of directors to understand and respond to their shifting environments effectively and profitably by helping to reduce risks, find opportunities and ultimately build more resilient and sustainable businesses. She has over 14 years of experience delivering a range of services including ESG and climate risk identification, sustainability measurement and reporting, strategy, assurance, materiality and greenhouse gas emissions estimates and verifications.

Roopa has experience as a lecturer for BCIT’s Sustainable Business Leadership Program where she taught sustainable accounting and finance for four years.

Roopa holds an honors business administration undergraduate degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University, obtained her Chartered Professional Accountant designation in British Columbia and is a graduate of the Yale-WBCSD Leadership Program.

Gigi Dawe,
Director, Corporate Oversight & Governance, Research, Guidance & Support Group/Division, CPA Canada

Gigi Dawe leads the Corporate Oversight and Governance department at the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada). As such, she oversees CPA Canada's development of influential, thought leading resources and events that improve board performance. Gigi launched the governance discipline at CPA Canada to facilitate enhanced board and executive response to market demands. Recently she has been actively involved with CPA Canada’s initiative to reimagine the future of the accounting profession. Her history includes consulting in organizational development in a variety of industries.

Gigi is a board member of Youthdale Treatment Centres. She also co-chairs the International Corporate Governance Network’s Corporate Board Governance Committee and sits on the advisory board of Simon Fraser University's Next Generation Governance Project and Advisory Committee of the Canada Climate Law Initiative. She is a past board member of Active Healthy Kids Canada and Family Daycare Services Toronto. Gigi is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, the Institute of Corporate Directors, and the International Corporate Governance Network.

Gigi obtained a Master of Laws at Osgoode Hall Law School. She teaches Corporate Responsibility and Ethics in the Masters of Financial Accountability program at York University.

Edo De Vette,
Founder, New Public Support and professor, Windesheim University, The Netherlands

Edo de Vette is a professional speaker, consultant and entirely devoted to corporate governance and especially the new role of the Corporate Secretary. He is founder of New Public Support and the platform 24governance. His mission is to increase the impact and visibility of governance professionals, worldwide. Edo is the author of “De Steen der Wijzen” a personal search for new insights for good governance, based on his 15 years of experience as a Corporate Secretary of Portaal, a large real estate company in the Netherlands. He is a lecturer at the Governance University in Doorn and Windesheim University in Zwolle. He is fluent in Dutch, English and proficient in German.

Peter Dey,
Chair, Paradigm Capital, Former Chair, Ontario Securities Commission

Peter Dey is a prominent corporate director, formerly a governance expert at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt. Among other senior governance roles, he was chair of the Ontario Securities Commission where he chaired a committee on corporate governance which established guidelines for the governance of Canadian corporations (also known as the “Dey Report,” 1995).

John Dinner
President, John T. Dinner Board Governance Services

John Dinner is President of John T. Dinner Board Governance Services, a leading Canadian consulting firm focused on corporate governance and board effectiveness. For more than 25 years, John has been helping boards across sectors and across Canada improve their performance and contribute in tangible ways to the success of the organizations they oversee. Board members and organizational leaders value John’s depth of experience, relevant insights, practical approach and his ability to facilitate needed governance change.

John’s focused work and pragmatic approach in the boardroom helps clients develop and benefit from leading-edge governance practices, including board, committee and director effectiveness evaluations, board education, meeting and decision-making effectiveness, information management and related services. He knows and understands the needs of directors and other organizational leaders first- hand.

Reanna Dorscher,
Principal, Hugessen Consulting

Reanna joined Hugessen in 2015. She has extensive experience in strategic compensation design including for special situations (e.g. initial public offering, change in control, senior executive succession) and equity plan design and implementation. Reanna has also supported many clients with compensation related governance issues including disclosure and proxy advisor/shareholder engagement, and leads the internal shareholder engagement efforts. In 2020, she joined Hugessen’s Board Effectiveness team working collaboratively with Dr. Peter Stephenson.

She has significant experience working alongside senior management and the board to solve complex compensation issues in both privately-held and publicly-traded environments. Prior to joining Hugessen, Reanna was the Total Rewards Lead for a mid-sized oil and gas company where she led the management of all compensation and rewards programs. In addition to her background in compensation, Reanna has experience in an HR generalist capacity.

Reanna graduated from the Haskayne School of Business with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, specializing in Human Resources and Organizational Dynamics. She is a Certified Human Resources Professional and has completed the Certified Compensation Professional designation.

Thierry Dorval,
Senior Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

Mr. Dorval is a partner of the law firm Norton Rose Fulbright. He is involved in numerous types of transactions, such as mergers, business acquisitions and dispositions. He is national chair of the Governance and directors’ liability team of Norton Rose Fulbright Canada. He sits on the board of directors of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Allo Prof and of Scale.AI, Montreal’s artificial intelligence supercluster. He is a Fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel.

He is the author of many publications, including several articles published in national and international reviews, and of the book Governance of Publicly Listed Corporations, published with LexisNexis. He holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Law from Université Laval. He also holds an MBA from the University of Oxford. He was the first Canadian to obtain such degree with distinction. In 2007, he received a doctorate in law from the University of Ottawa for his thesis in the field of governance.

Lisa Edwards,
President and COO of Diligent Corporation

Lisa Edwards is President and COO of Diligent Corporation, the largest governance, risk and compliance (“GRC”) SaaS provider serving over 23,000 organizations around the globe. Lisa is responsible for commercial growth and performance. Prior to joining Diligent, she served as EVP of Strategic Business Operations at Salesforce. Lisa also held leadership positions at Visa, Inc. and KnowledgeX, and co-founded Valubond, prior to the company’s acquisition by Knight Capital..

Lisa received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She serves on the Board of Directors of Colgate-Palmolive Company, and is deeply involved in two non-profits where she previously served on the board, Playworks and the Presidio YMCA.

Christelle Francois,
President, Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce

Christelle Francois is a bilingual executive leader and businesswoman who has the pulse on the leaders of entrepreneurship, innovation and advocacy. She was recently appointed as the President of the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce. Christelle possesses extensive experience as a Strategy Consultant where she specialized in developing revenue models and implementing growth metric systems for various organizations and will associations.

She is the Founder of a consulting firm named; Untold & Co Agency, where she and her team service an array of clients in securing brand and government partnerships, curating digital strategies and executing 360 integrated digital campaigns. She most recently assisted in leading the 2020 Lobby Day initiative with our current Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau. Christelle has volunteered and sat on the board of numerous organizations, such as Apathy is Boring and Head & Hands.

Cheryl Fraser,
CTO, Crombie REIT, Director at Concentra Bank and Mental Health Commission of Canada

Cheryl Fraser is Crombie REIT’s Chief Talent Officer and Vice President, Communications. In addition Ms. Fraser sits on the Board of Concentra Bank, the Mental Health Commission of Canada where she chairs the HRC, the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council where she serves as Vice Chair, the Dalhousie University Board of Governors, and the Aberdeen Health Foundation where she chairs the Governance Committee. Prior to joining Crombie, Ms. Fraser was the CHRO & Assistant Commissioner Human Resources, Canada Revenue Agency. Ms. Fraser also held Assistant Deputy Minister roles in the Correctional Service of Canada, the Treasury Board Secretariat and Fisheries and Oceans. Ms. Fraser is a graduate of ICD-Rotman, Directors Education Program, and holds a Masters of Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) from Dalhousie University. Cheryl was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Metal in 2012 for her work in public service. Cheryl and her husband Ian spend their time between New Glasgow NS and Ottawa ON.

Aaron  Friedenthal,
Assistant General Counsel, ATB Financial

Aaron has been with Legal Services for 13 years where he leads a team of business-focused lawyers and legal assistants who partner with leaders in all areas of ATB’s business and support them in providing financial services to ATB’s customers. He provides governance support to the ATB Board of Directors and i s Corporate Secretary for ATB’s Subsidiaries.

In 2018-19 Aaron took on the role of VP Internal Assurance as an Experiential Burst (secondment) opportunity. In this role, he l ed a team of professional internal auditors that looked for opportunities to enhance business processes and governance at ATB Financial. Internal Assurance also has a team of investigators that not only investigate internal fraud, but look for opportunities to prevent it.

Aaron has a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta. He also leads the Edmonton chapter of the Governance Professionals of Canada (GPC) and sits on the board of the Cantilon Choral Music Society.

Sara Gelgor, BA, LLB, LLM, MBA, ICD.D
Chief Compliance Officer at Concentra Bank

Sara Gelgor is an experienced legal, compliance and governance professional. She is the Chief Compliance Office at Concentra Bank. Sara is a member of Board of The Financial Advisors Association of Canada and has sat on 6 boards, including the University of Toronto Governing Council Business Board and Toronto Hydro. Sara is also active in Sustainability Initiatives at Concentra Bank and is completing her Graduate Diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility at the University of Toronto. She is a frequent speaker and has presented at past GPC Annual Corporate Governance Conferences.

Sara holds a BA from the University of Toronto, an LL.B. from Queen’s University, an LL.M. from Cambridge University, and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Sara also holds the ICD.D designation and has completed the Osgoode Certificate in Regulatory Compliance and Legal Risk Management.

Joe German,
Director, Strategic Partnerships, Clearview Strategic Partners Inc.

With a career spanning over a decade as an award-winning public servant and as VP of Business Development at Canada’s largest independent mutual fund company, Joe German understands the wide variety of challenges that both public and private organizations face. As Director, Strategic Partnerships his goal is to educate organizations and industry groups about ClearView’s ethics reporting platform and to partner with them to create better, safer workplaces. Joe holds a BA and a Master of Public Administration from Western University.

Robert W. (Bob) Gordon,
Executive Director, Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange

Bob is the Executive Director of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange (CCTX). The CCTX is Canada’s private sector organization for the sharing and analysis of cyber threat information, and enabling collaboration across all sectors. Most recently, Bob was a Director, Global Cyber Security at CGI. Prior to this, he enjoyed a long and successful career in the Federal Government, that included being the architect of Canada’s first Cyber Security Strategy for which he received the Deputy Minister’s Achievement Award.

Bob has had a unique career in a number of Canada’s security, intelligence and law enforcement organizations: Public Safety Canada, Communications Security Establishment, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He held senior executive positions, including at the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister level. He was responsible for science and technology, information management/information technology, and internal security programs (personnel, physical and information technology). Bob has also provided operational leadership in investigating and analyzing the full range of threats to the security of Canada, which included leading the CSIS Counter Terrorism program.

Bob is a member of the Board of Directors for Quantum Safe Canada, a member of the Advisory Council on the Modernization of Microdata Access with Statistics Canada, and the Advisory Board for the Master of Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence program with the University of Guelph.

Suzanne Gouin, MBA, ICD.D
Board Chair, Canada Revenue Agency

Madame Gouin was appointed as Chair of the Canada Revenue Agency Board in August 2017. She is a member of the CRA Board’s four committees and subcommittee, and is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation of Greater Montreal, Hydro-Québec and L’Esplanade , and serves on various advisory committees.

Madame Gouin is an experienced Board Director with experiences in Business transformation, Digital implementation, Governance and Human Capital issues.

She is an experienced media executive, and was CEO of TV5 Québec Canada for more than 13 years. She has held various management positions in both the private and public sectors. A graduate of Concordia University, she holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario) and holds the IAS accreditation of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Madame Gouin is a recipient of the National Order of Merit of the French Republic.

Emily Kate Gray,
Assistant Coordinator, Export Development Canada

A part of the EDC and FinDev Canada Corporate Secretariat team since 2019, Emily Kate Gray has a strategic, solutions-oriented, and change management mindset. Emily Kate’s strong background in technology gives her a digital focus when approaching Board matters and continuous improvement initiatives. In her current role as a Board Coordinator, she has worked to support EDC’s and FinDev Canada’s Board of Directors’ transition to a virtual world and she works towards a strong user experience to ensure seamless Board operations. Emily Kate holds a Bachelor of International Business with a concentration in Marketing and Trade, a minor in Spanish Language studies.

Sylvia Groves,
President, Governance Studio

Sylvia Groves consults, facilitates and speaks professionally. She created Governance Studio from her award-winning work with one of Canada’s foremost governance leaders. Her no-nonsense practical advice has helped thousands of governance professionals, corporate secretaries and directors enhance the effectiveness of their boards and their organizations.

Sylvia is judge of the Excellence in Governance Awards, an Accredited Director and a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute of Canada. She is also a recipient of the Excellence in Governance Distinguished Contribution Award from the Governance Professionals of Canada and was one of the founding faculty for the GPC.D designation.

Sylvia is the author of the highly acclaimed book: AAA+ Minutes™  – The Three Must-Do Fundamentals And 100s Of Practice Tips For Writing Minutes That Protect Your Organization And Its Directors and the companion publication 10 Secrets Directors Must Know About Minutes.

Check out www.GovernanceStudio.ca.ca for more information.

Paul Gryglewicz
Senior Partner and Head of Canada, Global Governance Advisors

Paul is recognized as one of the leading board advisors in the country on corporate governance, executive and director compensation and human capital management plan design. Paul’s work incorporates leading edge governance practices, mitigates risk and educates key stakeholders on sophisticated compensation systems. He engages with boards and senior management advising them in the areas of executive compensation, human resource strategy and corporate governance. Paul advises many TSX, NYSE and NASDAQ listed organizations as well as works with privately held organizations and family offices. In addition to his work with for profit organizations, he also supports and advises government and quasi government organizations on compensation and corporate governance matters. Lastly, Paul is also an accredited expert witness to compensation and governance matters.

Previously he was an executive compensation associate consultant with one of Canada’s largest independent compensation advisory firms, focused on strategic compensation review and design for a variety of organizations across Canada.

As an instructor at York University, Paul co-designed and teaches the graduate level course “Governance of Executive Compensation and Shareholder Accountability”. He is also a Regional Ambassador for Women Get on Board, a published author and an active speaker for professional associations presenting on a wide array of executive compensation and governance related topics and appears on major tv and newspaper media outlets.

Arnen Gulstene
Head, TSX Company Services, Capital Formation

Arne Gulstene is the Head of TMX Group's Company Services based out of Vancouver and has been in this role for over a decade. His primary role involves coaching and mentoring publicly listed issuers on matters that would ultimately help them in being more successful and resilient. He regularly coaches these companies on matters of communications, investor relations, compliance and corporate governance. Through his work he has built and developed an extensive network and knowledge base mostly in the sphere of CEO/CFO/CS and IR Professionals.

This network and experience combined with representing Canada's flagship stock exchanges will bring a wide array of perspectives and voices to GPC in making decisions that will benefit its membership and environment in decision making processes. He believes that GPC plays a critically important role in Canada's public markets and will champion this both externally and internally.

Jane Halford, FCA, ICD.D
Founder, Halford Consulting

Jane is driven to help organizations and leaders achieve their goals. By leveraging her experience as a board member, entrepreneur, Chartered Accountant, CEO, and her passion for leadership and governance development, Jane brings a breadth of experience to individuals and teams she works with.

Through her business, Halford Consulting, Jane serves organizations through a range of services focused on leadership and governance transition through in-person and virtual training, advisory services, and professional speaking. Currently her governance-focused projects include supporting the transformation of organizations’ governance frameworks, instructing for the Institute of Corporate Directors, and developing virtual training material for boards in remote communities.

Jane is the Chair of Farm Credit Canada ($41 Billion federal crown corporation), Chair of Alpha Phenomics (agriculture technology start up), and a board member the Sawridge Group of Companies (stewards the business assess for the benefit of the Sawridge Cree First Nation Trust). Her past board roles include organizations in the non-profit, public, and stock exchange listed entity sectors.

Kyle Hulme,
Vice President, Strategy and Operations, BDO Canada LLP

D'Anne Hurd,
Emeritus Board Member, Eileen Fisher

Among her many private board positions, for EILEEN FISHER, Inc., in 2017, after consulting to the company and its founder on how to structure and form a board of directors, she was invited to join the board as its first independent director. The company is a 40% ESOP-owned, Certified B Corp, which manufactures and sells luxury women’s clothing sourced and manufactured under stringent sustainability guidelines. The company’s founder, Eileen Fisher, is a pioneer in circular fashion, believing in the many “lives” of her clothes.  D’Anne served as Lead Independent Director, Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee, Interim Chair of the Audit (Quadruple Bottom Line) Committee and a member of the Technology Committee. Through her finance background, D’Anne helped guide the company through the COVID-19 pandemic, preserving its powerful and unique brand and emerging as a strong digital, but values-driven, retailer.

Among her public company board positions, D’Anne has served since 2015 as an independent trustee for PAX World Funds/PAX Ellevate Fund (MYTF: PXWEX), the first mutual fund to invest solely in companies committed to a sustainable future (since 1971) and now a leading impact investment mutual fund family integrating ESG measures. For the Pax World Funds she serves on the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee.

D’Anne Hurd is an SEC “qualified financial expert” and sustainability/ESG (environmental, social responsibility and governance) authority, who brings to her board assignments hands-on experience as a senior financial management executive at GTE and PepsiCo, Inc. in addition to serving as CFO and General Counsel for six rapidly-growing, Boston-based technology companies.  She has served on the boards of four public companies—including as Lead Independent Director—and eight private company boards across retail, medical devices, cloud-based SaaS, technology, pharma/biotech, financial services, telecommunications, and manufacturing industries. She has chaired each of the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Governance Committees as well as special committees on CEO Succession/Search, on Strategy and on Technology.

Recently D’Anne joined the board of Martin Engineering, Inc., a global manufacturer of durable products that help corporate customers handle bulk materials efficiently, safely, and profitably. She is chair of Martin’s Audit Committee and is helping this growing family business move to the next generation of products, in terms of strategy and innovation.  From 2013 to 2020, D’Anne served as chair of the Audit Committee of Peckham Industries, Inc., a fourth-generation, family-owned road and bridge construction materials company. Today she continues to serve on the Peckham board as a member of the Audit Committee and member of the Nominating and Governance Committee.

Today D’Anne has a broad consulting practice advising boards of directors.  Her current focus is the board’s role in understanding, tracking and reporting ESG initiatives.  She has delivered more than 70 in-boardroom presentations and working sessions, advising directors of major corporations on strategy development, board evaluations, board/management roles, CEO and board succession planning, crisis management and recently, the Board’s role in corporate and board culture and company resilience, post COVID. She is also a frequent speaker at NACD and other governance organization events and symposia.

Ms. Hurd earned her J.D. in Corporate and Securities Law from Duke University School of Law, an MBA in Finance from University of Connecticut, and her BA from Mount Holyoke College.

Sarah Kaplan,
Distinguished Professor of Gender & the Economy, Professor of Strategic Management and a Fellow of the Lee-Chin Institute University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management

Sarah Kaplan is Distinguished Professor, Director of the Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE), Professor of Strategic Management, and Fellow of the Lee-Chin Family Institute for Corporate Citizenship at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. She is a co-author of the bestselling business book, Creative Destruction. Her latest book—The 360° Corporation: From Stakeholder Trade-offs to Transformation—is based on her award-winning course at the Rotman School. In it, she shows companies how to avoid simple “greenwashing” or “pinkwashing” in addressing corporate social responsibility.

She lays out a roadmap for organizational leaders who have hit the limits of the supposed win-win of shared value to explore how companies can cope with real trade-offs, innovating around them or even thriving within them. She recently collaborated with Peter Dey on the report “Governance 360º: Where are the directors in a world in crisis?” which provides guidelines for boards of directors to navigate the challenges of the 21st century. Formerly a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (where she remains a Senior Fellow), and an innovation specialist for nearly a decade at McKinsey & Company, she has her PhD from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. More info at: https://sarahkaplan.info/.

Claire Kennedy,
Senior Advisor, Clients and Industries, Bennett Jones LLP.

Claire Kennedy is Senior Advisor, Clients and Industries, at Bennett Jones LLP. She is recognized as one of Canada's leading lawyers in tax and transfer pricing. Ms Kennedy is also a professional engineer.

Ms Kennedy is a seasoned board director and currently serves as lead director of the Bank of Canada, Chair of Neo Performance Materials Inc. and Audit Committee Chair of Alamos Gold Inc.

She received her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and has completed the Making Corporate Boards More Effective program at the Harvard Business School and the Advanced Management Program at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She holds a BASc (Chemical Engineering) from the University of Toronto, and an LLB from Queen’s University.

In 2015, Ms Kennedy received the Citizenship Award from the Professional Engineers of Ontario and in 2017 she was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in the Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100 Awards.

Ms Kennedy has served on the University of Toronto's Governing Council since 2012 and was first elected Chair in 2017. She is a member of the Dean's Advisory Committee at the Rotman School of Management and has been extensively involved at the Faculty of Engineering. She is past President of the Engineering Alumni Association and founder and Chair of Disruptors & Dilemmas, a successful alumni outreach program.

Heather Laxton,
Chief Governance Officer & Corporate Secretary, Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd.

Heather has over 20 years of corporate secretarial, corporate governance, and securities regulation experience with a focus on the mining sector in Canada, Europe, Russia and West Africa. She has served in several senior management and executive roles for companies listed on the TSX and Venture Exchanges, London - AIM and NYSE AMEX. She is currently Chief Governance Officer and Corporate Secretary with Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd., and prior to that, she was Corporate Secretary with Kirkland Lake Gold Inc., Chief Governance Officer and Corporate Secretary with Northern Gold Mining Inc., and Governance Manager and Corporate Secretary with European Goldfields Ltd. and High River Gold Mines Ltd. During her career, she has worked extensively with boards and senior management teams on both simple and complex governance matters, and has led the evaluation, design, implementation and monitoring of governance programs for several junior mining companies. She began working as a professional law clerk in multi-national law firms including Torys LLP and Smith Lyons LLP, obtained an honours diploma from the Law Clerk Program at Seneca College, and completed the Canadian Securities Course in 2000. Ms. Laxton is currently a member of the Education Committee of Governance Professionals of Canada.

Stuart R. Levine
Chairman of the Board & CEO of Stuart Levine & Associates 

Stuart R. Levine is Chairman of the Board and CEO of Stuart Levine & Associates which has over 20 years of successful CEO and c-suite strategic organizational and leadership consulting with companies like Verizon, Barclays Bank, The Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation and many others.

He is the former global CEO of Dale Carnegie Training and is a best-selling global leadership author with three books that have been published in over 40 languages and have sold over 1.2 million hard copies.

He served as the youngest elected assemblyman in New York state and is recognized as a board governance expert having serving on over 10 public and not for profit boards. He currently chairs the Governance and Nominating Committee of Broadridge Financial Solutions.

He won the NACD Top 100 Director Award twice as well as the Ernst &Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award. His monthly leadership articles are published in both Forbes and The Credit Union Times.

Adarsh Mantravadi,
General Council and Director, Business Development, Passageways

Adarsh is Passageways Director of Business Development and Government Strategy. He brings over ten years of public sector experience at both the state and federal level. Most recently, he served as a Senior Director of Policy and Research for Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb, where he spearheaded the creation of the Next Level Fund, the state’s $250M private equity and venture capital investment vehicle. Adarsh holds a J.D. and Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University-Bloomington, and has served the community in numerous board and volunteer roles and is a two-time recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash.

Estelle Metayer,
Principal and Founder, Competia

Estelle Métayer is an expert in Competitive and Strategic Intelligence. Her research focuses on how managers, CEOs, and board members build and improve their strategic planning and/or competitive intelligence function to avoid strategic blindspots. Her best work is done when companies need to drastically change the way they do business and/or grow aggressively. She is a reputed public speaker in international conferences (for example in Davos in 2012) and facilitates strategic workshops around the world. An adjunct professor for McGill University, she teaches in the Advanced Leadership Programs, the International Masters for Health Leadership, The Analytics Leadership Program and the Executive MBA among others. For the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors’ certification and training programs, she leads modules around strategic blindspots, technology oversight, governance of technology and social media crisis management. Estelle is or has also been a guest lecturer in programs led or co-led by IMD (Lausanne) since 2008, the IMB (India), INSEAD (France) or MIT (United States).

Prior to selling the company in 2004, Estelle was the president and founder of a leading training organization for executives and analysts in Strategic Intelligence. A former consultant at the international Strategic Consulting firm McKinsey & Company, she gained first-hand practical experience while managing the competitive intelligence, business development and strategic planning function at CAE Inc. She started her career at the ING Bank in the Netherlands and in Poland, studying the financial risks of expanding into emerging countries, and in the French Conglomerate Bouygues in France and the United Kingdom. She received in 2000 the Arista Sunlife Award for "Entrepreneur of the Year".

Estelle is an independent member of the board of BRP inc ($DOO on the TSX, $DOOO on the NASDAQ) and a member of the audit committee. She is an independent director for Audemars-Piguet (Swiss luxury watches), a private family business in Switzerland, is a member of the strategy committee, the HR and compensation committee and chairs the investment committee. She is a member of board of Agropur, a dairy co-op (Canada), a member of the governance, and of the sustainable development committees. She serves on the advisory boards of Ricardo Media (Media- Montreal, Canada), LifeScore (UK) an AI music software start-up, and Groupe Sélection (Retirement homes-Montreal, Canada). She is also a member of the board of the Institut des Administrateurs de Société (Quebec Chapter of Institute of Corporate Directors) where she chairs the technology committee. Previously, she was a member of the board of Zag Bank (a Charter 1 Canadian online bank)(Calgary, Canada), Blockstream (blockchain technology) (Mountain View)and video-game developer Ubisoft ($UBI on Euronext) where she chaired the compensation committee.

Estelle was trained in the Netherlands, where she obtained her MBA and Drs. from the University of Nijenrode. She speaks French, English, German, Dutch, Italian and is learning Arabic. She is also a mother, a commercial pilot and flight instructor.

Caroline Moreau
Senior Legal Counsel, National Bank of Canada

As Senior Legal Counsel, ESG at National Bank of Canada ("NBC"), Caroline Moreau advises this highly regulated public corporation on corporate governance, sustainability, ESG and securities matters. She is involved in ESG public disclosure for NBC and advises NBC and its main subsidiaries on the best ESG practices. She engages with internal and external stakeholders regarding ESG. Caroline acts as Assistant Corporate Secretary for National Bank Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company, National Bank Trust inc. and Natcan Trust Company. Before joining NBC, she was a corporate lawyer in private firms.

Very active in Montreal's governance community, and now in Toronto, she is a member of the Executive Committee of the Young Directors of the Institute of Governance of Public and Private Corporations and writes articles on current governance issues. She also gives lectures on the subject, including at University of Montreal. She is part of the of generation of young directors who sit on boards of directors. She was a finalist as 2018 Lawyer of the Year 2018 (In-House category) at the Young Leaders of Tomorrow Gala of the Young Bar of Montreal. She is the Mile End Legal Clinic’s director and Secretary.

Réjean Nguyen,
Director of Investment Stewardship, CDPQ

Réjean Nguyen is Director of Investment Stewardship at CDPQ. He has worked in responsible investment field for more than decade. Prior to joining CDPQ, he spent few years as Team lead – Financial analysis at Dessau. He has also been a Governance Analyst at the Responsible Investment Group, a boutique firm specializing in ESG research and proxy voting. He is Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) – Quebec Network. Réjean is a CFA charterholder and FSA-SASB credential Holder.

Diane Pettie, Q.C.

Diane is a Corporate Director and retired senior legal executive, with over 35 years in legal management and private practice, focusing on the energy and chemicals industries. She held legal executive positions with Canexus Corporation, Sempra Energy Trading, Mirant Corporation and Pan-Alberta Gas and was Manager, Legal at TransCanada. She practiced at the law firm which is now Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. Diane currently serves on the ATB Financial board (Chair, Governance and Conduct Committee and member of the Human Resources Committee), the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission board, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta board (public member) and on the Independence Standing Committee of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. She is a co-founder, Vice-Chair and serves as a director of the Canada not-for-profit corporation, Women in Law Leadership. Diane earned a J.D. from the University of Alberta and holds the ICD.D designation. Diane was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in December of 2013.

Neil Puddicombe,
Associate General Counsel, Bank Board Governance, Legal & Regulatory Compliance Group, BMO Financial Group

Neil Puddicombe is the Associate General Counsel, Bank Board Governance at the BMO Financial Group. He provides governance support to the Bank’s Board of Directors, and manages the Bank’s Annual General Meeting, Management Proxy Circular and shareholder support services. He also acts as the Assistant Corporate Secretary to the Bank’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Puddicombe previously spent 7 years as BMOFG’s Director of Subsidiary Governance (Canada and International), where he designed the subsidiary governance framework for the Bank’s Canadian, European and Asian subsidiaries. He provided transactional support for the Bank’s corporate reorganizations and proprietary mergers and acquisitions transactions. Bank of Montreal was awarded the Governance Professionals of Canada’s Excellence in Governance Award for Best Practices in Subsidiary Governance in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and Best Use of Technology in 2016. In 2018 Mr. Puddicombe was named Governance Professional of the Year by the Governance Professionals of Canada.

Previously, Mr. Puddicombe was Senior Counsel in the Bank’s Capital Markets legal team supporting the Investment and Corporate Banking Group, the Structured Products Group and the trading floor.

Mr. Puddicombe joined the Bank after having spent five years in the Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Finance Groups in the Paris and New York offices of French law firm Gide Loyrette Nouel LLP.  Mr. Puddicombe joined Gide after having spent four years in the Business Law Group in the Toronto office of a major Canadian Law firm.

Mr. Puddicombe serves as an Adjunct Professor of Business Associations at Osgoode Hall Law School, is a faculty member of the Governance Professionals of Canada’s Education Program and is a member of the Stakeholder Consultation and Practice Group of the International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group. He was named In-House Counsel of the Year by the South Asian Bar Association in 2013 and served as the Board Chair of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario from 2008 to 2014.

Mr. Puddicombe holds a Master of Laws (Securities) from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Bachelor of Laws from Windsor Law School.  Mr. Puddicombe was called to the Ontario Bar in 1997.

Cedric Robert, EP, CSR-P, MBA
Founder and CEO Director, Clearsum

Cedric is a passionate, values-based entrepreneur who holds the purpose, mission, and values of Clearsum as core beliefs. Determined to have a substantial, positive impact on the transition to a low-carbon economy, he is committed to rallying clients, partners and the Clearsum team around the vision he set for the firm. Cedric is a skilled communicator who values people, authenticity, and integrity. As an experienced executive, he is known for his collaborative leadership style, his ability to build genuine and lasting relationships, and for delivering results. Responsible for actualizing the company’s vision, and for executing its strategy, Cedric is focused on helping organizations build resilience to climate change and building a sustainable future. A subject matter expert with more than 18 years experience in renewable energy and heavy civil, Cedric has a deep understanding of strategy and corporate environmental performance, and is dedicated to delivering value and quality. Through Clearsum, he leverages his experience, expertise and data-driven approach to help organizations thrive and become climate-ready.

Tim Rovabeck,
EVP Corporate Affairs and General Counsel, Highliner Foods

Tim joined High Liner Foods in 2012 and leads ESG initiatives for the Company, as well as being responsible for legal, corporate development, insurance and tax planning. Tim has served as a director of several publicly traded and privately held entities, and has wide experience in public and private company governance matters in both the profit and non-profit sector. Tim is a board member for US-based National Fisheries Institute, as well as Halifax-based Leave Out Violence.

Prior to joining High Liner Foods, Tim worked in a similar capacity for Clarke Inc., a diversified investment holding company based in Halifax, Canada. Tim practiced tax law for approximately 10 years and was admitted to the Bar in Ontario in 2001 and to the Nova Scotia Bar in 2004. Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts from Queen's University, a Masters of Philosophy from Cambridge University, and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa.

David Salmon
President, Laurel Hill Advisory Group

David is the President of Laurel Hill Canada. He responsible for the strategic shareholder solutions, business development and overall operations of Laurel Hill’s Canadian division. David routinely advises clients on shareholder strategies related to hostile and friendly acquisitions, proxy contests, and corporate governance issues.

David is an industry veteran with over 22 years of experience in progressive leadership roles, including operational, business development and management. David has been with the Laurel Hill team since their inception 14 years ago and brings his extensive experience and success to his new role.

David is currently a director of a publicly-traded company and previously a board member of the not-for-profit Canadian Investor Relations Institute, BC Chapter, and co-chaired the True Patriot Love Foundation Vancouver event. David is a member of the Canadian Investor Relations Institute and the Governance Professionals of Canada.

Miekala Singh
Principle, Corporate Governance, Total Fund Management, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan

Miekela works at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, as a Principle, Corporate Governance in the Total Fund Management department. She has a deep interest in governance, strategy and culture which she leverages in support of responsible investing. Miekela devotes much of her time to stewardship activities including public company engagements, supporting the proxy voting function, and provides insight and input into regulatory and policy development. Her thematic work focuses on human rights and human capital management. She is a member of the CII Corporate Governance Advisory Council, and is a member of the Pension Investment Association of Canada’s (PIAC) Investment Stewardship Committee.

Miekela is called to the bar in Ontario. Miekela is also a volunteer board member at not‐for‐profit boards in Toronto and Hamilton. Prior to law school, Miekela completed her MSc at the London School of Economics in Global Governance.

Coro  Strandberg,
President, Strandberg Consulting

Coro Strandberg is a leading expert in corporate social purpose, sustainability and social responsibility, with over thirty years’ experience in the field. She specializes in Purpose Governance, Sustainable Boards, Sustainability Strategy, Sustainable Risk Management, Sustainable Supply Chains and Sustainable Industry Associations. She is a Corporate Director of BC Lotteries Corporation, and a member of their Governance and Social Purpose Committee, and has over 20 years of corporate director experience in the financial sector, including three as Chair of the Board. She is a faculty member of the Conference Board of Canada's Director's College and of Governance Professionals of Canada where she trains Directors and Corporate Secretaries respectively on the board's role providing oversight of sustainability performance. She is an Associate with Canadian Business for Social Responsibility and a member of the Canadian Office of the Auditor General’s Senior Advisory Panel. In 2015 she was named the top CSR Consultant in Canada for her impacts. As a thought leader, she publishes research and opinions on next generation sustainability practices on her website at www.corostrandberg.com.

Marc Tassé, MBA, CPA, CA, CFF
FCPA (USA), CFS (USA), CICA (USA), CACM (USA)
Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa

Mr. Tassé is an investigative and forensic accountant, who has experience as an independent special advisor to various board chairs and CEOs of corporations and organizations, on "high profile and sensitive cases” related to alleged corruption, fraud, financial misconduct, and breach of fiduciary duty.

An award-winning lecturer at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law and in the Executive MBA program at the Telfer School of Management, he delivers presentations at the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement.  A sought-after media commentator, Mr. Tassé has been published extensively and quoted in various prestigious publications such as The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Tassé is a Chartered Professional Accountant - Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA) (Canada), a Forensic Certified Public Accountant (FCPA) (USA), a Certified Fraud Specialist (CFS) (USA), a Certified Internal Controls Auditor (CICA) (USA), and a Certified Anti-Corruption Manager (CACM) (USA). He carries the designation of Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) (Canada / USA), and holds both an Honours Bachelor of Commerce and a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa.

Janet Taylor
Corporate Secretary, Coach Libro Credit Union

Janet began working at Libro in 1999 and holds the position of Corporate Secretary. Janet leads the continual enhancement of Libro’s governance policies and practices. Her enthusiasm for co-operative governance is evidenced in the leadership and coaching she offers to her team, the Board of Directors and the Owner Representatives of Libro.

Janet holds a Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature from the University of Western Ontario, and a Professional Certificate in Management from Western Continuing Studies. She is completing the Governance Professionals of Canada Education Program.

Janet is active in her community as a board member of the London Canoe Club and a Scouter with the local Scouts Canada group.

Richard Taylor, CEO
Lumi

Richard joined Lumi as CEO in 2011, having spent 4 years as CEO of IML, a leading global event technology business. In 2013, Lumi acquired IML and merged it with Lumi, to create the leading AGM technology provider that Lumi is today. Richard and his team completed a successful MBO in 2017, backed by Vespa Capital.

Under Richard’s tenure as CEO, Lumi has expanded its presence globally, operating in 40 markets worldwide. Lumi is now considered to be the world leader in AGM technologies, powering the meeting that matter.

Richard is also Chairman and Co-Founder of Halo Post Production, and has advised and supported a number of early-stage technology and media businesses. Richard has an MBA from INSEAD.

Rita Trichur,
Staff, Senior Business Writer and Columnist, The Globe and Mail Inc.

Rita Trichur is an award-winning journalist. She is a Senior Business Writer and Columnist in the Report on Business. Her previous roles at The Globe and Mail include Senior Editor, Financial Services Editor, and Canadian business columnist for the Report on Business Magazine. Rita returned to Globe in July 2016 after spending about 2 ½ years as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal’s Canada bureau. She primarily covered domestic banks and insurance companies from Toronto, but also wrote a variety of other stories about Canada for the U.S. newspaper.

Prior to WSJ, Rita spent more than three years at the Globe, initially working as a general assignment reporter in the Report on Business before covering the telecom beat. Rita has also covered financial services and economics for the Toronto Star, and has held various roles at the Canadian Press and the Ottawa Sun. She got her first byline at age 6 when the Toronto Star published her short story about a fish-stealing cat and paid her $10. Rita, who also speaks French, was born in Toronto. She has a Bachelor of Journalism and Political Science and a M.A. in Canadian Studies – both from Carleton University in Ottawa.