Board of Directors
Deborah Shannon Trudeau
President & Chair
VP Licensing & International Business
Trudeau Corporation
Deborah is VP Licensing & International Business at Trudeau Corporation, a private family business specializing in the design, creation, marketing and distribution of its own Trudeau brand kitchenware and tableware products, well-known across Canada and beyond. Through her expertise in the research and development of new products, manufacturing, and distribution, Deborah also drove the company’s foray into private label and licensing, and pioneered the development of licensed programs in Europe and the Middle East. This expanded the international profile of Trudeau Corporation, making the company a global leader in licensed children’s products selling to over 65 countries around the world.
Deborah is a graduate of Queens University in Health Sciences. Prior to joining Trudeau Corporation, she worked in advertising and then set up her own freelance operation, Strategies Shannon, a public relations and advertising firm. She is active in the community and has chaired numerous fundraising events for the Québec Breast Cancer Foundation and the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, among others. She is a member of the European Licensing Circle and sits on the Board of Directors of the St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation and of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal.
Karin McCaskill
Corporate Secretary
Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary
Sobeys Inc.
Before joining Sobeys in December 2002, Karin was a partner of Stewart McKelvey LLP, based in its Halifax office. In the early years, Karin had a broad-based corporate/commercial practice, with an emphasis on commercial litigation. While in private practice, she worked primarily in the area of labour and employment law, advising employers in respect of their operations throughout Atlantic Canada and in Ontario. She is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario (Honours Business Administration, 1975) and Osgoode Hall Law School (LLB, 1978), and has been a member of the Ontario and Nova Scotia bars since 1980. Karin has served as Chair of the Nova Scotia Labour and Employment Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association, and on the Executive of the CBA's National Labour and Employment Law Section. She has been a frequent speaker on all aspects of labour and employment law. In the 1980's, she instructed at Dalhousie Law School (civil procedure) and in the Nova Scotia Bar Admission Course (labour and employment law). More recently, Karin was a Founder and Director of the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers.
A resident of Halifax from 1980 until mid-2003, Karin was active in that community, serving on the Boards and Executive Committees of such institutions as the Halifax YWCA and Mount Saint Vincent University, the Halifax Grace Maternity Hospital Foundation, the Halifax Adult Services Society and the Downtown Halifax Business Commission. Karin was also a member of the Board of Directors of the League of Peaceful Schools. In 1990, she received the Halifax YWCA Women’s Recognition Award for her volunteer activities. Karin was named to the Top 100 list of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network in 2006. Currently, she is a member of the Major Gifts Committee of the Campaign for Women’s College Hospital and is active as a mentor through the Women’s Executive Network. She was a member of the Board of Directors of Second Harvest from 2005 through 2011.
Valerie A. Steele
Treasurer
Senior Director, Risk, Compliance
Canadian Public Accountability Board
Angela Mondou
EVP, Leadership
President
ICE Leadership Inc.
Angela is a former air force captain and marketing executive whose unconventional career has taken her from worldwide military operations to top-ranked high-tech companies, including Research In Motion, the creators of Blackberry. While working for NATO in West Germany in 1992, Angela successfully led the global logistics strategy to deploy the largest United Nations Peacekeeping contingent. As a global marketing executive in high tech, she was responsible for many ‘rapid results’ programs and exciting new market and product launches including: launching the first ‘Blackberry phone’ into Europe, launching the 7230 Blackberry on Oprah Winfrey’s ‘Favourite Things’ show and developing critical mainstream marketing programs with all 32 teams of the National Football League (NFL) and ESPN.
Launched in 2006, ICE leadership is an award-winning company that helps companies execute rapid results programs in: commercialization, product launch strategies, strategic marketing and ‘execution’ programs and leadership development programs. ‘Helping clients achieve innovation through creative execution’, ICE Leadership has developed proprietary tools, processes and programs that create direction, provide discipline and successful execution strategies for teams and companies with mission-critical objectives. Angela is a director with the Canadian Forces Liaison Council, and is a recipient of the United Nations Peacekeeping medal. In 2005, Angela was honoured to represent Canada’s peacekeepers in the Year of the Veteran campaign, was featured on a special circulation 25-cent quarter released by the Royal Canadian Mint. Angela is also a sought out national speaker on leadership, marketing and career strategies, and the self published best-selling author of ‘Hit the Ground Leading!’
Kathy Fazel
EVP, Membership
Vice-President and Investment Counsellor
RBC Phillips Hager & North Investment Counsel
Kathy provides discretionary investment counselling services to private individuals, holding companies, and non-profit organizations. After almost 15 years as a stock analyst and portfolio manager, she joined Phillips, Hager & North in 2006 to head up their Montreal office where she works closely with her clients to develop a comprehensive understanding of their financial situation and investment objectives. Kathy holds a B.Comm. with joint honours in Economics and Finance from McGill University, where she graduated as University Scholar and winner of the 1991 Firestone Economics Award. She obtained her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1994. She also holds the professional Institute-Certified Director (ICD.D) designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Kathy has extensive volunteer experience with a number of professional and community organizations. Kathy is currently a Governor of McGill University, and sits on their Finance Committee. She is also a member of Centraide’s Allocations Committee in Montreal. Some of her past experiences include being President of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Society of Financial Analysts; President of the Board of Directors of the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Montreal; and President of the Board of Directors of Fondation Projet Chance, a Montreal-based non-profit organization providing subsidized housing to low-income single mothers pursuing full-time education.
Leslie Quinton
Director, Communications
VP Global Communications
SNC-Lavalin
Leslie’s role at SNC-Lavalin includes the management and direction of all internal and external communications, as well as the strategic positioning and positioning of this 26,000-employee publicly traded company, active in more than 100 countries around the world. She oversees the development and deployment of all communications and media relations activities of the company internationally, including all marketing and website components, and is a key player in the elaboration and promotion of its sustainability policy. She has particular expertise in all areas of Corporate Communications, including issues and risk management, internal and external stakeholder relations, media relations, brand management and development, marketing, acting as and training spokespeople, crisis management and planning, sponsorship and philanthropic communications, event management, merger and acquisition communications, and sustainable communications.
From 2001 to 2009, Leslie taught public relations part-time at McGill’s Department of Career Management, and over the past 20 years, has frequently written for the web, newspapers, radio and magazines, and is a frequent guest speaker on the themes of Corporate Responsibility, Green Communications, Change Management, Internal Communications, Time Management, and Work-Life Balance. Leslie has studied graphics and business (Concordia), philosophy (University of Western Ontario) and the humanities (Concordia) and brings her multi-disciplinary interests to bear in all her endeavours. She has always been active in her community and is currently a mentor to young PR professionals, member of the board of Public Relations Without Borders and a member of the Equitas Human Rights communications advisory board, and others. She has won awards for leadership in her community and excellence in Public Relations education, and in 2011, she was named an Incontournable by the magazine Premières en affaires.
The Honourable Myra Freeman, CM, ONS
Director, Strategic Planning & Development
Community activist
Former Lieutenant Governor, NS
Myra is the former Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Nova Scotia (2000-2006), a member of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the Order of Nova Scotia and the first Chancellor of the Order of Nova Scotia. A graduate of Dalhousie University, and former teacher with the Halifax Regional School Board, she is the recipient of six Honorary Doctorate Degrees, the Woman of Action Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Israel Research Foundation, and was recognized as a Trailblazer and one of Canada's 100 Outstanding Women by the Richard Ivy School of Business and the Women's Executive Network.
Appointed by the Government of Canada in 2003 and reappointed in 2010, she continues to serve as Honorary Captain (Navy) to Maritime Forces Atlantic, as Co-Chair of the Community Leadership Advisory Council to the Admiral for Maritime Forces Atlantic, as National Council Chair of the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust, and as a Director of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council. Myra is a Director of the Historica-Dominion Institute of Canada, the RCMP Foundation, the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, the Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum, the Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies, the Advisory Board of the Coady International Institute and Honorary Chair of Mount Saint Vincent University’s Capital Campaign. Recently, she served as an Advisor on the Legacy Committee of the 2011 Halifax Canada Games.
Bonnie DuPont
Director, Succession Planning
Former EVP Human Resources
Enbridge
Bonnie retired recently from Enbridge Inc., where she served for 12 years as the senior executive responsible for information technology, human resources, public and government affairs, corporate governance matters, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). She currently serves on a number of boards, including Viterra Inc., Bird Construction, SilverBirch Energy, the Bank of Canada, and the University of Calgary. She also provides management consulting services to several large Canadian companies.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree (Great Distinction) from the University of Regina and earned her Master’s degree at the University of Calgary. She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, a 2006 graduate of the ICD Corporate Directors’ Education Program and a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP). Bonnie was named to the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada list each year from 2001 to 2006 and in 2007 was inducted into the Top 100 Hall of Fame. In 2008 she was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Regina and in 2011 received an Honorary degree from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, recognizing her contributions in the area of science and technology. Ms. DuPont was the first woman to chair the Board of the Calgary Petroleum Club and continues to serve the industry in a volunteer capacity with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the Saskatchewan Oilman’s Association.
Karen Oldfield
Chair, Atlantic Canada Chapter
President and CEO
Halifax Port Authority
Karen joined the Halifax Port Authority in 2002 and with her team leads in the development and marketing internationally of the Port’s three lines of business – cargo, cruise and lands under administration. She has been instrumental in developing the Port of Halifax as a strategic national asset. Halifax became the first port in Canada to achieve and maintain an investment grade credit rating, starting in 2007. Halifax was also the first port in Canada to achieve the ISO 14001 certification – an internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems. Halifax has become the marquee cruise port in Atlantic Canada, generating $50 million in local economic impact each year.
Nationally, Karen is a member of the Advisory Council on National Security, established in 2005, which provides expert advice about national security issues through the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities, the Public Policy Forum, the National Board of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Locally, Karen sits on the Board of Governors for Saint Mary’s University, the NS Division of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and the Halifax Gateway Council.
Ruth Ramsden-Wood
Chair, Calgary Chapter
President
United Way of Greater Calgary
Ruth is a strong voice in her community, and is passionate about making Calgary a better place for everyone. Since 1997, Ruth has served the community as the President and CEO of the United Way of Calgary and Area. Her commitment to achieving change in our community inspires others. Ruth is actively involved in the community as a member of the Boards of Directors for the Calgary Homeless Foundation, for Mount Royal University, for the Canadian Museum of Civilization and she is the Calgary Chair of the International Women’s Forum.
Ruth holds a Master of Arts Degree from Columbia University. Among the awards Ruth has received are an Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree from the University of Calgary and the Consumer’s Choice Award for Business Woman of 2009. Ruth has dedicated her life to helping people reach their full potential and to creating lasting change in community conditions.
Eva Mah Borsato
Chair, Edmonton Chapter
President and CEO
Intellectual Capital Corp.
An entrepreneurial catalyst and business executive, Eva brings over 25 years of diverse corporate experience spanning from infrastructure services (A&E) to the strategic positioning and commercialization of innovations in emerging sectors of healthcare, life sciences and energy. Eva was previously a co-founder and CEO of privately-held enterprises – Envirocorp and CardioMetabolics Inc. – both of which were subsequently acquired by publicly traded corporations. Eva was also a senior executive at Stanley Consulting Ltd, now known as Stantec Inc, a publicly traded corporation on both the TSE and NYSE. Eva also served as a special consultant to the Alberta Government on the Alberta/China Research Centre, a multi-year joint venture project with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in Beijing, China.
Current board roles include The Sandbox / Kids Health Foundation (Board Director and Governance Committee Member). Past board roles include the National Research Council of Canada, the AGA Alberta Art Gallery Campaign Cabinet, the Caritas Health Group, and the Caritas Hospitals Foundation. Ms. Mah Borsato's contributions to Alberta were recognized with an Alberta Centennial Medal for outstanding service for the people and province of Alberta. A Queen's University MBA graduate, and a University of Manitoba undergraduate, Eva recently completed the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) Financial Literacy Program (U of A), and graduated from the ICD Directors Education Program, Rotman School of Management (U of T) with an ICD.D certification. Professional associations currently include the ICD Institute of Corporate Directors, LES Licensing Executives Society, C100 Professionals Supporting Canadian Entrepreneurship, and BioAlberta.
Mary-Ann Bell
Chair, Montreal Chapter
SVP Regional Communications
Bell Aliant
Mary-Ann joined Bell Aliant Regional Communications when it was created in 2006. She has broad telecommunications experience across the country, mainly in operational positions, and has been recognized in particular for her excellent results in customer service. She is also very active in the community in Québec, and has served with or currently sits on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations and private sector companies.
In addition to being an engineer and holding a master’s degree in science, Mary‑Ann Bell is a certified corporate director and was the first Canadian invited to take part in the leadership program of the International Women's Forum. She is currently chair of the board of Proximedia, a company specializing in call centre services, and also chairs the Audit Committee of the INRS, a research university in Québec. In addition, she was recently appointed to the board of Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (TNM) and is still involved with the Women’s Y of Montreal where she is a past-chair.
Helen Hirsh Spence
Chair, Ottawa Chapter
Educational Management Professional
Consultant
Helen is a recognized leader from the public and private education sectors who consults to schools and organizations. Her diversified roles include delivering management courses for senior executives in the Honduran tourism sector; providing counsel on governance and youth engagement for the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada; and participation on the interdisciplinary team of Canadian design professionals, American architects, and German ergonomic furniture specialists that published The Third Teacher (2009). Helen is fluent in French, German and Spanish which enables her to deepen connections from within the corporate and non-profit sectors. She began her consulting practice in 2008 after progressively senior roles as an educator and executive in the Ontario Principal's Council (OPC) and at Elmwood School, a private day school for girls. As an advisor, she participates in think tanks, facilitates retreats, and delivers seminars on wide ranging topics such as leadership development, staff recruitment and retention, and the improvement of organizational culture.
On a personal mission to inspire learning experiences for others, Helen has taken on the role of expedition leader to the summits of both Kilimanjaro and Machu Picchu and has accompanied youth from around the world to the Canadian arctic. Further, she developed formalized mentoring programs for aspiring leaders with the Ontario Principal’s Council, and coaches young men and women in career planning, college and university entrance. She volunteers her time and talents in the Ottawa community as one of the founders of Women for Mental Health at the Royal Ottawa Hospital, a philanthropic initiative intent on de-stigmatizing mental illness. Her work at Dress for Success has helped economically disadvantaged women become more self-sufficient. Helen serves on the International Women's Forum Canadian Board of Directors as president of the Ottawa chapter.
Fiona Macfarlane
Chair, Toronto Chapter
Managing Partner, Western Canada
Ernst & Young
In addition to being Managing Partner, Western Canada and Chief Inclusiveness Officer at Ernst & Young, Fiona is also a member of the Canadian firm's Executive and Operating committees. Fiona was previously the Canadian Managing Partner, People and Ernst & Young’s Americas Chief Operating Officer, Tax, as well as their Tax Managing Partner for the Canadian Tax practice, a team of over 800 tax practitioners. Fiona is the first woman among the Big Four firms to have held such a position. Before joining Ernst & Young’s South African firm in 1983, Fiona trained as a lawyer in Cape Town, where she was admitted to the bar. She joined the Canadian firm’s Calgary Tax practice in 1987 and relocated to Vancouver two years later to build a commodity tax practice in Western Canada. She was admitted to the partnership in 1991 and became the Tax leader for the western region of Canada in 2001.
Fiona’s efforts in the immigrant community have been recognized with two awards, the TRIEC CBC Business Leader Award in 2008 and York University’s makeMORE Ontario Connections Award for Immigrants in 2010. Fiona was appointed to the Executive Committee and is a member of the Board of Governors with the Business Council of British Columbia. Fiona holds bachelors of arts, commerce and law degrees from the University of Cape Town. She also earned a Masters of Law degree from Cambridge University.
Ginny Dybenko
Chair, Waterloo Chapter
Executive Director, New Media Studies
Stratford Campus
University of Waterloo
Ginny comes to the role of Executive Director of the new Centre for Digital Media at the Stratford Campus of the University of Waterloo after five successful years as the Dean of the Wilfrid Laurier School of Business & Economics and over 30 years of corporate experience. As Dean, her leadership role set the strategic direction for one of the largest Business Schools in Canada. Her new role focuses on setting future direction for the University of Waterloo in Digital Media – an area critical to the University and, indeed, to Canada. Ginny previously held a number of senior executive roles in both Bell Canada and a high tech startup – including a five year period as President and CEO of Bell Advanced Communications.
Ginny has been a champion for the promotion of technical programs for youth, serving on and chairing the Youth in Motion Educational Foundation, notable for its Top 20 Under 20TM scholarship competition and is currently a member of SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada), Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (ICAO), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Waterloo North Hydro Boards. She is a long-standing adjudicator for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, the Fulbright Scholarship Foundation and RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. She is one of the founding members of the Canadian Board Diversity Council – Women’s Executive Network and was recently named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
