Board of Directors

Meet the Team

The Team The Board of Directors The Board of Governors

Colin Brown

VP Operations and Projects, Engineers Canada

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Neil Crawford

Director, Excellence Canada

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Dr. Hugh Drouin

Commissioner of Social Services, Regional Municipality of Durham

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Allan N. Ebedes

President & CEO, Excellence Canada

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Laura Nashman

CEO, British Columbia Pension Corporation

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Richard Perri

Chief Financial Officer, Ricoh Canada Inc.

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Shirlee Sharkey, Chair

President & Chief Executive Officer, Saint Elizabeth

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John Wilson

John Wilson, Founder & CEO, CEO Global Network Inc.

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Colin Brown

Vice-President Operations
Engineers Canada

As Vice-President of Operations for Engineers Canada, Colin Brown provides business transformation and innovation expertise to staff and external stakeholders in business planning, project management, change management, continuous improvement, and monitoring and reporting. He leads the development of multi-year operational plans, oversees operational, financial and risk management processes, and builds the organizational enablers that help staff, volunteers and stakeholders achieve their business goals.

Previously, Colin was Vice-President, Centre for Business Excellence & Project Management Office, at Alterna Savings, one of Ontario’s largest credit unions. His portfolio included new product launches, business process improvements, technology infrastructure upgrades, facilities, technology application upgrades and regulatory changes. He was responsible for managing change-related risk and he led the ongoing development and improvement of the corporate project management methodology, business process methodology and business analysis practice.

Throughout his career, Colin has gained extensive experience in various sectors, including workplace automation, software development, telecommunications hardware manufacturing and telecommunications operations.

Colin holds a certificate in Telecommunications Technology from Peterborough College, England and is a Certified Professional Coach.

Neil Crawford

Director
Excellence Canada

Neil Crawford is a former partner of Aon Hewitt where he led its Canadian Talent, Rewards and Performance Practice. He was responsible for practice financial performance and sustainability of a national team of colleagues working across culture and engagement, HR effectiveness, talent strategy, management and analytics, leadership, selection and assessment, and total rewards. In this role, he significantly increased practice profitability and participated in the development and launch of Aon Global Best Employers Program.

For 15 years, he also led the annual Best Employers in Canada study, conducted by Aon Hewitt and published nationally in Canadian Business Magazine.

Neil has worked extensively with many national and international organizations to define business-aligned people and rewards strategies, measure and improve employee engagement, track cultural change, and improve the effectiveness of their HR functions. He is a frequent speaker on employee engagement, leadership, aligning people and reward strategies with business strategy, and creating great workplaces.

Neil is a mathematics graduate of the University of Waterloo and a qualified actuary. He is also a Chartered Professional in Human Resources.

Dr. Hugh A. Drouin

Commissioner of Social Services
Regional Municipality of Durham

A leader within the social work profession, Dr. Hugh Drouin has a varied and rich background having served as a clinician, college and university professor, administrator, consultant and seminar leader. He has conducted extensive research in the area of nurturing workplaces and their impact on the stress and morale of employees, and has presented to such diverse organizations as General Electric, Canada Post, Royal Bank, Ministry of Health, school boards, District Health Councils, churches, hospitals, social agencies and a variety of professional groups.

In his current role as Commissioner, Dr. Drouin oversees the Social Services Department which is the largest department in the Regional Municipality of Durham, with over 2000 staff across six divisions. Developing into a world-class organization, the department received the Order of Excellence in 2015.

Dr. Drouin has been on part-time faculty at the School of Social Work McMaster University and received the McMaster teaching award for his exceptional contributions. He holds a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Windsor, and a Ph.D. in Social Work Administration from Laval University in Quebec City.

Allan N. Ebedes

President and CEO
Excellence Canada

Since 2005, Allan Ebedes has led Excellence Canada, formerly known as the National Quality Institute. Working with the Board of Directors, he is responsible for setting the strategic direction of Excellence Canada and delivering on its business plan and mission.

Allan began his business career as a Chartered Accountant (CA) at Coopers & Lybrand, now PWC. He then became a partner at a small furniture and appliance chain, which grew significantly during his ownership, and was subsequently sold to The Brick. In 1979, he started a private career college called the Toronto School of Business, a division of International Business Schools, which grew to become the largest career college in Canada, with 50 locations coast to coast. Allan took the company public on the BASDAQ exchange.

In 2002, Allan founded Management Mentors International, a company dedicated to corporate training and development, coaching and mentoring. He was also appointed as President of the Academy of Learning, a chain of 100 computer learning centres across Canada.

Allan is a CA, CPA and earned an MBA from the University of Toronto (now Rotman School of Management) and an LLM law degree in Global Business through an evening program at the Faculty of Law. Allan is an ICD.D with the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and a group leader with the CEO Global Business Network.

Laura Nashman

CEO
British Columbia Pension Corporation

Laura Nashman is the chief executive officer of the British Columbia Pension Corporation and has been in the role since December 2008.

Laura is recognized as a high-performing senior executive who brings a fresh leadership style to her role. Her focus on, and dedication to, customer service, clear vision and strategic leadership gives her the ability to deliver results. Laura emphasizes the importance of maintaining strong relationships with staff and all key stakeholders.

Since joining the Pension Corporation, Laura’s focus has been on developing, strengthening and improving the corporation. She has paid particular attention to business processes, use of technology and building the foundational elements of a high performing organization to ensure the Pension Corporation continues to provide service excellence to plan boards and plan members. Above all Laura is reshaping the culture at the Pension Corporation to set the foundation needed to bring the strategic plan to life.

Laura has spearheaded the creation of a new strategic plan for the Pension Corporation called 12|21 Our Way Forward. This nine-year strategy is an ambitious plan for business transformation that ensures the Pension Corporation will meet the changing needs and expectations of plan members, employers, trustees and staff.

In 2011 Laura was named to Vancouver Magazine’s Power 50 list and in 2010 was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network and the Financial Post. Laura is an active volunteer mentor for other women leaders and emerging leaders who look to Laura for guidance and direction on their leadership style and career development.

Laura has participated in the excellence journey as a member of the executive team at Peel Region – an organization that achieved the Order of Excellence and she continues her commitment as BC Pension Corporation is “Going for Gold”.

Richard Perri

Chief Financial Officer
Ricoh Canada Inc.

Richard Perri is a key member of the Ricoh Executive Management team, overseeing critical business functions in addition to his financial responsibilities including Operations, IT, Strategic Planning, Business Transformation and Mergers & Acquisitions. He joined Ricoh in 2011, and was most recently responsible for the Services business, including strategy development and execution of the growth strategy. The Services business represents an exciting new growth area as Ricoh extends into the information mobility market.

Over his 15-year career in technology, Richard has earned a proven track record of helping organizations transform to respond to changing market demands. Prior to joining Ricoh, he served as Vice President of Finance for Pitney Bowes Canada, responsible for a portfolio of finance, operations and business groups.

Richard is a Chartered Professional Accountant, having obtained his designation in 2000, and is a graduate of the University of Toronto. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Avanti Systems and is an active member of the CEO Global Network.

Shirlee Sharkey

President & CEO, Saint Elizabeth
Chair of Excellence Canada

As President and CEO of Saint Elizabeth, Shirlee Sharkey leads a national social enterprise providing home care, health solutions and education to people where they are and when they need it. Under Shirlee’s leadership, the not-for-profit charitable organization has enjoyed exponential growth and expansion, and facilitated transformative solutions in areas such as Indigenous health, end-of-life care, and caregiver wellness and support. Today, Saint Elizabeth delivers 20,000 care exchanges daily through its team of 9,000 leaders and professionals.

Shirlee’s personal commitment to community advancement is evident in her leadership and involvement on many boards, ranging from health to education, including Excellence Canada. Academically, she is cross-appointed to the University of Toronto’s Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation as an adjunct professor.

Shirlee holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Windsor, and a Master of Health Science in Health Administration from the University of Toronto. She is a Certified Health Executive. In 2017, she was presented with an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

John Wilson

Founder & CEO
CEO Global Network Inc.

John Wilson leads an exclusive CEO peer group organization that creates opportunities for learning and development through monthly group meetings, targeted one-to-one mentoring, and focused learning events. Over the years, John has coached hundreds of high-performing CEOs to greater success and is dedicated to fulfilling the mission of CEO Global Network: “To significantly improve the success and lives of CEOs and executives, their families, and their companies.” He also wrote the acclaimed business book GREAT CEOs and How They Are Made.

John began his career with Ultramar Canada where he worked for 18 years, initially as VP of Sales and Marketing, and then as CEO of Ultramar Ontario Ltd., before moving to California to run a billion-dollar business as part of the Ultramar team in the United States. In 1993, John started his own business that developed a network of fleet fueling sites across the southwestern United States. He and his partners built the business up from zero into a multimillion-dollar company before selling it in 1998.

John has an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.

Meet the Team