Board of Governors

Deputy Chief Marc Andrews is a long-time resident of Brampton, who grew up in and attended high school in Mississauga. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto and has a Masters degree in Business Administration.

While attending the University of Toronto he was voted an All Canadian Running Back in 1983, and had short professional stints in the CFL with Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

Prior to joining Peel Regional Police in 1990, Deputy Chief Andrews was a commissioned officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, serving with the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry for five years during which time he was involved in numerous operations and completed a United Nations peacekeeping tour in the Middle East. He retired from the military in 1990 as a captain.

Deputy Chief Andrews began his career as a constable at 12 Division in Uniform patrol, and was subsequently assigned to the Morality Bureau where he was involved in numerous high profile drug investigations, both as an investigator and as an undercover operative. These investigations ranged from the street level to international organized crime level. As a result of his involvement in these investigations, he became a court acknowledged expert in the production, importation and distribution of a variety of illicit drugs.

In 1998, Deputy Chief Andrews moved on to Homicide bureau, where he received his first promotion to Detective. While assigned to Homicide, Deputy Andrews was the primary investigator on a number of high profile homicide investigations including the Thomas Ku and Frank Groves homicides.

In September 2003 Deputy Andrews was promoted to Staff Sergeant and subsequently held postings in a variety of areas within the organization before being promoted to Inspector, the first Black senior officer in the history of Peel Regional Police, and assigned to the Duty Inspectors’ office. In December 2011 Deputy Andrews was assigned to 21 Division as the Uniform Inspector, before being promoted to Superintendent and transferred to 11 Division as the officer in charge, in May of 2013.

Also in 2013 Deputy Andrews was a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (QDJ) Award, as a result of his extensive history of working within the local community as a fundraiser, mentor, and role model.

Since September 2013 Deputy Chief Andrews has been an aide-de-camp to The Lieutenant Governor of the Ontario, serving under the honourable David Onley, and the current Lieutenant Governor the honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell. On February 23^rd, 2018 Marc Andrews was appointed Deputy Chief of Police. His current role is Community Policing Command that is responsible for all frontline Policing in the region.

Deputy Chief Andrews is married to his wife Tiina, for 36 years and has two sons Ryan and Tyler. He has been a resident of Brampton for the past 28 years.

Ian Austin

Dean of the Centre for Business
George Brown College

Dr. Ian Austin is Dean of the Centre for Business at George Brown College and has held the position since 2018. He has more than 25 years of senior level leadership experience in the post-secondary sector. Before assuming the Deanship role at George Brown College, Ian was Principal of the Barbados Community College (BCC) where he had executive leadership responsibilities.

Prior to assuming the leadership of BCC, he was the Deputy Director for Continuing and Professional Education at the University of the West Indies (UWI). He was also a Visiting Scholar at the University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

Dr. Austin’s academic specialization is higher education governance and, most recently, he co-authored a book entitled Governance of Higher Education: Global Perspectives, Theories, and Practices.

Ian earned a B.Sc. in Accounting and a postgraduate Diploma in Education from the University of the West Indies. He holds a MBA with a concentration in Finance from Virginia Tech, and a PhD in Higher Education - Leadership and Policy Studies - also from Virginia Tech.

Practice Leader, Strategic Human Resources Consulting
Stratford Managers Corporation

Neil Crawford is currently Practice Leader of HR Strategic Consulting at Stratford Managers Corporation responsible for the financial performance and growth of the practice across a wide range of content areas including Human Capital Strategy, Change Management, Culture, Engagement, HR Effectiveness and Talent Management.

Prior to joining Stratford Managers, Neil was a partner of Aon Hewitt and led its Canadian Talent, Rewards and Performance Practice. For fifteen 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 is a qualified actuary. He is also a Chartered Professional in Human Resources.

Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou

Commissioner of Social Services
Region of Durham

Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou is well-known and respected within the Social Services community, with more than 15 years of formal leadership experience in the human services sector. As Commissioner of Social Services for the Region of Durham, Stella leads a team of more than 2,000 employees—who provide professional and high-quality services to Durham residents. The department demonstrates a long-standing commitment to excellence through its numerous awards: Silver, Gold and the Order of Excellence (from 2003 to 2015); and Gold Standing with Excellence Canada’s new Excellence, Innovation and Wellness Standard.

Prior to her current role, Stella held the position of Director of Community Access (which oversees access to Ontario Works, Child Care Fee Subsidy and Homelessness programs) for the Region of Peel.

Stella’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, where she majored in Sociology; a Prosci Change Management certificate; and completion of the Community Health Leadership Program from the Rotman School of Management.

Stella demonstrates passion and commitment to social services and the community through her active participation and membership on various boards, including the Provincial-Municipal Social Assistance Employment Committee (PMSAEC), on which she is also the Co-chair of the Employment and Stabilization Committee. Formerly, she was a board member of the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA) and Co-chair of the Policy and Advocacy Committee.

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 NASDAQ 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.

Farah Ismail

Senior Vice-President, Chief Legal, Privacy and Compliance
SE Health

Farah is Senior Vice-President, Chief Legal, Privacy and Compliance at SE Health, one of Canada’s largest Home Health Companies and founder and principal of Intersect Consulting where she uses her unique expertise to navigate issues where healthcare and the law connect. She has led large-scale initiatives and influenced lasting change and has a history of successfully delivering on business solutions based on innovative and resourceful strategies. After spending over a decade leading in nursing regulation, and several years working in nursing and the law, Farah has a deep knowledge of the myriad of issues that impact our healthcare system and understands the need to provide safe, accessible and adequate service to the residents of Ontario from a legal perspective.

Farah holds a BSc.N and MSc.N from the University of Western Ontario and an LL.B from the University of Windsor. Farah has a passion for health promotion and is a thought leader. She is a skilled Privacy Officer and one of a select group who has attained a Fellowship in Regulatory Excellence (FRE) from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. She is part of the inaugural class of National Health Fellows through the Health Leadership Academy – McMaster University where she along with other leaders from across Canada will co-define and advance solutions to the most pressing healthcare challenges facing our country. She is a published author and speaker.

Farah is an avid volunteer and has focused her efforts in the areas of women’s education, mental health and addictions and pediatric kidney research. She has held positions on the Havergal Board of Governors and as an Executive Board Member for the Inaugural Nurse Health Program in Ontario. She currently serves a Director on the Ontario Community Support Association Board (Farah Ismail- OCSA Board Member), and as Advisor to the Canadian Standards Association Group where she shares her expertise related to standards development in the Home and Community sector. Farah co-founded Grayson’s Gratitude (www.graysons-gratitude.com), a fundraiser that supports renal priorities and the SickKids Foundation and which has been recognized as a lead donor helping to fight the greatest challenges in children’s health.

Farah lives in Toronto, Ontario. She is a is a wife, a mom, avid reader and fitness enthusiast. She escapes it all by retreating up north and spending time at the cottage during the summer and winter months.

Sue Ivay

Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
Calian

At the heart of Calian’s long-term growth is its people. Under Sue’s leadership Calian’s HR team is focused is on developing and executing a talent management strategy in support of the Company’s overall business plan and strategic direction.

Sue joined Calian in 1999, gaining progressive management experience and a deep understanding of Calian’s diverse business by working within its service lines. She joined the Human Resources team in 2014 and drove key HR initiatives such as leadership development, business unit partnership and compensation strategies. Sue has distinguished herself as a trusted thought partner, change champion and devoted employee engagement advocate; she accomplishes this through a fierce desire to bring out the best in people. Having played key roles in integrating acquisitions, she seeks to unlock employee potential and strengthen Calian’s brand as an employer of choice.

A University of Waterloo alumnus, Sue advocates for performance excellence, collaborative work environments, and people development through strong leadership and succession planning. Sue was appointed CHRO in 2019.

Julian Jugmohan

Vice President Finance, Customer Administration & IT
Ricoh Canada Inc.

Julian Jugmohan was appointed Vice President, Finance for Ricoh Canada in April 2019.

In this executive position, Jugmohan leads all aspects of Finance including Financial Planning and Analysis, Sales Compensation; Corporate and Sales Tax; Treasury; Accounting; SOX; Policy Design and Administration. His leadership in risk mitigation and utilizing both Ricoh and external partners has provided opportunities to drive organizational revenue and profit.

Jugmohan has been with Ricoh Canada since 2011.

Jugmohan has had several progressive Finance and Business partnership roles in various industries including Telecoms, Healthcare and Food. His entrepreneurial roots in Healthcare has afforded him the experience of creating his own business - providing him with an invaluable understanding of how all aspects of a business operate. He is a designated Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and holds a BBA from Schulich School of Business.

Cori Lawson-Roberts
Assistant VP, Disability Innovation & Integrity, Manulife

Cori is Assistant Vice-President, Disability Innovation & Integrity at Manulife. Cori has been in the health insurance industry for over 25 years and is passionate about helping organizations and individuals improve their physical, mental and emotional health. Cori has a degree in Management from Athabasca University.

Ruth Mojeed

Founder and Chief Equity Officer
The Inclusion Project

Ruth Mojeed Ramirez is the Founder & Chief Equity Officer of The Inclusion Project and curator of Employment Equity Co-lab. She brings extensive lived experience and grounded expertise to her work in racial equity, diversity and inclusion (REDI). Her research and solutions design focus on an intersectional and inter-generational approach to address complex issues of racial equity, decolonization and gender equality. She leads organizational EDI strategy development, readiness assessment and coaching among multi-level stakeholders in public and private sectors.

Ruth is indigenous to the Yoruba tribe from western Nigeria. She migrated to Canada to pursue a master’s degree in Intercultural & International Communication at Royal Roads University (2017). She also holds certificates in Community Organizing & Leadership (Harvard University); Community-based Participatory Research (University of Victoria); Executive Leadership (Oxford University).

She has contributed to and led many research projects; facilitated REDI competency sessions and; regularly advises and coaches many notable leaders on equity-related issues. Ruth serves on many boards and advisory committees, including Vancouver Foundation's grants advisory. She is a director on the national board of the Canadian International Council where she leads efforts on inclusive policy development; director on the board of Excellence Canada and; director on the board of Camosun College.

Select profile:

The Black Experience in Multicultural Canada: https://douglasmagazine.com/the-black-experience-in-multicultural-canada/

How Leaders Can Nurture an Inclusive Workplace: https://douglasmagazine.com/how-leaders-can-nurture-inclusive-workplaces/

TV/Documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ri048ajrIQ&t=214s&ab_channel=ShawTVSouthVI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U4_cKGzYxw&t=225s&ab_channel=ShawTVSouthVI

Gender Equity in STEM Documentary: https://youtu.be/7lie2WCo3Ds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQVHInm_niw

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.

Under Laura’s leadership Pension Corporation received “Gold” recognition from Excellence Canada, which demonstrates it is one of the best-managed organizations in Canada.

In 2018 Business in Vancouver magazine, Deloitte and TEC Canada recognized Laura as the public sector BC CEO of the Year and in 2017 Laura was named one of the Influential Women in Business. She was also called out as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network and recognized on Vancouver Magazine’s Power 50 list. Laura also has the designation of Director with the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D), and serves on several boards including Excellence Canada, the Conference Board of Canada and the Gustavson School of Business International Advisory Board. Laura is an active mentor for women leaders and emerging leaders who look to her for guidance and direction on their leadership practice and career development.

Laura is a high-performing senior executive who brings a fresh leadership style to her role. She has clear vision and her expertise as a strategic leader that gives her the ability to deliver results. Laura creates the right space for everyone in her organization to thrive. She emphasizes the importance of maintaining strong relationships with staff and all key stakeholders.

In 2012, she spearheaded the creation of a new strategic plan for Pension Corporation called 12 to 21 Our Way Forward. This nine-year strategy is an ambitious plan for business transformation that ensures Pension Corporation meets the changing needs and expectations of plan members, employers, trustees and staff. Above all Laura has reshaped the culture at the Corporation creating the organization-wide engagement and resiliency needed to bring the strategic plan to life.

Richard Perri

Senior Vice President, Finance
Spark Power Corp.

Richard is Spark Power’s Senior Vice President, Finance, with over 20 years of financial and leadership experience across various industries, including mergers and acquisitions. He oversees the organization’s financial reporting and accounting and has extensive experience in growth strategy development, along with finance, operations, and IT.

Prior to joining Spark, Richard served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at ADP Canada, Senior Vice President & CFO at Ricoh Canada Inc., and Vice President, Finance, at Pitney Bowes Canada. He is a team-oriented leader, focused on operational excellence and execution, who strives to ensure consistent, high-quality financial services within Spark. Richard serves as Director on the Board of Excellence Canada and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto.

Sanjay Puri

Vice President, Administration and CFO
Humber College

Sanjay Puri is the Vice President, Administration and CFO of Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, the largest post-secondary polytechnic institution in Canada, where he oversees the financial and administrative functions (Capital Development & Facilities Management, Sustainability, Public Safety & Emergency Management, Campus & Ancillary Services) while contributing to the institution’s vision and strategic plan.

Sanjay has spent lion share of his career in the not-for-profit, broader public education sector (spanning Kindergarten and post-secondary) where he has helped create financial sustainability and innovative solutions through sector-wide collaboration and industry partnerships.

Sanjay is a CPA, CMA and holds the Chartered Director (C.DIR) designation from The Directors College. He volunteers his time on several Boards (Ontario College Athletics Association, Chartered Institute of Marketing Management of Ontario) and Advisory Committees. He considers himself to be a lifelong learner – always in the pursuit of knowledge with the goal of enhancing professional outcomes, personal development and self-sustainability

David Rennie

Executive Director, Strategies & Initiatives
Office of the CAO
The Regional Municipality of York

David Rennie is a senior management executive with 29 years of public service experience in the municipal government and not-for-profit sectors. In his current role as Executive Director, Strategies & Initiatives in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer at The Regional Municipality of York, David is responsible for bringing innovative and responsive approaches to work which includes strategic planning, emergency management, customer service, continuous improvement, business planning and administration, and a range of CAO-directed projects.

Prior to assuming his current role, David spent more than two decades in human services positions, including as General Manager of Social Services in the Community and Health Services Department of York Region. During that time David had the opportunity to contribute on the board of the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association where he served a term as president.

David holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Toronto and completed a graduate certificate in Municipal Public Sector Management with the York University Schulich School of Business.

Devin Roberts, Superintendent of Education
Beaufort-Delta Divisional Education Council

Devin has been an educator in the Northwest Territories for ten years, serving originally in the Sahtu region before moving to the South Slave for four years. Afterwards Devin relocated to Inuvik to become the Assistant Superintendent at BDDEC in 2019. During his ten years in the North, Devin has taken on various leadership roles including Program Support Teacher, Principal, Instructional Coach, Regional Inclusive Schooling and Assessment Coordinator, Regional Indigenous Languages Educator (RILE), Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent.

In 2013 Devin graduated from University of Calgary completing a Masters of Educational Leadership degree in Leading and Teaching in Poverty. Devin returned to University of Calgary in 2016 enrolling in the Doctorate of Education Literacy & Languages program. Aside from teaching in the NWT, Devin has taught in London England, Quebec City and in Nova Scotia. Devin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dalhousie University, a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree from University of Maine at Presque Isle and has studied French at Université de Laval. In the summer of 2018, Devin was invited to Harvard University in Boston Massachusetts to speak about his research at the annual ITEC conference. The ITEC conference later published papers from the conference including Devin’s work on Indigenous languages. Devin’s published writings also include an article in the national magazine Leaders & Learners magazine in the summer of 2016.

Devin enjoys going on the land, playing basketball, music and spending time with his family in the NWT.

Anil Sankar

Director, Business Operations
CBC Marketing & Communications

Anil Sankar is a marketing executive and writer privileged to be working with really smart and talented people at the nexus of content, branding, strategy and story. Anil is the Director, Business Operations for CBC Marketing & Communications, where he leads strategy, planning, operations and diversity and inclusion. Prior to this, he has worked extensively in both editorial and senior managerial roles at the CBC. At CBC News, Anil had editorial responsibility for hourly newscasts as a line-up producer and Senior News writer. On the management side he has extensive experience as a production manager working on large scale live events like Canada from the Hill, the Rolling Stones Concert for Toronto and as well as many high-profile dramas and comedies.

Anil has his MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University, and undergraduate degrees from Ryerson's School of Radio & Television Arts and Wilfrid Laurier University. He is currently earning a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University.

Gary M. Seveny

Past Chair of Excellence Canada
Co-Founder
PB Capital Inc.

Gary Seveny has been active in the governance of Excellence Canada for several years and served as Chair of its Board of Directors from 2011 to 2016.

Prior to retiring from a career that spanned 35 years, Gary was President and Chief Executive Officer of two financial institutions, Alterna Bank of Canada and Alterna Savings and Credit Union, both headquartered in Ottawa with operations in western Quebec and throughout Ontario.

A recognized leader in the financial industry, Gary has been instrumental in achieving legislative change at both provincial and federal levels. He has been an active spokesperson for industry vision and regulatory change and has appeared before House of Commons Committees and Senate Committees.

Gary remains active in business, as co-founder and corporate director of PB Capital, developing new approaches to creating long-term funding of infrastructure projects under a Public Private Partnership (P3) model. He currently serves on the Boards of Telpay Inc. and ECHO Payment Services and is Chair of Yorkville Asset Management.

Gary has an MBA in Business and Leadership from John Molson School of Business, Concordia University.

Shirlee Sharkey

President & CEO, Saint Elizabeth
Chair of Excellence Canada

Shirlee Sharkey is recognized as one of Canada’s foremost experts on home care and healthy aging. As a registered nurse and the longtime CEO of SE Health, a unique not-for-profit social enterprise, she has dedicated her career to empowering people, championing compassion, and advancing social innovation to forever impact how people live and age at home. In May 2022, Shirlee stepped down from SE Health following 30 years of breakthrough leadership.

Shirlee shares her passion and expertise as a thought leader, speaker, author, and mentor. In 2020, she collaborated with a range of experts to co-author The Future of Aging, a book that has been described as “a brilliant and powerful challenge to locked-in ageist mindsets, policies and service models.” Naturally curious and committed to lifelong learning, Shirlee regularly engages with students, entrepreneurs, and business leaders from other industries. 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’s commitment to public service is evident in her leadership and involvement on many boards, including University Health Network, the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation, and BAYADA Home Health Care. She also serves as senior fellow of Canada’s top think tank, the CD Howe Institute. Internationally, Shirlee is a Healthcare DENMARK ambassador. Committed to global influence, she has gained and shared health system insights through her experiences in the Middle East, Australia and northern Europe.

Suzanne Solven, RPh

Registrar and Chief Executive Officer
College of Pharmacists of British Columbia

Suzanne Solven is the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer and brings over 25 years of leadership experience across a broad range of organizations within BC’s health system. Before joining the College as its Registrar and CEO, Suzanne has held various positions such as the Associate Vice President of Audit, Investigations and Quality Assurance at Pacific Blue Cross, where she led both the Fraud Investigation Branch and the Internal Audit Branch; as well as both Executive Director and Senior Pharmacist of the BC PharmaCare program. Suzanne also served as the College’s Deputy Registrar for over 9 years.

Suzanne is a current member of the Alumni UBC Advisory Council and UBC Therapeutics Initiative Oversight committee, past member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC Prescription Review Panel, past Co-Chair of the National Pharmaceuticals Strategy, and past chair of the Advisory Committee on Pharmaceuticals, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health.

Andy Taylor

Chief Administrative Officer
City of Markham

As Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Markham reporting to the Mayor and Council, Andy Taylor leads the corporation with his Executive Leadership Team comprised of the Commissioners of Community & Fire Services, Corporate Services, Development Services and the City Solicitor. Markham, known as the high-tech capital of Canada, is a municipality of more than 350,000 residents centrally located in the Greater Toronto Area. It was the first large municipality in North America to use the Internet in a binding election in 2003 and has continued its use for all subsequent elections. Andy has been instrumental in introducing numerous e-government solutions, including the launch of the Markham Portal Website in June 2011.

Andy holds a wealth of experience in both the public and private sector. He holds a Bachelor of Science and from University of Toronto and Bachelor Honours of Commerce from University of Windsor. In 2017, Andy was elected as a Fellow by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario. He champions several local initiatives and sits on a number of boards of directors. Andy is also the President of Markham Enterprises Corporation, a shareholder of Alectra Utilities.

Cindy Taylor

Assistant Vice-President (Human Resources)
Carleton University

Cindy Taylor was named Assistant Vice-President (Human Resources) in May 2019, after leading Carleton University’s Office of Quality Initiatives for 12 years.

Over the course of her career at Carleton, Cindy has distinguished herself by establishing a number of initiatives including Carleton Leader, Service Excellence, Ideas@Carleton, Healthy Workplace and Mental Health at Work. She has played a critical role in the university’s Strategic Integrated Planning processes and instilling a framework for continuous improvement and workplace excellence throughout the university.

A respected leader, Cindy joined Carleton with considerable experience in the private sector over a distinguished career spanning more than 30 years in both the higher education and financial sectors. She currently serves as the co-chair of Carleton’s Healthy Workplace committee, is a Strategic Integrated Planning co-chair, and is the past president of the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation: Higher Education’s Network for Change Leadership (NCCI)

Cindy holds a number of certifications including as a Personal and Professional Coach, an Excellence Professional in Quality and Healthy Workplace, and a lead verifier for Excellence Canada.

Heidi Theelen

Manager, Organizational Excellence
Engineers Canada

Heidi is Manager, Organizational Excellence at Engineers Canada where she is responsible for Engineer’s Canada’s Excellence journey. A PMI certified Project Manager, she has over 14 years of experience in both profit and non-profit environments applying quality tools, proven methodologies, and best practices to deliver a variety of technology-based projects and organizational process changes.

Heidi has a broad-base of experience, including results-based management, strategic planning, business analysis, process improvement, project management, program management, portfolio management and PMO implementation and evolution. Her work demands high levels of collaborative planning, analyzing, problem solving, and scalable solution definition with various levels of stakeholders, including senior management.

She has been involved with Excellence Canada since 2006, and in that time has obtained her Certified Excellence Professional designation and has participated as a site verifier for a variety of organizational certifications against the Innovation Excellence and Wellness Standard

Heidi has also been an active member of the Project Management Institute, Ottawa Valley Outaouais Chapter (PMI OVOC) where she has held secretary and other interim board roles for marketing and at-large positions. Before that, she was Sponsorship Director and has supported the PMI OVOC Board of Directors in their annual planning activities.

A graduate of Algonquin College Business Administration, Information Systems & Materials Management Program, she is ITIL V3 Foundations and Prosci change management certified and is currently pursuing her Certified Canadian Association Executive designation.

Dr. Marilyn Thompson

Associate Provost, Human Resources
University of Waterloo

Dr. Marilyn Thompson oversees the administration and long-term planning of all human resources, organizational and human development, and total compensation activities and programs across the University. She provides vision for university-wide initiatives and human resources leadership in service to Waterloo's mission. A senior executive officer of the University, Dr. Thompson plays a key role in strategic planning and decisions affecting the employees of the university.

Before joining UWaterloo, Dr. Thompson was Vice President of the Eastern Regional Health Authority (NL) and Policy Director within Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. She has extensive executive and senior leadership experience in healthcare, government, education, and various business sectors. She has worked with many voluntary sector, community, professional and business companies and associations providing education, human resources and evaluation expertise. Marilyn holds a BN (MUN), MEd (Toronto) and PhD (Toronto).

Dr. Thompson was President of the St. John’s Board of Trade (2005) and the Newfoundland/Labrador Chambers of Commerce (2001-2004); and Chair of the Ireland Business Partnerships (2002-2004), an organization fostering government, business, and cultural linkages between Newfoundland/Labrador and the Republic of Ireland. She was named to the Strategic Partnership Initiative as a business leader, a forum to build consensus among business, labour and government on the major issues impacting the economy of Newfoundland/Labrador. She was instrumental in establishing a private sector angel investment partnership with the Greater Washington Initiative (DC) to increase trade and export opportunities between the two regions and is a founding member of the ocean biotechnology park collaboration with the Dublin, Galway and Waterford (Ireland) Chambers of Commerce to create a public-private partnership that would commercialize marine biotechnology products. She has been honoured with the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for her contribution to Canada and the communities of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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.

Paola Zurro

Canadian Forces Housing Agency
National Defence

Prior to this appointment as Chief Executive Officer in July 2022, Paola served as the Senior Director, Architecture and Engineering Services, Real Property Services, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) where she led a client service cost recovery organization. Paola was also the Director of Public Works & Infrastructure, Municipality of Chelsea (Québec) from 2014 to 2018, where she was responsible for municipal front line services and all capital assets throughout their life cycle.

Paola has contributed to the improvement of infrastructure, promoted the use of renewable energies and the advancement of sustainability, accessibility and digitization over the past 18 years as an executive in the public sector and also in her previous roles at the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Austria), the Spanish Embassy to Belgium, as well as for the Inter-Agency Procurement Services Office / United Nations Development Programme (IAPSO/UNDP) (Denmark).

Paola is a professional engineer licensed in Quebec and Ontario, and holds a Master’s degree in International Business Management and a Master’s degree in International Relations and Communication. During her career, she has also obtained multiple professional certifications including the IPWEA Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accreditation (LEED AP:BD+C).

Paola is an advocate for the advancement of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), as well as for the promotion of diversity and inclusion. She enjoys travelling, the outdoors, yoga and meditation. She currently lives in Ottawa with her husband and son.