Chairing the Board: Real World Insights and Perspectives

Alok Mukherjee

PhD, M.A., B.A.

Dr. Alok Mukherjee is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Ryerson University, Toronto. He is cross-appointed to the Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and the Department of Criminology. Prior to joining Ryerson in September 2015, Alok served as Chair of the Toronto Police Services Board, a role he performed for 10 years from 2005-2015. He is the second longest serving chair of the board governing the largest municipal police service in Canada and one of the largest in North America, with a budget of $1 billion and a workforce of approximately 10,000. Alok was Vice Chair and Acting Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (1992-1994) and member of the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services (1994-1997). Alok speaks and writes frequently on governance issues in the not-for-profit and public sector organizations.

Bev Briscoe

FCPA,FCA, F.ICD

Bev Briscoe is Chair of the Board of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Inc. and former Vice Chair of Goldcorp Inc. -both public companies listed on the TSX and the NYSE. Previously Bev owned a transportation services company and worked in senior management positions in the heavy equipment industry in Canada serving the construction, mining and forestry industries. She also worked as Chief Financial Officer for various operating divisions in The Jim Pattison Group in Canada and Geneva, Switzerland. She articled with PWC and worked with them in Vancouver and Sydney, Australia. She has been a past director and Chair of a number of not for profit organizations and agencies including BC Forest Safety Council, Boys and Girls Clubs, Vancouver General Hospital Foundation and she is past Audit Chair of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions in Canada. Ms. Briscoe holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia and is a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Professional Accountants of British Columbia. Bev received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Influential Women in Business Awards in 2011 and in 2012, she was honored as a Fellow by the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Edward Barrett

F.ICD, ICD.D

Edward Barrett was appointed chair of NB Power Holding Co. in 2010, previously serving as chair of the Crown corporation board’s human resources, compensation and governance committees. In addition, he serves on the boards of TSX-listed Wajax Industries and two private companies based in New Brunswick, Atlantic Industries Group and Apex industries. He is also a board member of Nav Canada and Medavie Blue Cross, a not-for-profit health services partner. From 2006 to 2010, he served as chair of the board at Crandall University.

Mr. Barrett is co-CEO of Barrett Corp., a North American investment and management company, and CEO of Barrett Diversified Inc., which operates wholesale distribution companies in Canada and the U.S. He is a co-founder, significant shareholder and board member of Xplornet Communications, a broadband and communications company.

Mr. Barrett earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Acadia University and a master of public administration degree from Dalhousie University. He was inducted into the New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame in 2010 and received the KIRA (Knowledge Industry Recognition and Achievement) Industry Person of the Year award in 2009.

Gail Cook- Bennett

F.ICD, C.M.

Gail Cook-Bennett served as Chair of the Board of Manulife Financial from 2008 to 2013, was the first Chair of the Board of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (1998 to 2008) and is the immediate past chair of the Board of the Institute of Corporate Directors. She also serves as Chair of the Government of Canada Audit Committee that advises the Secretary to the Treasury Board and sits on the National Advisory Board of the Salvation Army.

Her corporate and Crown directorships since 1978 have included the Bank of Canada, TD Bank, Petro-Canada, Enbridge Consumers Gas, Emera, Cadillac Fairview, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Mackenzie Financial and Transcontinental as well as Manulife Financial and the CPP Investment Board.

Gail holds a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan, beginning her career as a professor at the University of Toronto. She has been awarded the Order of Canada, honorary doctor of laws degrees from Carleton University and York University, was named to the top 100 Women in Canada on three occasions and has been recognized by her peers as a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Isabelle Courville

Isabelle Courville, an engineer and a lawyer by training, is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canada Pacific Railway and former Chair of the board for Laurentian Bank of Canada.

Ms. Courville, an engineer and a lawyer by training, was active for over 25 years in the energy and telecommunications sectors. She served as President of Hydro‐Québec Distribution, President of Hydro‑Québec TransÉnergie, President of Bell Canada's Enterprise Group and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Bell Nordiq Group.

Ms. Courville holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics from the École Polytechnique de Montréal and a Bachelor's degree in Civil Law from McGill University.

She is currently a board member of SNC-Lavalin, Canadian Pacific Railway and Veolia Environment.

In 2007, Isabelle Courville received the McGill Management Achievement Award for her contribution to the business world and community involvement. In 2012, she was selected amongst Fortune Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business. In 2010, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec awarded her the Prix Hommage for her exceptional contribution to the engineering profession. In 2017, she received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Montreal.

James H. Sutcliffe

James H. Sutcliffe is Former Chairman of the Boards of Sun Life Financial Inc. and Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. Mr. Sutcliffe was appointed Chairman in December 2011. He was appointed as a director in February 2009. In 1976, Mr. Sutcliffe joined Prudential plc, an international retail financial services group, where he spent most of his career. At Prudential, Mr. Sutcliffe held increasingly senior positions in actuarial and management functions, including Chief Executive Officer, U.K. In 2000, Mr. Sutcliffe joined Old Mutual plc, an international savings and wealth management company, where he was a director and Chief Executive Officer from 2001 until his retirement in 2008. Mr. Sutcliffe is a director of two other public companies, Liberty Holdings Limited and Lonmin plc. In addition, he is a director of Gunn Agri Partners Pty Ltd., G3 Valhalla (Pty) Ltd. and STANLIB Limited, all are private companies. Mr. Sutcliffe is a Fellow of the U.K. Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. Mr. Sutcliffe was formerly a director of the U.K. Financial Reporting Council, Chairman of its Codes and Standards Committee, and Chairman of its Board for Actuarial Standards. He was part time Strategy Director of Quindell plc, from January to June 2015. Mr. Sutcliffe is involved with Friends of Michael Sobell House in the United Kingdom and Buffelshoek Trust in South Africa.

John M.Thompson

O.C., F. ICD, F.CAE

John M. Thompson is a Corporate Director. He is the retired Executive Vice Chairman of the IBM Corporation, where he had responsibility for worldwide technology, manufacturing and business strategy. He is the former Chairman of the Board of TD Bank Ltd.

Previous directorships include Thomson Reuters Corporation, Philips Electronics N.V., Robert Mondavi Corporation and Hertz Corporation. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the Hospital for Sick Children and as Chancellor of the University of Western Ontario.

He is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Engineering Science and completed executive management programs at the Ivey School of Business and the Kellogg Graduate School of Business. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors and of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2013.

Matt Fullbrook

Matt Fullbrook is the Manager of the David & Sharon Johnston Centre for Corporate Governance Innovation, at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Under his direction, the centre has evolved into the central hub of governance research in Canada. Matt has overseen the development and execution of all of the centre projects since 2004, including Board Games, various Pay/Performance studies, SME governance ratings, and an ongoing study of the governance of family firms. As an independent consultant, Matt has advised dozens of boards of directors, helping them to maximize their effectiveness through the development and implementation of effective processes, policies and structures.

Maureen J. Sabia

O.C., J.D., B.A., LL.D (Hon.)

Maureen Sabia is Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Canadian Tire Corporation Limited, a director of Canadian Tire Bank and President of Maureen Sabia International, a consulting firm. She is a member of the Leadership Council of the Perimeter Institute and serves on the board of governors of the Montreal Economic Institute. Maureen Sabia, a lawyer, has had careers in the public and private sectors, having served as Chairman of the Export Development Corporation, a director of Hydro One Inc. and a member of its audit, finance & investment pension committee and business transformation committee, Vice-Chairman of the Public Accountants Council for the Province of Ontario and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada audit committee. She has served as Chairman of CTC’s Audit Committee and is a former director of Gulf Canada Resources Limited, Hollinger Inc., Laurentian General Insurance Company Inc., O&Y FPT Inc., O&Y Properties Corporation and Skyjack Inc.

She has served on the board of governors of the University of Guelph, the board of trustees of Brock University, where she was also Chairman of its audit committee, as Chairman of the Sunnybrook Medical Centre Foundation and on the board of trustees for Sunnybrook Medical Centre. She co-authored “Integrity in the Spotlight – Opportunities for Audit Committees” and “Integrity in the Spotlight – Audit Committees in a High Risk World”. Maureen Sabia is an Officer of the Order of Canada, holds an honorary LL.D from Dalhousie University, an honorary LL.D from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a past recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Robert Prichard

OC, OOnt, FRSC, F.ICD

Robert Prichard has had a varied career as an educator, lawyer, business executive, and corporate director.

He serves as chair of Torys LLP and the Bank of Montreal. He is also Lead Director at George Weston Limited and a director of Onex Corporation and Alamos Gold Inc. He was the former chair of Metrolinx, the regional transportation agency of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, and a trustee of the Hospital for Sick Children. Previous board appointments include chair of Moore Corp. and director roles at Barrick Gold, Four Seasons Hotels, Brascan (now Brookfield Asset Management), Biochem Pharma, Gildan and Imasco.

From 2002 to 2009, Mr Prichard was president and CEO of Torstar Corp.

He is President Emeritus of the University of Toronto, where he served as president from 1990 to 2000 and was previously dean of law and a professor specializing in law and economics. He is a recipient of the David Smith Award for his contributions to public policy in higher education, the Champion of Public Education Award and the Testimonial Award of the Public Policy Forum.

Mr. Prichard attended Swarthmore College where he studied economics, earned his MBA at the University of Chicago, and earned law degrees from the University of Toronto and Yale University. He has also received honorary degrees from eleven colleges and universities in Canada and the U.S. He is an officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of Ontario and a 2016 fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Russ Siemens

ICD.D, Ed.D

Russ is former President and Chair of the Board of SaskCentral, the trade association for Credit Unions in Saskatchewan. He serves on the Innovation Credit Union (SK) Board and previously on Concentra Bank Board. He is a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) program and the Accredited Credit Union Institute of Canada (ACCUD). In July of 2016 he received a certification In Fintech: The Future of Commerce from MIT.

Professionally, Russ holds a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.) with a dissertation focusing on transformational leadership, technology, and change management. He is the past principal of the Swift Current Comprehensive High School. Prior to his retirement from the education system in June, 2014, he gave leadership in the school system in developing cyber-school options for high school students including developing and teaching online course in Sports Psychology.

Russ is married to Jacqueline and they have two college-aged sons.

Thomas C. O'Neill

FCA, FCPA, F.ICD

Thomas O’Neill was former Chairman of the Board of Scotiabank., BCE and Bell Canada. He was the former Chair of the Board of PwC Consulting, former Chief Executive Officer of PwC Consulting, Chief Operating Officer of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Global, Chief Executive Officer of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Canada, and Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Price Waterhouse Canada.

Mr. O’Neill held a B.Comm. from Queen’s University, he was a chartered accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (CPA Ontario). He received an Honorary LLD from Queen’s University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

In September 2013, Mr. O’Neill received the ICAO Award of Outstanding Merit from CPA Ontario, which is CPA Ontario’s highest honour.