Not-for-Profit Video Learning Series

Robin Cardozo, ICD.D

L. Robin Cardozo, FCPA, ICD.D, recently retired after 30 years in executive positions with leading not-for-profit and charitable organizations in Ontario. He is currently engaged as an executive-in-residence at the Rotman School of Management, and as a training consultant at the Institute of Corporate Directors. Mr. Cardozo currently serves on the Boards of the Ontario Nonprofit Network, Soulpepper Theatre and the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund. In the recent past, he served on the Boards of Centennial College and Bridgepoint Active Health.

Prior to his retirement, Mr. Cardozo served as Chief Operating Officer at SickKids Foundation.  In this position, Robin’s responsibilities included Finance, Legal, Human Resources, and support to the Board on governance and strategic issues.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Robin served for twelve years as Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), one of Canada’s largest grant-making foundations with a mission to help build healthy and vibrant communities in Ontario. OTF is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and during Robin’s tenure more than $1 billion in grants were made to deserving not-for-profit organizations across the province.

For a decade before that, Mr. Cardozo served as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of United Way Greater Toronto. During those years, Mr. Cardozo’s leadership earned him the United Way movement’s highest national honour, the André Mailhot Award.

Mr. Cardozo was born in Pakistan, and was educated in Pakistan and in Britain. He was trained as a Chartered Accountant in the 1970’s, and was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (FCPA) in 2000. He is also a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D).  In 2013, he was awarded the Ontario Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Distinction in Public Administration.

Denise Karkkainen, ICD.D

Denise Karkkainen, ICD.D, is a successful entrepreneur and business executive with broad experience in finance, strategy, deal structure and contract negotiations, and business operations in both publicly traded and privately owned commercial real estate investment, development and property management companies in Canada and the United States. 
 
As an Institute Certified Director, Turner also has a long history of board experience in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.  She currently serves on the boards of DIRTT Environmental Solutions (TSX:DRT); and  Musqueam Capital Corp.  Previous board positions include Board Chair of the Provincial Crown Corporation, Community Living BC; Vice Chair of the Board of the BC Provincial Health Services Authority; Board Chair of YWCA Metro Vancouver; Member of the Board of Governors of Emily Carr University; and Director of Surrey City Development Corp., among others.
 
As a passionate advocate of good governance, Karkkainen has spoken on behalf of organizations such as the Pacific Business and Law Institute, the Institute of Corporate Directors, and the Sauder School of Business.  She is also a recipient of HRH Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee Award for outstanding service to British Columbia and to Canada.

Melanie Debassige, MBA, ICD.D

Melanie Debassige, MBA, ICD.D – Melanie Debassige, has over 20 years of experience in Indigenous Economic Development.  She obtained a Diploma in Native Management and Economic Development from Trent University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario.  She has a certificate in Economic Development from the University of Waterloo and is a certified Professional Aboriginal Economic Developer with the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers.  Melanie held the elected position of Councillor with the M’Chigeeng First Nation Chief and Council for seven years and was appointed as a police commissioner with the United Chiefs and Councils of Manitoulin Police Services for during this time.  Currently she serves as a Director on the Mother Earth Renewable Energy Board that oversees the for-profit wind turbine corporation that is solely owned by M’Chigeeng First Nation.  Melanie was appointed by the Lieutenant Governor to the Ontario Clean Water Agency Board of Directors, a provincial Corporate Crown Corporation in October 2013 where she was recently appointed as Chairperson of the First Nations Committee. 

In March 2018, she was appointed to the Board of Reconciliation Canada where she holds the position of Director/Treasure. Melanie completed the Director’s Education Program at the Rotman School of Management and is a certified corporate director which complements her Master’s in Business Administration.  Melanie has been recognized by the Canadian Board Diversity Council in the Diversity 50 which is a list of highly-qualified board candidates.  Melanie is a strategic advisor to the National Energy Board of Canada on Indigenous issues. 

John LeBoutillier, F.ICD

Born in Gascons, Quebec in 1944, John LeBoutillier, CM, F.ICD, received his undergraduate degree from the Séminaire de Gaspé, his law degree from Université Laval and his MBA from the University of Western Ontario (now The Richard Ivey School of Business). He is a retired member of the Quebec Bar.
 
Mr. LeBoutillier was President and Chief Executive Officer of Sidbec-Dosco Inc. (now
ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada G.P.) from 1983 to 1996 and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Iron Ore Company of Canada from 1996 to 2000. He was Chairman of the Board of Industrial Alliance, Insurance and Financial Services Inc. from 2005 until 2017. He is Chairman of the Board of Semafo Inc. and of Groupe Deschénes Inc.,and a director of publicly-listed companies including Mazarin Inc., and Stornoway Diamond Corporation. He was a director of St.Laurent Paperboard Inc. (1995-2000) and of Société générale de financement du Québec (1996-2010). He was Chairman of the Board of the Conseil du patronat du Québec (2006-2010), Chairman of the Board of Tennis Canada (2013-2016) and a director of several organizations in the health, education, culture and leisure fields. At present, he is a director (and Vice President, Finance) of the Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital Foundation and of the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation.
 
He was a member and director of various Canadian, North American and international industry associations. In 2000, he was a member of the Quebec Commission of Inquiry into Health and Social Services (Clair Commission) and, in 2001, a member of the Canadian Democracy and Corporate Accountability Commission (Bennett/Broadbent Commission).

Hon. Frances Lankin, Senator

The Hon. Frances Lankin, PC, CM, LL.D (HC), is the former President and CEO of United Way Toronto. She was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Beaches-East York and held posts as provincial Minister of Government Services, Chair of Management Board, Minister of Health, and Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

Ms. Lankin has served on not-for-profit, Crown Corporation and publically traded Corporate Boards including Metrolinx, the Institute of Corporate Directors, the Security Intelligence Review Committee, the Ontario Hospital Association and the Literary Review of Canada. She served on the Premier's Advisory Council on Government Business Assets and was a member of the Board of Hydro One. She is past Chair of the National Newsmedia Council and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation where she is immediate past chair of the Social Responsibility Board Committee.

In 2016 Ms. Lankin was appointed to the Senate of Canada.

Bob Astley, F.ICD

Bob Astley, F.ICD, was honoured as a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors in 2014 in recognition of his contributions to good governance in the private and not-for-profit sectors.
 
As board chair in 2006, Bob conceived and led a landmark emergency fundraising campaign for the K-W Symphony engaging the entire community ; the campaign raised $2.5million in 30 days, averting bankruptcy and closure. He chaired the board at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he led the presidential search committee which brought Lorna Marsden to Laurier. He received an Honourary Doctorate from Laurier. He served on the board of several other not for profit organizations.
 
Bob served six years as Chair of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, ten years as a board member of the Bank of Montreal where he chaired the human resources committee, and served on other corporate boards including Sun Life Financial, Clarica Life Insurance Company, Perigee and CI Financial. In his executive business career, he was President and CEO of Mutual Life of Canada, which demutualized in 1999 to become Clarica. He served as President, Sun Life Financial Canada from 2002-2004 after the merger of Sun Life and Clarica.

Jeanette Dias D’Souza, ICD.D

Jeanette Dias D’Souza, ICD.D, CPA, CA, is a strategic leader with experiences that span the public, broader public and private sectors.  She is currently the VP, Corporate Services and CFO for the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. She has held senior roles in the post-secondary sector, including VP, Finance and Administration at a large Toronto college.  Prior to this, Jeanette was an Assistant Deputy Minister with the Ontario government, serving in a number of portfolios including Energy, Infrastructure, Consumer Services and Research & Innovation.  Her past experience involves work in the portfolios of Business Transformation, Alternate Service Delivery, Information Technology, Investments, and large - scale procurement. Jeanette’s interests focus on matters of governance, risk and accountability.  Jeanette obtained her CPA.CA designation while working at KPMG. Jeanette also holds an ICD.D Corporate Directors’ designation. 

Ms. Dias D’Souza is a member of the Executive of the Institute of Corporate Directors Ontario Chapter, and she was past Chair of the new ICD branch in York Region. She chaired a working subcommittee of the ICD Ontario Chapter, focusing on enhancing governance resources for not for profits.  Jeanette is currently a member of the audit committee for the National Research Council, the Public Guardian and Trustee (Ontario), and was appointed to the Health Professionals Regulatory Advisory Council to provide independent advice to the Minister of Health.  Her past Board experience includes being Board Treasurer with St. John’s Ambulance (York Region) and Member, Information Markham.

Jeanette graduated with her M. Ed, and she obtained her B. Com from the University of Toronto.  Jeanette’s passion for supporting and mentoring young adults has led her to become actively involved in the creation of CPA Canada’s national financial literacy program for Canadians.  Jeanette is sought after as a speaker, and she shares her knowledge on the topic of audit committees for CPA Canada.