Profiles

John H. Bowey

MBA, FCA, FCPA, ICD.D

John is the Chair of the Board of Definity Financial Corporation in Waterloo, Ontario. He is a retired partner of Deloitte LLP, where he played a number of leadership roles including Chairman of the Board for Deloitte Canada. He was also a member of Deloitte’s global Board of Directors.
 
In addition to his role at Definity Financial, he is currently a member of the boards of Waterloo Brewing Ltd., Kognitiv Corporation, and the Definity Insurance Foundation.
 
John has served as Board Chair of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Cambridge Big Brothers, the Cambridge Family Crisis Shelter, and the Sunbeam Centre.
 
He also served as Chair of the Board of Governors of Wilfrid Laurier University and chaired the advisory board of Simpson Seeds Inc., a family business in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
 
John holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, and an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at Western University. He is an CA/CPA and holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
 
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and has received the Distinguished Governor Award from Wilfrid Laurier for his service to the university.

Jacynthe Côté

ICD.D

Jacynthe Côté is Chair of the Board of Directors of Royal Bank of Canada. She has also been Chair of the Board of Directors of Hydro-Québec since 2018 and will complete her term in May 2023. She was President and Chief Executive Officer of Rio Tinto Alcan (mining and metallurgical company) from 2009 to 2014. Previously, Ms. Côté was President and Chief Executive Officer of Rio Tinto Alcan's Primary Metal business unit. She joined Alcan Inc. in 1988 and held various senior management positions there during her 26-year career.

Ms. Côté is a member of the boards of directors of Transcontinental Inc. and Finning International Inc. She is chair of the board of directors of Alloprof and a member of the board of directors of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation.

Ms. Côté holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Laval University and was awarded honorary doctorates by Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and Université de Montréal (HEC Montréal).

Jackie Sheppard

MA, LLB, LL.D, QC

After her retirement from a distinguished legal and energy sector career, Jackie continues to dedicate her time and expertise to several corporate and crown boards. She is recognized as an energy industry leader with deep international, capital markets and corporate governance experience. Jackie maintains her commitment to higher education and continual learning with her support of various educational organizations and programs and through her personal mentorship.

Jackie is the former Executive Vice President, Corporate & Legal, of Talisman Energy Inc. Jackie’s responsibilities included global legal affairs, international business development, major projects, and stakeholder relations. 

She joined Emera’s Board of Directors in 2009 and was appointed Chair in 2014. She also currently serves on the Board of Suncor Energy and ARC Resources Ltd. She is founder and former Lead Director of Black Swan Energy Inc. and a former Director of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMco), Pacific Northwest Energy, Cairn Energy PLC, and Seven Generations Energy Ltd.

Jackie earned her Bachelor of Arts from Memorial University. She is a Rhodes Scholar, with an Honors Jurisprudence, Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Oxford University. She earned her Bachelor of Laws (Honors) from McGill University and holds an honorary Doctor of Laws from Memorial University.

Benita M. Warmbold

FCPA, FCA, ICD.D

Benita Warmbold serves as director and chairs the audit committees of Scotiabank, Methanex and SNC-Lavalin. She is Chair of the Canadian Public Accountability Board (CPAB). She is a member of the Smith School of Business Advisory Board (Queen’s University) and is Trustee Emerita Queen’s University.
 
Benita is a seasoned executive with a wealth of senior-level experience, both strategic and operational. Experienced in dealing at a leadership, executive and board level, with considerable knowledge of governance issues. She retired as Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of CPP Investment Board in 2017.
 
Benita holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and ICD.D, she was also inducted into Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 – WXN Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2017, Benita was awarded a CFO Special Recognition Award for Social Responsibility and Mentoring.