Our Board of Directors is comprised of committed and engaged people from across Canada
Thomas Kennedy
Board Chair
Chairman and Senior Managing Director, Kensington Capital Partners
Biography
Tom Kennedy is the founder of Kensington Capital Partners and Chair of the Investment Committee. Tom serves on the Advisory Boards of several private equity funds and private companies and has been an active supporter of the Private Equity and Venture Capital business in Canada. His public service and philanthropic work have been longstanding, primarily focused on education and healthcare.
Tom’s previous experience includes 10 years in operational and management positions with Consolidation Coal Co. and Alberta Energy Company. He has investment banking experience as a senior executive with Bunting Warburg, Lancaster and TD Securities.Tom holds a B.Sc.Eng. (Mining) from Queen’s University and a D.B.A. from the University of Edinburgh and is a professional engineer.
Paul Allison
Director
Chair of the Board of Directors, Raymond James Ltd.
Biography
As Non-Executive Chair of Raymond James Ltd., Paul Allison provides strategic guidance to the management team, governance and serves in a senior client relationship capacity. From August 2008 until December 2021, Paul was Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Raymond James Ltd.
Paul has more than 28 years of senior capital markets and investment banking experience to this role including underwriting and arranging public and private debt and equity capital raising, as well as developing and managing retail products.
Paul is an active volunteer in various charitable and industry organizations, Past Board Chair of the Humber River Hospital; member of the Board of Directors of Industry Investment Regulatory Organization of Canada; member of the Deans Business Advisory Council DeGroote School of Business McMaster University, and a former director of the Investment Industry Association of Canada
He holds a Master of Business Administration Degree (MBA) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and Management from McMaster University. He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers.
Nicolas Caprio
Director
President, Rexall Pharmacy Group Ltd.
Biography
Nick began his career as a Pharmacist at Pharmaprix in 1990, becoming a Pharmacist-Owner at Pharmaprix in April, 1991. Nick held that position until April, 1998, when he was appointed as the Vice President of Operations, Pharmaprix. In March, 2006, Nick was then promoted to Vice President, Pharmacy Performance at Shoppers Drug Mart. Nick held that role until 2010, when he was appointed to the Senior Vice President position at Pharmaprix (in Montreal) before being promoted to Senior Vice President at Shoppers Drug Mart. Nick was recently appointed as Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Rexall, overseeing the Pharmacy, Rexall Health Solutions and Operations teams.
Mr. Caprio brings over 25 years of leadership experience in the health care and retailing sectors to the Company. Mr. Caprio’s experience in the health care sector includes community pharmacy, pharmacy operations, pharmaco-economics, health and wellness and clinical pharmacy within the community setting. Mr. Caprio’s retailing experience includes leading an incredible operations team to drive results, merchandising, marketing, loyalty, communication and customer service.
Nick received his Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Montreal and a Minor in BSc, Chemistry. Nick graduated from the Health Sciences program from Marianopolis College.
An active contributor to the industry and his community, Mr. Caprio continues to be a licensed pharmacist in both Ontario and Quebec, Mr. Caprio sits on the TELUS GTA Community Board, to help youth in Toronto. Nick was the co-chair for the 2013 One Walk to End Women’s cancers to raise funds for the Jewish general Hospital foundation and Nick was the National Chair representing Shoppers Drug Mart for the 2015 One Walk to Conquer Cancer, leading over 800 Shoppers Drug Mart employees (from numerous stores and central office) on the walk to raise funds benefitting the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Mr. Caprio is a past trustee of the Jewish General Hospital Foundation.
Dr. Matthew Chow
Director
Chief Mental Health Officer at TELUS Health
Biography
Dr Matthew Chow is a physician, leader, and advocate who has had the extraordinary and rare privilege to lead at the highest levels of the private sector, public administration, and labour movement.
Dr. Chow is Chief Mental Health Officer at TELUS Health, one of the world’s largest digital health firms with a team spanning 167 countries. TELUS Health touches the lives of 70 million people around the globe with services ranging from primary care to behavioural health to precision medicine. Dr. Chow oversaw billions of public dollars from 2016-2020 as a board member of the Medical Services Commission of British Columbia, the public health insurer for one of Canada’s largest provinces. He was also president of Doctors of BC in 2020-21, leading a labour organization of some 14,000 front-line healthcare workers through the concurrent crises of a global pandemic, catastrophic wildfires and flooding, a deadly heat wave, and record numbers of drug overdoses.
Dr. Chow’s strong yet compassionate leadership is forged by his clinical experience as a physician and specialist in mental health. He has helped thousands of children, youth, and families during their darkest and most vulnerable moments while serving at BC Children’s Hospital (founding director of E-Mental Health Services and Strategy), Foundry BC (consultant psychiatrist), and Three Story Clinic (private practice psychiatrist).
Dr. Chow has also volunteered his expertise to strengthen the community. He served on the advisory board for the University of British Columbia’s Institute of Mental Health, the board of the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, and the board of Anxiety BC (now Anxiety Canada).
Dr. Chow completed his undergraduate training in biological sciences and undergraduate medical degree (MD) at the University of Calgary. He subsequently trained in the specialty of Psychiatry and received further subspecialty training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. He is a fellow of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Dr. Chow is often invited to speak in the areas of health and wellbeing, health systems reform, and leadership. He brings his unrivalled perspective from industry, public service, and front-line workers to address the most challenging issues of our time.
Debra A. Doucette, OBC
Director
Executive Chair and CEO, Odlum Brown Limited
Biography
Debra Doucette, OBC, is Executive Chair and CEO of Odlum Brown, a full-service investment firm headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, that has been helping clients achieve their financial goals for over 100 years. Debra joined Odlum Brown in 1991, and prior to assuming the role of Executive Chair, served as President for 17 years. As President, Debra led the firm with objective and strategic insight developed from an accomplished career in the investment industry spanning over 35 years.
Debra has earned a reputation for her vision, passion and dedication as a leader in the business community. She is currently a board member of Providence Health Care, Drug Free Kids Canada and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO). Debra is also a former Industry Director and Chair of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund.
Debra is a strong supporter of Odlum Brown’s sponsorship and charitable giving programs. In 2021, she was honoured with the Order of British Columbia for her community leadership, and in 2016 received the Joseph and Rosalie Segal United Way Community Vision Award.
Debra was also recognized as a 2017 Canada’s Most AdmiredTM CEO and received a 2016 BC CEO Award from Business in Vancouver. In 2015, she received an Influential Women in Business Award.
In 2012, Debra was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the BC Community Achievement Award, and was also inducted into the Women’s Executive Network’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Hall of Fame after being recognized as one of the Top 100 for three consecutive years.
Lucie Dutil F.S.A., F.I.C.A.
Director, Member of the Board Governance Committee
Retired from Bell Canada
Biography
Lucie has more than 25 years’ experience in consultation and management positions. Prior to June 2015, she was VP of Pension & Benefits in Bell Canada’s finance team. Among her main responsibilities; she participated in the development of the corporate business plan, the pension strategy and benefits. She also interacted with the company’s senior management and Board members. She led a team of professionals who specialize in such fields as actuarial work and employee benefits.
She led the team that further advanced BCE’s pension de-risking strategy by transferring longevity risk for$5 billion of pension plan liability to Sun Life. From 2009 to 2014, as Vice President – Human Resources, she helped define the company’s HR strategy and policies, leading a multidisciplinary team of 200 employees, including professionals who specialized in such fields as actuarial work, compensation and employee benefits, and HR systems.
As part of the Bell Let’s Talk mental health initiative, along with her Human Resources team, she had a mandate to ensure the implementation of the mental health in the workplace pillar. Before working at Bell, Lucie worked for a consulting firm and Insurance company.
She is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries as well as a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. She is also a board member of la Fondation des Mutins de Longueuil.
Dave Friesema
Director
Retired CEO, Sleep Country Canada
Biography
Mr. Friesema is the Chief Executive Officer of Sleep Country, a position he has held since November 2014. He has been with Sleep Country since 1995 holding numerous senior positions, including Head of Sales, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer. During his tenure, Mr. Friesema has been involved in developing many of the sales training programs, creative marketing advertisements and influencing the advance positioning that Sleep Country enjoys in the mattress industry today. Prior to joining Sleep Country, Mr. Friesema helped establish and manage mattress retail organizations in the United States. He is currently the Chairman of the Better Sleep Council of Canada and is a past board member of Shelternet for Abused Women. He attended the University of Detroit Business School and the University of Missouri-St. Louis School of Psychology.
Alex Girling
Director
Associate, Marcus & Millichap
Biography
Alex Girling is a commercial real estate broker specializing in the acquisition, disposition and leasing of industrial properties. He joined Marcus & Millichap in 2024 as Associate Commercial Broker and serves clients throughout Metro Vancouver. Prior to this role, Alex spent over two years as a commercial broker at a boutique brokerage in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley and held positions at BC Housing and UBC Properties Trust.
Alex brings a unique perspective through personal lived experience with mental health and problematic substance use, both as an individual and as a support for family members, friends and colleagues. Since 2016, Alex has established himself as an accomplished public speaker and advocate for mental health and substance use disorder initiatives. His work supports organizations such as Doctors of BC, the BC Schizophrenia Society (BCSS) and the former Canadian Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Collaborative (CYMHSU). Alex delivers impactful presentations to institutions including the RCMP, the Justice Institute of British Columbia, the University of British Columbia, various school boards and hospitals, as well as academic conferences.
Alex holds a Bachelor of Science (Geoscience) from Simon Fraser University and a Diploma of Urban Land Economics (DULE) from the University of British Columbia.
Raymonde Lavoie
Director, Member of the Marketing Committee
Chairs the Advertising Standards Council, Board Chair FRIENDS
Biography
After starting her career as a Copywriter, Raymonde Lavoie brings an extensive background in senior positions in creative and strategy with various world class Montréal agencies, namely J.Walter Thompson, Cossette, O&M, and as a communications entrepreneur. She founded her own agency (RTA) in 1988, which she sold in 1999. After leading a number of key projects, Raymonde acquired leadership of DesArts communication as shareholder and president. She now works at the Cundari agency in Montréal, in strategic planning.
Raymonde has enjoyed being active in the communications community:
- Former Board member and chair of UNICEF Québec’s Communications Committee
- Past member of OXFAM Québec’s Rebranding Committee
- Former member of the Board of the Association des agences de publicité du Québec (AAPQ)
- Current involvement with the International Women’s Forum, member Montréal Chapter communications committee
- Québec Chair for Advertising Standards Canada (judging all advertising complaints in French language)
Raymonde has been honoured with various awards (PCM, Clio, Extra and Mondial de la publicité francophone, nomination to Marketing Personality of 2003) and has contributed to the advancement of the upcoming generation of communicators as a teacher in the Certificate in Advertising at the Université de Montréal and as Mentor of a special women’s task force on networking the communications industry (Les Espionnes de la comm). She has also given lectures on Strategic Branding which is her subject of choice.
Christophe Lecomte
Director, Chair of the Audit & Risk Management Committee
Entrepreneur, Land–Return Inc./TBL Consulting
Biography
TBL is a multi-pronged enterprise focused on a number of business ventures and consulting activities. Current holdings include Real estate, Timberlands and Out of Home. TBL continues to advise clients in a number of industries, with a focus on improving bottom line results through financial and operational management processes.
Chris has expertise as a Financial and operational consultant / entrepreneur skilled at navigating organizations through change, achieving increased efficiencies and bottom line results. An engaging entrepreneurial team-builder combining strategic, analytical and creative approaches to solution development and implementation.
Specialties: Mergers and acquisitions, financing, process reengineering, forecasting and budgeting, Management Practices, Communications, Performance Improvement, Strategic Planning, Change Management, Mentoring & Coaching Staff, Radio and TV Broadcast Media operations, Team building.
Chris was VP/CFO of a number of media companies including Vista Radio, Corus Entertainment, ZOOM and Telemedia.
Chris is a Chartered Accountant with degrees from Western and Windsor Universities.
Kelly Mitchell
Director
President, KWM Consulting Services
Biography
Kelly Mitchell, a seasoned leader and business entrepreneur, is the founder of several successful companies operating in Canada and globally. His extensive experience and proven track record instill confidence in his professional capabilities.
Kelly is the president of KWMitchell Consulting Services, a boutique consulting company that has provided political and governmental consulting services since 2002. KWM provides core government relations services, primarily in Ontario, and business consulting services to clients in housing, energy, and financing. KWM represents not-for-profit and for-profit companies that need to work successfully with government officials.
As the founder and President of two prominent government relations and public affairs companies over the past 23 years, Kelly has been a significant figure in advising corporate clients, associations, and municipalities. His leadership roles in advising Cabinet Ministers in the Ontario Government and as the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Natural Resources demonstrate his competence and assurance.
Kelly has advised Indigenous organizations, including the Anishinabek Nation, the Métis Nation of Ontario, the Seven Generations Educational Institute, and the First Nation Financial Authority, on their economic development plans and on finding ways to implement them.
Kelly is also the President of Picea Partners, a telecommunication company that provides telephone town hall meetings for corporations, not-for-profits, government, and politicians. Telephone Town Hall meetings are a hybrid of a conference call and a talk radio show. They allow clients to communicate their ideas to large groups. Picea Partners identified Telephone Town Halls as a new communication tool and was the first company to provide these services in Canada.
Kelly has been appointed to two governmental transition teams because of his leadership and extensive understanding of how governments function. He has also held senior roles in federal, provincial, and municipal elections and political leadership races.
Kelly holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Lakehead University and is a former Registered Professional Forester. Kelly has been on numerous boards such as the Ontario Professional Forestry Foundation, GreenPac, the Ontario Living Legacy Foundation, the Haliburton United Church, Crisis Services Canada (a national suicide prevention organization) and the Community Advisory Member of the Haliburton Health Hospital.
Dr. Giuseppe Papia
Director
Associate Professor, University of Toronto, Vascular Surgery and Critical Care Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Biography
Dr. Pappia joined the Division of Cardiac and Vascular Surgery at Sunnybrook Health Services in 2009. Upon graduating from the University of Ottawa Medical School, Dr. Papia pursued specialty training in general surgery at the University of Toronto, where he also received a Master of Science degree in molecular biology as part of the surgeon scientist program. He then pursued subspecialty training in vascular surgery and critical care medicine at the University of Toronto, with further fellowship training in endovascular surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.
In 2009, Dr. Papia completed the patient safety officer executive development program at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. His area of academic interest is in patient safety and quality improvement addressing and optimizing potential gaps in postoperative care of vascular and cardiovascular patients.
Dr. Papia is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and functions as a clinician-teacher. He also serves as the physician lead for the cardiovascular intensive care unit.
Dr. Papia serves as a vascular surgery and endovascular surgery consultant, and provides regular general vascular surgery outpatient clinics. His clinical interests include endovascular interventions for complex peripheral vascular disease, aortic disease and carotid disease.
He is also attending as a consultant intensivist in the critical care unit and in the cardiovascular intensive care unit.
Danièle Perron
Advisor to the Marketing Committee
Consultant – Strategy, Management and Transformation
Biography
Daniele has more than 25 years of experience as a strategist and manager. Over the years, she has developed a solid expertise in marketing as well as strong general management skills, in context of growth or organizational transformations. She is a passionate team leader with years of experience coaching talents and maintaining high employee engagement through a strong vision and focus on business objectives.
Throughout her career, she held many senior management positions. Among them, from 2016 to 2019, she was Vice-President Marketing at Tourisme Montreal where she played an active role to grow international tourism of the metropole and led the ambitious digital transformation of the organization. Prior to joining Tourism Montreal, she was President at FCB/Montréal, leading the agency in her transformation and helped develop a new vision and positioning for the group in Montreal. Her past experiences also include the position of Vice-President and General Manager at Blitz, a subsidiary of Cossette, where for more 18 years she built the CRM practice and left her marks on prestigious brands.
Daniele has always been very active in the marketing and communications industry and is well-known for her strategic leadership, her integrated vision, her passion, and her ability to innovate.
Our Governors
Our Governors are a group of individuals who have made (and continue to make) extraordinary contributions to this organization over the years, as founding members and as past board directors.
France Chrétien Desmarais
Businesswoman and Philanthropist
Biography
After studies in law and economics at the University of Ottawa, France Chrétien Desmarais got involved in numerous companies and charitable organizations in areas as varied as health, sports, arts, education, heritage and support for youth.
She currently is President of the Society for the Celebration of Montréal’s 375th Anniversary and Vice-chair of the Board of Governors of the 375th. She is also Vice-President and founding member of both the Guy Laliberté Foundation and ONE DROP Foundation, as well as a member of the Executive Committee of the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation, the McGill University International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors Board.
She was Founding Chairman of the Canadian Olympic Foundation; Member of the Canadian Olympic Committee and also Member of the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). She has served on the Board of Directors of Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch since 1998. Recently, she was Vice-Chair of the Board of the non-profit organization Metropolis 2017.
A Member of the Order of Canada, she received an honorary doctorate from Concordia University in 2015.
James McCoubrey
Founding Chair
Retired
Biography
A highly accomplished Chairman and CEO, James McCoubrey has extensive international and national senior executive experience with major advertising agencies and with media corporations. He is an acknowledged leader in advertising, public affairs, media, and broadcasting.
James McCoubrey spent 20 years (1969-1990) with an advertising agency, Young & Rubicam, in Montreal, Toronto, London (UK) and New York. During that time, he was CEO of Canada, General Manager of Europe, Worldwide Account Director on Colgate-Palmolive and Executive-Vice President and Director of Parent Company, Young & Rubicam Inc.
He served as President/CEO and a Director of Telemedia Inc. (1990-1997) and was Chair of the radio board of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. Jim went on to serve as CEO of Manchu-Wok in 1997 and turned operations from loss to profit.
He joined CBC/SRC in 1997 as Executive Vice-President and was President (ad interim) in 1999. He retired from CBC in 2000 and accepted the position of President of the Council on Drug Abuse. He served as a Director of PRIDE CANADA (Parent’s Resource Institute for Drug Education) and is a Founding Director of the Partnership for a Drug Free Canada.
Mr. McCoubrey is a Director of the Conservation Halton Foundation. He was also a long-serving Director of Reitmans Inc.
Mr. McCoubrey holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from McGill University where he was president of the Students Society and Chair of the Student’s Council.
Eloise E. Opheim
Founding Member
Richard W. Pound Q.C.
Chair Emeritus
Counsel at Stikeman Elliott and Honorary Member of the International Olympic Committee
