Board of Directors

Todd Shewfelt is the Regional Vice-President, Business Financial Services with RBC Royal Bank in British Columbia. He co-leads B.C's team of Commercial and Small Business bankers serving clients from 17 centres across the region. Clients include mid-sized private and public companies from all industries.

With almost twenty years' experience within RBC, which includes several leadership positions covering a broad range of customer markets; Todd has been actively involved in many local community organizations and boards, such has BC Children's Hospital and coaching his sons' baseball teams.

In Todd's spare time, you can find him enjoying a round of golf, cycling and spending time with his wife and two sons.

Ms. Foster is currently the Sr. Vice President, Human Resources & Corporate Affairs of Western Forest Products Inc., a publicly-traded, high-value, specialty forest products Company. Western operates primarily on the coast of British Columbia and Washington State, with lumber capacity in excess of 1.1 billion board feet and sources timber from its private lands, long-term licenses, First Nations arrangements, and market purchases. Jennifer moved to British Columbia in 2015 to join the executive team at Western.

Prior to moving to B.C., Ms. Foster worked in a global leadership capacity in the automotive industry. She currently sits on the Board of Trustees for the IWA-Forest Industry Pension Plan and has previous board experience as a Board member for AUTO21 (a national research initiative supported by the Government of Canada through the Networks of Centres of Excellence Secretariat) as well as for a number of charitable organizations.

Ms. Foster hold an Honours Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University.

Jodi is Managing Partnerr at Deloitte Canada. She is responsible for working with the partner team to grow and develop the market in the BC region through relationship building and driving value for our clients. Her focus is on creating Impact through Brand and Eminence and long term value creation.

Jodi has developed her career by teaming with client executives in pursuing excellence. She is known for working collaboratively with her clients to address complex challenges and transformation initiatives. Integrity and leadership are the cornerstones of Jodi's practice with a passionate focus on her client's success. Jodi has a client base that ranges from global companies with complex business models to large public sector organizations and higher education institutions.

Jodi is a people leader who gains inspiration from working with the young, energetic, bright minds that Deloitte attracts and the expertise and knowledge of Deloitte's deep eminence nationally and globally.

Once part of Canada's Olympic basketball team and a Rhodes Scholar, Jodi's continues to be dedicated to achieving team results and has a deep passion for personal excellence.

Jodi completed at B.Comm from the University of Calgary and a PhD (D.Phil) from Oxford University.

Susannah has held senior positions in the energy and technology sectors in Canada, the United States and Europe, most recently as Director of Corporate Affairs for LNG Canada.

She joined LNG Canada in 2013 as a Shell secondee and has been responsible for the project's federal and provincial regulatory approvals, Indigenous relations, government relations, media relations and community communications. Under her leadership, the project achieved federal and provincial environmental approvals on schedule and received unprecedented support from First Nations, communities and governments.

Prior to joining LNG Canada, Susannah served as Vice President, Value Chain Integration, Shell Canada. In this capacity, she was responsible for identifying new business opportunities across Shell's multiple businesses in Canada. Prior to this position, Susannah was Vice President, Communications, Upstream International based in The Hague.

Susannah was previously Head, Government Relations for Shell Canada, where she established the government relations practice to support Shell Canada's Upstream, Downstream, and manufacturing businesses.

Prior to joining Shell in 2009, Susannah was Director, Government Affairs for TransCanada Pipelines based in the United States, where she was responsible for driving government policy at federal and state levels in support of TransCanada's existing power and pipeline interests, as well as new business development activities. Susannah was named one of Vancouver magazine's Power 50 in 2019 and on B.C. Business's 2015 Most Influential Women in Business list. She was also recognized as a 2019 Most Influential Woman in Business by Business in Vancouver magazine.

Susannah is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and The George Washington University, and speaks English, Spanish and French. She lives in Vancouver with her two children, Robert and Gabriela.

Bridgitte Anderson is the President and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade - Western Canada's most active and influential business association. Her expertise spans a broad spectrum of disciplines including business, communications, government and public policy.

She is the first woman to lead GVBOT in its 133-year history and came to the organization from Edelman, a global public relations firm, where she led the Vancouver office, the city's largest communications agency.

Prior to that, Bridgitte was Press Secretary to former BC Premier Gordon Campbell and an award-winning journalist. As a core member of Premier Campbell's strategic advisory group, Bridgitte provided communications strategy during the 2009 BC election and the 2010 Winter Olympics. As a journalist, Bridgitte was a news anchor in Vancouver and Toronto.

Bridgitte is a graduate of the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program and holds the ICD.D designation. She lives in North Vancouver with her two children.

As Chief Financial Officer for JOEY Restaurant Group, Katherine Angus oversees Finance, Construction, Design, and Real Estate for the growing company. Katherine has been with JOEY Restaurant Group for 16 years, during which time the sales have increased over six-fold. Currently, Katherine works closely with the executive team at JOEY Restaurant Group to set strategy and focus on developing leaders. The company has been named a Best Workplace by Great Place to Work Canada for fourteen consecutive years and currently has 49 locations across Canada and the United States.

Katherine graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. She is an FCPA, FCA having articled at KPMG and is also a Chartered Business Valuator and a Chartered Director (The Directors College). Katherine is a past member of the Investigations Committee of the Chartered Public Accountants of British Columbia and currently sits on the Disciplinary Committee. She's recently been named as one of the 2023 Top 25 CFOs of Vancouver by Finance and Investing as well as a Top 25 Executive of Vancouver for 2023 by C-Suite Spotlight.

In her personal life, Katherine loves playing soccer and pickleball as well as spending time with her three children.

Roberto Aquilini, Managing Partner of the Aquilini Group, was born and raised in Vancouver and began his career with the family business 40 years ago. The family owns and manages a portfolio spanning 27 lines of business comprising of commercial, industrial and residential properties, construction and developments, food and beverage, hospitality and entertainment enterprises, diverse agribusiness operations, and sustainable aquaculture and renewable energy ventures. A Business graduate of University of British Columbia, Roberto received his Bachelor of Commerce, and has played a key role in the continuous development of the Group's diverse operations and growth.

Roberto, along with his wife and five children, believe in carrying on the tradition of putting family first and supporting their community. Roberto is a loyal supporter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation, UBC Sauder School of Business FAB member, and is involved in many of the Group's supported organizations such as British Columbia Children's Hospital and Canucks for Kids Fund.

Colin is CEO of Bosa Properties, a fully integrated real estate development and asset management company with roots in construction, based in Vancouver. A values-based leader, Colin joined his father, Robert, in the management and operation of Bosa Properties and its affiliated group of companies in 1993.

Prior to taking on his role as CEO, Colin worked his way up through the company in progressively expanding roles touching on all aspects of the development business. Now leading Bosa Properties for the past 25 years, he has been instrumental in the continued success of the organization. Driven by the relentless pursuit of progress, Colin encourages his team to innovate and raise the bar, collectively enabling a vision to create places and spaces that inspire better living. His entrepreneurial mindset has helped establish him as one of our province's leading development visionaries and has also distinguished Bosa Properties as one of the leading real estate development companies in Canada.

Christian Chia is CEO of OpenRoad Auto Group, the largest-volume dealership group in British Columbia. Representing more than twenty brands with over thirty locations in Canada and the US, OpenRoad is a proven innovator and has been recognized as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies for nine consecutive years.

Prior to OpenRoad, Christian established Summit Motors China, one of only five distributors for BMW and Toyota automobiles in China with locations in six provinces. He previously worked with Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan and was engaged in the finance industry in Toronto.

Christian has been involved with numerous private and non-profit organizations and currently serves on the boards of Servco Pacific Inc., the Vancouver Police Foundation and the UBC Sauder Faculty Advisory Board. He has been active in numerous community activities and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization. Christian was previously Chairman of the Vancouver International Auto show and was appointed a member of the Canadian Federal Advisory Committee on Financing. In 2012, he was named as the Laureate Award winner of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association and more recently he was recognized as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2018, Pacific-region.

Christian was educated at the Sauder School of Business in the University of British Columbia, with a Commerce Degree in Finance. In 1991 he was recognized by UBC as a Leslie Wong Fellow.

De Martin has over 25 years of experience in software development, focusing on cutting-edge technologies such as holographic applications and an AI-powered digital twinning platform for agriculture. He formerly held leadership positions at Microsoft, where he increased the size of the Vancouver office from 300 to 1,700 employees. In addition, he served as a General Manager in the Microsoft Dynamics division, overseeing the development of Dynamics 365 Guides and Remote Assist in the mixed reality space.

Earlier in his career, De Martin was Franchise Development Director at Vancouver's Electronic Arts, where he led the delivery of Need for Speed Underground, a top-selling video game worldwide. He was recognized for his operational excellence in the gaming industry, earning consecutive "Best Company" awards during his time at Next Level Games.

Currently, he is the CEO & Co-Founder of Industrio AI, a company that specializes in AI and DataOps services helping companies design and build scalable software and data solutions that drive industry progress.

In addition, De Martin uses his expertise to support organizations that are shaping the Canadian tech ecosystem like the Digital Canadian Supercluster. He also sits on the boards of InnovateBC, The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, and the Richmond Hospital Foundation.

Mr. Dhillon graduated from the University of British Columbia (UBC) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and went on to complete an LL.B. with honours from the University of Leeds.

Mr. Dhillon is active in several business enterprises, most notably as President and CEO of the Richberry Group of Companies and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ocean Spray. Mr. Dhillon is also on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Canada.

Other board positions have included Vice Chairman, British Columbia Ferry Corporation; Vice Chairman, Agricultural Land Commission; Board Director, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency; Board Director, Vancouver Airport Authority; Board Governor, Simon Fraser University; Board Director, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation; Board Director, Seacor Environmental; and Board Director, CanWel Building Materials.

He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation and served as chairman of the audit committee for the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee Board. He is also a past chair of the Vancouver branch of the Right to Play, an international humanitarian organization for children in communities affected by war, poverty and disease.

Mr. Dhillon is widely known for his philanthropic work, particularly in the areas of health care, child humanitarian support, education and sport. He has made significant financial contributions to the Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the Canadian Red Cross, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Arts Umbrella and the Khalsa Diwan Society. In his father's memory, he established both the Rashpal Dhillon Fund in Idiopathic Pulmonary Research and the Rashpal Dhillon Fund in Cranberry Research at UBC, as well as the Rashpal Dhillon UBC Track and Field Oval. In 2015, he established the Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics, in partnership with the Sauder School of Business at UBC.

Mr. Dhillon was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 2009 and is a recipient of the Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Richard Eppich is the President and CEO of the Ebco Group of Companies. Ebco manufactures custom industrial machinery for international markets in the Aerospace, Energy, Mining and Healthcare industries. Notable past and present projects include building the tunnel boring machine for the English Channel, water turbines for Alaska, airplane production equipment for Boeing, and providing components for the Skytrain and Site C dam. Richard is also CEO of Advanced Cyclotron Systems which designs and manufactures cyclotrons which are used to produce medical isotopes for the diagnosis of various cancers and heart disease. These cyclotrons are sold around the world to hospitals with nuclear medicine capabilities. Our cyclotrons are installed locally at BC Cancer Agency and TRIUMF, and globally in locations such as Bolivia, China, Europe and the USA.

Privately owned and with 250,000 sf of manufacturing space, Ebco is BC's largest job shop with machining capability that can't be found anywhere else in Canada. Established in 1956, Richard is committed to the long term growth of the Ebco Group by remaining focused on "BC Made" manufactured products for international markets.

Prior to Ebco, Richard was founder and CEO of Enterra Systems, a provider of workforce management software for manufacturing companies including Raytheon and Hitachi. Additionally, Richard was VP Operations and Director of Epic Data, a provider of workforce data collection systems to Fortune 500 companies.

David Garofalo serves as Chairman & CEO of Gold Royalty Corp., Chairman & CEO of the Marshall Precious Metals Fund. David previously served as President & CEO and Director of Goldcorp (2016-2019), President & CEO and Director of Hudbay from 2010, Senior Vice President and CFO and Director of Agnico-Eagle from 1998 and Treasurer of Inmet Mining from 1990. David is FCPA, FCA and ICD.D and holds a B.Comm. from the University of Toronto. He also serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Terry Hui is President and CEO of Concord Pacific Group, a leading real estate developer in Canada. Since joining Concord in 1992, Terry has played a critical role in the development of the company, significantly contributing to its success in the real estate sector. Under his leadership, Concord Pacific has developed more than 100 projects, involving over 50,000 homes, commercial spaces, and amenities, including the iconic Vancouver skyline.

Prior to Concord, Terry held various management roles at Jardine Matheson, a British conglomerate with a diverse portfolio spanning the Asia-Pacific region. Terry is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, where he received a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He is actively involved in community service, supporting various cultural and philanthropic initiatives in Vancouver and beyond.

Miranda Lam, K.C. is the Chief Legal Officer & Vice President, Business Development at Acuitas Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company that works with partners to advance nucleic acid therapeutics to address unmet clinical needs based on its globally recognized capabilities in delivery technology.

Formerly an equity partner in the litigation group at McCarthy Tetrault, Miranda has been recognized as a Leading Lawyer in the area of General Commercial Litigation in independent publications such as Chambers Canada, The Best Lawyers in Canada, and Benchmark Canada. Her numerous awards and active participation in various boards highlight her significant influence and contribution to her fields.

Kirk LaPointe was the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief at Business in Vancouver Media Group, responsible for the editorial standards of parent firm Glacier Media, western Canada's largest news organization, as its Vice President, Editorial. He also teaches ethics and leadership as an Adjunct Professor and Executive-in-Residence at the Graduate School of Journalism at University of British Columbia.

He has been a media executive for three decades in Canada, leading the editorial operations of CTV News, Southam News, and the Hamilton Spectator. His extensive career also includes running for mayor of Vancouver in 2014 and being actively involved in several key media roles across Canada.

Michele Matthews has been a key contributor to the success of Canada's leading haircare manufacturer, AG Hair, for over 27 years. As Chief Operating Officer, Michele is responsible for helping to set the strategic direction of the company in the ever-changing and fast-paced haircare industry, and working to enhance performance by aligning leadership, business strategy and culture.

She is responsible for providing strategic direction and leadership to AG's Operations, IT and People & Culture Departments. Michele is a Certified Executive Coach (Royal Roads University), holds a CPHR designation, and is a graduate of BCIT in Human Resources Management.

Jennifer McCarron is the CEO of Thunderbird Entertainment Group, and the Company's kids and family content arm, Atomic Cartoons. The Vancouver-based global multiplatform entertainment company creates award-winning scripted, unscripted and animated programming for the world's leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and international broadcasters.

Under her leadership, the studio grew from 25 artists to more than 1200 today. She has led production on multiple titles including the Emmy-winning Beat Bugs for Netflix, and is also an executive producer for the Emmy-winning The Last Kids on Earth.

Gail C. Murphy is a Professor of Computer Science and Vice-President Research and Innovation at the University of British Columbia. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), as well as co-founder of Tasktop Technologies Incorporated.

After completing her B.Sc. at the University of Alberta in 1987, she worked for five years as a software engineer in the Lower Mainland. She later pursued graduate studies in computer science at the University of Washington, earning first a M.Sc. (1994) and then a Ph.D. (1996) before joining UBC.

Tracy Redies joined as President & CEO of Science World British Columbia in 2020, inspired by its mission to ignite wonder and empower dreams through science and nature. She is passionate about disseminating STEAM-learning to more people in BC, believing these skill sets will be key to the province's and Canada's success in the coming decades.

Tracy has over 25 years of experience as a high-growth organization builder with a strong commitment to serving the province and its communities. She served as CEO of Coast Capital Savings Credit Union and, before that, Executive Vice President and Head of Personal Financial Services of HSBC Bank Canada.

Anna Stukas is Vice President Strategic Partnerships at 1PointFive. 1PointFive is a global leader in carbon dioxide removal (CDR), providing scalable, affordable solutions to geological net zero. 1PointFive is leading the commercialization of Canadian clean energy company Carbon Engineering's ground-breaking technology that captures carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere.

Anna is a professional engineer with over two decades experience bridging the gap between technology and business to overcome barriers to cleantech commercialization. She currently leads a variety of 1PointFive's partnering and strategic business development efforts, and previously led Carbon Engineering initiatives ranging from strategic projects to government programs. Anna previously worked with Angstrom Power and BIC developing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, where her responsibilities spanned IP and licensing strategy, product safety, and international regulatory development, including at the United Nations and International Civil Aviation Organization. Anna currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, and of Science World. Anna's work has been recognized by the Minerva Foundation's Women In™ Energy Award for Philanthropy and Business in Vancouver's Forty Under 40 Award.

Driven by purpose to take the industrial sector mainstream and drive economy with heart, Lisa Tuningley is an inspired leader, industry advocate and entrepreneur specializing in RAIL. RAIL transports 70% of surface goods, producing only 3.4% of transportation greenhouse gas. RAIL has impact and creating sustainable rail solutions has become her team's passion.

Proud to be a Canadian. She reminds us "Rail Connects Us", invites innovations to rail, which in turn promote our growth as a nation and our individual rights and freedoms.

Tamara Vrooman is an award-winning leader, known for her exemplary track record leading large, complex institutions in both the private and public sectors and her bold positions on sustainability and inclusion. Prior to joining YVR as President & CEO, she served for nine years on YVR’s Board and for 13 years as the President & CEO of Vancity, Canada’s largest community credit union, transforming the business into a global reference point for values-based banking. Tamara was the former chair of the Canada Infrastructure Bank and the Rick Hansen Foundation. She currently serves as Simon Fraser University’s 12th Chancellor, and Chair of the Board for the Canadian Airports Council. Ms. Vrooman received the Order of British Columbia in recognition of her community and business leadership, has been named the recipient of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce - Canadian Business Leader of the Year Award.

Mindy Wight is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Nch'ḵay̓ Development Corporation, the economic group of the Squamish Nation. She previously held the role of Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Nch'ḵay̓. She currently serves on the Board of Crescent Point Energy.

Before joining Nch'ḵay̓, Mindy was a partner and National Leader of Indigenous Tax Services for MNP LLP. She has over eighteen years of experience in the areas of financial accounting, taxation, and business, having worked for two of the Big Four national accounting firms, the Chartered Accounting School of Business and the Canada Revenue Agency.

Kay is the CFO of Kabam, Inc. and has led Legal, Data Science and Data Analytics, Information Technology, Growth Marketing, Workplace Experience and Asset Infrastructure teams. Kabam, Inc. is a world leader in developing entertaining, immersive, and highly social multiplayer games.

As an experienced, high-integrity strategic partner, Kay utilizes a broad array of finance and operations experience in the technology, entertainment, gaming, hospitality, transportation, infrastructure, and mining & exploration sectors to support public, private and not-for-profit companies in achieving their corporate goals.

Peter Xotta is the president and CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the federal agency responsible for enabling Canada's trade through the Port of Vancouver, Canada's largest port. Peter joined the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority's executive leadership team over a decade ago, most recently serving as vice president, operations and supply chain.

He started his port career over 35 years ago—nearly 30 of which have been spent at the port authority—and progressively advanced through various roles. Today, he applies the experiences, relationships, and passion he has cultivated throughout his life and career to his role as the port authority's president and CEO.

Dr. Jeff Zabudsky has over 30 years of experience within post-secondary and polytechnic leadership roles, both in Canada and internationally. Throughout his career, he has championed applied education as a transformative instrument to enrich lives and contribute to thriving communities.

Prior to his appointment as President of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Dr. Zabudsky was Provost for the American University of Bahrain, having also served as CEO for Bahrain Polytechnic. Before his career took him to the Middle East, Dr. Zabudsky was President and Vice Chancellor for Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.

Vice President, Global Sourcing & Merchandise Procurement

James is the VP, Global Sourcing & Merchandise Procurement for Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC). In this role, he leads enterprise Global Sourcing & Procurement for all CTC banners including Canadian Tire Retail, Mark's, and SportChek. Across dozens of categories, with a network of over 2000 global vendors, shipping from over 40 different ports around the world, James oversees billions in annual direct-source merchandise purchases for CTC. Accountable for cost of goods management, product stewardship, responsible sourcing and vendor audit, James leads diverse teams driving impactful results here in Canada, China and South-East Asia. With over 25 years experience doing business across North America, Asia and Europe, James has an extensive understanding of the remarkable re-wiring of global supply chains impacting trade flows and the retail landscape.

Prior to his role leading a Global Sourcing team for one of Canada's most respected companies, in 2014, James and his business partner sold their Langley, BC based wholesale sporting goods business to CTC. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia.