Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall governance of the Institute, and is composed of distinguished individuals drawn from the Canadian business, research and professional communities.
Irfhan Rawji (Chair)
Managing Partner, Relay Ventures, Managing Partner, Realize Capital Partners, Founder & Executive Chair, MobSquad
Irfhan Rawji is Managing Partner with Relay Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm with over US$700MM of assets under management, and Managing Partner with Realize Capital Partners, a fund-of-funds social finance asset manager, recently launched with an anchor commitment of C$135MM from the Government of Canada. Irfhan is also an entrepreneur, and is founder and executive chair of Canadian start-up MobSquad, whose mission is to ensure high-calibre technology talent from around the world can build lives and careers within Canada.
Irfhan serves on the boards of The Logic (Chair), PBA Land & Development, and Canadian Western Bank (TSX:CWB). Irfhan is actively involved in civic affairs, currently volunteering as Co-Chair of the $205MM Glenbow Reimagined capital campaign, Board Chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, Board Chair of CIFAR, Board Member of Business and the Arts, Board Member of Venture for Canada, Board Member of the Aga Khan Museum, and Member of the Canada Council for the Arts. Additionally, Irfhan serves as a member of the New Economy Advisory Committee of the Alberta Securities Commission, the National Advisory Committee of The Walrus, and is an Advisor to the Canadian Urban Institute, Windmill Microlending as well as Platform Calgary. Previously Irfhan has served on multiple other boards including the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada (Chair), Chatter Research (sold to Stingray Media, TSX: RAY), Glenbow Museum (Chair), Sage Properties (sold to Shepherd’s Care), imagiNation150 (Finance Committee Chair), Creative Calgary (co-Founder and co-Chair), Harvard Business School’s Global Alumni Board, Calgary’s Bid Exploration Committee for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Finance Committee Chair), and The Organic Box (sold to Calgary Co-Op).
Irfhan holds an MBA with High Honors from Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar, and also holds a BCom with Honours from the University of British Columbia where he was a Wesbrook Scholar. He is a recipient of The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Award of Merit, the Sauder School of Business’ Teaching Excellence Award, Business and Arts’ Arnold Edinborough Award, and UBC’s Alumni Builder Award. Irfhan is a Fellow of Glenbow Museum, is a Jarislowsky Fellow with the University of Calgary, and is a member of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 (2017).
William (Bill) L. Young currently serves as Chair of the board of directors of Intact Financial Corporation, Canada’s largest property and casualty (P&C) insurer, and is a director and past Chair of the board of directors at CIFAR. He was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of AtkinsRéalis on September 9, 2020. From 2012 to 2022, he chaired the board of directors of Magna International Corporation, a Canadian-headquartered global autoparts manufacturer.
Mr. Young has significant private company board and board leadership experience during the past 20 years, including a number of European and US-based companies.
Mr. Young began his career as a chemical engineer at Imperial Oil before transitioning into management consulting as a partner in Bain & Company’s European practice from 1981 to 1988. He was a founding partner of the Westbourne Management Group in 1988, a business focused on turnaround management opportunities. He would later become co-founder and partner of Boston-based private equity firm Monitor Clipper Partners, a mid-market private equity firm with over $2 billion invested in 45 portfolio companies in North America and Western Europe, from 1996 to 2018.
Mr. Young holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University, was granted P.Eng. designation in Ontario in 1979, and earned an MBA with distinction from the Harvard Business School. In June 2025, he received an LL.D. (honoris causa) from Queen’s University in Kingston. He was the former Chair of Queen’s University’s Board of Trustees and has been Chairman Emeritus since 2012.
Fellow, Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University
Dr. Koerner has an extensive background in the non-profit sector and in philanthropy, both professional and voluntary, public and private. She brings evidence-backed innovative thinking and best practices to public benefit social enterprises and charities.Dr. Koerner is a founder, and current Co-Chair, of Ecotrust Canada, a Vancouver-based enterprising charity that works with rural, remote, and Indigenous communities toward building an economy that provides for healthy and resilient natural ecosystems, prosperous and meaningful livelihoods, vibrant cultures, and inclusive societies.Dr. Koerner completed her doctoral studies in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia. Her research was carried out in Bangladesh with the world’s largest and top ranked, non-profit organization, BRAC. She investigated its integrated charitable and social enterprise approach to poverty alleviation, framed in theories of resilience and place in a globalized economy.Dr. Koerner was employed by both The Vancouver Foundation (Vancouver, BC) as a Program Director, and Calmeadow Foundation (Toronto, ON) as a Project Director, Micro-enterprise. In addition, she has worked as an independent consultant on micro-enterprise projects in Canada, in the USA, and in various countries in Africa and in South America.
Dr. Koerner is a Director of Foundations for Social Change (Vancouver, BC) and CIFAR (Toronto, ON). She served as a Director and Vice-Chair of Ecotrust (Portland, OR), 1994-2005, and as a founding Advisory Committee member of UBC’s Museum of Anthropology, 2007-2014. Jacqueline earned her M.A. in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University (Ottawa, ON) and a BA Honours in Geography from Queen’s University. She is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and colleague who can nearly always be found drinking coffee, in her vegetable garden, reading, or hiking.
The Honourable A. Anne McLellan, P.C., O.C., A.O.E. served four terms as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre from October 25, 1993 – January 23, 2006. She served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and as the first Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness in the government of the Rt. Hon. Paul Martin (December 2003 – January 2006). Ms. McLellan served as Minister of Health (January 2002 – December 2003), Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (June 1997 – January 2002) and Minister of Natural Resources (November 1993 – June 1997).
Ms. McLellan joined Bennett Jones in its Edmonton office July 4, 2006. She provides strategic advice to the firm and its clients.
Ms. McLellan serves on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Among her many community commitments she is Chair of the Boards of TELUS Edmonton Community Board and the Institute for Research for Public Policy and serves on the Board of CIFAR.
In May 2015 Ms. McLellan became Dalhousie University’s seventh chancellor, a position she held until May 31, 2020.
On May 12, 2006 Ms. McLellan was appointed Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the University of Alberta in the Alberta Institute for American Studies, a position she held until her retirement from the University of Alberta in June 2013. Ms. McLellan was awarded honorary doctorate of law degrees by both the University of Alberta (in 2007) and the University of Cape Breton (in 2009) and an honorary degree from the University of Ottawa (2022).
She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Law degree from Dalhousie University and a Master of Laws degree from King's College, University of London.
Intentional Capital
Prior to co-founding GGV in 2000, Mr. Bonham served as Vice President of the Capital Group Companies, where he managed technology investments across several mutual funds (1996-2000). Mr. Bonham previously served in various marketing roles at Silicon Graphics (1992-1996), as a manufacturing and information systems strategy consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton (1989-1992) and systems engineer and maintenance foreman at General Motors of Canada.
Mr. Bonham has previously served on a number of private and public company boards and audit committees. He is currently a board member of Loblaw Companies Limited, Scotiabank and DenmarkBridge, a public private initiative that similarly connects Danish companies with Silicon Valley. Mr. Bonham has a B.Sc. in electrical engineering (Queen’s) and an MBA (Harvard).
Director of Environment, Climate and Sustainability (Global)
Dr. Paul Dhalla is Director of Environment, Climate and Sustainability at the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), with global responsibility for AKDN’s environment and climate initiative. As Vice-Chair of AKDN’s Environment and Climate Committee (ECC), he facilitates the organization’s objective of making the environment and climate a cross-cutting theme and common priority across all the AKDN’s agencies and institutions in all countries of operation. Dr. Dhalla’s role situates AKDN’s work on the environment and climate within the broader framework of sustainable development, linking it to poverty alleviation and quality of life. He is a member of AKDN’s Quality of Life (QoL) Steering Committee as well as various senior management working groups and budget review committees. His external board service includes being a member of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) European Council for Global Conservation.
Prior to his current role, Dr. Dhalla was AKDN’s Director of Research during which time he chaired the Portugal-AKDN Joint Research Assessment Committee (JRAC) and helped conceptualise and begin AKDN’s environment and climate initiative, which he now leads. Before that, he was the Coordinator of Diplomatic Affairs at the Secretariat of His Highness the Aga Khan in France from where he helped manage AKDN’s diplomatic representation offices and supported the development of relationships, partnerships and agreements with governments and international organizations.
Dr. Dhalla earned his Ph.D. in social anthropology from Harvard University, law degree from Oxford University, and bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He has done extensive fieldwork in parts of Africa and Asia with research fellowships from Harvard University, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) with funds provided by the Ford Foundation, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
President and Executive Director, Addgene
Dr. Chonnettia Jones is President and Executive Director at Addgene, a non-profit biorepository in the life sciences sector that advances research and innovation by distributing high-quality biological research materials and information to scientists worldwide.
Dr. Jones brings more than 20 years of experience enabling world-class research and innovation in the U.S., United Kingdom/Europe and Canada. At the Janelia Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, she managed a multi-million-dollar international science program that brought together scientists and technologists to develop research tools for enabling transformative scientific discoveries. As a member of the executive team at the Wellcome Trust, Dr. Jones provided strategic leadership over a multi-billion-dollar global research portfolio across the sciences, humanities, and innovation. At Michael Smith Health Research BC, Dr. Jones directed the foundation’s research portfolio, guiding the foundation’s strategy, funding programs and strategic partnerships to maximize the impact of British Columbia’s investment in health research.
Dr. Jones has served on a number of international advisory boards on scholarly communications, open science, research assessment and anti-racism in research. Dr. Jones has spoken internationally on issues central to research, including conceptualizations of research excellence and systemic inequities in research systems. Dr. Jones co-founded the Research on Research Institute, an international consortium of funders, academics and technologists collaborating to make research systems more effective, equitable, diverse and inclusive.
Dr. Jones holds a PhD in developmental biology from Emory University and a bachelor of science degree in microbiology from The Ohio State University.
Jason McLean is Chief Executive Officer of the McLean Group, supporting the businesses, overseeing strategic goals, coordinating capital decisions, and leading all major transactions. A key part of his role is ensuring that there is a healthy dynamic and high level of engagement between ownership and management. Jason is particularly committed to supporting and empowering individual business leaders across the McLean Group portfolio and over the last two decades has focused on ensuring that the businesses have the right capital structure and financing to achieve their goals. Several key milestones include: overseeing the successful sale of Vancouver Film Studios to HCP Capital Partners, transforming the real estate portfolio – including one of the largest real estate transactions in Metro Vancouver at the time, championing one of the member companies achieving B-Corp certification, and promoting leadership in sustainable helicopter operations.
Jason is a graduate of the law school at the University of British Columbia and was called to the Bar in that province after articling with Stikeman Elliot. Prior to joining McLean Group Jason worked in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien. He is a certified member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Owner President Management Program.
In addition to his roles with McLean Group, Jason gives his time to multiple boards and community organizations. In addition to CIFAR, he currently serves on the CN Community Board for BC. Previously, he served as Director and Chair of the Board of the Vancouver Foundation, Canada’s largest community foundation, is a Governor (past Chair) of the Vancouver Board of Trade and served on the UBC Board of Governors and Vancouver Police Board. Jason, along with his brother Sacha, was recognized by Ernst & Young for an Entrepreneur of the Year Award Pacific and is a past recipient of the Business in Vancouver Top 40 Under 40. Jason is also a board member of Fuller Group of Companies which includes the Earls, Joey, and Cactus restaurant brands.
A former senior banking executive and strategy advisor, Patricia Meredith is a global thought leader, an award-winning author, and a consultant in the emerging field of strategic governance. She is best known for her role as Chair of Canada’s Task Force for the Payment System Review, bringing together government, community, and industry leaders to transform the payments system in under two years.
Pat Meredith is a Director of many public, private and not-for-profit organizations. She was Executive Vice-President and Chief Strategy Officer of a major financial institution and Senior Strategy Advisor to financial services and technology companies for a global strategy consultancy.
From 2010 to 2012, Pat was the Chair of the Task Force for the Payments Review. The Task Force – which applied a catalytic governance process – delivered a community supported action plan that enabled government and industry to quickly act on all four of the recommendations. With her Catalytic Governance co-authors, Steven Rosell and Ged Davis, she is working to create a community of leaders developing better approaches to governing in the information age.
Pat has written three books on strategy and governance: Stumbling Giants: Transforming Canada’s Banks for the Information Age (2017), which won the Donner Prize for best public policy book of the year; Catalytic Governance: Leading Change in the Information Age; and Better Boardrooms: Repairing Corporate Governance for the 21st Century (2020).
Dr. Meredith has a PhD in Business Strategy, an MBA in Management Information Systems, and a Bachelor of Mathematics. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, the David and Sharon Johnston Centre for Corporate Governance Innovation at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and the Centre for International Governance Innovation. She teaches Strategy, Uncertainty and Governance to MBAs and executives. Patricia is Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee at CIFAR.
The Hon. James Moore
Dentons Canada LLP
The Honourable James Moore is a Senior Business Advisor at the multinational law firm Dentons and a Public Policy Advisor at the global firm Edelman. He sits on several corporate boards and has extensive experience in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Hon. Moore is a regular public affairs contributor on CBC, CTV, Global National and BNN Bloomberg.
Previously, he served as Canada's Minister of Industry, Minister of Canadian Heritage & Official Languages, Secretary of State for the Asia Pacific Gateway, and Minister for the 2010 Olympics over a five-term, 15-year career as a Member of Parliament. He was the senior regional minister for the province of British Columbia and is the youngest cabinet minister and Member of Parliament in B.C.'s history.
Recently he served as national vice-chair of the Canadian Cancer Society, a member of the NAFTA Council for the Government of Canada and was the 6th Chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia. He holds a BA from the University of Northern BC and an MA from the University of Saskatchewan.
Marie-Lucie Morin was Executive Director at the World Bank from 2010 to 2013. Previously Ms. Morin pursued a 30-year career in the Federal Public Service where she served as Deputy Clerk, National Security Advisor, Deputy Minister for International Trade and Associate Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. Earlier in her career with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ms. Morin completed assignments in San Francisco, Jakarta, London, and Moscow. In 1997 she was appointed Ambassador to Norway with accreditation to Iceland.
Ms. Morin serves on Corporate and not-for-profit Boards.
Ann Rooney
Ms. Ann Rooney, FCPA, worked for several years as an environmental scientist before pursuing a career as a chartered accountant. She has extensive experience in finance and accounting and has served as a Director and often Chair of the Audit Committee for many public and private companies. She served as lead independent member for the Alberta Securities Commission, where she was a commissioner for six years. She has served on many not-for-profit boards, and has done volunteer work on several professional committees, including serving as president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta. Ann has a BA in Music, an MSc. in environmental science/limnology and became a Chartered Accountant in 1987. She resides in Alberta.
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Senior Advisor, Bennett Jones LLP
Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera served as the 12th President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Alberta, from 2005-2015. She also served as Vice-President Research at the University of British Columbia from 2000-2005.
She is currently a Senior Advisor for Bennett Jones LLP and serves on the Board of Directors of Magna International, TC Energy, Intact Financial and Stelco. She was a Director of the Bank of Nova Scotia from 2008-2021. She sits on the selection panel for Canada’s outstanding CEO of the Year sponsored by Caldwell Partners and Bennett Jones. Dr. Samarasekera is a member of the Tri-Lateral Commission.
Dr. Samarasekera is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Foreign Associate, of the National Academy of Engineering. She has honorary degrees from eight national and international universities. As a Hays Fulbright Scholar, she earned an MSc from the University of California in 1976. In 1980, she was granted a PhD in metallurgical engineering from the University of British Columbia. She has a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Ceylon.
CM, FCPA
She is an active corporate director serving on the boards of George Weston Limited, President’s Choice Bank, Resolution Re and Sun Life Financial. She also pursues her passion for the importance and complexity of our health care system through current board and advisory roles at AGE-WELL, AgeTech Capital, EnvisAge, and Health Data Research Network Canada, as well being a past Vice-Chair of University Health Network.
Her skills and interest in exemplary governance continued to be honed as a member and lead author of the TMX/ICD report, Charting the Future of Canadian Corporate Governance which was released in December 2022.
Barbara became a CPA in 1980, was elected as a Fellow in 1987, and subsequently received CPA Ontario’s Award of Outstanding Merit in 2011 for distinguished and sustained contributions to her profession. She holds an HBA from the Ivey School of Business and became a member of the Order of Canada in 2021.
Martine Turcotte, Ad. E., B.C.L., LL.B., MBA
As Vice Chair, Québec for BCE Inc. and Bell, Martine Turcotte was responsible for driving the company’s business, government, and community investment initiatives across Québec until her retirement in January 2020.
Appointed to this role in July 2011, Turcotte was an accomplished leader with more than 30 years of strategic, legal and regulatory career achievements at Bell.
In 1999, Turcotte was the first woman to be named Bell's Chief Legal Officer and the youngest member of the executive team.
Turcotte is a member of the board of directors of Empire / Sobeys (since 2012) and is a member of the Human Resources Committee. She is also a board member of CIBC (since 2014) and sits on both the Audit and the Management Resources and Compensation Committees. She was chair of the Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission between June 2020 and May 2024.
Turcotte graduated from McGill University with a Bachelors in Civil Law and Common Law and holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the London Business School.
Her career has earned significant recognition including the first Canadian General Counsel Lifetime Achievement Award, the title Advocatus Emeritus from the Québec Bar Association for professional excellence, and induction into the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) Hall of Fame after being named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women multiple times. She was awarded both the Queen's Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals in recognition of her contributions to Canada.
Damon is CEO of RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM), the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), and sits on the Boards of Directors for RBC GAM’s legal entities in Canada, the UK and the US. He is also a member of RBC’s Wealth Management & Insurance Operating Committee. RBC GAM invests over $580 billion for individuals and institutions, primarily from offices in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia.
Damon joined Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management (PH&N IM) in 2005 as an institutional portfolio manager specialized in fixed income. PH&N IM became part of RBC GAM after being acquired by RBC in 2008. Damon then served as head of the institutional business globally and as President of PH&N IM (the institutional asset management business in Canada), before becoming CEO of the global business in 2015. His previous experience includes leading the global and Canadian investment consulting practices at a large multinational insurance, risk management, and human capital consulting firm.
Damon is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA), a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.
Damon also is the Chair of the Major Individual Giving Team of the United Way of Greater Toronto, and is also on the Board of Directors of CIFAR.