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Ms. Cathy Cranston - Chair of the Board
Cathy Cranston is an independent public company board director for Toromont Industries Ltd. and sits on Toromont’s Audit, and Nominating and Governance Committees. She is a Director on the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, where she sits on the Investment Committee, the Audit and Actuarial Committee and the Operational Risk Committee. Cathy has her ICD.D designation.
She recently retired as Treasurer of BMO Financial Group (BMO), where she was a senior executive with 32 years of experience. Prior business experience includes executive roles as Head of Investor Relations, CFO of the Bank’s Wealth Management business, VP of Integrated Risk Management, as well as senior roles in capital markets and corporate banking. Prior board experience includes Bank of Montreal (Barbados) Limited, Bank of Montreal Mortgage Corporation, BMO Trust Company, BMO InvestorLine, BMO Harris Investment Management Inc., and BMO Nesbitt Burns Financial Services Inc. Her son Charlie is in the Class of 2022.
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Mr. Gordon Raman - Vice Chair
Gordon G. Raman is a partner at the Toronto office of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. Gord practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and corporate finance. Gord has been a past adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto in 1996. He also holds an MBA from the University of Toronto and a B.Eng. (Engineering Physics, Summa Cum Laude) from McMaster University. Gord is the Past-Chair of the Board of the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada and the Vice-President of the Law Alumni Association of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. He is also a Past-President of the Canadian Club of Toronto. His son Sebastian is in the Class of 2021.
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Mr. Steve Geist - Treasurer, Audit and Finance Committee Chair
Steve Geist is a corporate director with more than 30 years experience as a senior executive in wealth and asset management. He retired from CIBC in 2017, where he last held the position of Senior Executive Vice President and Group Head of CIBC Wealth Management which included the asset management, retail brokerage, private banking and trust businesses. Prior to this role, Steve was President and CEO of CIBC Asset Management. He was also previously with Price Waterhouse, Fidelity Investments and TD Wealth Management. He currently serves on the Board of the Ontario Financing Authority and the Advisory Board of Ardenton Capital, a global private equity corporation. He is the Chair of the Capital Sector Audit Committee for the Province of Ontario and is a member of the Independent Review Committee of SEI Investments Canada. He is also a past director of the Mutual Funds Dealer Association and the Investment Funds Institute of Canada. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Fellow of the Institute and also holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. His son Nicholas is Class of 2018.
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Mr. Bruce Chapple ’87 - Past Chair
Bruce Chapple ’87 is a partner with McMillan LLP, a national business law firm. He has over 20 years experience, specializing in business law with a focus on mergers and acquisitions. Bruce has held several leadership positions at McMillan LLP. He is currently the firm’s Chief Financial Partner and a co-chair of its private equity group. He was previously the firm’s Chief Firm (Engagement) Partner, sat on the firm’s Professional Services Committee and chair of its United Way Campaign. Bruce is regularly a member of the board of directors on portfolio companies for private equity investors and Canadian subsidiary companies. Bruce has a B.Sc. Econ. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an LL.B. from U of T. He is an alumni interviewer for prospective U Penn students. Bruce joined the RSGC Board in 2012. His two sons attend RSGC: Spencer (Class of 2019) and Devin (Class of 2021).
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Mr. Brad Holland - Advancement Committee Chair
Brad has been Special Advisor to the TVM Group, an integrated real estate company, since February 2019. From 2014 to 2018 Brad was Special Advisor at George Weston Limited and prior to this spent 20 years as Senior Vice President, Taxation for George Weston Limited, Loblaw Companies Limited and their subsidiaries providing advice on Canadian and international tax planning and structuring, M&A, divestitures and financing, and was a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Brad is also s former Investment Committee member for District Ventures Capital. Brad graduated with a BA and MAcc from the University of Waterloo and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA, CMA). Brad’s sons Ryan and Owen graduated from RSGC in the Class of 2014 and 2017 respectively.
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Mr. Peter Mann - Governance Committee Chair
Peter is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Grayhawk Wealth. Since 2011, he was the Executive Vice-President, Co-Chief Investment Officer and Head of Equities at Gluskin Sheff, and also acted as a Portfolio Manager focusing on US equities. He also has experience as a US Analyst and Portfolio Manager and as the manager of a private investment partnership focusing on long/short US equities. Peter joined the RSGC board in 2018 and has three boys at the College: Hutton, Class of 2023; Elliott, Class of 2025; and Tillson, Class of 2028.
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Ms. Alyssa Pei - Strategic Planning Committee Chair
Alyssa Pei is a Partner at Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm. She has over 20 years’ experience with a focus on serving clients in the Financial Services across a range of topics including strategy and organization. She is also currently on the College’s Strategic Planning Committee. She brings prior board experience in the educational arena, and most recently serving as Vice-Chair for The Chewonki Foundation. Chewonki is a place-based educational learning organization in Wisscasset, Maine and a US 501(c) non-profit organization. Alyssa holds an A.B. and an A.M from Harvard University and an MBA from the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business. She has two boys at the College: Alexander, Class of 2024 and Henry, Class of 2025.
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Mr. Andrew Armstrong '88
Andrew is a partner in the business law group at McCarthy Tetrault LLP. His practice focuses on investment funds, capital markets and private transactions. An active member of the legal community, Andrew speaks at industry events and lends his insight to articles and publications. Andrew obtained a BAH (Political Studies) from Queen’s University in 1992, and received his LLB from Dalhousie University in 1996. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1998. He graduated from RSGC in 1988 and has two boys at the school, Charlie (Class of 2029) and Robbie (Class of 2027). He was previously a member of the board of Mad River Golf Club.
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Dr. Leanne Foster
Dr. Leanne Foster is Head of School at Trafalgar Castle School, an all-girls’ day and boarding school in Whitby, Ont. A dedicated and experienced educator, Leanne’s career in teaching and consulting has taken her from kindergarten classrooms to university lecture halls to government ministries, working in both public and independent schools, as well as the private sector. Leanne earned a B.A. from the University of Toronto, as well as a B.Ed. and M.Ed. from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE/UT). She completed her Ph.D. in Educational Administration at U of T, where her doctoral research focused on school improvement and educational change management. Leanne is a member of the board of the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools, Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre, and Station Gallery.
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Dr. Sarah Hales
Sarah Hales, MD, PhD, FRCPC is a psychiatrist for the Division of Psychosocial Oncology in the Department of Supportive Care at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto. Her research has been funded by both the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Her clinical and research interests include the end of life experience as it affects both patients and families, and psychotherapeutic interventions aimed at alleviating distress in those facing advanced disease. Sarah is mom to Caleb McFadyen, Class of 2028.
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Ms. Alison Leung
As the VP Marketing at WW Canada, Ali leads a team whose mission is to inspire healthy habits for real life, with as many Canadians as possible. Prior to joining WW in August 2018, Ali held senior leadership roles at Facebook, where she was the Head of Consumer Packaged Goods and Government, and at Unilever, where she was a Senior Marketing Director leading the growth on purpose-driven brands like Dove, Hellmann’s and Becel. Ali holds an HBA from Ivey Business School at Western, and an MBA from Schulich School of Business at York. She also sits on the board of Canada Learning Code. She joined the RSGC board in 2018. Her son Russell is Class of 2019.
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Ms. Sharon Lewis
Sharon has been nominated for over six Canadian Screen Awards that range from Best Director to Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Host. Her career in the arts is successful across multiple platforms. She has directed over 100 hours of popular television, appearing on HBO,CRAVE, TMN, HGTV, CBC, DISCOVERY and I.D. She began her acting career in the title role of Rude, an official Cannes selection. Sharon co-wrote and directed the Dora nominated, smash hit play, Sistahs which ran in the US, Canada and internationally. She hosted CBC’s live political talk show, counterSpin, and their interactive tv show Zed, nominated for several CSA awards. Sharon directed the award winning short film, Chains airing on HBO and internationally. Sharon recently directed her double CSA-nominated feature film; Brown Girl Begins. Most recently Sharon helmed an episode of CBC’s hour drama, Diggstown and Murdoch Mysteries. She joined the RSGC Board in 2019. Her son Pi is in the Class of 2022.
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Mr. Geoff Osborne '08
Geoff Osborne '08 is the Director, Strategy & Operations at NRStor, where he has played a pivotal role since he joined the company when it was founded in 2012. He is primarily focused on identifying business development opportunities, overseeing project management & operations, securing investment and strategic planning. Geoff has led several major utility infrastructure initiatives and has extensive experience working on battery, flywheel, compressed air energy storage (CAES) and renewable energy projects. Geoff sits on several industry working groups and is currently on the Board of MPOWER, Sunnybrook Stables Ltd., and the Village by the Grange Community. In 2016, Geoff was presented the Canada Clean50 Award as an outstanding contributor to clean capitalism and named to the World Energy Council’s Future Energy Leaders’ program. He holds a Master of Laws (energy & infrastructure specialization) from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Queen’s University. He is a member of the RSGC Alumni Association Executive.
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Rev. Dr. Tim Elliott - Clergy
Tim (Father Tim) was the interim RSGC chaplain for the 2014 school year. In the 1990s, while Rector of Christ Church Deer Park, his sons Jeremy and Simon attended RSGC. During that time, he also served on the boards of RSGC and the Bishop Strachan School. From 1977 to 1980, he was the assistant at St. George’s on the hill Islington, and following that, Rector of All Saints, King from 1980-1988. Tim retired from parish ministry in 2002 and now works as a vocational coach/consultant. He is also a chaplaincy consultant with independent schools in Canada and the UK. He has a Bachelor of Arts (Huron University College), a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (General Theological Seminary, New York City) and a Doctor of Ministry (Trinity College Toronto). Tim’s most recent board experience was with CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario). He is the author of Clarity and Courage: Life as an Improvised Journey and Tim has recorded several solo jazz piano albums.
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Mr. Richard Talbot
Richard Talbot is a corporate director with more than 25 years experience as a senior executive in financial services. He was most recently Chief Operating Officer of RBC Capital Markets, a top-10 global investment bank. Prior to this role, Richard was Co-Head of Global Research and a top-ranked telecom services research analyst with RBC CM. He is a past director of RBC subsidiary companies, the CFA Society Toronto and currently chairs CFAST’s Advisory Council. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in business administration from the Ivey Business School. His son David is in the Class of 2024.
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Ms. Amanda Ploughman - Georgian Parents' Guild Representative
Amanda is CEO of Smak Impact Agency, specializing in community, consumer and employee engagement. Prior to Smak, she held executive positions for several organization in Toronto, New York and Chicago, including Shaw, MediaCom, Pelmorex and the Interpublic Group of Cos. Amanda holds a B.S. in Journalism from the William Allen White School at the University of Kansas and completed the executive leadership program at INSEAD. She is the mother of Nicholas (class of 2019), Cate (Branksome 2021) and Christopher (class of 2023).
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Mr. Eddie Beqaj '08 - RSGC Alumni Association Representative
Eddie Beqaj '08 is a senior sales executive with seven years experience in B2B SaaS sales. Eddie’s focus has been on developing strategic relationships with enterprise clients. He graduated from RSGC in 2008 as a prefect and holds a Bachelor of Sports Management from Brock University. Eddie has been on the RSGC Alumni Executive Committee since 2013, becoming President in 2020 after four years as Vice President. Eddie played an instrumental role in building out the RSGCAA's five-year Strategic Plan and is excited to connect the RSGCAA with the Board of Governors over his time as President.