Governance

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 graduated as a member of the Class of 2021.

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.

Cathy Cranston is an independent public company board director. She sits on the Board of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan where she Chairs the Human Resources and Compensation Committee and is a member of the Investment and Operational Risk Committees. She is a member of the board of Toromont Industries Ltd. where she Chairs the Audit Committee and sits on the ESG Committee. Cathy has her ICD.D designation.

Sarah is American, and moved to Toronto from London, England. Her career was in the music industry, and now she has a small jewellery business called Daily Pearls. Sarah is the mother of Conrad (Class of '28), and Max (Class of '26 — The York School) and has been a class parent and parent ambassador since her kids came to RSGC.

Connor works at KJ Harrison Investors as a Private Client Analyst and a member of the Private Client Team. Prior to joining KJ Harrison Investors, Connor worked at RBC Global Asset Management. Connor is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder. Beyond RSGC, in his free time, Connor is a member of the St. Michael’s Young Leaders where he helps with fundraising on behalf of St. Michael’s Hospital. He also enjoys playing squash and tennis, and he is an avid runner and cyclist. Connor graduated from RSGC in 2013.

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.

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 as members of the Class of 2014 and 2017 respectively.

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.

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.

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, graduated as a member of the Class of 2019.

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.

[Photo coming soon]

Elizabeth is the VP Finance and Accounting at the Woodbridge Company Limited (Thomson Family Office) and has held this position for seven years. Prior to joining  Woodbridge, Elizabeth held positions in Treasury and Finance at Maple Leaf Foods.  Elizabeth has served on many Audit and Finance committees for private and non-profit organizations and is currently serving on the Audit and Finance committee of The Globe and Mail. Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of Toronto and is a CPA, CA. She has  two sons at the College: Ari (Class of '29) and George (Class of '31).

Susan is a partner in Torys LLP’s Pensions and Employment Practice. Recognized as a leading pension and benefits lawyer, Susan’s practice focuses on all areas of pension and benefits law and governance. Susan is a frequent speaker and moderator on emerging retirement industry issues and has a particular interest in policy development on a provincial and national level. She is past Chair of the Board of the Association of Canadian Pension Management (ACPM). In 2016, Susan was the first recipient of the ACPM Don Ireland Award in recognition of outstanding volunteerism in the field of pensions and retirement benefits.  Her son, Max, is in the Class of '24.

Dr. F. Haider Alvi is a former corporate financier turned academic and company director. Having grown up in North America, he worked in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America. Haider advised government shareholders and banks on mergers, restructurings and privatizations, and was subsequently involved with social impact investing in Latin America. He is presently a research academic at Athabasca University focused on critical management studies and innovation finance. He is also Chair of the Board of OECM (Ontario Education Collaborative Marketplace) and Member of the Board of Innovate Edmonton. He has received degrees from University of Cambridge (Ph.D), Indiana University – Bloomington (JD), University of Toronto (MBA) and University of Chicago (AB). His son Tarek is in the Class of 2024.

Manisha Burman is Head, Client Experience and Workforce Effectiveness for Personal and Business Banking, Specialized Sales and Financial Planning for BMO Financial Group. She joined BMO as Vice President, Talent Management in 2011, where she led and renewed a variety of functions including recruitment, talent planning, workforce analytics, career management and employee pulse. She also served as the CHRO for Capital Markets & Wealth International, working with the CEO and COO of Capital Markets along with their Asia and European Country Heads to elevate their talent, diversity and leadership development agenda.

Andrew Ternan is President of BOLT Developments Inc, a Toronto based Design Build Construction firm. He has been in the construction industry for over 35 years and has vast experience in the planning, building and maintaining of many different types of facilities. Andrew previously served for five years as a Board Member at the Mabin School. He joined the RSGC Board of Governors in the 2021/2022 school year. His son Angus is in the Class of 2023.

Sundeep Bhatia joined RSGC as Chief Financial Officer in January 2022. Sundeep is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and brings to the position a long record of excellence as an accomplished business leader across many disciplines. Previous roles include Directorships in Financial Planning and Analysis, Enterprise Risk Management, and Treasury Operations at Manulife and leading the Strategic Financial Planning team in one of the largest divisions at the City of Toronto. He is also a co-founder of the Seva Food Bank, a not-for-profit organization with multiple locations across the Region of Peel and is on the Board of the Peel Children's Aid Society, where he Chairs the Audit and Finance Committee.