Advisory Board

Biography

Bertrand Badré is the CEO and Founder of BlueOrange Sustainable Capital. As former Managing Director and World Bank Group Chief Financial Officer, Badré was responsible for the financial and risk management and IT strategies of the World Bank Group. He contributed to international dialogue on financial standards and practices through his representation of the Group at the Financial Stability Board, as chair of the World Economic Forum Global Action Council on Sustainable Development, and through his participation in meetings of the G20 and G7 as well as the heads of multilateral development banks. Previously, he was Group CFO at Société Générale and Crédit Agricole, and Managing Director of Lazard. During the 2003 Evian G8 summit, Badré served as President Chirac’s deputy personal representative for Africa and as a spokesperson on new international financial contributions to fund development. He was on the World Panel on Financing Water Infrastructure, chaired by Michel Camdessus, and served in the French Ministry of Finance. He currently co-chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on International Governance and Public-Private Cooperation; he is also on the advisory board of the International Water Bank.

Biography

Dominic Barton is the Global Managing Director of McKinsey & Company. In his 27 years with the firm, Dominic has advised clients in a range of industries including banking, consumer goods, high tech and industrial. Prior to his current role, Dominic was based in Shanghai as McKinsey’s Asia Chairman from 2004 to 2009 and led the Korea office from 2000 to 2004.
Dominic is an active participant in international fora including Davos, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Les Rencontres Économiques d’Aix-en-Provence, the Asia Business Council and the China Development Forum. He has authored more than 80 articles on the role of business in society, leadership, financial services, Asia, history and the issues and opportunities facing markets worldwide. Dominic is a co-author, with Roberto Newell and Greg Wilson, of Dangerous Markets: Managing in Financial Crises (Wiley & Sons, 2002), and his most recent book is China Vignettes: An Inside Look at China (Talisman, 2007).
Dominic leads McKinsey’s work on the future of capitalism, long-term value-creation and the role of business leadership in society. This is a set of research initiatives and projects to convene organisations and leaders for constructive action. One such project was a task force on Inclusive Capitalism, which Dominic co-led with Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild (sponsored by the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank). The task force – comprised of business and public leaders in the US and UK – developed approaches for engaging and scaling business actions to address issues that create both social and economic value.
He is a Trustee of the Brookings Institution, a member of the Singapore Economic Development Board’s International Advisory Council, an advisor to the Asia Development Bank, a member of the Advisory Board for the China Development Bank Capital Group and a Board Member of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Dominic has received multiple awards for his business leadership and contributions to the communities in which he has lived – for example, in February 2013 Dominic received the Order of Civil Merit (Peony Medal) from former President Lee of South Korea. He is a Rhodes Trustee and an Honorary Fellow at Brasenose College, Oxford. Dominic is also an Adjunct Lecturer at Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Biography

Laurence Batlle is Chairwoman of the RATP Dev Executive Board, and has sat on the RATP Group Executive Board since 1st January 2017. She joined RATP Dev in 2007 as CFO, and since then has played a major role in defining its strategy and supervising its international growth. She became a member of the Executive Board in 2011, and was in charge of its Americas-Africa and Sightseeing Business Units from 2014 to 2016. She has also been an independent Board member of Elior Group since 2014.

Laurence Batlle has a proven executive management track record: prior to joining RATP Dev, she spent 14 years driving sales growth in major consulting firms, first for PricewaterhouseCoopers and then as VP Global Finance Support at Atos Origin for two years. She is a graduate of Harvard Business School and Institut Commercial de Nancy, and is a Knight of the French National Order of Merit.

Biography

An accomplished senior executive with a track record in finance, transformational leadership and governance with leading organizations, Christiane is a savvy trilingual communicator, recognized for her strategic investment advisory expertise and her business and institutional relationships across Canada and internationally.

As a business leader and strategic adviser to major clients and governments in sectors such as infrastructure, resources, energy telecom, transport, banking and financial services in Canada and emerging markets for close to 30 years, Christiane is deeply familiar with public policy, stakeholder management and the global competitive landscape. Through her C-suite roles, she brings firsthand experience in growing business and understands the risks and sustainability challenges to drive innovation and grow profitable market share for small firms and multinationals alike.

For the last two years, she has been advising Toronto-based Hydro One, Canada’s largest electricity transmission and distribution service provider and other clients. Prior to starting her  consulting firm, she successively served as President of SNC-Lavalin Capital, where she built a highly-regarded international investment advisory business, and as Executive Vice President Strategic Partnerships and Business Development for Desjardins Group accountable for Canadian and international corporate development.

Christiane advised or arranged over $10 B in innovative infrastructure and M&A transactions, including the acquisition of the Canadian insurance activities of State Farm, the $3 B acquisition of Highway 407 in Ontario named Euromoney Deal of the Year and the landmark Canada Line LRT Public-Private Partnership in Vancouver.  Christiane started her career in institutional real estate for Standard Life prior to moving on to Export Development Canada in international financing roles in North & West Africa and OECD departments.

In 2017, Christiane became the fourth woman to Chair the Board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. She serves on the Supervisory Board of RATP Dev, the Paris-based mass transit operator moving 14M passengers daily in 15 countries.  She is also a  Director of Yamana Gold and chairs the Audit Committee of AGF Group. She is a former Director of Talisman Energy, Fiera Capital, Qtrade, Tennis Canada, Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ).  An active supporter of several causes including the International Women’s Forum, she currently serves on the Foundation of the Montreal Heart Institute, the advisory Board of the Toronto Global Forum and the McGill President’s International Advisory Board.  She is co-president of the Montreal Chapter of the Women Initiative Foundation inspiring women entrepreneurs to grow internationally.

A graduate of McGill University (B.Com with distinction Finance/Entrepreneurship) and of the Advanced Management Program of the Wharton School of Business (Philadelphia), she has completed the ICD Directors Education program and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

In 2018, Christiane was recognized in Canada’s WXN’s Top 100 Hall of Fame and was also named as Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada.

Biography

John M. Beck is Founder and Executive Chairman of Aecon Group Inc. (TSX: ARE), Canada’s premier construction and infrastructure development company.   A leader in providing services to private and public sector clients throughout Canada and internationally, Aecon primarily serves the Infrastructure, Energy and Mining sectors.

A graduate in Civil Engineering from McGill University, Mr. Beck has more than 50 years of experience in the construction industry in Canada and internationally. His background includes corporate leadership in numerous construction activities including heavy civil projects and public-private partnerships for the development of infrastructure, such as airports, toll roads and transit systems.

Mr. Beck is currently a member of the Board of Directors of PPP Canada, the Ontario Financing Authority, the Royal Conservatory of Music as well as Co-Chair of the Infrastructure & Urban Development Industries at the World Economic Forum.  He is a member of the Advisory Council for the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary and is also a member of the Business Council of Canada. He was previously Chairman of the Board of the Ontario Power Authority, a government agency with responsibility for planning and procuring all of the province’s power needs for the next 20 years.  He was named P3 Champion of the Year by the Canadian Council of Public Private Partnerships in 2013. In recognition of his distinguished achievements and career-long service to the engineering profession, Mr. Beck was inducted as a Fellow into the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Biography

Jan De Silva is President & CEO of Toronto Region Board of Trade, a role she assumed in January 2015. The Board represents the business interests of 12,000 members and 200,000 business professionals across this dynamic urban region.
For 14 years Ms. De Silva led businesses internationally. She was CEO of Sun Life Financial’s business in Hong Kong and its Mainland China joint venture and then co-founded and was CEO of Retail China Limited, a company that was acquired in 2010. In 2011 Ms. De Silva became Dean of Ivey Asia, leading the Hong Kong campus and Mainland China operations of Ivey Business School of Western University.
Ms. De Silva has served terms as Chair and President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Chair of Canada China Business Council, Beijing. She currently sits on the boards of the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance and Intact Financial Corporation.
She holds an MBA from Ivey Business School of Western University received an honorary doctorate by Thompson Rivers University.

Biography

Allan O'Dette is a high profile, results-oriented leader with more than 30 years’ experience in public, private, and not-for-profit and volunteer sectors where he has a proven track record of success in leading change and organizational renewal.

Allan is the CEO of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), which represents the political, clinical and economic interests of the provinces more than 41,000 physicians, residents and medical students. In this role, Allan is tasked with driving transformation and modernization in the 138-year-old organization.

Previously Allan was appointed the first Chief Investment Officer for the Province of Ontario, in which he led the creation of a customer-focused, cross-functional enterprise generating billions of dollars in new attraction and retention investment to the province.

As president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce for more than five years, Allan led the revitalization of Ontario's most influential business organization, which has 60,000 members in more than 135 communities. In doing so, he established the OCC as an influential thought leader and change agent, with an engaged membership and a sustained financial foundation.

Allan is an entrepreneur with more than 25 years experience in progressive leadership roles in the bio-pharmaceutical sector. Passionate in support of Canadian business and his community, Allan has served on numerous private and not-for-profit boards and committees, including serving as vice chair of the Markham Stouffville Hospital Board of Directors. Allan was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contribution to his community and his philanthropic activities.

Biography

Benoit Parent manages the Power Generation Division and Nuclear Operations’ teams inside Cummins Eastern Canada LP.

He has a Bachelor’s degree from Sherbrooke University in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s degree from Sherbrooke University in Engineering Management.

He has occupied every single sales positions in the Power Generation Division of Cummins Eastern Canada LP, beginning his career as a Sales Representative for the South Shore of Montreal, being promoted to Sales Managers, then General Manager of Power Generation of Ontario, (that is when he first met the OCI) then General Manager of the Power Generation Division and, finally, to his current position of Executive Director – Power Generation Division and Nuclear Operations.

Biography

Nicholas Rémillard, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA), is responsible for the direction and strategy of the IEFA’s four major economic events: the Conference of Montreal, the Toronto Global Forum, the World Strategic Forum and the Conference of Paris.

Since the organisation’s inception over 20 years ago, Nicholas Rémillard has held a variety of management roles, ultimately serving as President and CEO from 2010. His contribution led to the rapid expansion of the organization where he launched the Toronto Global Forum and the Palm Beach Strategic Forum in 2007 and 2011, respectively. The latter event is now held in Miami under its new appellation: the World Strategic Forum. In addition to these North American conferences, the IEFA has announced its shift towards Europe and will be hosting its first edition of the Conference of Paris in December 2017.

Beyond his role at the IEFA, Nicholas Rémillard also serves as Honorary Consul General of Iceland in Montreal and President of RDÉE Canada’s working group, the Economic Corridor of La Francophonie.

Nicholas Rémillard holds a law degree from the University of Ottawa.

Biography

Gregory Smith is widely recognized as a pioneer and authority in the infrastructure investment community. As President and CEO of InstarAGF, Gregory brings more than 20 years of experience in the investment, operation, acquisition, and financing of public and private infrastructure, real estate, power, and utility businesses.

Prior to founding the Instar Group of Companies, Gregory was Managing Partner and head of Brookfield Financial’s Global Infrastructure Advisory Group. During his tenure, Brookfield Financial expanded to over 100 professionals in eight countries and became a leading developer in North American Public-Private Partnerships. Gregory was also the President of Macquarie Capital Funds Canada Ltd. where he was responsible for the establishment, growth and operations of Macquarie's unlisted and listed funds business in Canada along with the active management of Macquarie's Canadian assets owned by off-shore funds. During this time, he also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Power & Infrastructure Income Fund (TSX:MPT.UN), a Toronto Stock Exchange-listed fund, and as a Director and Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Essential Assets Partnership, a private fund. Prior to Macquarie, Gregory was Managing Director and Co-Head of RBC Capital Partners - Mezzanine Fund and a Managing Director at Deloitte & Touche Corporate Finance.

Gregory has held various board positions and acted as an observer/advisor to the Board of Directors for several reporting issuers, including 407ETR International, AltaLink Management Ltd. and Leisureworld Senior Care GP Inc. as well as private companies such as Sea-to-Sky Highway Investment Limited Partnership and Erie Shores Wind Farm. Gregory is currently the Executive Chairman of Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners, which owns the passenger terminal at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, and also sits on the advisory boards of Lighthouse Equity Partners, a private equity provider, and Avrio Ventures, an agriculture technology fund. Active in the private equity and venture capital sector since 1994, Gregory previously served for a number of years on the Board of Directors of Canada’s Venture Capital & Private Equity Association, including as Chair and President.

Gregory is a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Business Valuator, and holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen's University.

Biography

KEN TANENBAUM is Chairman of Kilmer Developments, the entity leading the $400M renewal and 50 year concession operations of the 23 ONroute Highway Service Centres, in partnership with HMS Host, as well as the design, finance and construction of the $800M 2015 Pan Am Games Athletes’ Village project in partnership with Dundee Realty; he is the Founder and Chairman of the Kilmer Brownfield Equity Fund, which is committed to creating value by remediating and repositioning contaminated land; and, he also serves as Vice Chairman of Kilmer Van Nostrand (KVN), a family holding company with interests in sports & media, private equity and infrastructure. Ken joined KVN's wholly owned subsidiary, The Warren Paving and Materials Group in 1991 and, following the merger of this business with Lafarge in 2000, served with the combined entity on its Executive Team and as President of concrete producer Innocon before returning to KVN in 2006. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Ken has a long history of volunteer leadership with many organizations, including UJA Federation, Mount Sinai Hospital, MADD Canada, Evergreen, University of Toronto, and Upper Canada College. He is an active member of YPO, is a recipient of the Canadian Urban Institute’s “Brownie Award”, and was recognized as one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 in 2001. Ken is passionate about the promise of Canada and is committed to aligning his business interests with building healthy cities and vibrant communities. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Jennifer, and their four children.

Biography

Councillor Michael Thompson is Deputy Mayor, Chair of Toronto’s Economic and Community Development Committee and a member of the Executive Committee. Now in his fifth term as Councillor, Michael has earned a reputation as one of Toronto’s hardest working and most effective political leaders.

In 2006, as Chair of the Scarborough Community Council, he led the campaign to create the first ever TTC transit strategy for Scarborough, a strategy designed to significantly expand and enhance public transit services for all Scarborough residents. Throughout his years on Council, Michael’s unrelenting drive for public safety in the face of increased gun violence ultimately led to the development of a city-wide Community Safety Plan, a GTA-wide police task force on guns and gangs, an increase in the numbers of police officers in the street, and a new young offender program designed to divert young people into jobs instead of jail.

Under the banner of “getting things done,” Michael is known to his constituents as a community builder committed to bring people together in a spirit of collaboration. He has led and assisted in the formation of local community associations, youth leadership initiatives and Business Improvement Areas, and holds regular public meetings to engage residents throughout his ward.

In addition to a strong focus on resolving local issues and serving his constituents, Michael’s commitment to developing Toronto’s city-wide economy is longstanding. In his first term in office, he spearheaded the creation of the Wexford Heights Business Improvement Area and established a Job Fair that annually brought thousands of job seekers together with dozens of employers.

He maintains a widespread network of business relationships that has helped the City to enhance business retention, promote growth and increase private sector employment. His active engagement with business has helped speed the launch of new business ventures, resolved business/residential conflicts and gained business participation in a wide range of community-building initiatives. In recent years, the international connections he has developed and nurtured have played a significant role in attracting billions of dollars in new investment to the City, contributing to a more robust economy and substantial job creation.

Recently, Michael was a key member of a Toronto project team that successfully lobbied executives of Collision, one of the world’s leading high technology conferences, to choose Toronto as the conference’s home for 2019 – 2021, bringing 25,000 technology executives and investors to the City and injecting tens of millions of dollars into Toronto’s economy.

Michael is a firm believer in the critical value of culture as a builder of strong communities. When he first took office, he co-founded the Taste of Lawrence Avenue East Festival, which brings together tens of thousands of people each year to experience local performing arts and cuisine. In 2013, he led the City’s efforts to create a new arts and culture plan that provided a bold, new roadmap for cultural vitality, strengthened arts spending and launched a new era of collaboration among arts and culture groups across the City. Michael was also the first Chair of Toronto’s Music Advisory Committee, and played a key role in efforts to attract international film and television productions and studio investments to Toronto.

Michael received his public school education in Scarborough, and his BA from Concordia University in Montreal. Prior to entering politics, he earned his business credentials as an entrepreneur in the business and financial services sector. In 2017, he successfully completed the ICD Directors Education Program offered by the Rotman School of Management and Institute of Corporate Directors.

He is the recipient of the African Achievement Award for Excellence in Politics, the York University International Award, the Jain Society of Toronto Community Award, the Bob Marley Award and the Bob Marley Lifetime Achievement Award.

He continues to work with a number of charitable organizations including participation in the LIUNA Local 506 scholarship fund.

Biography

Doug Turnbull is Vice Chairman and Country Head, Canada at DBRS. In this role, Mr. Turnbull is responsible for overseeing all of DBRS’s day-to-day operations in Canada. As part of the executive team, Mr. Turnbull also focuses on the strategic development of DBRS’s global rating business and senior outreach activities for the company.
Mr. Turnbull has more than 35 years of experience in the investment banking industry, and is the retired Deputy Chairman, TD Securities Inc. Mr. Turnbull has worked in Toronto, Tokyo and New York, where he advised government, corporate, infrastructure and public sector clients on numerous public and private market transactions.
Mr. Turnbull is Chairman of the board of directors of The Canadian Ditchley Foundation, is a member of the Public Advisory Panel of the Canadian Electricity Association and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation. In addition, Mr. Turnbull has held a number of board positions with public sector and not-for-profit organizations, including, Metrolinx, the Ontario Financing Authority, George Brown College Foundation, the Toronto Financial Services Alliance and ORBIS Canada. In 2014, Mr. Turnbull was appointed by the Government of Canada as one of two Co-Chairs of the Canada-Assembly of First Nations, Joint Working Group on Resource Development, and delivered the final report in 2015.

Biography

Geoffrey Wilson is an international business leader with more than 25 years in the multimodal transportation, shipping, infrastructure and aviation businesses. Having held senior executive roles throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific, with companies such as Triton Container International Inc., Budget Car and Truck Rental, and Kerr Steamship Agency Inc., Mr. Wilson brings a unique skill set and global perspective to his role as CEO of PortsToronto. A government business enterprise, PortsToronto owns and operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Canada’s ninth busiest airport, the marine Port of Toronto and the Outer Harbour Marina.
Mr. Wilson’s professional experience includes global infrastructure and asset management, international market development and strategic alliances. Prior to his current role, Mr. Wilson served as Chief Operating Officer of Cartel Communications Systems Inc., Canada's leading wireless equipment distributor and integrator.
Mr. Wilson serves on the advisory board of Toronto Global Forum, associated with the International Global Economic Forums of the Americas, and sits on the Board of Directors for the Empire Club of Canada, the country’s oldest and largest speaker’s forum. Mr. Wilson joined the Board of the Council of the Great Lakes Region in October 2016.

Biography

Sadly, our dear friend and advisor, Michael Wilson has passed away. Michael was a former federal Cabinet Minister and Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. For many years, Michael served on the Toronto Global Forum Advisory Board. His generosity of time, wise counsel and true friendship will be sorely missed. We extend our thoughts to Michael’s family and his many friends.

Biography

Paul Zed has a distinguished and successful career in business spending the last 10 years providing strategic leadership in the telecom and technology sector.  In September 2015 he was appointed Chairman, President’s Advisory Board, Rogers Enterprise Business Unit, a division of Rogers Communications Inc. where he worked on public and private sector business development, connected and smart cities transformations and Internet of Things (IOT).  From 2009-2015 he served as Chairman, President’s Advisory Board, Cisco Systems Canada where together with the team led the establishment and transformation of the largest technology investment in Canada’s history.  They also established a $150 Million Cisco Canada Innovation Program for venture capital start-ups.

Currently, Mr. Zed serves as national counsel at the law firm, McCarthy Tetrault.

During his political career he was elected 3 times serving almost 10 years as the Member of Parliament for the federal ridings of Fundy Royal and Saint John.  He served as the Chairman of several important committees of the House of Commons including the Standing Committee on Industry, Government Operations and Procedure and House Affairs, Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities.  Mr. Zed also authored reports on banking, financing and doing business with governments and was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government and serving two Canadian Prime Ministers Chretien and Martin.

Mr. Zed is the founding member of the Urban Cities and Communities Caucus that hosted dozens of meetings with provincial governments and Canada’s big city mayors, publishing a report ‘Foundations for a Nation” on Canada’s infrastructure deficit and innovation.

Upon his return to the private sector, he co-founded a successful public policy and business advisory company in Ottawa, Summa Strategies Canada Inc., serving as its President for eight years representing some of the largest American and Canadian companies and their CEO’s with offices in Ottawa, Washington and London.

As a corporate commercial lawyer, he also was a business law professor at The University of Ottawa Law School and University of New Brunswick and been a member of the Canadian Bar Association for over 35 years, active in community and philanthropic affairs.