Board of Directors

James Dodds, Chair of the Board

Based in Toronto (Canada), James is a senior executive who has been involved in the financial services industry for over 18 years. At TD, James has the responsibility of driving enterprise-wide business development at the bank including a focus on the various levels of Government across Canada. James is particularly involved in the areas of commercial banking, wealth management, and corporate banking and he is the co-head of the TD Wealth Family Office. James is the Bank's strategy officer for the World Economic Forum (WEF) and has represented TD internationally in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Known as a strategic thinker and active community leader, James has a strong track record of business development, and has built an extensive international network of contacts within business, politics, and the community.

James is actively involved in the community and is a philanthropist with a strong passion for organizations that are dedicated to the well-being of children locally and globally. James has served on numerous boards who rely on him for his fundraising, community building, and leadership capabilities. In 2012, as a member of the Right to Play board, James successfully led a mission of eight business leaders and Canadian Olympians to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

In 2011 James was the recipient of the Children’s Aid Foundation Guardian Award and in 2012 received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Award. In 2019 he was awarded the Significant Sig Award by the Sigma Chi Fraternity, the highest award given to alumni for exemplary achievements in their fields of endeavor. In 2019 he also received the annual Spirit Award from the Ontario Rett Syndrome Association.

As a well-known political fundraiser and organizer, James has chaired numerous municipal, provincial, and federal political campaigns. Most recently he served as the Chair of the Conservative Party (Fund) Canada from 2020 to 2022.

James completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance (Magna Cum Laude), both from Saint Mary’s University (Nova Scotia), as well as a Master of Business Administration with Distinction from the University of Bath (England).

Melanie Teed-Murch, Vice Chair of the Board, Secretary & Treasurer

As Chief Executive Officer, HK Travel ONroute, Melanie Teed-Murch leads a team of 23 Ontario-based travel stops across the 400 and 401 series highways. She is obsessed about building corporate culture rooted in customer experience and transformational change. Melanie started her journey in retail and hospitality in 1998, as a retail store manager and spent the next two decades with Toys R Us and Babies R Us Canada. Her last post was as President, guiding the company through CCAA and eventually Canadian division stand-alone carve out and sale to Fairfax Financial. As a purpose-driven leader, she is known for building powerful mission and purpose focused teams that foster an environment of collaboration, trust and innovation. Melanie is a proud recipient of Women's Executive Network (WXN) Top 100 Women in 2019.

Melanie is mom to two fantastic children, Zachary and Mikayla, and married her high school sweetheart Paul, and live in Puslinch, Ontario where they focus on cooking, gardening, kayaking, paddle-boarding and their family. Their 3rd furry child, Junior Jack "JJ", is a 9-year-old Yorkie and is the most work out of their 3 children.

Charlie Angelakos, Director

Charlie Angelakos is Vice President, Global External Affairs & Sustainability at McCain Foods. In this role, Charlie leads the company’s external communication, public affairs and sustainability strategy across 160 countries. Before joining McCain, Charlie worked at Labatt Breweries of Canada for 18 years, most recently as Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs. He also spent time in Canadian politics, working as an advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. Charlie is actively involved with the Jays Care Foundation and the Harbourfront Centre, along with several other charitable endeavours in the community. He currently serves on the National Advisory Board of the Walrus, an award-winning independent news outlet. In 2012, Charlie received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for his support of the True Patriot Love Foundation.

Navdeep Bains, Director

The Honourable Navdeep Bains is Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Rogers Communications. In this role, Navdeep leads the Public Policy and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts for the company, drawing on his deep expertise in policy matters to advance critical issues, including the digital divide and Canada’s digital economy.

Prior to joining Rogers, Navdeep served as Vice-Chair in Global Investment Banking for CIBC, where he was responsible for strengthening all Capital Markets and Commercial Banking with a particular focus on Innovation, Sustainability, and Industrial sectors. He joined CIBC after serving as one of the longest serving federal Ministers of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, where he introduced the most comprehensive innovation and skills plan for Canada in over three decades.

Previously, Navdeep was a distinguished visiting professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Ted Rogers School of Management, an adjunct lecturer at the Master of Public Service program at the University of Waterloo, and worked for several years in accounting and finance for the Ford Motor Company of Canada.

He holds a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant designation, and has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Windsor and a Bachelor of Commerce from York University.

Joe Canavan, Director

Joe Canavan is an icon in the financial services industry with extensive experience as an executive, entrepreneur and venture investor. His most recent venture includes the ideation and creation of LOGiQ Asset Management. Joe has held the positions of Chairman and CEO of Assante Wealth Management and United Financial Corporation and CEO of Synergy Asset Management, a company he founded in 1997 (now part of CI Financial). Before Synergy, Joe launched GT Global (Canada) which quickly grew to a multi-billion dollar asset management company and Fund Company of the year before being sold to AIM Trimark. As Vice President, Director of National Sales, Joe helped build Fidelity Investment Canada from $60 million to $6 billion. Prior to founding LOGiQ Asset Management, Joe was Interim CEO and Chairman of the Children's Aid Foundation, overseeing its restructuring and highly successful turnaround. Joe is a Board Director of the Fraser Institute, the National Arts Centre Foundation, Kids & Company, Brand Protect, Trails Youth Initiatives and the Next 36.

His outside investment interests are primarily focused on digital ventures including Wealthsimple, Borrowell, MILQ (a machine learning company), Itsme (a virtual reality company), Brand Protect (a cyber security firm) and Kira Talent, to name a few. Joe was awarded "Person of Influence of the Decade" during the 2004 Canadian Investment Awards, was honoured as Concordia University's "Alumnus of the Year" in 2006, and was also the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee II Medal in 2012. Joe completed a Bachelor of Business Administration, Business at Concordia University and holds an OPM, Business from Harvard Business School.

Peter Dawe, Director

Peter Dawe joined McCain Foods Limited in August 2019 as Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for Venture, Corporate Development and implementation of the Company’s Sustainable Share Growth (SSG) Plan).

Originally a Chemical Engineer, Peter spent over 18 years with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and held successive positions from Associate (post-undergrad) through Managing Director and Senior Partner. While at BCG, Peter’s practice was focused in the Food sector; working with global food producers and grocers on topics across the value chain. Within his practice, Peter worked with McCain on a consulting basis from 2011 before joining the company as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

While with BCG, he held several leadership positions. He previously served as the lead for Operations topics within the Consumer Practice in North America - and at the time of his departure he was the Lead of the Consumer Practice in Canada and the head of the Canadian Career Development Committee.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Chemical Engineering) from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Samantha, and two boys.

Peter is a member of World 50, a private community for CEOs and C-level executives at globally respected organizations to discover better ideas, share valuable experiences and build relationships that make a lasting impact.

Ali Leung, Director

Ali is a dynamic, purpose-driven leader and a self-employed fractional CMO, bringing a wealth of marketing and commercial expertise from her corporate experience working at organizations like Shopify, Weight Watchers, Meta (Facebook), and Unilever. Her diverse experience spans B2B, B2C, tech, wellness, and consumer packaged goods, where she has successfully grown iconic brands and led high-performing teams across various sectors.

Ali’s passion for purpose-driven marketing shines through in her work, whether she’s helping small businesses thrive, empowering healthier lifestyles, or boosting women's self-esteem. Her talent and energy consistently deliver meaningful impact and outstanding business results.

She holds an HBA from Ivey Business School and an MBA from Schulich School of Business. Ali also serves on the boards of Canada Learning Code and Jays Care Foundation, and is a founding member of Be Uninterrupted, further demonstrating her commitment to community and empowerment.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Ali is married with two children, and has been told she is “the best” cookie baker. Ali enjoys cultivating heirloom tomatoes and dahlias, staying motivated at the gym while listening to podcasts, and taking relaxing walks with her Goldendoodle, Quincy.

Paul Loussarian, Director

Paul is the former Chief Information Officer and Vice President at BC Assessment. Paul was the Chief Information Officer and Director of Information Services and Technology at BC Transit and the Director of Technology Services at BC Ferries. As a seasoned technology executive, Paul has developed corporate IT strategies, led significant corporate-wide payroll and Enterprise Resource Planning projects as well as creating multiyear programs for infrastructure and IT systems. Paul has taken great pride in re-aligning organization structures to address the ever-changing business needs and evolving technologies.

Paul’s focus is to foster a creative work culture where employees are actively engaged in solving problems and envisioning solutions by providing coaching and mentorship. Paul is also focused on creating a positive and “simple” customer experience through technology.

Paul is interested in the care and well-being of children and has worked with the Armenian Missionary Association of American (AMAA) to establish an endowment fund. The fund is focused on the education and development of children and to establish humanitarian relief for people living in Armenia.

John Macintyre, Director

John is an entrepreneur, corporate director and strategic tri-sector leader. John is a Principal of Cresa Toronto Inc, a real estate brokerage and advisory firm where he leads the Strategic Real Estate Practice Group where he provides strategic advice to private, public and institutional landowners on how to better manage, create value and optimize their real estate assets. John held previous public-sector leadership roles including Senior Vice President of Build Toronto, CEO of Invest Toronto, Vice President of TEDCO and was the Director of Parks, Forestry and Recreation for the City of Toronto from amalgamation in 1998 to 2005.

John is an experienced corporate director and currently serves as Director and Chair of the Investment Committee of the Tarion Warranty Corporation, Director and Chair of the Programs Committee of the Toronto Blue Jays Charitable Foundation (Jays Care Foundation) and is the Ontario Branch Governor of the Royal Life Saving Society, and a member of the Board of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference. Previously held leadership roles include Chair of the Parks and Recreation Federation of Ontario, Vice-Chair of the Midland Bay Landing Development Corporation, Chair of the Humber Arboretum Management Committee and Chair of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Toronto Walk to cure Diabetes.

John is a graduate of York University with a B.A. Degree undertaken on a P/T basis over a 13 year period. He is a graduate of McMaster University holding the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation and also completed the H.R.C.C.C., Human Resource Designation from McMaster and the Directors College. John is also a registered Real Estate Broker licensed in the Province of Ontario.

Dan Nowlan, Director

Mr. Nowlan is a Vice-Chairman and Managing Director in Equity Capital Markets group at National Bank Financial and has over 20 years of investment banking experience across a broad number of industry groups. During this time, Dan worked on structuring, leading and executing many of the largest and most successful initial public offerings in Canada. Dan has worked as a lead advisor on over 75 IPO’s raising almost $14.5b. With this experience, he has developed a very strong reputation for his integrity, teamwork and the quality of his advice.

Prior to joining National Bank Dan was most recently a Managing Director & Vice-Chairman of Global Investment Banking at CIBC World Markets and also served as Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets for a number of years.

Dan’s career has further been distinguished by his contributions to Canada in public service. Most recently, Mr. Nowlan was the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Finance of Canada and led the 2015 Federal Budget process. Previous public service included stints as Special Assistant to the Canadian Minister for International Trade and as a Special Assistant to the Minister of Human Resources and Labour.

Mr. Nowlan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Mount Allison University and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

Poonam Puri, Director

Poonam Puri is a corporate director, a corporate/securities lawyer at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP and a tenured law professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.

One of Canada’s pre-eminent experts in corporate law and governance, corporate law and financial regulation, Poonam provides incisive counsel to public and private companies, not-for-profits, Crown corporations and government departments on complex corporate governance matters.

Poonam serves on several boards including Colliers International Group Inc, the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (as Chair). She has previously served on the boards of CAPREIT, Pearson Airport and Women’s College Hospital in addition to serving as an OSC Commissioner. Her recognized expertise in strategy, risk management, ESG and complex governance matters is valued by boardrooms across Canada and internationally.

For her expert stewardship of organizations in a range of sectors and industries, Poonam has been recognized with the Royal Society of Canada’s Yvan Allaire Medal, the Law Society of Ontario’s Law Society Medal and the Governance Professionals of Canada’s Peter Dey Governance Achievement Award, among other distinctions. She has also previously been named one of Canada’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers and one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 leaders.

Poonam holds an LLM from Harvard, an LLB from the University of Toronto, and the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Suzanne Rogers, Director

Suzanne Rogers is a dedicated supporter of Canada’s fashion industry, a champion for young people and a devoted leader of causes that strengthen and shape Canadian civic and cultural life.

After decades of committed support for a wide range of notable causes in the arts sector, in 2016, Suzanne proudly launched The Suzanne Rogers Fashion Institute (SRFI) at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), a ground-breaking program that educates, supports, promotes and advocates for the next generation of Canadian design talent.

Deeply passionate about issues related to children’s welfare in Canada and beyond, through the spectacular “Suzanne Rogers Presents” (where Suzanne collaborates with some of the industry’s most respected names, including Oscar de la Renta, Victoria Beckham, and Diane von Furstenberg), Suzanne combines the world’s fashion and philanthropy to raise funds to better the lives of underprivileged and endangered children. To date, The Edward and Suzanne Rogers Foundation has raised over $4 million to combat child poverty.

In the fall of 2024, noting Suzanne’s deep roots to Elliot Lake where she was born following her parents' relocation to Canada from Budapest, Hungary, Suzanne and her husband Edward gave a $3 million donation to the city of Elliot Lake to bolster the Centennial Arena restoration.

Suzanne has further contributed her leadership skills to initiatives and organizations, including but not limited to, the LOOK Gala, Covenant House’s “Just Like a Girl You Know” campaign, the Butterfly Ball, the Governor General Performing Arts Awards, and Sinai Health Foundation’s “Cause for a Pause” campaign. Finally, since 2006, Suzanne has been an active, dedicated committee member with SickKids Foundation’s “Scrubs in the City” event and joined the Foundation’s Board of Directors in June 2020.

Mark Shapiro, Director

Mark Shapiro is one of Major League Baseball's top executives, with more than 20+ years of front office experience. Shapiro spent 24 seasons with the Cleveland Indians organization prior to joining the Toronto Blue Jays as President & CEO in November 2015.

Among Shapiro's long list of professional accomplishments, he was named Sporting News Executive of the Year following both the 2005 and 2007 seasons, was named to the elite "40 under 40" by Sports Business Journal, as well as being listed on Baseball America's "10 to Watch" list in 2007.

The Baltimore, MD native played four years of football for the Princeton University Tigers, and graduated in 1989 with a degree in history. His wife Lissa is an accomplished artist, who owns an art gallery in Cleveland. The couple have a son and daughter, Caden and Sierra.

Marnie Starkman, Director

Marnie Starkman is entering her 15th season with the Toronto Blue Jays and her first leading the club’s entire business operations portfolio, including ticketing, partnerships, strategy and analytics, fan experience, marketing, communications, people operations, facilities, technology, and Florida Operations.

Throughout her Blue Jays tenure, she has held progressively senior roles, starting in 2009 overseeing game entertainment, before adding promotions and marketing in 2010 and 2016, and expanding to co-leader of business operations in 2019.

Since joining the Blue Jays executive team, Marnie has steered the club through a remarkable journey and transformation. She was a key leader in navigating the club through the COVID-19 pandemic, including the well-documented 2021 season where the team hosted home games in three different ballparks. Since 2022, Marnie has co-led the nearly $400 million multi-year Rogers Centre renovation, transforming the iconic 33-year-old stadium into a modern ballpark with best-in-class fan experiences and player facilities.

Beyond the Blue Jays, Starkman is a leader in Major League Baseball and throughout the sports industry. She has represented the American League on various MLB committees and is a current board member for the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT), a non-profit organization that supports members of the baseball family in need of financial or medical assistance. Marnie is a 2018 recipient of the One of 5 to Watch Award, presented annually to five Canadian sports business professionals who have achieved remarkable career success prior to their 40th birthdays.

Prior to joining the Blue Jays, Marnie worked for Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment and Dome Productions. Born and raised in the Greater Toronto Area, she holds degrees from York/Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of Toronto, and Sheridan College.

Salim Teja, Director

Salim Teja is a Partner with Radical Ventures where he leads the firm’s Velocity Team. Radical Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in entrepreneurs applying deep technology to transform massive industries. With a primary focus on artificial intelligence, Radical Ventures partners with exceptional entrepreneurs to build enduring global technology companies.

Salim brings over 20 years of experience in the technology sector as an entrepreneur, venture investor, corporate innovator and innovation ecosystem builder. Prior to Radical Ventures, Salim served as President, Venture Services for MaRS Discovery District, the world’s largest urban innovation centre. Salim led the strategic direction of the MaRS Venture Services Program which engaged a portfolio of over 1200 high growth technology start-ups across sectors including Energy & Environment, Financial Services and Healthcare. These ventures raised over $1.3B in capital and generated over $1.4B in revenue to position Canada as a leading global technology hub.

Prior to MaRS, Salim held innovation leadership roles with Indigo Books & Music, CX Digital and b5media. He also served as Partner with early-stage venture capital firm Brightspark Ventures, where he was the driving force behind investments including Radian6 which was acquired by Salesforce.com. Salim started his career as Co-founder and Vice President of Sales and Business Development for San Francisco-based MobShop Inc, a pioneering e-commerce venture funded by GE Capital, Visa International, Mayfield Fund and Marc Andreessen.

Salim is a graduate of the Ivey Business School at Western University.

Colette Watson, Director

As President of Rogers Sports & Media, Colette Watson is responsible for the company’s $2 billion business and approximately 3,500 employees across Canada from a variety of sports and media properties, consisting of 23 conventional and specialty TV channels including Sportsnet, 29 local TV stations, 54 radio stations, 3 OTT services, 2 podcast networks, TSC (Today’s Shopping Choice), a multiplatform content studio, and data offerings.

A highly respected trailblazer in the Canadian broadcast industry, Colette has been with Rogers for 30 years in a variety of senior roles across the Media, Regulatory, and Cable divisions. She first joined Rogers in 1990 as the company’s Ottawa Bureau Chief and went on to transform the Rogers TV community channel business and revamp programming affiliations & pay-per-view operations. Most recently, Colette led TV & Broadcast Operations for five years where she set the strategic direction for non-sports conventional, specialty, and community television while innovating the viewer experience with compelling content across multiple platforms.

Passionate about public affairs, policy, and the future of objective journalism in today’s media landscape, Colette left Rogers in 2020 to focus on her role as President & GM of CPAC, a not-forprofit, commercial-free specialty television channel where she directed her efforts to ensure that Canadians have access to unfiltered and unbiased coverage of politics, parliament, and public affairs. Colette re-joined Rogers as President of Rogers Sports & Media in January 2022.

A driving force behind industry change, Colette is a past recipient of the esteemed Trailblazer of the Year award by Canadian Women in Communications.