Members of the Board of Governors
Board of Governors
Alan R. Abraham, Jr. BComm'80, Chair
Alan Abraham is Vice-President at ReGroup. Alan has over 25 years of management and operational experience in the waste and recycling industry and a background in long-distance and public warehousing. Establishing Green Waste Systems in 1989, Alan grew it into a full-service company with over 20 trucks operating in Halifax until its acquisition by Royal Environmental Group where he continues to lead the environmental services division. Alan is a proud Saint Mary’s University alumnus whose commitment to community service has involved him on a variety of boards and associations. Alan is grateful for the opportunity to serve the university and to advance our community and social leadership role, which has always been core to who we are at Saint Mary’s.
Christine Bonnell-Eisnor MBA 07
Christine Bonnell-Eisnor, MBA, P. Eng. ICD.D is the CEO of the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB). Christine has been with the CNSOPB since 1999. As CEO, she is responsible for leading the day-to-day operations of the CNSOPB to ensure that the organization fulfills its regulatory mandate in a fair, efficient, legally compliant and consistent manner as well as leading the CNSOPB as it transitions to an expanded mandate and becomes the regulator for offshore renewable energy development in the Canada-Nova Scotia offshore area.
Christine has a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia, and a MBA from Saint Mary’s University. She holds the Institute of Corporate Directors ICD.D (Certified Director) designation and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Nova Scotia. In 2017, Christine was named the Progress Women of Excellence – Management and Professions.
Christine is a Fellow of Engineers Canada, an active member of Engineers Nova Scotia, a Board Member of Brigadoon Village and Saint Mary’s University. In her spare time, Christine attends her children's sports activities, spends times at her cottage and enjoys photography.
Jillian D'Alessio, JD, OLY
Jill is a lawyer at McInnes Cooper and a Saint Mary’s University alumni (’09). Jill’s practice is primarily focused on insurance defence, sport law and general litigation.
With a background as a student athlete, Jill brings her dedication and work ethic to the practice of law. In 2004, Jill competed on the sprint kayak team in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. She is a Pan American Games Gold Medalist and competed on the Canadian National Team for a total of eleven years.
A strong advocate for community and sport, Jill is on several boards, including the Canoe 22 Society and Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic. She is also a High Performance Committee Member with Canoe Kayak Canada, where she volunteers her legal knowledge on various issues.
Kimberly Doane
Kimberly Doane is currently the Executive Director, Subsurface Energy Development Branch with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables. She is responsible for providing strategic policy advice to the government regarding natural gas exploration and development, coordinating subsurface geoscience research, and the technical promotion of Nova Scotia’s potential to investors. Her Branch also coordinates the regulation of underground storage, gas distribution, pipelines, and other legislative responsibilities. Policy responsibilities are currently focused on emerging transitional energy opportunities such as deep geothermal, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and hydrogen.
Kim earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Fredericton in 2014. In addition, she holds a Bachelor of Science Degree (Geology) from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Geography) from Saint Mary’s University. Prior to starting employment with the province in 1999, she worked in Calgary in both petroleum exploration and environmental assessments and reclamation of petroleum operations.
In September 2019, Kim was appointed to the Board of Governors at Saint Mary’s University and has sat on both the Governance and Property & Campus Planning Committees. She is also the appointed Nova Scotia representative on the Board of Directors for Net Zero Atlantic Research Association. In addition, she is active on a variety of committees both locally and internationally. Kim is married (Rod) and has one daughter (Alexandra) who is currently attending Dalhousie University.
Dr. Mohamed Drira
Dr. Mohamed Drira is an Associate Professor at the Department of Accounting and Commercial Law of the Sobey School of Business. He holds a PhD in Accounting (HEC Montreal, University of Montreal), an MSc in Accounting (University of Sherbrooke), and a BSc in Accounting (IHEC Carthage). He also holds the CPA, CGA designations from CPA Canada and the Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) designation form the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). Mohamed’s scholarly activities span a broad range of areas including, governance analytics, auditing, enterprise risk management and internal control, professional judgment and critical thinking, financial accounting, executive compensation, board of directors, diversity and inclusion, strategic decision making, and emerging trends in IT (machine learning, data analytics, blockchain, cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, etc.). His research projects have been supported by several Canadian agencies and organizations such as Mitacs, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA), CPA Canada, the Government of New Brunswick, Saint Mary’s University, and the University of New Brunswick. In addition, Mohamed has supervised many undergraduate and graduate students in business and computer science.
Dr. Drira served as a member of the first CPA Canada’s National Board of Examiners for two consecutive terms, a member of the Board of Directors of CPA New Brunswick and its Complaints Committee, a member of the Board of Directors of the Business Administration Undergraduate Society at the University of New Brunswick, a member of the Education and Training Board Committee of the Institute of Internal Auditors (Montreal Chapter), the chair of the accounting area at the University of New Brunswick, a member of national SSHRC Insight Grant adjudication committees, and a member of the national academic forum of CPA Canada’s Competency Map Task Force. In addition, Mohamed has been involved with CPA Canada at the national level as an assessment reviewer, an audit reviewer, and a technical reviewer for the auditing and assurance area.
Philip Fraser
Philip D. Fraser is President and CEO, and a Trustee, of Killam Apartment REIT (TSX:KMP:UN). Prior to the January 2016 REIT conversion, Mr. Fraser held the role of President and CEO and Director of Killam Properties Inc. Since its first acquisition in 2002, Killam has grown to over $2.1 billion in assets. Today, Killam is one of Canada’s largest residential landlords, owning, operating, and developing multi-family apartments and manufactured home communities.
Fraser holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University (1983), a Master of Urban and Rural Planning from Technical University of Nova Scotia (now Dalhousie University) (1988), and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University (1988). Mr. Fraser is a member of the Board of Governors and Honorary Degrees Committee, Chair of the Advancement Committee, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University.
Ashish Ganapathy
Ashish Ganapathy is a 3rd-year international student in Saint Mary's University's Bachelor of Commerce program. He is from India but grew up in Dubai, UAE. He serves as the SMUSA Board of Directors Chair for 2023-2024 and was previously the Board of Directors Vice Chair for 2022-2023. In this position, Ashish oversees the work of the Board and acts as the spokesperson between the President and the Board of Directors of SMUSA.
He has previously been part of numerous student societies, including an executive position on the SMU Debate Society. He greatly enjoys interacting with other students and helping enhance student life for all. Owing to his contributions to the student community, academic excellence, and display of leadership prowess, he was named the Freshman of the Year in 2021. Through his role in SMUSA, he wishes to advocate for sustainability, inclusivity, and transparency.
Mark Gosine, BA'95, Vice-Chair
Mark is an independent business consultant, and former Executive Vice President, Legal Affairs, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of WildBrain Media, and was responsible for all of its legal and regulatory affairs and for its subsidiaries. His principal areas of focus are financings, mergers, acquisitions, securities, intellectual property, governance, and compliance. Mark has more than 15 years of legal experience both in private practice and in-house, and has more than 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Mark played a key role in the company’s growth strategy in the acquisition and subsequent integration of such acquisitions. In his entertainment work, he oversaw all legal and business aspects of the company’s development, production, and distribution. He commenced his career as a performer after completing the jazz program at St. Francis Xavier University. Mark went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree at Saint Mary’s University, and earned an LL.B. at Dalhousie University. He is a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, the Canadian Bar Association, and the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association.
Anubhav Gupta
Anubhav is the Vice President of Advocacy of the Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association. Born and raised in Chandigarh, India, he is a 4th year Bachelor of Commerce student studying Finance and Computing and Information Systems. At SMU, he has previously been involved as a Teaching Assistant, a GSO Ambassador, the CCR Engagement Facilitator, and the Financial Director for the Commerce Society.
As VP Advocacy, Anubhav advocates on behalf of students to municipal, provincial, and federal governments. He also represents the student voice on the SMU Board of Governors, and advocates for students on both the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) and Students Nova Scotia (SNS).
Anubhav is passionate about working with students and championing for greater rights for them. He values empathy and kindness, and through his role, he wants to ensure that students feel heard and supported. In his free time, he enjoys reading high-fantasy books, binge-watching sitcoms, and playing board games.
Floyd Kane
A graduate of Dalhousie Law School and Saint Mary’s University, Floyd Kane articled with Blake, Cassels, and Graydon in Toronto before being called to the Ontario Bar in 1998. While serving as Legal Counsel, Salter Street Films Limited, from 1999 to 2004, Floyd also served as Production Executive on numerous projects, notably the Academy Award-winning Bowling For Columbine, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion, POKO - Cycles I and II and Lexx - Cycle IV.
In 2004 Floyd Kane joined Halifax Film as Vice-President, Creative and Business Affairs, responsible for initiating and pursuing creative properties as well as for all production business and legal affairs for Halifax Film. Floyd has been instrumental in the development of productions based on the award-winning book The Hanging of Angelique by noted Black Canadian scholar Afua Cooper, the international best-seller The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland, and Alex Caine's critically acclaimed crime memoir, Befriend and Betray.
He transitioned into writing with his creation of the half hour CBC drama North/South. Since that time, Floyd has written for a range of series including Continuum, Slasher, and Backstage, as well as producing several feature films including the award-winning, Across the Line, (for which he also wrote the screenplay), Shake Hands with the Devil, and The Incredible 25th Year of Mitzi Bearclaw. Floyd is the creator, showrunner, and executive producer for the CBC drama DIGGSTOWN. He was the recipient of the Sandi Ross award from ACTRA Toronto which recognizes the efforts of individuals striving to create a more inclusive media industry.
Dr. Rituparna Kanungo
Dr. Rituparna Kanungo is a professor of physics and Department Chair of the Astronomy and Physics Department at Saint Mary’s University and an Affiliate Scientist of TRIUMF in Vancouver. She was born and raised in Kolkata, India where she earned her Ph.D. degree. Her research area is experimental subatomic physics with a specialization in rare isotope science. She is the leader of major research facility projects funded by CFI and stationed at TRIUMF. She is also the principal investigator (spokesperson) of experiments at GSI-FAIR in Germany, RIKEN-RI Beam Factory in Japan and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) in USA.
Her research accomplishments have been recognized with the GSI Exotic Nuclei Community Award in 2003, the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship in 2006, NSERC DAS award in 2011, the CAP-TRIUMF Vogt Medal in 2018, Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2019. She has presented a large number of international invited talks, among which is the honorable invitation to speak at the Nobel Symposium.
She is currently serving as the Director of International Affairs on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) and the Chair of the Canadian National IUPAP liaison committee. She is an Editorial Board Member of Physical Review C and Nuclear Physics News International. She is the Canadian representative in the Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee (NuPECC). She serves on the international jury of the GENCO prize selection committee and the NSERC Gerhard Herzberg Gold Medal prize selection committee. She has served as the President of the Canadian Institute of Nuclear Physics and the Chair of the CAP-NSERC liaison committee. She has also served on the Policy and Planning Advisory Committee of TRIUMF and the TRIUMF five-year plan steering committee. She is serving on the Scientific Advisory Committee of GANIL in France and served on the science review panel of FRIB.
She has attracted significant federal research funding, ~ $9.6 million, as principal investigator from NSERC and CFI grants to Saint Mary’s University. She has hosted and chaired the international conference Direct Reactions of Exotic Beams in 2016 at the university.
Roddy Macdonald
Roddy is an independent HR and governance consultant with more than 30 years of leadership experience gained across multiple industries. His clients seek him out for strategic and operational HR advice; conducting workplace investigations, policy reviews, and employee surveys; and coaching senior and emerging leaders. He regularly consults in the areas of labour relations, organizational design, succession planning, and performance management.
In his governance consulting, Roddy’s work has a particular focus on board evaluation and performance improvement: allowing boards to identify gaps and take action to improve governance outcomes and enhance succession planning efforts.
Roddy serves on the board of Feed Nova Scotia (Board Secretary, Audit Committee, Governance Committee), and recently completed two terms on the board of Symphony Nova Scotia (chair HR Committee, chair Governance Committee). He has previously served on the board of Mountain Equipment Co-Op, as well as various local community boards and advisory committees.
Roddy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the Sobey School of Business Executive MBA program. He has a CPHR designation (Chartered Professional in Human Resources), as well as the ICD.D governance designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Thomas Waithe
Thomas, a fourth-year undergraduate at Saint Mary's University, is deeply committed to his studies in finance and economics, with a keen interest in health and wellness. Originally from Barbados, he holds crucial positions as Chair of the Finance Committee and Board of Governors representative for the Saint Mary’s University Student Association (SMUSA), where he works closely with other Directors to ensure the organization's success. During his tenure on the Board of Governors, he will serve on the Governance committee, as well as the honorary degree committee.
Furthermore, Thomas has a strong drive for learning and personal development, which he has pursued through co-op placements at Emera, where he gained practical experience in logistics, and Deloitte, where he gained insights into disputes and litigation. Drawing on this knowledge and experience, he provides support to his peers in their academic pursuits, helping them build a strong foundation for life after graduation.
Anna Marenick
Anna Marenick (MBA 2007), is the Vice President of People, Culture, and Belonging at Nova Scotia Health. She is a successful human resources and transformational change leader with extensive regional and national experience leading multi-faceted and complex programs in diverse and challenging environments.
Prior to joining Nova Scotia Health, she was the senior director of people and governance at Develop Nova Scotia. Her creative, inclusive approach to solving complex problems in a variety of settings makes her exceptional at collaboratively propelling ideas and people forward.
Anna is actively involved in the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference.
Anna has a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University and Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from St. Francis Xavier University. She is also a Prosci Certified Change Management Professional, Certified Governance Professional, and a Chartered Professional in Human Resources.
Bafana Mashingaidze
Bafana is an experienced Customer Success Manager, in the Tech Industry, with a demonstrated history of working with customers to increase their value generation. In addition to mentoring , Bafana has continually been involved with community activities with some of his other current Board positions including the role of Vice President of the SMU Alumni Council. He holds a B. Sc. Honours from Saint Mary’s University and an MBA from the Sobey School of Business.
Sarah McLean
Sarah is a highly regarded public affairs and corporate communications practitioner in Atlantic Canada.
As Vice President, Communications and Corporate Affairs at Maritime Launch, Sarah draws on her vast experience in both government and the private sector, leading Maritime Launch's communications, public affairs, government relations and community engagement strategies.
Previous to joining Maritime Launch, Sarah was Associate Vice President, Corporate Affairs at NATIONAL Public Relations. During her ten years at NATIONAL, Sarah led Corporate Affairs and Indigenous engagement and she was considered a trusted advisor for clients seeking to secure social license in the communities they operate. Sarah provided strong, seasoned counsel to a wide range of clients in the financial, natural resources, energy, retail, health and economic development sectors.
Previous to joining NATIONAL, Sarah led policy development and provided issues management counsel to high profile federal Cabinet Ministers in Ottawa. Sarah has served as Director of Policy to the President of the Treasury Board, Policy Advisor to the Minister of International Trade and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
Sarah is Incident Command System (ICS) and IAP2 certified. Sarah is a graduate of the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University, where she studied Finance and Political Science.
Sarah is a 2022 alumni of the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference. Sarah serves on the Board of Directors for the Canada Games Center and Genome Atlantic.
Kellie Sauriol
Kellie is Regional Vice President, Business Financial Services for RBC Royal Bank. She holds responsibility for RBC’s Business Financial Services business in Atlantic Canada. Through a team of approximately 190 professionals, RBC is delivering financial advice and services to businesses throughout Atlantic Canada.
Kellie is a graduate of both Saint Mary’s University (Bachelor of Arts, Sociology) and the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management (Master of Business Administration).
Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Kellie joined RBC in 1998 in Atlantic Canada and over her 20+ year career has held a variety of sales and leadership roles in Personal and Commercial banking and Wealth Management in Halifax and Toronto. She has also worked in Human Resources, Sales Support, and held responsibility for RBC’s Mutual Funds Distribution strategy.
Kellie has always been very involved in community activities, raising funds for many charitable causes, and providing volunteer time for many initiatives. Kellie served as a Director with Child Development Institute in Toronto for 9 years – a board she chaired for 2 years and served on several Committees including Executive, Audit & Risk, Nominating, Governance, Strategic Planning, and Diversity & Youth Engagement.
Vivek Sood
Vivek Sood is Executive Vice President, Related Businesses for Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. as well as Executive Sponsor for Empire’s Enterprise Resource Planning Initiative, with national responsibility for the Pharmacy, Wholesale, Fuel, Convenience, and Liquor business units. He has been with Sobeys Inc. since 2000 having held several senior level positions in Pharmacy, Merchandising, Treasury, Investor Relations, and Corporate Strategic Planning. Vivek also serves as Chair of Empire’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council.
Vivek is a Board Governor for GS1 Canada, Committee Member for Canada Health Infoway PrescribeITÒ Strategy & Industry Alliances, Board Director for Black Business Consulting, and is Chair of the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing & Services at Saint Mary’s University’s Sobey School of Business. A strong supporter of innovation in Atlantic Canada, Vivek served as a member of the Investment Committee for Innovacorp and as an associate member, and mentor, for both the Atlantic and Atlanta Creative Destruction Lab programs.
Vivek graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University. He received his Chartered Financial Analyst Designation from the CFA Institute in 2004. In 2021, Vivek completed the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program, the leading national education program for experienced board directors in Canada.
Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray
Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray was named the 34th President of Saint Mary’s University in July, 2015. Originally from New Zealand, Summerby-Murray came to Canada in 1986 to complete his PhD at the University of Toronto. He’s since established a distinguished academic career that includes 18 years at Mount Allison University, where he served for seven years as Dean of Social Sciences, and five years at Dalhousie University as Dean of Arts and Social Sciences. An accomplished educator, Summerby-Murray received the AAU Distinguished Teacher Award in 2000 and was named a 3M National Teaching Fellow in 2006. He has received various SSHRC funding, including for his work on industrial heritage in Maritime Canada. His publications have appeared in a variety of scholarly journals such as The Canadian Geographer, Urban History Review, and the Journal of Geography in Higher Education. “I chose Saint Mary’s University because it is uniquely positioned to take on the many opportunities that lie before it,” said Summerby-Murray. “This is an institution with many strengths, not the least of which is its reputation as Canada’s international university.”
Zhi Rui Tan (Shiray)
Zhi Rui Tan, also known as Shiray, is a third-year marketing student from Malaysia and the current President of Saint Mary’s University Students' Association (SMUSA). Prior to her presidency, Shiray was elected as the Cheerleading Team Captain at SMU and received several awards for her exceptional leadership skills, including Principle and Leadership Awards in Malaysia. She has also held various appointed and elected positions, such as Student Director, Prom Committee President, House Captain, Volleyball Team Captain, and Cheersquad Captain, among others. Through these experiences, Shiray has developed a strong passion for empowering and representing her fellow students.
As SMUSA President, Shiray's vision is to ensure that all SMU students are well-represented and taken care of. She hopes that the love she has for them is communicated clearly through her work, and that students know how deeply she cares for them.
Her role includes acting as the official representative and primary spokesperson for SMU's student body. She is responsible for advancing the best interests of SMUSA and its members, while also managing and overseeing the Association's day-to-day operations. She is held accountable for the overall success and well-being of the Association by the Board.
Sian Wren
Sian is an experienced senior executive with over 25 years leading in complex and rapidly changing business environments. She works as the Vice President of Business Transformation for Emera Inc., a Fortune 100 geographically diverse utility and services company based in Halifax, NS. Sian has expertise in human resources, labor relations, change enablement, communications, stakeholder engagement, customer service, and project management.
Early in her career, Sian held numerous roles in human resources in the hospitality and gaming sector. Prior to joining Emera Sian worked for a Fortune 200 consumer packaged goods company as the National Director of Staffing and Development for Canada. Recognized as a strong team player with proven business and people leadership skills, she is committed to the success of Saint Mary’s University.
With a demonstrated commitment to the community, she has been involved with the Saint Mary’s Alumni Association, Dress for Success, the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) and currently, Sian also serves on the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth.
Sian has a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Mary’s University and a Master of Public Administration from Dalhousie University. She is a certified Negotiations and Mediation Professional, Dalhousie University, a certified Train the Trainer Professional, Development Dimension International Inc. (DDI), and a certified Change Management Professional, Prosci. Sian holds a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation.
Jason Rhinelander
Dr. Jason Rhinelander is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Engineering, Faculty of Science, at Saint Mary’s University. He is the inaugural Head of Technology and Innovation at the David Sobey Centre where he seeks to apply machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions to real-world challenges. His research interests include AI ethics, retail applications of machine learning technologies, and computer vision.
Dr. Rhinelander holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carleton University in Ottawa, ON. He also holds an M.Eng in Electrical Engineering and a B.Eng in Electrical Engineering (Computing and Communications specialty), both from Memorial University in St. John’s, NL.
Ben Gaunce
Ben Gaunce is the Head of Speech-Language Pathology at Lifemark Health Group. He facilitates and conducts the assessment and treatment of adults with speech, language, voice and swallowing disorders stemming from strokes, traumatic brain injuries and concussions. He started the department in 2019 and has since grown its reach to all Ontario and Maritime Lifemark clinics.
Gaunce holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Psychology from Saint Mary's University (2017) and a Master's of Applied Science in Speech-Language Pathology from McGill University (2019).
He served on the Saint Mary's Board of Governors previously in 2017 through his position as Vice President of University Affairs for the Saint Mary's University Students' Association. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Spatz Theatre where he promotes arts and culture through the operation and management of the community space. Gaunce is proud to be returning to SMU to lend his governance experience, share his view as a young alumnus, and advocate for community advancement.
Dr. Ather Akbari
Dr. Ather Akbari is professor of economics at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. He is a labour economist with research interest in issues related to economics of immigration and education. He has published in several peer-reviewed academic journals on public finance and labour market impacts of immigration in Canada and has also conducted many immigration research projects for federal and provincial governments in Canada. He has testified twice in front of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on immigration. Two of his most recently completed works for provincial governments include Immigration in Nova Scotia: Who Comes, Who Stays, Who Leaves and why? and Impacts of Provincially and Territorially Administered Immigration Programs in Canada. His on-going work on Satisfaction and Well-being of International Students in Atlantic Canada is supported by Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Dr. Akbari’s work is often cited in the news media where he is also often interviewed. National and international newspapers such as The Globe and Mail, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times and The Economist magazine have cited his immigration research. He chairs the Atlantic Research Group on Economics of Immigration, Aging and Diversity (ARGEIAD) and is also the Coordinator of the Master of Applied Economics (MAE) program and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Applied Economics program (PBCAE) at the Sobey School of Business.
Louie Velocci
As the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Partner for KPMG in Canada’s Management Consulting practice, Louie is a highly qualified senior business leader with cross functional, cross industry experience, leveraging over 25 years of know-how to effectively manage and handle the day-to-day business operations. His role works in conjunction with the National Management Consulting Lead Partner, KPMG’s Management Committee and Board to support the business’s operational functions by:
- Maintaining and directing the daily operations of the practice, including overseeing human resources, finance, sales, IT, and pursuits, as well as overseeing the work of executives
- Reporting to the KPMG Leadership about the practice’s daily operations and developments to the business operations strategy
- Overseeing all legal and risk-related matters for the Management Consulting practice nationally
- Ensuring consistent alignment with current company policies and business objectives to support the growth of the practice.
Prior to this role, Louie focused more closely on IT the delivery of large-scale IT transformations and shared services arrangements. He assisted some our largest client’s CIOs, CTOs, CISOs and senior management teams to align their IT service delivery approach and frameworks with the strategic business imperatives of their organization. This included providing pragmatic solutions to IT and business risk mitigation and helping Boards and Management understand the risks and impacts of emerging technologies to the organization.
He has developed considerable thought leadership on the topics of cloud computing, shared service and control alignment, IT transformation, critical infrastructure design and protection and continues to work with IT standards bodies and has been involved with Industry Canada’s initiatives on Cloud Computing. This roundtable council is currently examining the role that the public and private sectors will need to play in the widespread adoption of cloud computing in Canada. It is examining infrastructure, controls, requirements for regulation, legal and resource considerations.
Louie previously led a large global consulting firm’s IT Security and Forensic practice in Canada. He has hands on experience leading and executing IT risk assessment projects and third-party outsourcing organizations engagements on both national and international levels.
Louie also works with organizations in the financial, insurance and telecommunications industries to examine global issues which may impact these industries. Additionally, he holds a Government of Canada Level II Security Clearance which allows him to work on highly sensitive projects involving the Canadian Government..