Annual Report 2017 - Board of Directors
George Abbott, Chair of the Board
Location: Victoria Chair since: April 1, 2017 Director since: January 6, 2014
Latest date for retirement: April 1, 2022 Appointed by: Board
Positions Held:
Ex officio, Governance & Human Resources Committee
Ex officio, Finance & Audit Committee
Ex officio, Strategic Advisory Committee
George Abbott is a veteran politician and a doctoral candidate in Political Science at the University of Victoria. First elected as an MLA for the Shuswap in 1996, George has served as Minister of Education, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, Minister of Health, Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services, and Minister of Sustainable Resource Management.
George was Deputy House Leader for the Official Opposition and critic for municipal affairs and forests. He was Deputy Chair of the select standing committees on Forests, Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and was a member of the select standing committee on Aboriginal Affairs. Additionally, he sat on the Official Opposition Caucus Committee on Crime.
Before his election to the Legislative Assembly, George was a political science instructor at Okanagan University College. He also owned the oldest and largest berry farm in the Interior.
Ian Banks
Location: North Vancouver Director since: January 6, 2014
Latest date for retirement: January 6, 2020 Appointed by: Board
Positions Held:
Member, Strategic Advisory Committee
Member, Finance & Audit Committee
Ian Banks has 20 years diverse business experience in operations, finance, sales, marketing and IT. Currently, Ian is Chief Information Officer at Metrie, North America's leading manufacturer and distributor of solid wood and MDF finishing products.
Prior to joining Metrie, Ian worked with Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers; was president of an Internet-based startup, and was Vice President of Global IT at PMC-Sierra. He also led the Western Canadian IT services and software solutions team at TELUS, was a management consultant at Fujitsu; was CIO at a major transportation services Crown corporation, and served as visiting professor at SFU's MBA Program.
Ian’s board experience includes for-profit and not-for-profit Boards including the CIO Association of Canada and The Bloom Group (formerly Saint James Community Service Society).
Karen Bazylewski
Location: Coquitlam Director since: April 10, 2015
Latest date for retirement: April 10, 2021 Appointed by: Board
Positions Held:
Member, Governance & Human Resources Committee
Member, Strategic Advisory Committee
Karen Bazylewski has been active in the construction industry for over 35 years and is a member of the Mechanical Contractors Association of BC and the British Columbia Construction Association. Karen is currently a project manager with Keith Plumbing & Heating Co. Ltd. (a division of Modern Niagra). She is a former Board member of both the Construction Industry Training Organization (Chair, Program Standards Committee) and the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (Executive, Education, Awards of Excellence (Chair), Partnership, Manufacturers and Suppliers (Chair) and Trade Contractors Committees). She is also a past member and president of the Canadian Construction Women Association (CCW). In 2002, Karen was the recipient of the VRCA/CCW Outstanding Women in Construction Award.
Jeremy Black
Location: Whistler Director since: April 2, 2017
Latest date for retirement: April 2, 2023 Appointed by: Board
Positions Held:
Member, Finance & Audit Committee
Jeremy Black is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA) and business executive with over 25 years of varied and increasingly senior multidisciplinary business, financial and leadership experience. Most recently, he was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Whistler Blackcomb where he led finance, investor relations, information technology and strategy development initiatives for the largest and most visited four-season mountain resort in North America.
Prior to joining Whistler Blackcomb in 2013, Jeremy was the Vice President, Business Development & Corporate Secretary of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. In addition to bringing significant financial expertise to the Board, he brings an in-depth knowledge of safety and risk management, including experience as an asset owner responsible for multiple technologies overseen by Technical Safety BC.
Neil Cumming
Location: Richmond Director since: March 31, 2016
Latest date for retirement: March 31, 2022 Appointed by: Minister
Positions Held:
Member, Governance & Human Resources Committee
Member, Strategic Advisory Committee
Neil is a civil engineer and business leader with extensive experience in civil engineering, business management and project management in BC. He is a former President and CEO of Levelton Consultants Ltd. where he enjoyed success in a number of technical, managerial and leadership positions. Neil has been active with numerous business practice and technical committees of the Canadian Standards Association, the American Concrete Institute, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC, and the Canadian Construction Documents Committee. He was a Director of the Consulting Engineers of BC (now ACEC-BC) from 2001-05, and served as President in 2003-04. He has also served on the national Board of Directors of the Canadian Council of Independent Laboratories.
Brenda Eaton
Location: Victoria Director since: January 6, 2014
Latest date for retirement: January 6, 2020 Appointed by: Board
Positions Held:
Chair, Strategic Advisory Committee
Brenda Eaton is a seasoned corporate director serving on the Boards of FortisBC, Westland Insurance, Transelec, and the Project Board overseeing construction of Victoria's new sewage treatment plant. She is also Vice Chair of the federal Rail Safety Review Panel.
Prior to becoming a corporate director, Brenda held a variety of senior finance positions in the B.C. Government. She also served as Deputy Minister of three government departments: Finance, Energy and Social Services. For four years, she was Deputy Minister to the Premier of British Columbia, and prior to that, was CFO at a health authority.
Brenda has been awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, WXN's 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, voted Consumer Choice’s BC Businesswoman of the Year and received the University of Victoria Distinguished Alumni award.
Hugh Gordon
Location: Victoria Director since: March 29, 2012
Latest date for retirement: March 29, 2018 Appointed by: Board
Positions Held:
Chair, Finance & Audit Committee
Hugh Gordon is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia. He was a tax partner with KPMG and prior to retirement, practiced in Calgary, Victoria, Toronto and Vancouver.
In addition, he has consulted with governments on various fiscal matters and acted as a negotiator, including as Assistant Chief Negotiator for British Columbia on the Nisga’a land claim and self-government negotiations. Hugh has served on various civic, charitable and business boards and commissions, including the boards of BC Rail, the University of Victoria and as Board Chair and Chancellor of Royal Roads University.
He is currently Chair of the Board of the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society and on the board of the British Columbia Wine Authority. Hugh is a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and in 2003 he received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Royal Roads University.
Geordie Henderson
Location: Vancouver Director since: January 6, 2014
Latest date for retirement: January 6, 2020 Appointed by: Board
Positions Held:
Chair, Governance & Human Resources Committee
Geordie Henderson is a software industry entrepreneur, investor and business principal with extensive software product development, sales, service delivery, and management experience.
Geordie is currently SVP, Engineering at Bench Accounting, a leading online bookkeeping service provider. Previous to Bench, Geordie led the software development team at Hootsuite. He is also active in Vancouver’s software start-up community as an investor, mentor, board member and technical diligence advisor.
Alison Narod
Location: Vancouver Director since: March 31, 2012
Latest date for retirement: March 31, 2018 Appointed by: Board
Positions Held:
Member, Finance & Audit Committee
Member, Strategic Advisory Committee
Alison Narod practices in the areas of labour and employment law, human rights, workers compensation, family and administrative law at the Vancouver law firm of Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP. Alison is currently a Disciplinary Panel Chair for the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, a member of the Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Board, and a Director of ACT Autism Community Training Society.
Doug Scott
Location: Vancouver Director since: March 31, 2016
Latest date for retirement: March 31, 2022 Appointed by: Minister
Positions Held:
Member, Governance & Human Resources Committee
Doug Scott is a construction industry senior level executive and entrepreneur with extensive commercial design-build and industrial facilities construction expertise, including business process re-engineering, infrastructure re-design and financial and business development negotiations.
Doug is currently the President and Owner of Wales McLelland Construction, a leading firm for over 45 years in the commercial design-build construction industry. Prior to Wales McLelland Construction, Doug held Senior Project manager and Project Engineer positions with a large international, heavy-civil contractor. He currently serves as a benefits trustee with the Independent Contractors and Business Association (ICBA) and previously served as an ICBA Board Member. Doug has an engineering degree from Queen’s University and is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and a registered Professional Engineer in BC.
Gail Stephens
Location: Victoria Director since: December 7, 2017
Latest date for retirement: December 7, 2023 Appointed by: Minister
Gail Stephens brings more than 20 years of experience leading large, complex organizations to the Technical Safety BC board of directors. Her past experience includes serving as CEO of the British Columbia Pension Corporation and as the chief administrative officer for the City of Winnipeg and City Manager for the City of Victoria.
Most recently, Gail was the startup chief operating officer, then interim president and chief executive officer for the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, where she led the museum and its management departments through its first few years of operation.
Gail has sat on numerous boards, including Coast Capital Savings, the David Foster Foundation, Via Rail Canada Inc. and the BC Industry Training Authority. She is currently the president of Gail Stephens Consulting, which provides management consulting services.