Board of directors

Career

Jacques Martin is a corporate director. He has been the Chair of the Board since September 2018. He spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs in London and New York where he was Managing Director and Head of International Equities at the time of his departure in 2003. From 2004 until 2008, he was Senior Vice-President, International Equities, based in New York, for the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Quebec.

Mr. Martin is currently a member of the Board of Directors of RGA Life Reinsurance Company of Canada.

Mr. Martin holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and a Bachelor of Law from Université de Montréal. He also holds an MBA and a certificate in corporate governance from INSEAD. He is a member of the Quebec Bar.

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

William F. Chinery is a corporate director. Until early 2013, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock Asset Management Canada. During his 13 years with BlackRock and its predecessor, Barclays Global Investors, Mr. Chinery was a Managing Director in both the Toronto and San Francisco offices with various responsibilities including heading Latin America and the Americas Institutional Business. Prior to BlackRock, he spent 6 years as Senior Vice-President Quantitative Products at YMG Capital Management Inc. where he was responsible for managing Tactical Asset Allocation products for pension plans and mutual funds. He started his career at Mercer where he had account responsibility for some of the largest pension plans in Canada. He also started the Mercer Investment Consulting practice.

Mr. Chinery was formerly on the Board of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and was the past Chair of their Investment Committee. He is also a Trustee and Chair of the Board of the Toronto Fire Department Superannuation and Benefit Fund. Finally, he is a member of the Investment Committee of GreenSky Capital Inc.

Mr. Chinery is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. He holds a B.Math. with honours from the University of Waterloo and has his ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

Benoit Daignault is a corporate director. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of EDC between February 2014 and February 2019. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Daignault served as Senior Vice-President, Financing and Investments, after having served as Senior Vice-President, Business Development. Prior to joining EDC in 2004, Mr. Daignault worked for more than 10 years at General Electric Capital, where he held increasingly senior positions in both Canada and the United States.

Mr. Daignault currently serves on the Advisory Committee of COPAP Inc., a corporation offering international trade finance and supply chain solutions. He also previously served on the Board of Directors of the Conference Board of Canada.

Mr. Daignault holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from HEC Montréal and is a designated Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He completed the Proteus Programme at the London Business School and the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University.

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

Martin Gagnon is a corporate director. He has over 25 years of experience in banking, asset management and brokerage firms. From 2016 to 2023, Mr. Gagnon was Executive Vice-President, Wealth Management and Co-President and Co-CEO of National Bank Financial (NBF), where he was responsible for all wealth management activities. He was an active member of the Office of the President, participating in its transformation and chairing many of its subsidiaries, and led the development of a high performing team that delivered top results in the Canadian wealth management industry while transforming the business. Between 2003 and 2016, he held positions of increasing responsibility with National Bank of Canada and its subsidiaries. Prior to joining the bank, Mr. Gagnon held senior positions in Canada and the United States, notably with Goldman Sachs and Laurentian Bank between 1995 and 2003.

Mr. Gagnon has always been committed to various charities, foundations and associations. He volunteers for the people experiencing homelessness at the Welcome Hall Mission in downtown Montreal and is a member of the Relais & Châteaux organizing committee at the Foundation of the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec, an institution for training in tourism, hospitality and restaurant services in Quebec. He was a member of the board of directors of the Association of Quebec Women in Finance, chair of the board of directors of the Fondation de l’Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, chair of the Human Resources Committee of the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. He was also governor and co-president of several Centraide Greater Montreal campaigns.

Mr. Gagnon also chairs the Board of Directors of certain iA Financial Group wealth management subsidiaries.

Mr. Gagnon holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Finance from Université du Québec à Montréal and a Master of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Information as of May 2024

Career

Alka Gautam is a corporate director. She has more than 20 years of experience in the reinsurance and insurance industries. From 2000 to 2023, she held various senior leadership positions including CFO, CRO, COO and, since 2015, President and CEO of RGA Life Reinsurance Company of Canada (RGA Canada) where she was responsible for leading all business activities of RGA’s Canadian operations, including establishing, implementing and overseeing short- and long-term goals, strategies, and operating and financial plans. From 2019 to 2023, Ms. Gautam was also Executive Vice-President, Global Operations at Reinsurance Group of America Incorporated (RGA). From 2015 to 2023, she was an executive member of the Board of Directors of RGA Canada. Prior to joining RGA, from 1996 to 2000, Ms. Gautam was Senior Manager, Financial Institutions and Real Estate Group at KPMG LLP (KPMG) and held positions of increasing responsibility at KPMG between 1990 and 1996.

From 2016 to 2023, Ms. Gautam was a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) and throughout her tenure, she was a member of and chaired the Board of Directors and various CLHIA standing committees. From 2020 to 2023, she also was a member of the Board of Directors of LL Global, Inc. (LIMRA and LOMA).

Ms. Gautam holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from Dalhousie University. She holds the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nova Scotia CPA designation and has her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

Emma K. Griffin is a corporate director. From 2020 to 2023, Ms. Griffin was a director of ED&F Man Holdings as a condition precedent to the financial restructuring which subsequently took place. From 2015 to 2018, she was a director and strategic advisor for Golder Associates, now part of WSP Global Inc. From 2016 to 2019, Ms. Griffin was a director of Aimia Inc. From 2014 to 2015, she was managing director and co-founder of Refined Selection Limited, a holding company created to invest in the professional services and recruitment industries. From 2002 to 2013, Ms. Griffin was a founding partner of Oriel Securities, an independent brokerage firm recognized for its independence and for providing trusted advice, which was sold to Stifel Financial Corp. Until November 2016, Ms. Griffin was also Chair of the board of Cancer Research UK’s Catalyst Club, a pioneering venture that raises money for personalized medicine research.

Ms. Griffin has served as director of Claridge Inc. since November 2017 and since January 2020, she has served as a director of one of its key investments, Solotech Inc. In May 2023, she was also named a non-executive director of NM Rothschild & Sons Limited, a privately owned independent financial services group. In addition, Ms. Griffin is a member of the Boards of Directors of SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust plc, and St. Jame's Place plc.

Ms. Griffin holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Oxford University.

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

Ginette Maillé is a corporate director. She was Executive Vice-President and Special Advisor to the President and CEO at Aéroports de Montréal from July 2023 until December 2023. Prior to that appointment, she served as Vice-President, Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer. She has more than 30 years of financial, operational and strategic experience in startups and large companies, both private and publicly listed (TSX and NASDAQ), operating nationally and internationally. In particular, she was with Yellow Pages Ltd. for 14 years, where she held the position of Vice-President and Chief Accounting Officer to later be promoted to Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer. She has also held management positions in the field of information technology, particularly in the area of digital transformation. She sat on the board of Financial Executives International Canada (Quebec chapter) from 2014 to 2017. Ms. Maillé is currently a member of the Boards of Directors of La Fondation Le Chaînon and of Association d’entraide Le Chaînon inc. A Chartered Professional Accountant, Ms. Maillé holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science from Université du Québec à Montréal and has her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

Monique Mercier is a corporate director. She is also a Senior Advisor with the law firm Bennett Jones. During her career, she has held various executive roles in the telecommunications and technology industry. From 2014 until she retired in December 2018, she held the position of Executive Vice-President, Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal and Governance Officer at TELUS. She oversaw legal and regulatory affairs, government relations, media, real estate and sustainable development. She began her career at Stikeman Elliott as a tax lawyer in 1984. She then worked at BCE and Bell Canada International before joining Emergis in 1999, which was acquired by TELUS in 2008. Ms. Mercier previously sat on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Canada. She gives back to the community through her involvement on the Board of Directors of the Thoracic Surgery Research Foundation of Montreal.

Ms. Mercier holds a degree from the Faculty of Law at Université de Montréal and a master’s degree in political science from Oxford University, where she was awarded the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship. In June 2018, Ms. Mercier received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Canadian General Counsel Awards. In 2017, she received the title of Emeritus Lawyer from the Quebec Bar. In 2016, she was honoured as Woman of the Year by Women in Communications and Technology (WCT). In 2015, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada. Ms. Mercier also sits on the Boards of Directors of Innergex Renewable Energy Inc., Alamos Gold Inc. and TMX Group Limited.

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

Marc Poulin currently serves as a corporate director. He was a senior-level manager in the food industry in Canada. Over the last 19 years he was at Sobeys Inc., he held, successively, the roles of Vice-President, Purchasing and Merchandising, Executive Vice-President and Assistant General Manager (Quebec), Head of Operations for Quebec and, from 2012 to 2016, President and Chief Executive Officer. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Empire Company Limited from 2012 to 2016. Prior thereto, Mr. Poulin had held the strategic positions of Vice-President at Desjardins-Laurentian Life Group and at Culinar.

Mr. Poulin is a member of the Board of Directors and of the Human Resources and Corporate Governance Committee of Richelieu Hardware Ltd. He also currently advises various private companies in the food industry. Mr. Poulin previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of Sportscene Group Inc.

Mr. Poulin holds a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science from Université Laval and an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Evanston (Illinois).

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

Suzanne Rancourt is a corporate director with more than 30 years of experience in consulting and management in finance and information technology.

From 2006 to 2016, Ms. Rancourt was Vice-President Enterprise Risks and Internal Audit at CGI. Since her arrival at CGI in 1985, she held increasingly senior positions in consulting, strategy and information technology, business development, project management and corporate functions in a multinational environment. Prior to her arrival at CGI, Ms. Rancourt began her career as an auditor and worked in operations, finance and accounting in distribution, retail and financial industries.

Ms. Rancourt is chair of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Corporate Directors (Quebec Chapter).

Ms. Rancourt holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Université du Québec à Montréal and an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and was appointed Fellow of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec (Quebec CPA Order) in 2024. Ms. Rancourt also sits on the Board of Directors of WSP Global Inc.

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

Denis Ricard has been President and Chief Executive Officer of iA Financial Group since September 2018. He is an engaged leader who values employee development in a learning, socially responsible organization.

Mr. Ricard began his career at iA Financial Group in 1985, after completing his bachelor’s degree in actuarial sciences at Université Laval. Over the years, he has assumed positions of increasing responsibility in sectors ranging from actuarial to business development to corporate management.

Mr. Ricard has been involved in the community for many years. He currently serves as honorary chair for various charitable events and campaigns. Among these, he co-presides the fundraising campaign cabinet for the Maison des sciences of the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City, the Grande Campagne of the Maison Michel-Sarrazin Foundation and is a member of the campaign cabinet of the Fondation IUCPQ.

Mr. Ricard is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA) and of the Society of Actuaries (FSA). He currently serves as Chair of the 2023-2024 Board of Directors of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA).

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

Ouma Sananikone serves as a corporate director. She has extensive experience in finance, particularly investment management and ESG, covering all asset classes, including private equity, infrastructure, real estate, renewable energy and real assets, having spent over 30 years in the industry at both executive and board levels.

Ms. Sananikone was CEO of Aberdeen Asset Management (Australia), CEO of the EquitiLink Group (Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and UK) as well as founding Managing Director of BNP Investment Management (Australia).

Ms. Sananikone currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ivanhoe Cambridge (Canada), Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. and DMC Global Inc. She has also served on the Boards of Directors of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (Canada), Smarte Carte, Air-Serve Holdings (USA), Moto Hospitality Ltd (UK), State Super Corporation of NSW (Australia), Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings, LLC, Hafnia Ltd. and Xebec Adsorption Inc.. She also acted as an honorary Australian Financial Services fellow for the USA on behalf of the Australian government.

Ms. Sananikone has always been committed to the community, serving as director for a number of arts, education and charitable organizations, among them, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Ms. Sananikone holds a BA (economics and political sciences) from the Australian National University and a Master of Commerce (economics) from the University of New South Wales. She is a recipient of the Centenary Medal from the Australian Government for services to the Australian finance industry.

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

Rebecca Schechter is a Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) at Nuance Communications Inc., a Microsoft Company, focused on transforming the provider-patient experience and improving total health outcomes. She holds a track record of profitably growing and transforming businesses in group benefits, retirement and healthcare.

Prior to Nuance, Ms. Schechter was an executive at Optum, a leading health solutions and care delivery organisation where she served as Chief Executive Officer of United Behavioral Health, during which time she drove transformation across coverage, care delivery and digital capabilities. Before that, she served as Executive Vice-President, Commercial Insurance and President of Liberty Mutual Benefits where she led a division focused on group, individual life & annuities and voluntary benefits. Before joining Liberty Mutual, Ms. Schechter worked for State Street Corporation as Senior Vice-President, Asset Servicing for corporations, nonprofits and mid-market employers. She also held executive roles as Chief Risk Officer, Asset Servicing and Senior Managing Director, Electronic Trading. Prior to State Street, she held leadership roles at Thomson Financial, as well as a consulting role at McKinsey.

In 2023, Ms. Schechter joined Nina Capital, a specialized global venture capital firm investing exclusively at the intersection of healthcare and technology, as a venture partner. In addition, she serves on a nonprofit board at Jumpstart and is a member of the McGill University Desautels Global Experts Panel and of The Boston Club’s Executive Advisory Committee.

Ms. Schechter holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and a Master of Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Information as of March 12, 2024

Career

Ludwig W. Willisch is an accomplished senior executive and corporate director with 40 years of success spanning automotive, finance and economics. Mr. Willisch has spent over 20 years holding positions of increasing responsibility with BMW, including Head of BMW Japan, Head of Sales Region Europe of BMW Group, President and CEO of BMW of North America LLC, and Head of BMW Group Region Americas. In that capacity, he was responsible for all sales, marketing, after-sales and distribution activities of BMW Group in the Americas (North and South America plus Caribbean).

He has held board positions with BMW (US) Holding Corp., BMW NA, and Designworks/USA, Inc. In addition, he has served as Vice Chair of the German American Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Manufacturing Council to the United States Secretary of Commerce.

Mr. Willisch currently serves on the Board of HYDAC Corp. Bethlehem PA. He is a member of the Automotive Advisory Board of Roechling SE, Mannheim, Germany. Furthermore, Mr. Willisch serves on the board of the American Council on Germany, New York. He is also a business advisor to the consulting company Accenture.

In addition, Mr. Willisch also serves on the boards of certain U.S. subsidiaries of iA Financial Group.

Mr. Willisch holds a Diplom-Volkswirt (equivalent to a master’s degree) in economics from the University of Cologne.

Information as of March 12, 2024