Board of
Directors

Fred is a retired partner of Ernst & Young Canada, having retired in 2014 after 37 years with the Firm.His various roles prior to retirement were as Chief Development Officer for Canada (2011 to 2014), Managing Partner Western Canada (2005 to 2011), Managing Partner British Columbia (2001 to 2005) and Program Director for the Ernst & Young Pacific Region Entrepreneur of the Year Program (2001 to 2010).

Fred has been active at the University as a member of the Sauder School of Business Faculty Advisory Board (2004 to 2014) and served as Vice Chair of the Board from 2007 to 2014. He chaired the Opening Worlds Campaign, a campaign for the major redevelopment of the business school facilities.

Fred is a member of the Thunderbird Big Block Club (rowing) and represented Canada at the 1977 Rowing World Championships and the 1979 Pan American Games (silver medal).

In the community, Fred serves as Vice-Chair of the Vancouver Symphony Foundation and is a board member of Junior Achievement of British Columbia and the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. He is a past chair of the Vancouver Symphony Society, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum, and Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs of Greater Vancouver, and a past vice chair of the Vancouver Board of Trade. Fred is married to Dr. Kathy Jones (BSc’80) and together they are the proud parents of 4 daughters.

Debra Doucette is President and CEO of Odlum Brown Limited, a full-service investment firm headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Debra leads with objective and strategic insight developed from an accomplished career in the investment industry spanning over 35 years.

Debra has earned a reputation for her vision, passion and dedication as a leader in the business community. She is a board member of Providence Health Care, Drug Free Kids Canada, the UBC Sauder School of Business Faculty Advisory Board and the alumni UBC Board of Directors. Debra is also a former Industry Director and Chair of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund.

Debra is a strong supporter of Odlum Brown’s sponsorship and charitable giving programs. In 2021, she was honoured with the Order of British Columbia for her community leadership, and in 2016 received the Joseph and Rosalie Segal United Way Community Vision Award. Debra was also recognized as a 2017 Canada’s Most Admired^TM CEO and received a 2016 BC CEO Award from Business in Vancouver. In 2015, she received an Influential Women in Business Award. In 2012, Debra was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the BC Community Achievement Award, and was also inducted into the Women’s Executive Network’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Hall of Fame after being recognized as one of the Top 100 for three consecutive years.

Shom Sen is a corporate director and a company advisor. He has served in senior strategy, marketing and business development roles in the United States and Asia in leading Fortune 500 companies such as Kraft Foods, H. J. Heinz, Sara Lee, Mondelez and Royal Dutch Shell. He has led both organic growth initiatives as well as successful joint ventures, strategic alliances and M&A deals including being a core team member on a global multi-billion dollar acquisition.

After returning to Canada, Shom served as the Assistant Deputy Minister of International Trade in British Columbia before being selected as the first recipient of the Jack Wadsworth Fellowship by Asia Society (New York). Most recently, he was the President and CEO of BCAA, a large non-profit organization with insurance, car share and road assist services. Shom was recognized as a Glassdoor Top CEO in Canada in 2018.

In terms of board experience, Shom has served on the boards of BCAA, Preventable, the Campaign Cabinet of the United Way (Lower Mainland) and the Presidents Group, which aims to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Shom is a graduate of the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School. He received his ICD.D. designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Connie Fair has a BCom and MBA from UBC. She also obtained the designation of CPA, CMA and was named a Fellow of the BC CPA. Connie is a member of the Real Estate Institute of British Columbia and was awarded an honorary designation with the Appraisal Institute of Canada to recognize her work within the professional appraisal community. In 2012, she earned her designation as an Institute-Certified Director through the Institute of Corporate Directors. Connie was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the WXN, awarded Top CEO in the Public Services category by Business in Vancouver and a Woman of Distinction in Business and Professions by the YWCA.

At the end of 2020, Connie Fair retired after working almost 40 years in various executive roles in real estate and the public sector. Her most recent position was five years as the President and CEO of the Land Title and Survey Authority of BC (LTSA), a world leader in land-related registries offering online services. Prior to the LTSA, Connie spent eight years as the President and CEO of BC Assessment, where she helped that organization earn a reputation as one of the world’s leaders in property assessment. Earlier in her career, Connie worked as a real estate consultant, and was the Associate Director of the Real Estate Division within the UBC’s Sauder School of Business Administration.

An accomplished author and speaker, Connie is recognized internationally as an expert in leadership and the innovative application of technology in property valuation, registries and customer service.

Debra Doucette is President and CEO of Odlum Brown Limited, a full-service investment firm headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Debra leads with objective and strategic insight developed from an accomplished career in the investment industry spanning over 35 years.

Debra has earned a reputation for her vision, passion and dedication as a leader in the business community. She is a board member of Providence Health Care, Drug Free Kids Canada, the UBC Sauder School of Business Faculty Advisory Board and the alumni UBC Board of Directors. Debra is also a former Industry Director and Chair of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund.

Debra is a strong supporter of Odlum Brown’s sponsorship and charitable giving programs. In 2021, she was honoured with the Order of British Columbia for her community leadership, and in 2016 received the Joseph and Rosalie Segal United Way Community Vision Award. Debra was also recognized as a 2017 Canada’s Most Admired^TM CEO and received a 2016 BC CEO Award from Business in Vancouver. In 2015, she received an Influential Women in Business Award. In 2012, Debra was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the BC Community Achievement Award, and was also inducted into the Women’s Executive Network’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Hall of Fame after being recognized as one of the Top 100 for three consecutive years.

Connie Fair has a BCom and MBA from UBC. She also obtained the designation of CPA, CMA and was named a Fellow of the BC CPA. Connie is a member of the Real Estate Institute of British Columbia and was awarded an honorary designation with the Appraisal Institute of Canada to recognize her work within the professional appraisal community. In 2012, she earned her designation as an Institute-Certified Director through the Institute of Corporate Directors. Connie was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the WXN, awarded Top CEO in the Public Services category by Business in Vancouver and a Woman of Distinction in Business and Professions by the YWCA.

At the end of 2020, Connie Fair retired after working almost 40 years in various executive roles in real estate and the public sector. Her most recent position was five years as the President and CEO of the Land Title and Survey Authority of BC (LTSA), a world leader in land-related registries offering online services. Prior to the LTSA, Connie spent eight years as the President and CEO of BC Assessment, where she helped that organization earn a reputation as one of the world’s leaders in property assessment. Earlier in her career, Connie worked as a real estate consultant, and was the Associate Director of the Real Estate Division within the UBC’s Sauder School of Business Administration.

An accomplished author and speaker, Connie is recognized internationally as an expert in leadership and the innovative application of technology in property valuation, registries and customer service.

Mauro Manzi is Chief Commercial, Retail and Wealth Officer at Coast Capital Savings. He has over 25 years of experience in financial services with a background combining Executive Leadership roles in Commercial, Business and Retail Banking.

Prior to his role at Coast Capital, Mauro held a number of instrumental positions with TD Bank most recently as Senior Vice-President, Pacific Region where he was accountable for developing and mobilizing 3000+ employees across BC and Yukon. Previous roles at TD Bank include Vice President, Greater Toronto Area Region; District Vice President, Commercial Banking, Pacific Region; AVP Business Banking Sales and Service, and District Vice President, TD Canada Trust.

Mauro actively contributes to a number of charity and non-profit organizations through community board positions. He recently served as Secretary and Treasurer for the United Way of the Lower Mainland having also led the Campaign Cabinet prior to joining the Board. He is currently President of the Famiglia Bagnolese Society where he works to promote education, social activity, youth engagement, sports, and fine arts within the Bagnolese community, and has served as a board member for the Merrymount Children’s Centre, The Surrey Board of Trade, and the Vancouver Society of Children’s Centres.

Mauro also puts his Provincial Soccer Referee License to good use as referee for the Fraser Valley Men’s Soccer league. He resides in Surrey, BC, with his wife Luisa, and their two children aged 17 and 15 years.

Rahim Moloo is a partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP where he assists his clients to resolve their international disputes.

Concurrently, Rahim is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Law School in New York, where he teaches an advanced course on international arbitration. Rahim has also published extensively on matters of international law and international disputes. His latest book on international arbitration was published by Oxford University Press in 2018.

Mr. Moloo was named by Law360 as one of five “MVPs” for international arbitration globally for 2020, one of the top international arbitration lawyers globally by Chambers and Partners, and among the top 500 global litigation lawyers in 2021 by Lawdragon. He has also been General Counsel for an international organization, a Visiting Fellow at the Lauterpacht Center for International Law at the University of Cambridge, a Senior Fellow at Columbia Law School, and a member of the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law.

Rahim is a former recipient of alumni UBC’s Outstanding Young Alumnus award. While at UBC, Rahim won the World Public Speaking Championships and the Canadian National Debating Championships. After UBC, he obtained a graduate degree in law at NYU School of Law, where he graduated as the All-University Commencement Speaker.

Shom Sen is a corporate director and a company advisor. He has served in senior strategy, marketing and business development roles in the United States and Asia in leading Fortune 500 companies such as Kraft Foods, H. J. Heinz, Sara Lee, Mondelez and Royal Dutch Shell. He has led both organic growth initiatives as well as successful joint ventures, strategic alliances and M&A deals including being a core team member on a global multi-billion dollar acquisition.

After returning to Canada, Shom served as the Assistant Deputy Minister of International Trade in British Columbia before being selected as the first recipient of the Jack Wadsworth Fellowship by Asia Society (New York). Most recently, he was the President and CEO of BCAA, a large non-profit organization with insurance, car share and road assist services. Shom was recognized as a Glassdoor Top CEO in Canada in 2018.

In terms of board experience, Shom has served on the boards of BCAA, Preventable, the Campaign Cabinet of the United Way (Lower Mainland) and the Presidents Group, which aims to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Shom is a graduate of the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School. He received his ICD.D. designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Dr. Amin Shivji graduated from UBC in 1988 with a BSc in Biology and entered the Faculty of Dentistry at UBC, graduating in 1993. Upon graduation, he opened his first dental clinic with two partners in Vancouver, BC. In July 2017, Dr. Shivji co-founded the 123Dentist national platform, creating Canada’s oldest and largest majority-dentist owned network of over 225 dental practices and 3,000 team members. As the CEO of 123Dentist, he believes putting patients above all else is the most essential component to any successful dental practice.

Dr. Shivji is an advocate for the industry and generously contributes his time and resources to dental institutions and other worthy causes. He’s an experienced operator, an active mentor, respected clinician and still enjoys practicing dentistry today.

Howard Soon is Master Winemaker at Vanessa Vineyard Estate Winery Inc., who has spent most of his career as winemaker and is well known for sharing his expertise as a collaborator, mentor, and wine educator.

A graduate of the Faculty of Science in biochemistry, Howard spent five years in the brewing industry before steering his creativity in a new direction. For the next 37 years – from 1980 to 2017 – he was involved in winemaking at Calona Vineyards of Kelowna, including as the founding winemaker of the award-winning Sandhill Wines.

His commitment to the industry is highlighted by his volunteer work on various industry and government boards including the Scientific Advisory Board for Grape and Wine Genomics, a research project involving Genome BC and Genome Canada. He is recipient of numerous wine industry awards and was honoured as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2019.

He is an industry advisor at the UBC Wine Research Centre and is a former Faculty of Land & Food Systems Advisory Board member. Howard is a regular speaker and a panelist at UBC events on both UBC campuses and also leads local and international wine tours through the alumni UBCTravel Club program.

In 2020, UBC awarded Howard with an honorary Doctor of Science degree.

Ian is Chief Information Officer at Metrie (formerly Moulding & Millwork / Sauder Industries Ltd.). Established in 1926 as a family owned and operated company, Metrie has helped transform spaces with exquisitely crafted architectural trim. Today, Metrie is North America’s leading manufacturer and distributor of solid wood and MDF interior finishing products, with 30 distribution centers and 8 manufacturing facilities in the US and Canada.

Ian has 20-years diverse business experience in Operations, Finance, Sales, Marketing and Information Technology. Prior to joining the Metrie Team in 2013, Ian worked with Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (RBA) to develop and launch new solutions that doubled RBA’s total addressable market. Ian was President of an Internet-based startup company based in Vancouver and, from 2006-2010, as Vice President of Global IT at PMC-Sierra (a leading provider of broadband communications and storage semiconductors), Ian led an IT Team responsible for global networks, infrastructure, applications and security in North America, Europe, Israel and Asia.

Ian also led the Western Canadian IT services and software solutions team at an $8B telecommunications company, the BC-based Management Consulting Practice at Fujitsu (formerly DMR) Consulting, and was CIO at a major transportation services Crown Corporation. He also served as Visiting Professor in Simon Fraser University’s Masters in Business Administration Program.

Ian received a Bachelor in Economics degree from University of British Columbia in 1992, and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario in 1999. His Board experience includes for-profit and not-for-profit Boards including the BC Safety Authority, the CIO Association of Canada, and the Saint James Community Service Society – a large Vancouver-based charitable organization.

Michelle Cook is the assistant director of planning and events for the Government of Alberta. In a career spanning more than 20 years, Michelle has gained broad experience in the government, post-secondary education, and journalism sectors. She previously worked for Global Affairs Canada as well as the U.S. Department of State as the public affairs specialist at the U.S. Consulate General in Calgary. She also worked in UBC’s public affairs office for several years, where she specialized in promoting UBC’s research and teaching success stories to media worldwide. Her additional experience includes reporting for both of Vancouver’s daily newspapers, the Sun and the Province, and a stint at CTV Television in Calgary during the 1988 Winter Olympics.

She has a Master of Journalism from the University of British Columbia and a BA in English from McGill University in Montreal. She has lived and worked across Canada as well as in Okinawa, Japan, and Singapore, and spent a year at Hokkai Gakuen University in Sapporo, Japan, as a visiting research fellow, examining current issues in Japanese society, economy and culture.

For over 20 years, Miranda Huron, a member of the Mattawa North Bay Algonquins, has worked in Indigenous education with a specialization in language revitalization. Miranda is the Director of Indigenous Education and Affairs at Capilano University in North Vancouver. She came to this role fresh from her time as the Director of Indigenous Languages and Affairs at the Assembly of First Nations, where she led the team representing First Nations’ interests in the co-development and negotiation of the Indigenous Languages Act, which received Royal Assent under her tenure on June 21, 2019.  Miranda received both her BA and her MEd at UBC, and is currently working on her UBC doctoral research exploring the concept of co-development and its relation to self-determination.

Miranda sits on the BC Arts Council, and has sat on the Premiers’ Advisory Committee on Aboriginal Training, the UBC Vice-President’s Strategic Implementation Committee for Equity and Diversity, the UBC Senate (past) and the Capilano University Senate (current).

In her spare time, she likes to cycle across continents and spend time in the ocean or in the mountains.

Fred is a retired partner of Ernst & Young Canada, having retired in 2014 after 37 years with the Firm.His various roles prior to retirement were as Chief Development Officer for Canada (2011 to 2014), Managing Partner Western Canada (2005 to 2011), Managing Partner British Columbia (2001 to 2005) and Program Director for the Ernst & Young Pacific Region Entrepreneur of the Year Program (2001 to 2010).

Fred has been active at the University as a member of the Sauder School of Business Faculty Advisory Board (2004 to 2014) and served as Vice Chair of the Board from 2007 to 2014. He chaired the Opening Worlds Campaign, a campaign for the major redevelopment of the business school facilities.

Fred is a member of the Thunderbird Big Block Club (rowing) and represented Canada at the 1977 Rowing World Championships and the 1979 Pan American Games (silver medal).

In the community, Fred serves as Vice-Chair of the Vancouver Symphony Foundation and is a board member of Junior Achievement of British Columbia and the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. He is a past chair of the Vancouver Symphony Society, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum, and Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs of Greater Vancouver, and a past vice chair of the Vancouver Board of Trade. Fred is married to Dr. Kathy Jones (BSc’80) and together they are the proud parents of 4 daughters.

Anna Fung has practiced law in British Columbia for more than 37 years, 21 of which she served as corporate counsel at three large Canadian corporations.

Anna was appointed as a British Columbia Utilities Commissioner in 2018 and as Deputy Chair in 2019, after serving as Vice President, Legal & General Counsel for TimberWest Forest Corp., where she also served as its inaugural Chief Ethics Officer. From 2009-2011, Anna was Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at Intrawest ULC and, prior to Intrawest, served as Senior Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at Terasen Inc., for 15 years.

She is the Chair of the BC Unclaimed Property Society and has served as President of the British Columbia Law Society, Canadian Corporate Counsel Association, People’s Law School, Association of Chinese Canadian Professionals and BC Autism Association. She is a past director for Vancouver Airport Authority, the Vancouver Foundation, the BC Law Foundation, the Continuing Legal Education Society, Westcoast LEAF, the Canadian Bar Association and Arts Club Theatre Society.

In 2012, she received the UBC Allard School of Law Alumni Association Award of Distinction. She was an inaugural member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the Centre for Business Law at the Allard School of Law and also served on the alumni UBC Advisory Council from 2013-2018.

Diego Mandelbaum is the Vice President of Development at Creative Energy where he is responsible for company growth by creating new opportunities across North America to develop community energy projects and renewable infrastructure that can accelerate our transition away from fossil fuels. Prior to his role at Creative Energy, Diego was the Sector Leader and a Managing Principal at Stantec – an international engineering and design consultancy – responsible for the top line growth of British Columbia’s 350-person Buildings’ Engineering and Architecture business unit.

Diego is a participating member of several industry-related, community, and academic organizations and currently sits on UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Applied Science Alumni and Industry committee, UBC’s Alumni Advisory Committee, and was a past Board of Director for the British Columbia Construction Roundtable. Outside of work, Diego is an avid mixed martial arts fan and an active competitor in the submission-wrestling world. He also coaches wrestling and Jiujitsu and aspires to win the World Jiu-jitsu Championships.

Grant Munro is a serial entrepreneur based in Vancouver.  He is the founder of LeapMotiv, a B2B venture studio that launches three to four new software businesses a year and the founder of Getware, an AI company that helps large enterprises understand and action customer feedback.

Previously, he was founder and CEO of Flashstock Technology Inc., a leading provider of on-demand visual content for the world’s leading brands. In 2017, Flashstock was acquired by Shutterstock for $75 million Canadian. To date, Grant has helped more than 250 enterprise marketing teams, including AB InBev, L’Oréal, Nestlé, and McDonald’s, amongst many others, change the way they think, develop, and source creative content at scale.

Grant holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and a BSc in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia. He has served as an Associate at the Creative Destruction Lab at the University of British Columbia since 2017.

Laura Silvester is currently Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product at Anthill, the only HR software solution to retain and engage the deskless workforce built by people scientists. Previously, Laura has held product management, partnership, strategy, and operational leadership roles at Hootsuite, the world’s first social media management platform, at Lululemon Athletica, the global athletic product innovator, retailer and brand, and at McKinsey & Company, the global management consulting firm.

Laura graduated from the Sauder School of Business in 2011 and received the Dorothy Anne Dilworth Memorial Shield for the most outstanding female graduate in the B.Comm program based on academics and volunteer contributions. As President of the Sauder Commerce Undergraduate Society (CUS), she introduced major constitutional reform including the establishment of the CUS Board of Directors.

Building learning community is a joy for Laura. She is a co-founder and Alumni Leader of Sauder: In Real Life, a life strategy program for students at the Sauder School of Business. She also served as a Board Director for the non-profit organization, JDC West. As a strategic thinker, operational problem-solver, and purpose-driven leader, Laura’s purpose is to elevate the world by solving big problems together with other lifelong learners. Laura’s biggest learnings to date come from parenting two energetic children.

The Honourable Steven Lewis Point is a double alumnus of UBC and retained close ties with the University after receiving his Bachelor of Laws in 1985.  Mr. Point served as director of the First Nations Legal Studies program at the Peter A. Allard School of Law from 1991 to 1994.  He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2013 for his exceptional commitment in the field of law, legal and Aboriginal education, and his leadership in the Indigenous community.

In addition to his role as the 28^th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Point’s career included practicing as a lawyer, working at the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs and in the Department of Employment & Immigration, serving as a provincial court judge and the Chief Commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission, and chairing the advisory committee that worked to implement the recommendations from the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry.

Mr. Point is a member of the Skowkale First Nation and has advocated for Indigenous people throughout his career, pressing for greater recognition of their contributions and their fuller involvement in all aspects of life in British Columbia.

Mr. Point is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals, the Order of B.C, the Joseph H. Cohen Award from the Justice Institute of British Columbia Foundation, a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Order of Chilliwack, and honourary Doctorate of Laws degrees from the University of the Fraser Valley and Capilano University.

Heather McCaw rejoined her alma mater in 2018 to lead its Development and Alumni Relations (DAE) portfolio, having served previously as the Vice-President of Advancement at the University of Alberta. As UBC’s Vice-President, DAE, Heather leads the development and alumni engagement activities across the university’s two campuses. Over the course of her career, she has been involved in several major campaigns and co-directed UBC’s historic “start an evolution” fundraising and alumni engagement campaign which raised over $1.6 billion from 2008 through 2015 and actively engaged more than 130,000 alumni in the life of the university.

In addition to 25 years of experience in the post-secondary sector, Heather was vice-president of two associated consulting companies, Give Canada Fundraising Corporation and Spectrum Marketing Corporation. These organizations specialize in securing strategic business partnerships and multimillion- dollar donations on behalf of non-profit clients that have included the United Way of the Lower Mainland, the Rick Hansen Foundation, the universities of Calgary and Victoria, and the Toronto Rehab Foundation. Heather’s volunteer activities have focused on social services, education, and disability resources.

Heather has a BCom from UBC and has worked at UBC for more than 20 years in total throughout her career.

Natalie Cook Zywicki is a member of the University of British Columbia’s development and alumni engagement leadership team. As the Executive Director/AVP for alumni UBC, Natalie plays a key role in leading efforts towards establishing a strong, sustainable and growing culture of alumni engagement at UBC and building a robust, strategic partnership between the alumni association and the university.

Natalie served as the Associate Executive Director at alumni UBC during UBC’s highly successful start an evolution alumni engagement and fundraising campaign, which concluded in September 2015. This dual-goal campaign was unique in Canada and exceeded expectations by raising $1.624 billion and engaging 130,005 alumni (more than doubling the annual rate of engagement since its launch).

In 2009, Natalie was appointed the Director of University Partnerships at alumni UBC and was tasked with the unique challenge of establishing a cohesive campus-wide alumni engagement program. Today, as the result of Natalie’s leadership, UBC has a highly effective cross-campus alumni engagement program that works collaboratively.

Over the past 30 years, Natalie has enjoyed successful careers in student recruitment, alumni engagement and fundraising in the post-secondary sector. Prior to joining UBC, Natalie launched her career in student recruitment at Brock University and then served six years at McMaster University successfully leading the DeGroote School of Business alumni and development program. In 2004, Natalie joined UBC as the Manager of Development and went on to lead the Faculty of Medicine’s alumni and development program, as well as the annual giving program.

Natalie, holds a BA and an MBA and has presented at several Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) national conferences and is currently serving on the CCAE National Board.