Board of Directors

Fernand Bélisle, Chair

Mr. Bélisle brings to OBSI a wealth of experience in complex multi-stakeholder, highly regulated environments. He was a trustee of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters during their restructuring and is a consultant to several broadcast companies. Mr. Bélisle previously served as Vice-Chair, Broadcasting, at the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), following a series of senior executive posts at the organization, including Secretary General. He is a current Director of Corus Entertainment and RNC Media. Mr. Bélisle has also served on a number of other boards and is active
in the community.

Catherine Adams, MBA

Ms. Adams is a retired financial services executive with over thirty years’ experience in business strategy, product management, marketing, distribution and finance. Her executive roles have been both domestic and international with her last role based in Trinidad. Ms. Adams has served on both private sector and community based boards.

Jim Emmerton, LL.B

Mr. Emmerton is a community director of OBSI and a member of the Finance and Audit Committee. He retired in June 2015 having served as the Executive Director of the British Columbia Law Institute (BCLI) and the Canadian Centre for Elder Law, from 2007. He received an LL.B from the University of Western Ontario Law School in 1973 and was called to the bar of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1975. Prior to joining BCLI, Mr. Emmerton served in senior management positions with Canadian public companies, John Labatt and Methanex Corp., and as a mediator. He is a Director and Treasurer of Family Councils of Ontario, a Director of Sources Foundation, and serves on Funding Review Committees for the National Energy Board (Canada). He is also a member of the National Seniors Council (Canada).

Stephen Gaskin, MBA, (CBA nominee)

Mr. Gaskin is Senior Vice-President, Ontario Region, for Scotiabank, with accountability for acquiring, retaining and deepening customer relationships in Retail and Small Business Banking. Prior to that he held a number of executive roles over 30 years at Scotiabank in operations, fraud management, self-service (digital) banking, customer contact centers, and marketing, sales and service.

Carmela Haines, CPA, CA

Ms. Haines is the Vice-President, Finance & Administration with Access Communications Co-operative Limited.Ms. Haines has served as a board member, audit committee chair and board chair for the Regina & District Food Bank.She has also served as council member and audit committee chair for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Saskatchewan.She is currently an audit committee member of the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance.

Bharat Mahajan, CPA, CA

Mr. Mahajan is Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Aveda Transportation and Energy Services Inc. He led Aveda to become the largest rig moving company in North America. Prior to joining Aveda, Mr. Mahajan was the Chief Executive Officer of NavNet Inc., a private company that designs, develops and manufactures home automation solutions. Mr. Mahajan’s distinguished career also includes senior positions at Magna International, Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer for WellPoint Systems Inc., a company specializing in software for the oil and gas industry, and Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer for Norex Exploration Services Inc., a seismic exploration company.

Kevin E. Regan, (MFDA nominee)

Mr. Regan is the Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of IGM Financial Inc. and is responsible for all financial functions of IGM Financial Inc. and its subsidiaries, Investors Group, Mackenzie Investments and Investment Planning Counsel Inc. Kevin joined Investors Group in 1986 and has held numerous positions in the finance and distribution areas of the company.
Mr. Regan has a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the University of Manitoba and he is a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant, Fellow Chartered Accountant, and Certified Financial Planner. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the MFDA Investor Protection Corporation and CPA Manitoba, and he is the Finance Chair on the Board of the 2017 Canada Summer Games Host Society.

Janis Riven, LL.B, BCL, MBA

Ms. Riven, based in Montreal, has an established consulting practice on governance and compliance matters with clients encompassing publicly listed and closely held companies, as well as various types of notfor- profits, and is currently Adjunct Professor at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, where she teaches Corporate Governance. She is a wellknown speaker in Canada and abroad at conferences on corporate governance, and has acted as a facilitator for boards and board committees of a number of different organizations seeking to improve their governance effectiveness. Ms. Riven has extensive board experience and currently is a member of the board of the Facility Association and the McGill University Health Centre.

Scott Stennett, (IIROC nominee)

Mr. Stennett is the Chief Operating Officer and a Director for Richardson GMP Limited. He is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and New Product Review Committee, and is chair of the Joint Operating Committee that aligns shared infrastructure support across Richardson GMP and the capital markets, trading and investment banking lines of GMP Securities L.P. He is responsible for operational service levels and adherence to regulatory and legislative requirements. His responsibilities extend to the enterprise technology suite and risk management. Mr. Stennett has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and has acquired his Partners, Directors and Senior Officers certificate from the Canadian Securities Institute. In addition to his engagement with the OBSI, he currently serves on the Investment Industry Association of Canada Private Client Committee.

Laura Tamblyn Watts, LL.B

Ms. Tamblyn Watts is a lawyer and researcher who focuses on elder law, law reform and social inclusion. She is Senior Fellow at the Canadian Centre for Elder Law and its past National Director. She teaches at the University of Toronto, where she is a Fellow of the Institute for Life Course and Aging. Ms. Tamblyn Watts has broad expertise in the fields of law, finance, strategic development and capacity-building. Ms. Tamblyn Watts serves on a number of several community organization Boards or Advisory Committees, including Family Councils of Ontario, the National Initiative for Care of the Elderly and the Law Commission of Ontario. She is a past member of OBSI’s Consumer and Investor Advisory Council. Ms. Tamblyn Watts was awarded the 2012 International Visiting Fellowship at Stetson University College of Law.