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Governance and Leadership

The Bishop Strachan School enjoys strategic oversight from a team of exceptional leaders with diverse skills and backgrounds. 

List of 1 items.

  • Governance

    Our Board of Governors provides direction for our core strategic plan, while our Board of Trustees manages our growing Endowment and Foundation initiatives. Both Boards work closely with each other and the Senior Leadership Team to champion innovation while strengthening our financial sustainability.

Board of Governors

List of 14 items.

  • Devon KIRK ’01, Chair

    Devon KIRK Devon serves as Partner & Co-Head, Capital Solutions at Portage. Previously, she was Head of Capital Solutions at CPP Investments and before that, Managing Director, Direct Private Equity at CPP Investments; Associate at Linklaters LLP in London and Analyst at BMO Harris Nesbitt in Chicago. She has been on the board of BSS since 2019 and also served as a Director of Wilton Re from 2016 to 2022. She is a CFA Charterholder and earned a JD from Harvard Law School (2009) and BCom from McGill University (2005). She graduated from BSS in 2001.

  • Alex Leman, Vice-Chair

    Alex LemanAlex is founder of Leman Group, a strategy execution firm working in sectors including banking, capital markets, wealth management, telecommunications, energy, information service, technology, software, automotive and manufacturing. Alex has been active in supporting and serving on a number of non-profit Boards building the community through healthcare, the arts, and children and youth.  He is a current BSS parent.

  • Sarah Morgenstern, Vice-Chair

    Sarah Morgenstern
    Sarah is Managing Partner of 100 Days North America, a leadership development and coaching platform for new managers, in addition to serving as a strategic advisor to several high-growth ventures. She has over fifteen years of management consulting experience with industry-leading firms Kearney and Deloitte, where she focused on enterprise transformation and performance measurement, and was the co-founder of a successful digital media company. Prior to joining the BSS Board of Governors in 2020, Sarah was an active member of the BSS Parent Association for over ten years. She serves on the boards of several not-for-profits, and has deep expertise in not-for-profit governance and advancement. She is a member of the Ivey Advisory Board and Chair of the Ivey Annual Fund. Sarah holds a BA (Honours) in Economics and Political Economy from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Ivey Business School and Western University, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. She is the parent of two recent graduates of BSS.

  • Sarah MCLACHLAN Atkins ’89

    Over the past 25 years, Sarah has established herself as a proven leader of high-performing teams across several global, North American, and Canadian organizations. She has led through digital transformation, organizational restructurings, and periods of rapid growth, delivering results as a business leader and strategist for some of the most iconic brands in the world, spending 20 years at Nike most recently as CMO, and prior to that, PepsiCo. and Molson Coors. Her expertise lies in crafting innovative marketing solutions, strengthening a brand’s connection to society and its consumer base, leading multi-disciplinary teams, and capital raising, most recently with wellness beverage brand Phocus, as the company scaled across the US. Her last 5 years at Nike were spent being part of the North American steering committee to re-set the strategy for Girls, successfully increasing participation and accessibility to sport.

  • Shrikanta De

    Shrikanta (Shri) is an independent business consultant for large corporations with extensive supply chains in the manufacturing and retail sectors. His clients include Unilever, Black & Decker, Bayer, TNT Europe, Loblaws and Woolworths Australia. During his career, he has managed global teams and worked and lived in four continents. Shri holds a BTech in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and an MBA from Cornell University. He is a current BSS parent.

  • Nilam Ganenthiran

    Nilam is the founder and CEO of Beacon Software, a Toronto based firm that buys, builds and grows vertical software businesses. Nilam was previously a Partner at D1 Capital and the President of Instacart, the world's largest grocery e-commerce marketplace, which he helped scale from 12 to approximately 3,500 corporate employees. Outside of Beacon, Nilam serves on the Board of Directors of Discount Tire, Udaan, the Aviation Institute of Maintenance and the SickKids Hospital Foundation. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BBA from York University's Schulich School of Business. He is a current BSS parent.

  • Natalie Hadad

    Natalie serves as Managing Partner in Brookfield’s Infrastructure Group and Co-Head of Brookfield’s open-end core infrastructure fund. In this role, Natalie oversees the origination, execution and asset management of the firm’s core infrastructure investments. She also co-leads the investments team in Toronto. Since joining Brookfield in 2013, Natalie has executed numerous transactions and financings globally and has served on multiple portfolio company boards. Prior to joining Brookfield, Natalie was an investment professional in the private equity group of a leading investment manager. Ms. Hadad holds a Master of Finance degree from Tulane University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a current BSS parent.

  • Dennis Kavelman

    Dennis KavelmanDennis is a General Partner at iNovia Capital, where he focuses on growth stage technology investments. As the former CFO/COO of RIM/Blackberry, he raised $1.5 billion in financing and grew the company from 20 to 14,000 employees. Dennis graduated in 1993 with a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University, where he was President of his graduating class. He obtained his CA/CPA designation at KPMG, where he won the Governor General’s Award for finishing first in Canada on the Chartered Accountants Uniform National Examination (UFE). Dennis is currently on the board of the Golf Canada Foundation, and he and his wife Karen oversee The Kavelman Fonn Foundation. He is a current BSS parent.

  • Cheryl MATTHEWS ’88

    Cheryl MATTHEWS Cheryl is the Managing Director of CLM Digital Consulting Inc., providing advisory services to firms with a concentration on digital transformation strategy, modernizing organization structures for digital and enterprise software evaluation and implementation. Previously, she was Vice-President, Digital Marketing at Investors Group, where she built the User Experience & Design and Product Development practices. In her career, Cheryl has led digital marketing, UX, analytics and product management teams in financial services and e-commerce companies in Canada and the US. She holds an MS in Management and a BS in Business Administration (Finance) from Boston University. Cheryl is a BSS Old Girl, current parent and volunteer, and a member of the BSS Parent Association executive.

  • Dr. Rulan Parekh

    Rulan Parekh
    Dr. Parekh is Vice President, Academics at Women’s College Hospital, Staff Nephrologist at Women’s College Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children and Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine in the Departments of Medicine, Paediatrics, Epidemiology and Health Policy and Management Evaluation at the University of Toronto. She is an international leader in clinical epidemiology and translational research in kidney disease and has a significant track record in mentorship and training. Dr. Parekh has received several notable awards for mentorship and research, and has been inducted into several academic honour societies. She holds the F.M. Hill Chair of Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology. She is the parent of a recent graduate at BSS.

  • Dr. Tripler Pell

    Tripler PellDr. Pell is a physician, medical consultant, lecturer in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, and a children’s book author. Throughout her medical training in the US and Canada, she has maintained a clinical and research focus on mental health and newcomer health, winning awards and grants for her work. She has been on the Executive Board of the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and the RI Free Clinic, and was recently appointed as Trustee to the American John A. Hartford Foundation, which funds health research in aging. Dr. Pell graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Modern European History, Oxford University with an MSc in the History of Medicine, pursued graduate work at the University of California, San Diego in Medical Anthropology, and received her MD from Brown University. She finished her post-graduate training in family medicine at the University of Toronto. She is the parent of a current BSS student.

  • David Rawlings

    David RawlingsDavid is Chief Executive Officer for JPMorgan Chase Canada and is responsible for the JPMorgan Chase Canada franchise. He also leads the JPMC Canada Foundation, which focuses on philanthropic investments in inclusive growth, diversity and education across the country. David is a member of the Business Council of Canada, is on the Executive Committee of the Canadian Bankers Association and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization. In addition, he is a global ally for the JPMorgan Chase Black Organization for Leadership Development, is a founding member of the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Again Racism, and previously served on the Cabinet of the United Way Toronto and York Region. Prior to his role in Canada, David worked for JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York.  David graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He is a current BSS parent.

  • Heather CLYDE Stewart '81

    Heather CLYDE Stewart
    Heather is the Founder of Eden Park Group, which provides career coaching, executive coaching, and organizational development consulting. Previously, Heather co-founded a successful strategic consulting and business coaching organization, Stewart Clyde Consulting. Heather has held c-suite executive roles in financial services as Executive Vice-President & Managing Director, Strategy & Business Management at National Bank Financial, and in consulting as a Partner and Global Chief of Staff at Oliver Wyman, based in New York. Within the BSS community, Heather previously sat on the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees in the 1990s, was recently the Co-Chair of the BSS Alumnae Association Executive, is a founding partner of the BSS Connect Mentorship Program and is a Year Rep. Beyond BSS, Heather sits on a private pension plan board, the Pension Committee at Trinity College at the University of Toronto, and was a co-founder of the Women in Capital Markets organization. Heather has a BA (Honours) from Trinity College at U of T and an MSc in Organizational Psychology from the University of London (UK).

  • Craig Webster

    Craig WebsterCraig is the National Business Leader and partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. His tax practice covers all aspects of tax relevant to business clients, with an emphasis on the investment management industry and structuring investment products. He has been a member of the BSS Board of Governors since 2015, and served as a Director of the Georgian Peaks Club for eight years, where he was President from 2011-2013. Craig is a current BSS parent.

Ex-officio Members

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  • Lara Zink, Chair of the Board of Trustees

    Lara is a senior Capital Markets professional with over two decades of experience in Global Public Equities. Most recently, she was a Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets who sold North American and European equity research and investment banking products to many of Canada’s largest institutional investors, including pension funds, bank-owned mutual funds and independent fund managers. A lead partner in RBC Women’s Leadership ETF, she has been an active mentor to junior men and women throughout her career. She currently sits on the UCC Foundation Board. Lara is a member of the CAMH campaign cabinet and also a past chair and current volunteer for the Special Olympics LIMITLESS Gala. She is a current BSS parent.

  • Paisley HILL '85, BSS Alumnae Association Executive

    Paisley has worked in the financial planning industry for over 25 years. After building insurance and financial planning platforms within a bank and two national retail brokerages, in which she held progressive roles, Paisley made a major career pivot in 2023 and started a new journey with MS Canada building out its proactive legacy giving program. Her joy and passion is leading projects, unleashing broad and diversifying perspectives, and providing a space for authentic collaboration using her calm energy and empathy.
     
    Paisley holds a BA (Honours) in Social Behaviour from Queen's University and has her Certified Financial Planning (CFP) and Personal Financial Planning designation (PFP). Over her career, Paisley has volunteered on multiple committees with the Investment Industry Association of Canada and the Institute of Canadian Bankers. She has previously led two community non-profit boards, currently lends her professional and lived experiences on national project work at Crohn's and Colitis Canada and co-chairs the BSS Alumnae Association Executive. Paisley is a BSS alumna (1985) and proud past parent of Grace Garvey '18.
Annual General Meeting
Thursday, September 28, 2023 | 5:00 - 7:30 pm
Head's Reception

Board of Trustees

List of 9 items.

  • Lara Zink, Chair

    Lara Zink is the Executive Vice President Client Service and Development at Delaney Capital. Prior to Delaney Capital, Lara was the President & CEO of Women in Capital Markets, a professional network of over thirty-five hundred members dedicated to accelerating equity, diversity and inclusion in the finance industry.  From 1998 - 2019, Lara worked for a Canadian bank on the institutional global equity team. Lara served as primary account relationship manager to over thirty Canadian institutional investors, delivering trusted insights and opportunities across a range of equity investment products and services.

    Lara sits on the board of Special Olympics Canada, she is a member of CAMH’s Campaign Cabinet, a co-founder of Women Funding Women, and a member of the Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship Advisory Council. She holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, the ICD.D, CSC and Partners, Directors & Senior Qualifying designation. She is the parent of a BSS graduate.

  • Sam Blaichman

    Sam serves as the head of North American Direct Private Equity at CPP Investments. Prior to joining CPP Investments, Sam worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company and in the Corporate Finance and Assurance groups at PwC.

    Sam holds a B. Comm. from McGill University and an MBA from Ivey Business School. He is a CFA Charterholder and a Chartered Professional Accountant. Sam currently serves on the boards of Ascot Group, Berlin Packaging and Wilton Re. He is a current BSS parent.

  • Rochelle DE GOIAS-Jackman '97

    Rochelle is the Founder and Chairman of the Board at Girls E-Mentorship (GEM), a Top 100 Rated Charity providing mentorship to marginalized, racialized girls from low-income areas in the GTA. Previously, she was a Senior Policy Advisor at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Ministry of the Environment. She began her career at the United Nations in Tokyo and spent several years as a consultant before starting GEM. Her mentorship research with the University of Toronto has been published in the Journal of Children and Youth Services Review. Her current research with U of T is on Customized Mentorship Intervention. Her board and volunteer experience includes the McGill Women Leadership and Philanthropy Board, London Goodenough Association of Canada and Co-chair of the National Ballet of Canada Gala. Rochelle holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University, a diploma from La Sorbonne and an MA from the University of London, Kings College. She is a BSS Old Girl, a mentorship advocate and a current BSS parent.

  • Sage FRANCH ’11

    Sage is an entrepreneur, public speaker and BSS alumna. She is the CEO and co-founder of Crescendo, a software platform for building cultural competence and inclusivity in the workplace. Prior to founding Crescendo, Sage was a developer and educator at Microsoft, where she held a number of roles centered on cloud and emerging technologies including AI, mixed reality, and blockchain. Sage graduated from BSS in 2011 and went on to complete her Bachelor of Computer Science at Dalhousie University in 2016. She now splits her time between Toronto and Montreal, and speaks frequently on AI ethics, the future of work and equality in STEM.

  • Linda Guo

    Linda is a business leader, investor and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in investment and business development in high tech and real estate industry. She is the founding partner of Unbounded Business Capital Inc., a Toronto based investment and consulting firm providing funds and management experience to early stage companies in Canada and US. She was a partner of Advantage Investment, a U.S.-based investment and consulting firm in charge of China as well as a partner of a Swiss high tech fund in charge of China; Before her fund experience, Linda worked 10 years for Verizon Communications Inc in the U.S. and China as senior business development executive. She has extensive international professional experience, having both lived and worked in Washington, DC, New York, Beijing, Vancouver and Toronto. Linda received her MBA at American University in Washington, DC. She is a current BSS parent.

  • Robert Mah


    Rob has 30 years of investment industry experience. Rob is the President and Managing Partner of a Private Investment Fund within Guardian Capital Group, an $80 Bn Investment Asset Manager based in Toronto. He and his partners are currently working with CISCO Corporation and Bechtel Corporation to finance digital infrastructure projects and investments in North America and Western Europe. Rob was also a Senior Advisor for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) global institutional investor clients advising sovereign wealth funds, pension and private funds with investment strategy, execution and asset management. For eight years prior, Rob was Executive Vice President, Private Investments for Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), one of Canada’s largest global institutional investment funds. Rob had responsibility for the Private Equity, Infrastructure, Real Estate, Timberland, Relationship Investing and Venture Capital portfolios on a global basis. Rob started his career an investment banker for almost 20 years advising Fortune 500, FTSE 100, TSX 60, and government clients across four continents while managing teams based out of London, New York and Toronto. Rob graduated from McGill University and the University of Toronto (Rotman School). Rob is the parent of a recent BSS graduate and a current BSS student.

  • Robyn Mendelson

    Robyn MendelsonRobyn is the Vice President, Legal and Procurement at Fidelity Investments Canada. Prior to joining Fidelity in 2013, Robyn worked at Franklin Templeton Investments and at law firms in Toronto, New York and the Cayman Islands. Robyn is currently the Chair of the Investment Funds Institute of Canada’s (IFIC) Legal and Compliance Issues Committee and is a member of the Ontario Securities Commission’s Registrant Advisory Committee. Robyn obtained her LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School and her Master of Laws from New York University. She is a current BSS parent.

  • Lance Rishor

    Lance is Managing Director and Head of Macquarie Capital Canada. Prior to joining Macquarie in January 2022, Lance worked at RBC Capital Markets for over 20 years in increasing senior roles in the global mining and metals investment banking team. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from Queen’s University, and is a current BSS parent.

  • Melinda ROGERS Hixon '89

    Melinda RogersMelinda has served as Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors of Rogers Communications since January 2018, and as Vice Chair of Rogers Control Trust since 2008. She was also appointed a Director of Rogers Bank on December 31, 2017. Melinda has held progressively senior roles at Rogers since joining the company in 2000. Most recently, she was Founder of Rogers Venture Partners from 2011 to 2018.  She also served as Senior Vice President, Strategy and Development from 2006 to 2014, Vice President, Strategic Planning & Venture Investments from 2004 to 2006, and Vice President, Venture Investments from 2000 to 2004. Melinda is on the Board of Directors for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and is Chair of the Board of Jays Care Foundation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Huron University College at Western University in November 2018. Melinda lives in Toronto with her husband and four children. She is a current BSS parent.

Ex-officio Members

List of 2 items.

  • Devon KIRK '01, Chair of the Board of Governors

    Devon KIRK Devon serves as Partner & Co-Head, Capital Solutions at Portage. Previously, she was Head of Capital Solutions at CPP Investments and before that, Managing Director, Direct Private Equity at CPP Investments; Associate at Linklaters LLP in London and Analyst at BMO Harris Nesbitt in Chicago. She has been on the board of BSS since 2019 and also served as a Director of Wilton Re from 2016 to 2022. She is a CFA Charterholder and earned a JD from Harvard Law School (2009) and BCom from McGill University (2005). She graduated from BSS in 2001 and is a current BSS parent.

  • Kirstin Ling '06, BSS Alumnae Association Executive


    Kirstin is currently the Associate Director of Major Gifts at the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.  Prior to that she was the Major Gifts Campaign Manager, at the University Health Network. Beyond her work, Kirstin is driven by the passion to make a difference and help others. She serves as a long-time volunteer at Ronald McDonald House Toronto. This devotion to her community is a trait that weaves through all areas of Kirstin’s work and personal life. She graduated from BSS in 2006.

Governance Committees

List of 7 items.

Senior Leadership Team

List of 1 items.

  • Head of School Dr. Angela Terpstra stands on a balcony and gazes out

    Dr. Angela Terpstra

    Dr. Angela Terpstra was Principal of the Senior School for eleven years before becoming Head of School, and her goals for the girls of BSS reach beyond academic success.

    A Message from Dr. Terpstra
     
     

List of 8 items.

  • Brendan Lea

    Principal, Middle and Senior School
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  • Lynda Watters

    Principal, Junior School
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  • Dr. Kristen Clarke

    Dean of Teaching and Learning
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  • Tom Hudson

    Chief Financial Officer
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  • Janet Duga

    Executive Director, Human Resources
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  • Mary Anne Van Acker

    Executive Director, Technology
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  • Hilary Adamson

    Executive Director, Enrolment Management and Student Experience
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  • Sarah Robertson

    Executive Director, Advancement
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