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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 13 items.

Sarah MCLACHLIN Atkins ’89, Chair

Sarah joined the Board of Governors in 2022 and has been an active member since then, serving on the Human Resources Committee, as Chair of the Strategy Committee and as Vice Chair of the Board. Sarah graduated from BSS in 1989, is the proud parent of a BSS graduate, and comes from a long legacy of BSS girls and women.

Sarah brings an impressive and varied background to the role, and has built a reputation as a dynamic leader of high-performing teams across global, North American and Canadian organizations. As a business leader and strategist for some of the world’s most iconic brands, she has led digital transformations, organizational restructurings and phases of rapid growth. This includes serving as Territory CMO for North America at Nike where, amongst other accomplishments, she reset the strategy for girls, successfully increasing sport participation and accessibility across Canada and the U.S.

Sarah is currently a co-founder and principal of Lighthouse Strategy, which helps brands supercharge their investment in female sport. Sarah received a B.A. from Western University, and has both an ESG designation in Corporate Boards, and a designation from Women Get On Board.
Sarah Morgenstern, Vice Chair

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 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.
Susan Cayne

Susan is an executive coach who works with senior leaders across a variety of organizations worldwide.

A bilingual Montreal native, Susan has lived in Toronto for more than 25 years. She is a graduate of McGill University, where she earned a Bachelor of Commerce. She began her career in finance and held senior marketing roles at Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Spin Master and Jugo Juice, before serving as Head of Marketing for Nestlé Waters. She later founded her own executive coaching practice.

Today, Susan partners with C-suite executives, senior leaders and entrepreneurs across diverse sectors — both individually and in group settings — to strengthen leadership presence and influence, enhance communication skills (particularly in navigating conflict), and build confidence to lead in an ever-changing and complex business environment.

She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and a Certified Executive Coach (CCF). Beyond her professional work, Susan has been actively involved in The Bishop Strachan School community, serving on the Parent Association Executive Leadership Team and previously as a Board Member of the Geneva Centre for Autism Foundation. She and her husband are proud parents of two daughters at BSS.
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 B.Tech. 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.
Alex Leman

Alex 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.
Jonathan Mackey

Jon is the founder of a leadership advisory firm that works with investors, founders, family offices and private companies in both advisory and operating roles. He currently serves as chairman of two private businesses and sits on several investment and advisory committees.

Prior to starting his own firm, Jon held senior leadership roles at global executive search and leadership consulting firms.

He has a longstanding commitment to community service, having served for nearly a decade on the Board of Governors and Foundation Board of North York General Hospital. He holds a degree from Queen’s University and is a proud BSS parent.
Cheryl MATTHEWS ’88

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 and 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 alumna, current parent, volunteer, and a member of the BSS Parent Assocation.
Dr. Rulan Parekh

Dr. Parekh is Vice President, Academics, Women’s College Hospital, a Staff Nephrologist at Women’s College Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children, and a Professor of Paediatrics 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 record of accomplishment in mentorship and training. Dr. Parekh has received several notable awards for mentorship and research, and has been inducted into several academic honor societies. She holds the F.M. Hill Chair of Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology.
Aglaya Redekopp

Aglaya joined RBC in 2009 as Senior Counsel in the Public Company Group, advising on securities law, governance and executive compensation matters. Prior to her current role, she was Senior Director, Compensation Governance & Regulatory Oversight in
Human Resources, leading RBC’s global compensation governance and regulatory initiatives. Aglaya oversees and coordinates all RBC Board and Committee matters and is Secretary to the Risk Committee and Assistant Secretary to the Board. She advises the Board and Senior Management on corporate governance, best practices and securities and corporate law matters. Aglaya also leads the environmental, social and governance, executive compensation and pension legal teams. Prior to joining RBC, she practiced securities law with Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP and the Ontario Securities Commission.
Bernadette Saumur

Bernadette is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Talent Matters Inc., a recruitment firm. She has extensive experience in the legal, finance, banking and fintech verticals, and contingent workforce solutions. Previously, Bernadette was a Partner, Business Law at McCarthy Tetrault, specializing in mergers and acquisitions in the banking, financial services, technology and capital markets verticals. Prior to McCarthy Tetrault, she was an Associate Lawyer and Tax Associate at Ernst & Young LLP. Bernadette has been called to the Bar of Ontario since 2000.
Allison Wolfe

Allison started at Oxford Properties Group in 2010 as a VP of Corporate Development, and in less than a decade, she became the Executive Vice President, CFO and Global Head of Portfolio Management - one of the real estate industry's youngest-ever female CFOs. Allison chose to leave Oxford in September 2023. In her role as CFO and Global Head of Portfolio Management, Allison led a 200-strong diverse global team. She had global responsibility for capital allocation, strategy, research, tax, treasury, financial reporting, valuations, risk and controls. Allison was a member of Oxford's Executive Committee, Investment Committee and Risk Committee. She also served on several OMERS enterprise-wide committees related to financing, third-party capital, strategic planning, risk management and process excellence. Prior to Oxford, Allison worked in real estate advisory and principal investing at Morgan Stanley in New York, San Francisco and Toronto.

Ex-officio Members

List of 3 items.

Lara Zink, Chair of the Board of Trustees

Lara 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 to 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, 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.
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.
The Reverend Don Beyers, Anglican Diocese of Toronto

Ordained in 2016 by Archbishop Colin Johnston, Fr. Don has served as a parish priest in two parishes. Prior to ordination, Don spent over 25 years in ministry in educational and parish settings.

Don completed his university studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a degree in German literature and philosophy. Following university he went on to seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and continued graduate studies, later receiving a Master of Arts in Systematic Theology.

After leaving seminary, Don taught theology for a few years to high school students and worked with Latin American immigrants. He later served at a large inter-city parish, the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, with youth and young adults, promoting faith and spiritual life and community engagement. While there, Don was invited to serve as an adjunct theology faculty member at the University of St. Thomas. His work with university students led him to become an associate director of university ministries in addition to serving on the faculty. While at St. Thomas, Don advocated for greater inclusion for LGBTQ persons, as well as students of other religious traditions, in particular Muslim students.

While raised Catholic, Don's faith journey led him to the Episcopal Church while he was teaching at university. Shortly after arriving in Canada, he was received into the Anglican Communion. The rich and diverse spiritual, theological and liturgical traditions of the church drew him to the Anglican expression of Christianity.

Don began ministry in the Anglican Church in 2014 at Grace Church-on-the-Hill and served under the pastoral leadership of our previous pastor, the Rev. Canon Peter Walker. Following ordination, he served as assistant curate at Christ Church, Stouffville, rector of Christ Church, Bolton, and most recently the rector of St. Anne's, Toronto.

Annual General Meeting

Tuesday, September 30, 2025 | 6:15 pm
Head's Reception

Board of Trustees

List of 11 items.

Lara Zink, Chair

Lara 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 to 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, 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.
Lauren Connolly

Lauren is the Director of Operational Risk at Oxford Properties Group, a leading global real estate investor and asset manager. She has over 20 years of combined professional services and industry experience across several disciplines, including risk management, process improvement, internal controls and assurance. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Johannesburg. She is a current BSS parent.
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 of Rulebook AI, where she’s tackling the chaotic, fast-changing world of regulation. Her company provides a regulatory intelligence platform that gives leaders the clarity and confidence to act decisively, turning compliance from a cost center into a competitive advantage. Sage is also the founder and Executive Director of Compliance Leaders for AI Responsibility (CLAIR), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing effective strategies for AI governance. In her previous endeavours, Sage partnered closely with enterprise executives to drive behavioural change with AI-powered learning and development software, and prior to that she was a developer and educator at Microsoft, where she held a number of roles centred 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. Now living in Montreal with her husband and four children, Sage is an active non-profit board member with a focus on ESG, particularly in education and the environment, where she has served as board chair and in various committee leadership roles.
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.
Robyn Mendelson

Robyn 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 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.
Walied Soliman

Walied is the Canadian Chair of Norton Rose Fulbright and Co-Chair of the Special Situations team. He is widely regarded as one of Canada's leading lawyers in his field, having been involved in some of the most significant and complex M&A transactions and proxy battles in the country, advising buyers and sellers, boards, hostile bidders and shareholder activists. In addition, his practice focuses on restructurings, corporate finance, governance and structured protocols.

Walied was mandated in 2020 by the Government of Ontario to chair the Capital Markets Modernization Taskforce. In 2019, he was chosen by the United Nations Association in Canada to be its Global Citizen Laureate for his professional merit and service to the community. He was the only lawyer featured in The Globe and Mail's Report on Business Magazine Power 50 list in 2017, was designated a "Star Lawyer" by Acritas for ranking in the top 28 lawyers globally, and he has been continuously recognized by the most prestigious legal rankings over the years, including Chambers & Partners and Legal 500. He sits on the boards of Toronto Metropolitan University and the BlackNorth Initiative against anti-Black racism, and he is the chair of the Board of the Toronto SickKids Hospital Foundation. He is a current BSS parent.
Karen Yeung

Karen is an Executive Director in the Government Debt Origination group at CIBC Capital Markets. With 25 years of capital markets experience, Karen advises federal, provincial and municipal governments on funding strategies, as well as structuring and executing transactions in the Canadian Debt Capital Markets. Prior to that, Karen covered Canadian and US institutional investors, providing fixed income trading strategies and relative value trade ideas across corporate and government bonds.

Karen holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance and Marketing) from Simon Fraser University, and is a Registered Representative with the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. In addition to her role on the BSS Board of Trustees, Karen also serves as the Treasurer of the BSS Parent Association. She is a current BSS parent.

Ex-officio Members

List of 2 items.

Sarah MCLACHLIN Atkins '89, Chair of the Board of Governors

Sarah joined the Board of Governors in 2022 and has been an active member since then, serving on the Human Resources Committee, as Chair of the Strategy Committee and as Vice Chair of the Board. Sarah graduated from BSS in 1989, is the proud parent of a BSS graduate, and comes from a long legacy of BSS girls and women.

Sarah brings an impressive and varied background to the role, and has built a reputation as a dynamic leader of high-performing teams across global, North American and Canadian organizations. As a business leader and strategist for some of the world’s most iconic brands, she has led digital transformations, organizational restructurings and phases of rapid growth. This includes serving as Territory CMO for North America at Nike where, amongst other accomplishments, she reset the strategy for girls, successfully increasing sport participation and accessibility across Canada and the U.S.

Sarah is currently a co-founder and principal of Lighthouse Strategy, which helps brands supercharge their investment in female sport. Sarah received a B.A. from Western University, and has both an ESG designation in Corporate Boards, and a designation from Women Get On Board.
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 6 items.

Audit and Finance

Nilam Ganenthiran, Chair
Natalie Hadad
David Rashid
Allison Wolfe
Development

Lara Zink, Co-Chair
Sarah Morgenstern, Co-Chair
Karen Fonn
Christian Hensley
Cheryl MATTHEWS '88
Sona Shah
House & Property

Shri De, Chair
Adam Ochshorn
Allison Wolfe
Yan Wang
Human Resources

Sarah MCLACHLAN Atkins '89, Chair
Jon Mackey
Bernadette Saumur
Nominating & Governance

Aglaya Redekopp, Chair
Natalie Hadad
Bernadette Saumur
Strategy

Susan Cayne, Co-Chair
Dr. Rulan Parekh, Co-Chair
Shri De
Alex Leman
Ivy Loke
Sarah MCLACHLIN Atkins '89

Senior Leadership Team

List of 1 items.

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