Appointee Biographies

ROBERT CHANT

Bob Chant recently retired as Senior Vice-President, Loblaw Companies Ltd, where he served as a member of the Loblaw management board. Prior to joining Loblaw, Bob was relied upon by business and political leaders alike including Labatt Breweries as Director of Corporate Affairs. He also served as a senior advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, Premier of Ontario, and former mayor of Toronto John Tory. Currently affiliated with public affairs firm StrategyCorp as Senior Advisor, Bob currently serves as Chair of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and has served various not-for-profits including Chair of Breakfast for Learning, Vice-Chair of President’s Choice Children’s Charity, Vice-Chair of various Ontario-based recycling agencies and Recycle BC. He also serves as a board director with sustainable technology and packaging firm Evanesce. A graduate of the University of Guelph and ICD-Rotman School of Business Directors Education Program, Bob is the father of three adult children and with his wife Annie, who lives in Toronto.

ALBERTA CEFIS

Alberta Cefis is the President of Alcetor Inc., she currently serves as a Board Director and Board Chair, and had a long corporate career as a Global Banker. Her Board work has encompassed over time Chair and Director roles across the private, corporate, association, and not for profit sectors – including: Chair of the National Theatre School of Canada; Chair of Opera Atelier; Shaw Festival; Visa International; Scotia Bank Mortgage Corporation; Chair of Alcemon Ltd. Alberta is an experienced global leader, having served as a C-suite executive in the financial services industry, managing complex businesses across continents and client segments. She has served on numerous industry committees and financial forums across borders; she has been frequently interviewed and has written on topics of interest; and, is the recipient of numerous awards.

MIKE MCCARRON

Mike McCarron, of Toronto, is a Partner at Left Lane Associates. He is also the former President of Rite Route Supply Chain Solutions and a former Managing Partner at MSM Canadian Transport. His community involvement includes serving as a Mentor for NEXT Canada.

ROBERT CHANT

Bob Chant recently retired as Senior Vice-President, Loblaw Companies Ltd, where he served as a member of the Loblaw management board. Prior to joining Loblaw, Bob was relied upon by business and political leaders alike including Labatt Breweries as Director of Corporate Affairs. He also served as a senior advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, Premier of Ontario, and former mayor of Toronto John Tory. Currently affiliated with public affairs firm StrategyCorp as Senior Advisor, Bob has served with various not-for-profits including as Chair of Breakfast for Learning, Vice-Chair of President’s Choice Children’s Charity, Vice-Chair of various Ontario-based recycling agencies and Recycle BC. He also serves as a board director with sustainable technology and packaging firm Evanesce. A graduate of the University of Guelph and ICD-Rotman School of Business Directors Education Program, Bob is the father of three adult children and with his wife Annie, lives in Toronto.

DONALD MACKAY

Donald J. MacKay, FCPA, FCA, was born in Lively, Ontario, and educated at St. Andrew’s College and the University of Waterloo (BMath, CA). He is a longstanding community leader and has held numerous leadership roles across healthcare, sports, tourism, and aviation, including Chair of South Muskoka Memorial Hospital, President of the National Golf Course Owners’ Association of Canada, and Chair of Muskoka Airport. Currently, he serves as President of Dream Links Limited (Muskoka Highlands Golf Links), a Board Member of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and Co-Chair of Founders Circle Muskoka.

PETER FORSBERG

Peter Watts Forsberg was born and raised in Newmarket ON before joining the Canadian Army at the age of 16 and followed a 38-year career, serving his country in Canada and Europe. His time in uniform spanned various areas of responsibility, including the management of an infrastructure project and the command of troops. With the United Nations Protection Force in Former Yugoslavia, he worked with the national contingents of the contributing nations and was secretary of the liaison committee that included representatives of the three warring factions. Following his retirement in 1995 he became public affairs officer with a defence advocacy. In this capacity he dealt with members of the media and was manager of two award programs, and Editor of the quarterly journal of the CDA Institute. He managed the corporate sponsorship of the Vimy Award gala and of the Conference of Defence Associations’ annual seminar. Peter is a member of the Regimental Senate of a Reserve artillery regiment. The Senate is a benevolent organization devoted to fostering the welfare of the members of the Regiment, such as providing gift boxes of comfort goods and other essentials for soldiers who volunteered to be called out and be deployed to support frontline workers combating the COVID-19 pandemic. On his second retirement, in 2017, he and his wife, April, moved to Smithville. Peter serves his community on various boards and committees. He likes to read history and politics. Peter is an active member of a church in. He is a member of the board of directors of Ontario Trillium Foundation, and a member of the Executive Committee of The Sporting Clubs of Niagara, a member of the Outreach and Fundraising Committee of Robert Land Academy, member of the Township of West Lincoln’s Committee of Adjustment and Property Standards Committee, member of the board of directors of the local Federal Electoral District Association and of the local Provincial Electoral District Association, and a member of the board of directors of his condominium. He is the recipient of the Canadian Forces Decoration, and of the Queen Elizabeth II Gold Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee medals, for service to his community.

DIANE MAVRINAC-ROSS

Diane Mavrinac-Ross, of Toronto, is a director with Windley Limited. Her community involvement includes serving as President of the Granite Club and as a director of the Jeffery and Diane Ross Foundation.

TONY PAMPENA

Since joining EY Canada in 1986, Tony has distinguished himself through leadership roles, global appointments, board positions and extensive volunteer work. For the last four years he has served as a Central Managing Partner at EY Canada, leading the largest market segment in the Canadian business. Since 1990 Tony has mentored tomorrow’s CPAs, recently developing regular touchpoints for students in second- and third-year accounting and business programs to connect. With a keen passion for giving back. Tony applies his CPA skills as a volunteer with several organizations including the United Way, NEXT Canada, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and York University.

WAYNE SNOW

Wayne Snow, of Toronto, is the Owner of Fulcrum Advocacy Inc. He is also a former Vice-President of Business Development and Client Services at Responsive Marketing Group. His community involvement includes serving as a Board Member for The Salvation Army.

RAIF BARBAROS

Raif Barbaros is a startup founder turned VC at Mistral Venture Partners, where he invests in early-stage companies focused on AI, Enterprise Software and Fintech. Prior to Mistral, he was the founder/CTO of multiple VC-backed companies in the Bay Area and Toronto, two of which were acquired and two of which reached millions of users. He holds an MBA from UC Berkeley, a B.Sc.H. in Computer Science, and a B.Sc in Mathematics from Queen’s University.