Appointee Biographies

DAVE FORESTELL

Dave Forestall serves as Vice President, Office of the President and CEO, Scotiabank. He has held senior positions in government and private sector. Dave worked overseas in Chile and Venezuela and speaks fluent Spanish. While in Chile, Dave led corporate affairs and corporate social responsibility for several mining projects and served as Chair of a Joint Venture Board of Directors. He is currently serving as an at-large Board Member of the Canadian Council for the Americas. Dave obtained his B.A. and LLB from Western University. Dave Is married to Jorge and lives in Toronto.

PAUL STOYAN

Paul Stoyan, of Toronto, serves as a member of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and is Chair and Partner with Gardiner Roberts LLP. His community involvement includes serving on the PeaceBuilders Advisory Board.

CARA VACCARINO

Cara Vaccarino is a chief operating officer at EHN Canada, and a former director of mental health for Trillium Health Partners. Cara’s community involvement includes serving as a volunteer for United Way, and as a member of Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

DOUGLAS MCLARTY

Douglas McLarty is a partner at MNP LLP. His community involvement includes serving as Chair of the Capital 2020 Task force, and as a former member of the board for Hydro Ottawa and Chair of the Audit Committee.

NEIL DESAI

Neil Desai is an executive with Magnet Forensics, a Canadian cybersecurity company that develops digital forensics software used by over 5000 police, national security and other public and private agencies with investigative authorities in 95 countries. He also is a senior fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto as well as faculty at Singularity University. Neil serves on the board of directors of the YMCA Canada, Public Policy Forum and ClearRisk Inc. He previously served in the Government of Canada in senior roles at Global Affairs Canada and the Prime Minister’s Office.

ALAN GERTNER

Alan Gertner is a seasoned executive with a proven track record in entrepreneurship and transformative leadership. Alan is currently the Executive Chairman of Arcana, a hospitality and real estate development firm. Alan has generated over $1bn in shareholder value, notably through founding and leading Hiku (Tokyo Smoke), a publicly traded company acquired by Canopy Growth Corporation. His executive experience includes C-level roles at NYSE-listed companies, senior positions at Google, and a tenure as a Management Consultant at Oliver Wyman in New York. At Google, he worked internationally across Mountain View, Asia and Africa consistently driving growth and innovation. A graduate of the Richard Ivey School of Business, Alan is Vice Chair of iGaming Ontario where he has served on the Board since 2021 and is also a Director at The Mabin School in Toronto. His career is characterized by entrepreneurial vision, strategic execution, and demonstrating global leadership capabilities.