Board of Directors

Denise Zaporzan

Denise Zaporzan

Chair

President
Asteria Global Inc.

Hardev Bains

Hardev Bains

Vice Chair

President
Lionridge Capital

Andrew Stibbard

Andrew Stibbard

Chair, Nominating & Governance

Regional Managing Partner
MNP LLP

 

Colin Ryan

Colin Ryan

Executive Vice President, Senior Portfolio
Manager and Director
Wellington-Altus Private Wealth

Manny Atwal

Manny Atwal

Chair, Member Engagement

Chief Operating Officer
People Corporation

Silvia de Sousa

Silvia de Sousa

Chair, Recruitment

Partner
Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP

Dean Schinkel

Dean Schinkel

Treasurer

Vice Chair and National M&A Leader
Deloitte Canada and Chile

Bruno Silvestre

Bruno Silvestre

Dean
Asper School of Business

Don Solman

Don Solman

Chair, School Relations

Executive Vice President & CFO
James Richardson & Sons, Limited

Paul Soubry

Paul Soubry

Chair, IDEA

President & CEO
NFI Group

Arni Thorsteinson

Arni Thorsteinson

President, UMBSF

President
Shelter Canadian Properties Limited

AnnaMaria Toppazzini

AnnaMaria Toppazzini

Chief Executive Officer

University of Manitoba
Business School Foundation

Susan Goldie

Susan Goldie

Senior Vice President, Consulting Services
Norima Consulting Inc. 

Debra Jonasson-Young

Debra Jonasson-Young

Executive Director
Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship

Sean Lawton

Sean Lawton

Partner
Lawton Partners Financial

Mariette Mulaire

Mariette Mulaire

Managing Director
World Trade Centres Association (HQ)

Joanne Sigurdson

Joanne Sigurdson

Chair
Triple J Consulting

Rennie Zegalski

Rennie Zegalski

Principal
Capital Commercial Real Estate Services

Joshua Zaporzan

Joshua Zaporzan

YA Chair

Owner & President
Audax Ventures

 

Corinne Gusnoski

Corinne Gusnoski

YA Vice Chair

Business Development Manager
New Media Manitoba

Ex-Officio

Vanessa Koldingnes

Vanessa Koldingnes

Vice-President (External)
University of Manitoba

Anita Wortzman

Anita Wortzman

CEO & President
The Asper Foundation

Past Chairs
  1. Chair 2020-2022 – Andrew Stibbard, Regional Managing Partner, MNP LLP
  2. Chair 2018-2020 – Colin Ryan, Executive Vice President, Senior Portfolio Manager and Director, Wellington-Altus Private Wealth
  3. Chair 2016-2018 – John Proven, Chief Operating Officer, Conviron
  4. Chair 2014-2016 – Rick MacKay, Partner (Retired), Deloitte LLP
  5. Chair 2012-2014 – Joe Cyr, President & COO, Price Industries Ltd.
  6. Chair 2010-2012 – Don Whitmore, Chairman, Vector Construction Ltd.
  7. Chair 2008-2010 – Debra Jonasson-Young, Executive Director, Stu Clark Centre
  8. Chair 2006-2008 – Barry Rempel, President & CEO, Winnipeg Airports Authority
  9. Chair 2004-2006 – James Lawton, President, Lawton Partners Financial
  10. Chair 2002-2004 – Gordon Webster, Corporate Director
  11. Chair 2000-2002 – Rick Workman, President & CEO, Workman & Associates
  12. Chair 1998-2000 – William Watchorn, President & CEO, Watcor Ltd.
  13. Chair 1996-1998 – Robert Chipman, Chairman, The Megill-Stephenson Company Limited
  14. Chair 1994-1996 – Lawrie Pollard, Chairman, Pollard Banknote Limited
  15. Chair 1992-1994 – Del Crewson, Partner (retired), Deloitte & Touche
  16. Chair 1990-1992 – The late Kevin Kavanagh, Chairman and CEO (retired), Great-West Life
  17. Chair 1987-1990 – Kerry Hawkins, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cargill Limited
  18. Chair 1984-1987 – Arni Thorsteinson, President, Shelter Canadian Properties Limited
  19. Founding Director 1981-1984 – The late John (Jack) Fraser, OC, Corporate Director

Committees

In addition to the Board of Directors, The Associates has five committees with approximately 60 Associates actively engaged. This is an outstanding amount of participation and engagement of our membership.

Associates Recruitment Committee

Chair: Silvia de Sousa

Committee: Lisa Cefali, Dan Chubey, Marc Filiba, Seth Henoch, Kathryn Hordienko, Sean Lawton, Nick Logan, Elizabeth Marr, Mariette Mulaire, Andrew Proven (YA), Rennie Zegalski

Objective

To attract members who exemplify leadership and are committed to the relationship between the School and the business community.

Roles & Responsibilities

The purpose of the Recruitment Committee is to develop and support programs that will encourage leaders in business who believe in the Foundation’s mandate to join the Associates.

Associates Member Engagement Committee

Chair: Manny Atwal

Committee: Ryan Behie, Steve Boulton, Sandy Chahal, Felipe Garcia (YA), Gregg Hanson, Debra Jonasson-Young, Leilani Kagan, Joanne MacKean, Charlene Rocke, Joanne Sigurdson

Objective

To engage and retain members who exemplify leadership and are committed to the relationship between the School and the business community.

Roles & Responsibilities

The purpose of the Member Engagement Committee is to develop and support programs that will:

  • Increase member participation in Associates and Young Associates programs and encourage leaders in business who believe in the Foundation’s mandate become long-term, active members of the Associates and Young Associates.
  • Strengthen stakeholder relationships through reciprocal value creation (between members and the larger business community). The Committee focuses on providing value to the Membership offering.
Nominating & Governance Committee

Chair: Andrew Stibbard

Committee: Hardev Bains, Debra Jonasson-Young, Colin Ryan, Denise Zaporzan

Objective

To ensure that the organization conforms to the principles of corporate governance, ensure guidelines are adopted, disclosed and applied, including board composition, director qualification standards, director responsibilities, orientation of new members, and succession planning.

Roles & Responsibilities

The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for recommending, reviewing and modifying, as approved by the Board, all governance-related activities. The Committee is also responsible for identifying qualified individuals for nomination to the Board of Directors of the Foundation and for the Associates Board, for ensuring new members are properly integrated onto the Board, including orientation, and ensuring the stability and depth of the Board is maintained over time by undertaking ongoing succession planning.

School Relations Committee

Chair: Don Solman

Committee: Manny Atwal, Hardev Bains, Justin Boonen, Connor Egan (YA), Betty Mae Ferrer (CSA), Susan Goldie, Lukas Neville (Asper School), Derek Rolstone, Anupam Sharma, Bruno Silvestre (Dean), Subbu Sivaramakrishnan (Asper School)

Objective

To strengthen stakeholder relationships through reciprocal value creation between the business community, members and School stakeholders.

Roles & Responsibilities

The purpose of the School Relations Committee is to develop and support programs that will:

  • Increase business community participation in the School’s priority initiatives
  • Encourage the Dean, faculty and School staff toward greater involvement with the business community.

Composition

The School Relations Committee is comprised of 3 to 7 members ideally including, but not held to:

  • 1 Associates Board Directors (one acting as Chair),
  • 1 Associates Member-At-Large,
  • 2 Members of the Asper School faculty/staff,
  • 2 Young Associates Members and
  • 1 student
    • Connect the Manitoba Business Community to the knowledge and talent available within the School’s faculty including opportunities available for collaboration, cooperation and interaction
    • Increase faculty participation in external advocacy programs
    • Facilitate two-way communications with the Dean
IDEA Committee

Chair: Paul Soubry

Committee: Bill Baines, James Cohen, Susan Feldman, Seth Henoch, Rosanne Hill Blaisdell, Debra Jonasson-Young, Vanessa Koldingnes (UM), Rick MacKay, Susan Mainella, Ash Modha, John Proven, Colin Ryan, Bruno Silvestre (Dean), Andrew Stibbard, Arni Thorsteinson, Geeta Tucker, Rob Vanderhooft, Rick Workman, Denise Zaporzan, Josh Zaporzan (YA)

Objective

To bring recognition and awareness to the Asper School of Business and the University of Manitoba.

Roles & Responsibilities

IDEA is the University of Manitoba Business School Foundation’s signature event, and the premier event in Manitoba, that provides an opportunity for the business and academic communities to honour an individual who meets exacting criteria of the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award.

The IDEA Committee is responsible for recommendation of a recipient to the Board and University President for approval, securing the recipient’s acceptance, promoting, and overseeing the management of the annual IDEA Dinner.

Visit IDEA Committee Page

Founding Members who are still active - 40 years
  • Richard Bracken
  • Paul Hill
  • Gerry Price
  • Donald S. Reimer
  • Hartley Richardson
  • Richard Riess
  • Arni Thorsteinson

Contact us with any questions regarding membership or the website.