Board of Directors
The Associates are very fortunate to have active and engaged members. There currently are 59 members engaged in the various boards and committees, this is an outstanding amount of participation and engagement of our membership.

Andrew Stibbard
Chair
Regional Managing Partner
MNP LLP

Denise Zaporzan
Vice-Chair
Denise Zaporzan & Associates

Gady Jacoby
Dean, Asper School
Asper School of Business

Colin Ryan
Past Chair
Executive Vice President, Senior Portfolio
Manager and Director
Wellington-Altus Private Wealth

Arni Thorsteinson
Chair, IDEA
President
Shelter Canadian Properties Limited

Howard Morry
Chair, Member Engagement
Partner
Pitblado LLP

Dean Schinkel
Treasurer
Winnipeg Managing Partner
Deloitte LLP

Denise Zaporzan
Chair, Recruitment
President
Denise Zaporzan & Associates

AnnaMaria Toppazzini
Secretary/CEO
University of Manitoba
Business School Foundation

Aaron Martyniw
Chair, School Relations
Vice President, Commercial Financial Services
RBC Royal Bank

Hardev Bains
President
Lionridge Capital

Diane Gray
President & CEO
CentrePort Canada

Silvia de Sousa
Partner
Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP

Debra Jonasson-Young
Executive Director
Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship

John Kearsey
Vice President – External Relations
University of Manitoba

Sean Lawton
Partner
Lawton Partners Financial

Moses Levy
Executive Director
The Asper Foundation

Joanne Sigurdson
Chair
Triple J Consulting

Don Solman
Vice President & CFO
James Richardson & Sons Limited

Carly Edmundson
YA Chair
Director, Marketing & Communications
Cushman & Wakefield | Stevenson

Joshua Zaporzan
YA Vice Chair
Owner & President
Audax Ventures
Past Chairs
- Chair 2016-2018 – John Proven, Chief Operating Officer, Conviron
- Chair 2014-2016 – Rick MacKay, Partner (Retired), Deloitte LLP
- Chair 2012-2014 – Joe Cyr, President & COO, Price Industries Ltd.
- Chair 2010-2012 – Don Whitmore, Chairman, Vector Construction Ltd.
- Chair 2008-2010 – Debra Jonasson-Young, Executive Director, Stu Clark Centre
- Chair 2006-2008 – Barry Rempel, President & CEO, Winnipeg Airports Authority
- Chair 2004-2006 – James Lawton, President, Lawton Partners Financial
- Chair 2002-2004 – Gordon Webster, Corporate Director
- Chair 2000-2002 – Rick Workman, President & CEO, Workman & Associates
- Chair 1998-2000 – William Watchorn, President & CEO, Watcor Ltd.
- Chair 1996-1998 – Robert Chipman, Chairman, The Megill-Stephenson Company Limited
- Chair 1994-1996 – Lawrie Pollard, Chairman, Pollard Banknote Limited
- Chair 1992-1994 – Del Crewson, Partner (retired), Deloitte & Touche
- Chair 1990-1992 – Kevin Kavanagh, Chairman and CEO (retired), Great-West Life
- Chair 1987-1990 – Kerry Hawkins, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cargill Limited
- Chair 1984-1987 – Arni Thorsteinson, President, Shelter Canadian Properties Limited
- Founding Director 1981-1984 – John Fraser, OC, Corporate Director
Committees
In addition to the Board of Directors, the Associates has five active and engaged committees, with approximately sixty Associates involved.
Associates Recruitment Committee
Chair: Denise Zaporzan
Committee: Lisa Cefali, Dan Chubey, Silvia de Sousa, Marc Filiba, Tracy Graham, Seth Henoch, Sean Lawton, Milos Pejovic, Rob Scaletta, Rennie Zegalski, Hadia Asif (YA)
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: Howard Morry
Committee: Hardev Baines, Ryan Behie, Diane Gray, Debra Jonasson-Young, Leilani Kagan, Joanne Sigurdson, Ted Moorhouse, Wilson Low (YA)
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: John Proven
Committee: Debra Jonasson-Young, Colin Ryan, Andrew Stibbard
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: Aaron Martyniw
Committee: Paul Lacap, Don Solman, Andrew Stibbard, Bruno Silvestre, Zhenyu Wu, Stephanie Kalo (CSA), Karlee Moist (YA)
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: Arni Thorsteinson
Committee: Bill Baines, James Cohen, Joe Cyr, Carly Edmundson (YA), Susan Feldman, Susan Harden, Seth Henoch, Gady Jacoby, Debra Jonasson-Young, John Kearsey, Rick MacKay, Ash Modha, John Proven, Colin Ryan, Paul Soubry, Gary Timlick, Geeta Tucker, Rob Vanderhooft, Gordon Webster, Rick Workman
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.
Founding Members who are still active - 36 years plus
- Richard Bracken
- John (Jack) Fraser
- Paul Hill
- Gerry Price
- Donald S. Reimer
- Hartley Richardson
- Richard Riess
- Arni Thorsteinson
Contact us with any questions regarding membership or the website.