Sonia Baxendale is President & CEO of Global Risk Institute (GRI). In this role, Sonia brings together leaders from industry, academia and government to focus on emerging risk issues.
Sonia has extensive experience as an executive and non-executive in the financial services industry globally.
Sonia is an active corporate director who sits on the boards of Laurentian Bank, Definity Financial Corp., and Intermediate Capital Group (ICG). She is past Chair of the Board of SickKids Foundation. In 2023, she was appointed to a three-member investment committee overseeing the $23.4 billion First Nations Child and Family Services settlement fund.
Prior to joining GRI, Sonia held senior roles at CIBC, including Senior Executive Vice President and President of CIBC Retail Markets, where she led the Retail & Commercial Banking and Wealth Management businesses. She played a key role in developing strategy and direction for CIBC. Prior to CIBC, she held various positions with American Express Canada and Saatchi & Saatchi.
Sonia is a graduate of the University of Toronto, where she was named the Victoria College Alumni of Distinction in 2017. She was named one of the “Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada” for three years in a row and then joined the ranks of the Top 100 Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2000, she was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.
Alyson is the Senior Vice President, Internal Audit, at RBC. She is responsible for the global audit activities covering planning, execution, and reporting for Capital Markets, Wealth Management and Insurance business lines, Credit and Market Risk functions, and the Europe & Asia Pacific regions.
Prior to joining RBC, Alyson held various positions at another financial institution where she was most recently SVP, Operational Risk overseeing operational risk methodology, oversight and third party risk management. She was previously SVP, GRM Data and Analytics, where she led data and artificial intelligence risk management, and held positions in GRM, as well as Regional Chief Auditor, for the UK and Europe, for a number of years. Alyson started her career in Capital Markets in financial engineering, where highlights included implementation of a new counterparty credit risk model and technology, credit derivatives front office technology build out, and analytics coverage across a number of businesses, including interest rate and equity derivatives.
Alyson earned her Masters of Mathematical Finance from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Math from St. Mary’s University.
Brad Crombie is Chief Executive Officer of Alquity, a specialist Global Emerging Market ESG investment manager. Previously Mr. Crombie was responsible for all Fixed Income and LDI investing as Global Head at Aberdeen Asset Management, now a part of Standard Life Aberdeen PLC, a FTSE 100-listed asset management company. In this role, he served on the company’s executive committee as well as a director of its principal UK operating subsidiaries.
Prior to joining Aberdeen, Mr. Crombie was Managing Director and Head of EMEA Non-Financials Credit Research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He started his investing career in European High Yield.
In addition to the GRI, Mr. Crombie also serves on the Advisory Group on McGill University in the UK and Europe. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Crombie was a founding member of the Advisory Council of the FICC Market Standards Board (FMSB), the body created following the UK’s Fair and Effective Markets Review (FEMR), and served on its Conduct & Ethics Sub-Committee.
He graduated from McGill University with a BA Degree in History and Political Science and an MA Degree in History and went on to read History in the PhD. programme at the University of Cambridge.
Dwight Duncan serves as Senior Advisor for Canadian Investor Relations for the New York based law firm Bernstein, Litowitz, Berger and Grossman LLP (BLB&G). He sits on the Board of Directors of Global Risk Institute and OTT Payments, is a Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, a Governor of the MS Society of Canada, an advisory board member of Elevate Finance, and an Executive-in-Residence at the Odette School of Business, University of Windsor.
Prior to joining BLB&G, Dwight served as a Strategic Business Advisor with McMillan LLP and McMillan Vantage for eleven years, where he provided business and public policy advice to a variety of clients across Canada.
Dwight is a past member of the boards of the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy, and the MS Society’s Scientific Research Foundation. He also served as Board Chair of the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority; the Canadian Crown Corporation tasked with overseeing the construction of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge and the ports of entry on both sides of the border. Finally, he has served on a number of corporate boards including Travelers Canada, where he served as Chair of the Audit Committee.
Dwight also had a distinguished 24-year career in the Ontario Legislature. During his time as a Member of Provincial Parliament, he served in a variety of capacities in government and opposition. These included Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance, Chair of Cabinet, Chair of Management Board of Cabinet, Minister of Energy and Opposition House Leader. He delivered six budgets, authoring major reforms to Ontario’s energy, tax, pension, infrastructure and insurance statutes. He played a pivotal role in formulating Ontario’s response to the recession of 2008-2009.
While serving in Cabinet, Dwight had responsibility for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), Ontario Power Generation (OPG), and Hydro One. In addition, he had statutory accountability to the Legislature for oversight of the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), the Ontario Securities Commission, and the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO).
Janet L. Ecker is the former President and CEO of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA), a concept she turned into a growing and influential public-private partnership dedicated to building Toronto as an international financial services centre. With government and industry support, she also established the Global Risk Institute in Financial Services to leverage the sector’s global reputation for stability, as well as the Centre of Excellence in Financial Services Education to capitalize on the region’s talent advantages.
Ms. Ecker was formerly the Minister of Finance for Ontario and was the first woman to deliver a budget in the province. During her political career, she delivered significant public policy reforms as Minister of Education, Minister of Community and Social Services and Government House Leader. Before entering public life, Ms. Ecker was the Director of Policy for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the doctors’ regulatory body, the first non-physician to hold the position. She currently sits on a wide range of public and private sector boards, agencies and government advisory committees.
In 2016 she received the Order of Canada for public service, in recognition of her public service contributions in the financial sector and in her political life. A frequent public speaker and media commentator, she received the “Excellence in Leadership” award from the Transformation Institute for Leadership and Innovation in 2014, a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for public service in 2012 and was recognized as one of the “Most Influential People in the World’s Financial Centres” by Financial Centres International in 2010. She also received one of “Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award” from the Women’s Executive Network and the Richard Ivey School of Business in 2003. Ms. Ecker is one of the founders of Equal Voice, a national, multi-partisan organization working to elect more women.
Stephen Forbes is Executive Vice President, Purpose, Brand and Corporate Affairs. In this role, he is responsible for CIBC’s brand, marketing, sponsorship, community investment, corporate communications and overall client experience.
With over 23 years of service at CIBC, Stephen brings deep industry knowledge, and a passion for clients, employees and communities. Prior to joining CIBC, Stephen held executive roles at Rogers Communications and Moore Corporation. He is active on several boards of directors including SickKids Hospital, the Canadian Cancer Society and Special Olympics.
Paul Genest has been Senior Vice-President of Power Corporation since 2016. He was Senior Vice-President of Power Financial from 2016 until 2020. Paul has worked in government, academia, business and as a volunteer in the not-for-profit sector. He was Director of Policy and Research for Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities, and Assistant Vice-President at Bell Canada.
Paul is Chair of the Board of the National Gallery of Canada and the Ontario Region of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He is a board member of Business for the Arts and the Rideau Hall Foundation, and serves on the Advisory Council of the Coalition for a Better Future. He is a past member of the board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
A champion of diversity, Paul has been honoured for his advocacy for the rights of the LGBTQ community, including serving as the Deputy Minister Champion of OPS Pride. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and in June 2022, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa.
Paul holds a B.A., Honors (cum laude) in English and Philosophy from the University of Guelph, an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Ottawa, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University. He is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, where he was Valedictorian. He has also completed the Rotman School of Management, Institute of Corporate Directors – Directors Education Program, where he was also Valedictorian.
Richard Goulding is Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director of Bank of Ireland Group PLC, where he chairs the Board Audit Committee, and is a member of the Audit, Transformation Oversight, and Nominations & Governance Committees. Richard also sits on the Board of the 100% owned capital markets and wealth management subsidiary J&E Davy, where he chairs the Remuneration Committee, and is a member of the Audit and Nomination & Governance Committees.
Also a member of the Board of Zopa Group Limited, the UK-based fintech group, and its subsidiary Zopa Bank Limited, Richard chairs Zopa Bank’s Board Risk Committee and is a member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees. Richard is also a member of the Council of the Royal College of Music, chairing its Finance & General Purposes Committee, and is a member of the Remuneration Committee.
Richard was a member of the Board and Chair of the Board Risk Committee of Citigroup Global Markets Limited, Citigroup’s UK-based international broker-dealer and investment bank, from 2016 to 2021. He retired as a Director and Group Chief Risk Officer of Standard Chartered Bank in July 2015, and simultaneously stepped down as Vice Chair of the International Financial Risk Institute.
Richard had been the Chief Operating Officer for Standard Chartered’s Global Corporate and Institutional Bank, and was responsible for managing and overseeing various functions including strategy development, research, legal & compliance, technology & operations, risk, finance, human resources, and portfolio management. He joined Standard Chartered from the Old Mutual Group where he was Chief Operating Officer of their Global Financial Services Division based in London and Boston.
Previously at UBS Investment Banking Division, Richard was a member of the Global Executive Board, chaired the Operating Committee and took responsibility for programme and regional management. He had been the Chief Credit Officer of the Investment Banking Division and also Group Head of Risk Policies and Systems. Richard joined UBS from Bankers Trust, where he was their European Treasurer.
Richard qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen and Company, having previously obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a postgraduate degree in finance from the University of Natal in South Africa. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Global Association of Risk Professionals until March 2016, and sat on the Advisory Board of Renmin University of China’s Postgraduate Risk Management Programme from 2015 to 2017.
Ozench leads KPMG’s management consulting business in Toronto, managing a large team of partners and professionals supporting clients across industries with strategic transformation and complex change. As a senior banking partner, Ozench serves some of KPMG’s largest financial services clients. Known for her forward-thinking strategic leadership style, she leads with a focus on delivering value, quality and results with a commitment to an inclusive culture that empowers teams.
As KPMG’s global lead partner for a large globally significant bank, Ozench collaborates across functions, service lines and geographies. Leading teams in over thirty countries, she has previously supported another large international bank with complex, time-sensitive matters, ensuring quality service and value-add for the consolidated bank and in the respective geographies. As a member of KPMG’s Financial Services Leadership Team, Ozench is a key contributor to the firm’s financial services strategy and focus. She brings significant experience with large financial institutions around market, liquidity and credit risk, working closely with G-SIFI banking teams, KPMG’s global financial services leadership team and IFRS desk in London. Her banking, wealth management and capital markets experience span the unique challenges of the ABCP and the credit crisis years to today’s evolving macroeconomic environment with elevated levels of financial and non-financial risk.
Ozench has served as the geographic champion for the firm’s front office transformation program; has led KPMG’s Avenues program that provides professionals with cross functional training and experience across the firm’s Audit, Tax and Advisory practices, and is a mentor and sponsor to the firm’s next gen talent. Ozench is a member of the firm’s Global Financial Services Women’s Steering Group, and champions the firm’s commitment to creating opportunities for, attraction, development and retention of top talent. In addition to her work with GRI, her community involvement includes chairing the Board Finance and Audit Committee for Women’s College Hospital Foundation, sitting on the Advisory Board for Women in Capital Markets, and chairing the Toronto chapter of Women Corporate Directors.
Sharon Ludlow serves as a Corporate Director on multiple Boards of Directors of publicly-traded, private equity-backed and non-profit organizations in Canada, Bermuda, the UK, Europe and the U.S. Her directorship experience includes Chair of the Board, Chair – Audit Committee, Risk Committee, Governance Committee and HR Committee, and she has led Special Committees through a review of strategic alternatives and CEO succession.
In her executive roles, Sharon served as President & CEO, Swiss Re Canada, and President, Aviva Insurance Company of Canada. Earlier in her career, Sharon led the demutualization and IPO of a major life insurance company and also launched Kanetix (now RATESDOTCA), Canada’s first online insurance marketplace.
Sharon is a Chartered Professional Accountant and was awarded the Fellow designation (FCPA) in recognition of her contributions to the insurance industry and the profession.
As CEO of the Ontario Financing Authority (OFA), Gadi is responsible for the Province’s capital market activities, including borrowing and debt management, corporate and electricity finance projects, and its banking and investor relationships. He is also CEO and Vice-Chair of the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation.
Prior to joining the Ontario Ministry of Finance, Gadi worked at Export Development Canada in Ottawa and in the International Division of the TD Bank. He received a Bachelor of Applied Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto in 1981, and a Master of Business Administration from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario in 1988.
Gadi is on the boards of Infrastructure Ontario and the Ontario Capital Growth Corporation, and is Co-Chair of the Joint Nuclear Funds Investment Committee, a joint OFA and Ontario Power Generation Committee.