Sonia Baxendale is a highly respected executive who has more than 20 years’ experience in senior leadership roles in the financial services industry. Ms. Baxendale serves on the Board of Directors for a number of Canadian and international corporate and not-for-profit organizations. As the President and CEO of GRI, Ms. Baxendale leads the premier risk management organization for the financial services industry globally.

In this role, Ms. Baxendale brings together leaders from industry, academia and government to focus on emerging risk management issues. The global pandemic has brought to the forefront a confluence of domestic and global concerns - geopolitical tensions, climate change, systemic racism, social and economic disparities. Under Ms. Baxendale’s leadership, GRI has stepped up to develop strategic research and education. She has brought together experts from across the country and the globe to focus on long-term, sustainable solutions for Canada’s economic recovery.

In addition to her role with GRI, Ms. Baxendale is a Director on the Board of Laurentian Bank, Foresters Financial, RSA Group PLC, and The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited. She is Chair of the Board of SickKids Foundation and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Hospital for Sick Children.

Prior to joining GRI, Ms. Baxendale was President of CIBC Retail Markets where she led Retail and Wealth Management businesses. Ms. Baxendale played a key role in developing strategy and direction for CIBC and held various leadership roles including Senior Executive Vice-President, CIBC Wealth Management, Executive Vice-President, Asset Management, Card Products and Collections, and Executive Vice-President of Global Private Banking and Investment Management Services. Prior to CIBC, Ms. Baxendale held various positions with American Express Canada and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Ms. Baxendale is a graduate of the University of Toronto, where she was named University of Toronto, 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.

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Vanda Vicars is Chief Operating Officer at the Global Risk Institute in Financial Services since 2019 where she oversees strategy development and execution for member services, marketing and communications, and finance.

A respected C-Suite executive and corporate director with more than 30 years of experience in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Sector, Ms. Vicars has held senior roles at leading organizations including President, Capgemini Canada; Senior Vice President of ICT Solutions, Bell Canada; and IBM where she held various executive and management mandates in the global services organization, specializing in technical support and network and infrastructure outsourcing.

Ms. Vicars overseas the cyber risk file at GRI working with researchers and delivering Board level education on the topic of cyber oversight. She has consulted and written extensively on cybersecurity and focused on solutions implementation. Over the course of her career, she has delivered project and cyber services to the financial sector and various government entities.

Having completed her ICD.D designation and the Director’s Education Program at University of Toronto, Ms. Vicars has served as a Corporate Director on the boards of Bell Capital Markets Solutions, Createch, and Capgemini Canada. She also sat on the board of Canadian Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) for 10 years and was a fellow of the International Women’s Foundation (IWF) in 2009.

An advocate for women in the ICT sector, Ms. Vicars has served as an executive coach, mentor and was instrumental in launching networking and development programs for women at Bell Canada and IBM.

Ms. Vicars holds a BBA, Management Science from Bishop’s University.

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Bruce Choy joined the Global Risk Institute in January 2021 as a member of the senior executive team and to develop their research mandate on future and emerging risks. Dr Choy brings a track-record in university research, executive financial institution leadership and management consulting, with extensive global financial services experience in North America, Asia and Australasia.

Prior to joining GRI, Dr Choy was a management consultant with PwC from 2014 to 2020. He advised C-suite, Boards and senior leadership of financial institutions on financial and non-financial risk management, corporate governance and strategy. He held various roles in PwC’s New York and Toronto offices, including Risk Consulting practice leader for PwC Canada. From 2003 to 2013, Dr Choy was a senior executive with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. He was a General Manager that led the Balance Sheet Management and Group Market Risk departments. Prior to the Commonwealth Bank, he worked in the front-office with ANZ’s Global Capital Markets team after leaving a tenure-track academic career with the University of Sydney’s engineering faculty.

Dr Choy is a Governor on the Board of George Brown College and a member of their Audit, Finance and Property Committee. He is also Vice President and Board member of the Toronto Chapter of the Risk Management Association.

Dr Choy was awarded a doctorate from the University of Sydney, Australia, for his research on the mathematics for risk management. He is a University and R.A. Priddle Medalist from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Engineering and a Sloan Fellow from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

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Alyson leads Global Risk Institute's Sustainable Finance initiatives with the aim of supporting Canada’s financial sector in the transition to a climate-smart economy and sustainable future. She brings 20 years of international experience to this role, with expertise in climate change, inclusive finance, and sustainable development gained through her work as a senior executive at the Global Reporting Initiative and the Alliance for Financial Inclusion.

She worked to enhance corporate transparency on environmental and social issues with the world’s leading sustainability reporting standard setting organization, the Global Reporting Initiative. She held various leadership roles including strategy, services, and emerging markets over the course of 12 years. Alyson also spent five years in Asia with the Alliance for Financial Inclusion working with central banks from emerging markets on building more inclusive financial systems, and in support of H.M. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands in her role as UN Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. She has also been a management consultant supporting businesses on sustainability strategy and stakeholder engagement.  Alyson brings the ESG perspective to her role as a member of the Continuous Disclosure Advisory Committee of the Ontario Securities Commission and represents the financial sector perspective on the Sustainable Development Advisory Committee of Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Alyson started her sustainability career at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in Geneva in 2000. She received her Master's Degree from the University of British Columbia, and an honors Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University, both with a focus on environmental management.

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Mary Lou Frazer leads the communications and marketing efforts for the Global Risk Institute in support of its education, events and research initiatives. An accomplished strategic communicator with more than 20 years working in financial services, Mary Lou has helped shape the corporate narrative for some of Canada's leading organizations.

At the Ontario Securities Commission, Mary Lou provided strategic communications counsel on media relations, issues management and stakeholder engagement through the development of executive-level messaging, corporate reporting materials and publications.

As a Senior Director of Communications & Public Affairs at CIBC, Mary Lou advised senior executives and business leaders on the development and implementation of integrated corporate communications strategies. She managed internal and external communications for CIBC’s personal banking and wealth management businesses supporting the launch of a broad range of products, acquisitions, and innovations. For more than a decade, Mary Lou led CIBC’s communications efforts related to financial disclosure, corporate social responsibility, and governance and regulatory reporting.

Mary Lou began her communications career working in health care and social services. She has a Journalism degree from Ryerson University and post-graduate certificates in Public Relations and Digital Strategy and Communications Management from the University of Toronto. She received her Certified Professional in Investor Relations (CPIR) designation from the Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI) and Ivey Business School.

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SukYee Ang is the Director of Finance at the Global Risk Institute. She brings over 20 years of experience and expertise in financial accounting and reporting, variance analysis, payroll preparation and administration, strategic planning and cash management. Prior to joining GRI, SukYee was the Controller for 10 years at one of Canada’s leading providers of health and productivity solutions for employers and organizations. SukYee is a Chartered Professional Accountant, CGA and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto.

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Dennis Fei joined the Global Risk Institute in May 2013 as Director, Financial Reporting and Budgeting. He brings over 20 years experience in developing and implementing financial, budgeting and reporting systems and controls in various industries.

Dennis holds a Double Major BA in Economic and Actuarial Science from University of Toronto.

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Victoria Guo is the Director of Research at the Global Risk Institute. Her responsibilities include engaging with members to determine strategies in which GRI can create economic value for all stakeholders via GRI’s research programs.

Victoria brings over a decade of experience in business and risk management in the financial services industry. Prior to joining GRI, she has held a number of management roles in both business and risk management at Scotiabank. These roles covered risk oversight for capital markets and treasury, including examining the critical issue of liquidity risk management through stress-testing and enterprise recovery and resolution planning across all of Scotiabank’s diverse businesses.

Additionally, Victoria is co-regional Director of PRMIA (Professional Risk Managers’ International Association) Toronto. This role includes organizing and hosting the annual Canadian Risk Forum, one of Canada’s most prominent financial services risk management conferences. She also serves as Advisor to the New Horizon Career Club.

Victoria is a certified Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and has completed the Financial Risk Management (FRM) accreditation. She holds a Master of Economics from the University of Toronto and Bachelor of Finance from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

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Alexey Rubtsov is a Senior Research Associate at the Global Risk Institute and an Assistant Professor of Mathematical Finance at Ryerson University. His areas of focus are Systemic Risk, FinTech, and Asset Allocation. His academic research was published in such journals as the Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Annals of Finance, among others. He holds a PhD in Operations Research and an MSc in Financial Mathematics from North Carolina State University.

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Sally Shen is a Research Associate at the Global Risk Institute. At GRI, Sally conducts research in the field of pension risk management and manages external research projects of the National Pension Hub.

Prior to joining GRI, she was an Assistant Professor at Capital University of Economics and Business in Bejing. Sally is also a research fellow of Network for Studies on Pensions, Aging and Retirement (Netspar) in the Netherlands. Sally holds a PhD in Finance from Maastricht University, a MSc degree and a BSc Degree in Econometrics from Tilburg University.

Sally has more than 10 years of research experience in the field of pension risk management, asset liability management, and pension policy design. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, and Financial Services Review. Sally's current research is focusing on hedging climate risk for institutional investors; pension technologies; discount rates; institutional investment; and Canadian pension system design.

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Erik Brown is a Research Analyst specializing in geopolitics at the Global Risk Institute. Erik is a firm believer that shifting geopolitical trends represent long-term strategic risks to the financial industry.

Prior to joining GRI, Erik worked as an analyst in the Office of Applied Research & Innovation at Sheridan College. Erik is an alumnus of Massey College and has served as a course assistant at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, supporting a graduate seminar on risk and risk governance. Erik holds a Master of Global Affairs (MGA) from the Munk School and an Honours Bachelor of Arts and Science (B. Arts Sc.) from McMaster University.

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Maria Montes is the Manager, Events at the Global Risk Institute. Her responsibilities also include GRI Education and Training programs and the annual GRI Summit.

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Julie Gauthier is the Graphic Designer at the Global Risk Institute. In the role, she works on publications, and contributes to social media, website and newsletter assets. Julie's education experiences include: a diploma in Graphic Design at Salette College, Interactive Media and Advanced Communication Design diploma at North Island College, Bitmaker General Assembly, User Experience Design Certificate and George Brown College for Social Media Marketing. In the past, she worked as a freelancer, in agencies and for different entertainment and event companies.

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Jill Hamilton is Global Risk Institute’s Digital Communications Specialist. Jill brings her 11 years of experience as an entrepreneur to this role. She creates engaging and informative content and visuals for our website and social media platforms.

Jill has a post-secondary diploma as a Legal Assistant, certification as a Law Clerk as well as in photography and graphic design. As a business owner, she was an early adopter of social media, is well versed in all social platforms and over saw all aspects of the digital communication.

Other roles Jill has held in her career are event host, graphic designer, community connector, administrator, photographer, videographer and social media coordinator.

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Karen Stevenson brings 22 years of experience to her job as an Executive Assistant at Global Risk Institute. During that time, she has worked for a diverse range of corporate and public entities, including Lenovo (Canada), Ontario Power Generation, and Capgemini, and is therefore well-versed in most of the related software, programs and, applications associated with these entities: Concur, Egencia, and MS Teams to name a few.

Karen’s post-secondary education includes an Office Administration – Medical diploma from Lambton College (Sarnia, Ontario) and subsequent accreditation through the George Brown College Executive Administration Assistant program. In addition, she has furthered her formal IT training with several advanced courses and makes it her business to stay current, understanding that the immediacy of today’s rapidly evolving business climate demands effective communication and a timely response.

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