Strategic Leadership Cabinet

Rob Ashe joined Ottawa-based firm Cognos in 1984 and served as President and CEO from 2004 to 2012. He transformed the company into a world-renowned producer of business intelligence software and grew it to become Canada’s first billion-dollar software company. Rob stayed on as general manager of business analytics after the organization's acquisition by IBM in 2008. With an avid interest in advancing the technology sector in Ottawa, Rob has been the Lead Independent Director at Shopify since May 2015. He’s a 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, an award from the Ottawa Business Journal and Ottawa Board of Trade. He was also the former Lead Director of Halogen, until its sale to Saba Software in 2017. Rob is currently an Executive Partner at Bridge Growth Partners, the Lead Director of MSCI, a Director of ServiceSource International, and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. 

Stéphane Brutus is currently the Dean of the Telfer School of Management. Between 2006 and 2017, Stéphane served as Dean (Interim), Associate Dean Graduate Professional Programs, Chair of the Management Department and Director at the Bell Research Center for Business Process Innovation at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University. Previously, Dr. Brutus worked as a Visiting Professor at Universidade Federal da Bahia, in Brazil and Universidad Pablo de Olavide and Instituto de Empresa, in Spain.

Sarah Downey is a senior health-care leader whose 25-year career spans a broad range of hospitals, including community, academic and complex multi-institutional organizations. In 2022, Sarah was appointed president and CEO of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centre in this field. Prior to that, Sarah served seven years as president and CEO of Michael Garron Hospital, a large community teaching hospital in Toronto, where she was responsible for a $500 million redevelopment project and played a key role in East Toronto Health Partners, one of the first Ontario Health Teams. Sarah has held progressively responsible leadership positions at CAMH, University Health Network and the Ottawa Hospital. She has made numerous contributions to health care in Ontario through her leadership in cancer and mental health programs, capital and strategic planning, workplace safety and wellness, and community building. Sarah has served on many provincial and national committees and boards. She is also a recipient of the Trudeau Medal, the highest honour awarded by the Telfer School of Management to alumni. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of New Brunswick and a Master of Health Administration from the University of Ottawa. She holds Certified Health Executive designation with the Canadian College of Health Leaders and is fluently bilingual in French and English.

Myron Tétreault graduated from the University of Ottawa with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and was awarded a Juris Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Saskatchewan. He began his career as a corporate and securities lawyer with the national law firm of Bennett Jones LLP, focusing on mergers, acquisitions and financing. He left the practice of law in 1998 and, over the past 26 years, he has been an entrepreneur and business leader, co-founding and serving as a director or senior officer of a variety of businesses in the real estate, food, oilfield services, technology, education, and oil and gas sectors. He is a co-founder and director of Fitzroy Developments Ltd., a private real estate company. He is also the lead director of PHX Energy Services Ltd., a TSX-listed provider of leading-edge drilling and measurement technologies. Until May 2022, he was chair of Pieridae Energy Limited, a public oil and gas company. Myron Tétreault is a co-founder and former chair of Webber Academy Foundation, a non-profit company that operates a private school in Calgary, Alberta. He is chair of Stoked Oats Ltd., a private food company, and serves on the board of governors of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, a post-secondary institution for arts and culture located in Banff, Alberta. Mr. Tetreault completed the Directors Education Program at the Rotman School of Management and holds the ICD.D designation. He was picked as a Top 40 under 40 by Avenue Magazine and, in 2016, was awarded the Philos Award by the dean of the Telfer School of Management.

Justine Hendricks is the first female President and CEO of FCC. FCC is Canada’s leading agriculture and food lender, with a healthy loan portfolio of more than $44 billion. Mrs. Hendricks has held various positions at Export Development Canada (EDC) over the past 16 years. She was named EDC’s Senior Vice-President and Chief Corporate Sustainability Officer, Sustainable Business and Enablement in 2019. Her leadership in advancing the organization’s 10-year strategy ensured EDC continued to be a leader for Canada and its customers on environmental, social and governance principles. Justine also designed and executed EDC’s Net Zero 2050 strategy. She received a R. Trudeau Medal in 2017 from Telfer in recognition of her leadership, initiative and contributions to the business world. 

Patricia Saputo is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairperson of Crysalia, which supports Enterprising Families to succeed multi-generationally by creating and delivering deliberate learning journeys for their family members. She is a role model for female leaders in male-dominated industries, the business world, and the community. After her career at Deloitte in the Tax Department, she was asked to join the Board of Directors at Saputo once they went public in 1997. As a lifelong learner and a believer that education is a never-ending process - a process for the betterment of oneself, one’s family and for continued improvement of communities around us - she truly enjoys educating others.

Macky Tall is the Chair of Carlyle Infrastructure Group, which includes efforts across transportation, renewables, energy, water & waste water and digital infrastructure. Before joining Carlyle, Macky served in a series of leadership positions at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), one of the world’s largest infrastructure investors and the second-largest pension fund in Canada. He also served on CDPQ’s Executive Committee and Investment-Risk Committee and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ivanhoé Cambridge.

Ian Telfer, the Telfer School’s namesake, is a Canadian executive and philanthropist who is known for his strategic business success in the mining and resource sector. Ian is the former chairman of Goldcorp Inc., a Vancouver-based gold mining company, and former chairman of the World Gold Council. Ian led Goldcorp Inc. since 2005, first serving as Goldcorp’s President and Chief Executive Officer before being appointed Chairman of the Board in 2006. Ian has earned the reputation of being a ‘visionary mining entrepreneur’ for his ability to grow multiple mining companies. His 30 years of success in the resource sector can be attributed to an intrinsic aptitude for strategically timed acquisitions and value-driven mergers. In 2015, Ian’s career in the mining sector earned him induction into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame 2015, and the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2018. Ian was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa in 2015.

Kathryn Tremblay is the CEO and Co-Founder of Altis Recruitment & Technology, with over 30 years specializing in the human aspect of human resources. She has dedicated her career to the betterment of the staffing process, launching her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 21 when she launched a small staffing firm in the Outaouais region. Kathryn paved the way for a new way of qualified job sectors with prospective employers particularly when it comes to filling executive roles. With its affiliated companies, excelHR has become a recognized leader in the delivery of recruitment and staffing services in Canada. Kathryn is an avid mentor for women in the workforce and encourages young people to pursue a career in entrepreneurship.