Board of Directors

Our Board is structured to provide for the participation of all stakeholders while remaining independent from the telecommunications and television industry.

It consists of seven directors who are elected for three-year terms:

  • four Independent Directors, two of whom are nominees of consumer groups
  • three Industry Directors, one each to represent the Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs), the Cable Companies, and the Other Participating Service Providers

Independent Directors

The Independent Directors are intended to represent a diversity of experience and interests, being individuals known and respected on a regional and national basis and representative of the Canadian population, including gender, linguistic, minority and geographic representation.

Photo of Catherine Aczel Boivie (Board Chair, appointed October 2016)

Catherine Aczel Boivie (Board Chair, appointed October 2016)

A senior executive and CEO, Catherine has led the advancement of the strategic value of information technology as a business enabler at Vancity Credit Union, Pacific Blue Cross and CAA British Columbia. She serves on several boards, including those of BC Real Estate Association (BCREA), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), MedicAlert Canada and Artsclub theatre. She holds a BMath degree from University of Waterloo and an MEd and PhD from University of Toronto. Dr. Boivie has been publicly recognized for her contributions, including being named as one of Canada’s top 100 most powerful women by the Women’s Executive Network in the “Trailblazers and Trendsetters” category. She is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal for being a “catalyst for technology transformation.”

Photo of Trish Kiley

Trish Kiley

Trish’s 35+ year business career began as a Chartered Accountant at PwC before serving in senior executive financial roles within the cable television industry for over a decade. She moved on to advise a number start up IT companies and subsequently started her own IT venture in 2003, Advanced Publishing, which she runs today as CEO. She is active as a director and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Canadian Automobile Association and a past-chair of CAA Atlantic, and has served as a director and past board chair of a number of other for profit, non-profit and industry associations.
Trish has a Bachelor of Administration (Distinction) from the University of New Brunswick, a CPA, CA designation and recently earned her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Consumer Group Appointees

Photo of Geneviève Saumier

Geneviève Saumier

Geneviève is Peter M. Laing Professor of Law at McGill University, which she joined in 1996. Her areas of teaching and research include domestic and cross-border dispute resolution as well as consumer law. She is a board member of Quebec’s Office de la protection du consommateur and of the Fondation Claude-Masse. She obtained B.Com., B.C.L & LL.B. degrees from McGill and a Ph.D. from Cambridge University, clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada and is a member of the Quebec Bar. In 2016, she was awarded the Paul-André-Crépeau Medal, by the Canadian Bar Association – Quebec Division.

Photo of Catherine Middleton

Catherine Middleton

Catherine is a Professor and Director of the Ted Rogers School of Information Technology Management at Ryerson University. She also teaches and supervises students in the joint York-Ryerson graduate program in Communication and Culture. Catherine’s research focuses on consumer and citizen access to communications technologies, with specific attention to the provision and use of fixed and mobile voice and broadband services. In 2017-2018 she held worked at the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as a Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellow. She holds a BA Hons from Queen’s University, an MBA from Bond University (Australia), and a PhD in Management Information Systems from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Catherine has served on several boards and is a past board chair of CANARIE, Canada’s advanced research and education network. She holds the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) designation and is a member of the ICD, the National Association of Corporate Directors and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Industry Directors

The Industry Directors represent each of the ILEC, Cableco and Other Participating Service Provider categories.

Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs)

Ruby Barber

Ruby is Assistant General Counsel, Legal & Regulatory Affairs, at Bell Canada and is based in Ottawa. She joined Bell in 1997 and has a broad range of legal and regulatory experience with telecom issues. Most recently she was responsible for Bell Canada’s consumer legal team, which on a day-to-day basis addresses legal issues impacting Bell’s customers, including the Wireless Code of Conduct. Previously, she supported the Mergers & Acquisitions team at Bell as Assistant General Counsel, M&A. Prior to joining Bell, Ruby was an associate at Fasken Martineau in Toronto, practising corporate and securities law. She is a graduate of Queen’s University (Honours Politics) and Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1991.

Cable Companies

Photo of Dean Shaikh

Dean Shaikh

Dean is Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at Shaw Communications, where he is primarily responsible for CRTC proceedings and compliance under the Broadcasting Act. He also provides advice on matters involving the Telecommunications Act, Competition Act and Copyright Act. Prior to joining Shaw in 2006, Dean was Regulatory Counsel at the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association. Previously, he worked at the Competition Bureau in the Mergers Branch. Dean is a graduate of Queen’s University (Bachelor of Laws) and the University of Ottawa (Bachelor of Social Sciences – Political Science and Master of Laws).

Other Participating Service Providers

Photo of Geoff White

Geoff White

Geoff White is Executive Director of the Competitive Network Operators of Canada. His previous mandates include Director and Regulatory Counsel for the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services, External Counsel to the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, and Counsel and Senior Regulatory Analyst, MTS Allstream. Geoff has taught the Communications Law course at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Common Law for 3 years in a row and was an advisor to the Broadcasting & Legislative Review Panel. Geoff also works as an on-call firefighter for the Municipality of Chelsea. He holds a BA from McGill, a JD and MBA from Windsor, and a postgraduate law degree from Oxford.