Alexandra Wilson discovered a passion for co-operatives in 1974, when she led her neighbours in a successful fight to create the Bain Apartments Co-operative, putting a stop to the landlord’s plans to evict 260 low-income households. This involvement as a teenager in saving her own home led to a career spanning 47 years in the development, management, and provision of association services to housing co-operatives at the local and national level. Alexandra spent 22 years on the board of Co-operative Housing International and in 2017 was elected to the global board of the International Cooperative Alliance. She is a member of the board of the Funeral Co-operative of Ottawa; a member of the board, vice chair, chair of the Risk and Compensation Committee and past chair of the audit and sustainability committees of The Co-operators Group, a multi-line co-operative insurer; a past member of the board and audit committee chair of Vancity Community Investment Bank; and past chair of the Credit Committee of Alterna Savings and Credit Union. From 2012 to 2021, she served on the Advisory Board for Sustainable Business of Chartered Professional Accountants Canada. In 2021, Alexandra retired from her position as CEO of the Agency for Co-operative Housing, an organization she founded in 2005.

Mr. Gabriel Godin has been Vice-President, Business Banking at Caisse Desjardins Ontario since January 2020. He is responsible for business development for the SME segment across Ontario.

Mr. Godin is proud to represent the Desjardins Group where he has worked since 1995. He has worked in several positions within the caisse network, both in the private sector and in the business sector. Manager since 2003, he took over in 2010 as General Manager of the Caisse populaire Coniston in the Sudbury, Ontario region. Passionate about entrepreneurs and businesses, he joined the Desjardins Business centres in 2013 to lead and mobilize the sales team by establishing lasting partnerships with members and clients.

Involved in his community, he participated in the development of the business plan, design and construction of the Coniston Residential Center, a 20 unit non-profit housing project for retirees. For more than fifteen years, this project has housed a medical clinic available to all residents of the surrounding communities. Mr. Godin, with the support of the City of Greater Sudbury, ensured the recruitment and retention of physicians for the city. Since its founding in 2004, he has remained involved in this project as a property manager and sits on the board of directors of a second retirement home, La Ruche de Coniston.

As an academic background, he has a bachelor’s degree in commerce with a specialization in co-operative administration and a second in finance from Laurentian University. In addition, he completed the business credit program at the University of Quebec. Very proud of his university career, he sat on the Laurentian University Alumni Association for a few years.

Kristen is partner in the firm and has practiced law at Taylor McCaffrey LLP since her call to the Bar in 1996 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her primary area of practice is corporate & commercial law, where she has had the opportunity to represent corporations, cooperatives and partnerships in their business endeavors, from structuring start-ups to crafting by-laws, assistance with general commercial contract matters, obtaining financing from traditional financial institutions, drafting shareholder and member agreements, and assisting with fundraising. She has represented clients in pursuit of matters with both the Manitoba Securities Commission and the Cooperatives Regulator and has provided general assistance to the Manitoba Cooperatives Association in lobbying for changes to applicable legislation.

She has assisted new generation cooperatives in assembling business plans and prepared them for equity drives. She also represents more traditional cooperatives and multi-stakeholder co-ops, and has assisted in drafting by-laws and articles of incorporation for every type of co-op, both provincially and federally. Kristen provides general legal advice to cooperatives in a variety of industries, including agriculture, housing, insurance, retail, and oil and gas, to name a few. Kristen has assisted cooperatives and credit unions in addressing multi-jurisdictional issues.

Kristen currently sits on the Board of Directors of Red River Co-op, a retail fuel and food co-op serving over 300,000 members located in Winnipeg and the surrounding region.

Jolyane Lapierre is Director Business Development, Financial Cooperatives Outside Quebec at Desjardins since 2022. In her current role, Jolyane actively collaborates with all major Credit Unions across the country to maximize synergies between her business partners’ needs and Desjardins’ capabilities to support valued-added win-win partnership opportunities. Just over the last years, Jolyane has already made her mark as a true collaborator and team player within the Canadian financial cooperative ecosystem.

Jolyane has been with the Desjardins Group for nearly 20 years, during which she’s also held various strategic marketing positions in the fields of marketing research, product development and marketing strategy throughout different business lines. As a strong advocate of clients and members needs, Jolyane has distinguished herself by successfully leading effective strategies and initiatives that made a significant difference in Desjardins’ members’ lives and their communities.

Jolyane also volunteers as scholarship applications juror for the Desjardins Foundation which contributes to young people’s academic success every year by awarding scholarships to students, grants to schools and organizations and donations to partner organizations. Known for her creativity and intrapreneurial spirit, Jolyane also enjoys getting involved in The Cooperathon, the largest open innovation challenge in Canada powered by Desjardins and Montreal Newtech, as the organization connects citizens, communities, entrepreneurs, researchers, academics and large institutions to develop, together, a socially responsible future.

From an academic perspective, Jolyane holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Laval University as well as an MBA specialized in Marketing from Laval University, in Quebec City.

Gary O’Brien was appointed to the Board of Directors for Marine Atlantic Inc. in December 2017, and initially served as the Chair for the Governance, Risk, and Strategy committee.  In November, 2020, he was appointed as Chairperson of the Board for a five-year term.

Gary retired from the federal public service in 2015, having served in a management capacity for over 32 years. Prior to his retirement, he was with the Federal Department of Employment and Social Development (Service Canada) and was responsible for the Grants and Contributions Program for Newfoundland and Labrador, a program that saw the investment of millions of dollars in the province.  Prior to joining the Federal Service, Gary worked in the financial sector, working for several different institutions, including the Bank of America, Finance America, and Household Financial Corporation.

Gary has also been actively involved with the Atlantic Credit Union system for many years, currently sitting on the boards of both Atlantic Central and League Savings & Mortgage corporations as a director, where he chairs several committees. These two Atlantic credit union companies have consolidated assets of $1.5 billion. He is also currently a Director of the Board of Directors for Atlantic Edge Credit Union, a $350 million financial cooperative providing a full range of financial services to Western NL.

Gary is an active and respected community leader.  He has been extremely active in the Chamber of Commerce movement locally, provincially and at the Atlantic Canadian regional level.  He has been engaged with numerous sports organizations in a leadership capacity and has been part of charitable groups such as the Dr. Charles L. Legrow Healthcare Foundation, the Kinsmen Clubs in Western NL, and school councils during the years his children attended secondary school.

Gary and his wife Geraldine have owned and operated their business, O’Brien Investments Inc., for some 20+ years.  They have two children, Christopher and Michelle.  Gary enjoys a few recreational activities, including golf and curling.

Since joining The Co-operators in 1997, Rob has held increasingly senior leadership roles within the group of companies, culminating with his appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Co-operators Group Limited on December 1, 2016. From 2007 until 2016, he was Chief Operating Officer of The Sovereign General and, in November 2011, assumed the additional role of Executive Vice President, National Property and Casualty (P&C) for all P&C operations across The Co-operators group of companies.

Rob has been instrumental in leading flood resiliency efforts in Canada and engaging all levels of government, the academic community and various industries, to develop a complete solution for Canadians. In this capacity, Rob is a founding director and member of Partners for Action Advisory Board and a board member of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction.

Rob is also a board member of the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation, where he sits on the Executive Committee, and is a member of the Insurance Development Forum Steering Committee. He is also a member of the Business Council of Canada and a board member of the Canadian Co-operative Investment Fund. Rob holds a B.A. with distinction in Theoretical Mathematics and MSc. of Applied Statistics from the University of Guelph where he graduated in 1996. He obtained a Chartered Insurance Professional designation in 1999.

Rob lives with his family in Guelph, Ontario and is an active volunteer in the local community, coaching youth sport and mentoring young athletes.

Glenn served as Red River Co-op’s (325,000 member owners) Vice-Chair and the Chair of the Nominations Committee, as a member of the Nominations, Governance & Compensation and Audit Committees. Glenn was initially elected to the Board in 2018 and served two (2) three-year elected terms. In addition, he served as a member of the Council for the Insurance Institute of Manitoba for six (6) years; the last two (2) as Secretary-treasurer. Moreover, Glenn was a course instructor and exam proctor for the Insurance Institute of Manitoba. Furthermore, he also served as an elected Director on the Board of Directors of Assiniboine Credit Union (140,000 members) where he was also a member of the HR Policy & Compensation committee.

Glenn has extensive “C” suite experience as a President & CEO, COO, CFO and VP of several disciplines in a multitude of industries and has achieved and maintains the following designations all in good standing: CPA, CA, CIP (Hons), CRM (Hons), RF, ICD. D, CAFM, Co-opD. D, GCB.D, CCB.D (Candidate).

Overall, he has 39 years of business experience, inclusive of over 10 years as CFO of Arctic Co-operatives Limited and Arctic Cooperative Development Fund. Arctic Co-operatives Limited is a service federation supporting 32 local member-owned Co-operatives, four (4) wholly owned Iqaluit-based subsidiaries, one (1) joint venture, numerous equity and portfolio investments all in Canada's Arctic (Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon) including two (2) significant southern-Québec based investments in logistical (air and water) entities to move people and freight to/from the Arctic. Glenn graduated from the Faculty of Administrative Studies at the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) on the Dean’s Honour Roll. He is a lifelong Winnipegger; strong supporter of the Winnipeg Humane Society via walking dogs waiting for adoption, committee work to raise funds for the annual Gala and personal financial benevolence; a Canadian Blood Services blood donor; and, a long-time supporter of Siloam Mission whose vision is: A Winnipeg Without Chronic Homelessness.

Kelly joined La Siembra Co-operative’s Finance Team in 2010 as the co-op’s Director of Finance, Investor Relations and Capital Manager. Today, she leads this portfolio as La Siembra’s Executive Director and one of six worker-owners committed to building sustainable livelihoods for small farmers through fair trade and economic democracy.

A credit union member since childhood, Kelly has been a part of the co-operative and social solidarity movement for over 25 years. In 2012, she was elected to the Board of Your Credit Union in Ottawa, and is serving out her final year as Board Chair, having completed her training in Regulatory and Compliance, Governance and Ethics, AML, Enterprise Risk Management, and Strategic Planning.

Kelly has proudly served the members of several national and international co-operative and fair trade organizations, including serving the Boards of the Ontario Co-operative Association, Fairtrade Canada and Green Campus Co-op. She is presently serving on the Board of Equal Exchange US – one the largest worker co-operatives in the United States, and she was recently elected to the Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation’s Board as a Director at Large.

Kelly started her education in Finance and Business Administration at BCIT and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economic Geography and Political Science from Carleton University. In 2017 she was honoured to receive the Co-operative Spirit Award for her work and volunteerism in the sector.

Kelly currently resides in Ottawa with her husband Derek and is an active member of the community promoting the co-operative and credit union model.

Sean works as the Executive Director of Union Co-operative, which is working to acquire properties in Waterloo Region for permanent affordability through community ownership. He is the Principal of Scaled Purpose, a management consultancy for non-profits, charities, and co-operatives. Sean is an instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University, and the Treasurer at the construction company Fourth Pig Worker Co-operative.

Sean holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Master of Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo. Sean is currently a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Waterloo where he researches the governance and financial strategies of community organizations. Sean was a 2021 Bertram Scholar, a research award provided by the Institute of Corporate Director’s Canadian Foundation for Governance Research. In 2019, Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada awarded Sean with the Lemaire Co-operative Studies Award.

Andy Morrison retired in 2016 as the CEO of Arctic Co‑operatives Limited, a position he held since 1995. Andy was responsible to the elected Board of this aboriginal-owned and democratically controlled Co-operative federation. He provided leadership, direction and support in the business affairs and governance of Arctic Co‑ops, including operational and technical support services to the locally-owned and controlled Co-ops in the Canadian Arctic. Between 1986 and 1995, Andy was the General Manager of Arctic Co-operative Development Fund, the financial arm (Loan Fund) of the Co-op System in the Arctic. Andy also held financial management positions with Arctic Co-operatives Limited, including that of Controller. Under his leadership, Arctic Co-ops, Arctic Co-op Development Fund and the Co‑op System in the Arctic experienced very positive growth and development.

Prior to joining Arctic Co-ops, Andy held retail and financial management positions with Co-operatives in Atlantic Canada. He is a graduate of Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Andy serves on the Board of Directors of a number of organizations including:

as President of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Co-operative Investment Fund (CCIF), the new national Co-op Development Fund in Canada.
The Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of NorWest Co-op, a Community Health Centre in Winnipeg.

Andy has a broad range of Co-operative and corporate experience on the Boards of Directors of numerous Co-operative and private sector organizations in the fields of housing, insurance, communications, transportation, finance and advocacy. Andy and his wife Paula reside in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Since joining The Co-operators in 2009, Dave has held increasingly senior leadership roles within the finance area for the group of companies. Currently Dave is the VP, Financial Accounting Services where he is responsible for setting the strategic direction and ensuring operational success of The Co-operators shared service financial functions. Over his tenure with The Co-operators he has had a focus on financial reporting, operational accounting and financial systems. He has made significant strides in reducing operational expenses and increasing team engagement. Prior to this he worked in the auditing of manufacturing and not-for-profit sectors for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Dave holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree with distinction from McMaster University as well as a CPA, CA designation from the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants.

Dave lives with his family in Guelph and is active in the community through involvement as the president of a local nursery school cooperative, a member of the Guelph General Hospital Board of Directors and is a Guelph Minor Soccer coach.

Greg O’Neill has 30 years’ experience in the Canadian Co-operative sector. He served as a Director and Advisor to the Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation for many years. He managed a small loan fund for worker co-operative development in Newfoundland. He has also successfully served as a developer for numerous worker co-operative enterprises and as a contributor to the BC Institute for Co-operative Studies publication “Effective Practices in Co-op Development” for writing the chapter, “Capitalization of Co-operative Development in Canada”.

Greg has also had extensive experience with the multi-purpose co-operative members of Artic Co-operatives Limited. He spent 8 years as the General Manager of the Arctic Co-operative Development Fund. He also did planning for the creation of a development fund for the Fédération des Coopératives du Nouveau Québec (FCNQ).

Most recently, Greg has been working in the Canadian housing co-operative movement with the Agency for Co-operative Housing. He served as the Director of Lending and Default prevention Services. He was responsible for developing secondary financing plans for Housing Co-operatives in difficulty. He was also instrumental in developing a program for market-based housing co-operative refinancing with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada.

The breadth of experience in a variety of Co-operative enterprises primarily in a senior role related to their financing makes Greg uniquely qualified to provide service to the Canadian Co-operative Investment Fund as a member of the Investment Advisory Committee.