Board of Trustees
Key Functions of the Board of Trustees:
Strategic Planning
The Board of Trustees sets the Gallery’s direction through its Corporate Plan, the centrepiece of the accountability regime adopted by Parliament for Crown corporations. A summary of the Plan keeps Parliament and the public informed of the Gallery’s priorities, objectives, strategies, and performance indicators. It commits the Gallery to a planned strategic direction over a five-year period.
Monitoring and Reporting the Gallery’s Performance
The Board’s oversight role requires regular monitoring of corporate performance, annual assessment of the performance of the Director, and annual reporting to Parliament. Regular monitoring of corporate performance alerts the Board to new developments within the Gallery and in its external environment, and assists the Board in decision-making.
Risk Management
The Board ensures that the Gallery’s principal business risks have been identified and that appropriate systems to monitor and manage these risks are implemented. All major decisions involving Gallery assets and their financing are reviewed and approved by the Board.
Audit Regime
For reassurance about the integrity of the information it receives as well as the Gallery’s internal control system, the Board relies heavily on the Gallery’s audit system. The internal and external audit regime is set out in Part X of the Financial Administration Act. An external Gallery audit consists of an annual audit and, at least once every fives years, a Special Examination conducted by the Office of the Auditor General.
Corporate Policies
The Board establishes a set of Corporate Policies that clarify its expectations and management’s authority and responsibilities. These policies govern areas such as acquisitions, research, conservation, exhibitions, human resources and contracting. The Board of Trustees reviews and updates all Corporate Policies according to a five-year cycle, ensuring that the policies continue to provide the necessary direction.
Succession Planning/Board Self-Assessment
The Board plays a key role in the effective succession of Trustees and critical Gallery management positions. Notwithstanding the Government’s prerogative to appoint Trustees, the Board is expected to play an active role in making recommendations to the Government. The Board is also expected to plan for the succession of its Chairperson by establishing appointment criteria and providing nominations to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women. As well, the Board appoints the Director of the Gallery with approval from the Governor-in-Council.
The Board assesses its performance annually.
Michael J. Audain, OC OBC - Chairperson
Appointed Chairperson of the Board of the Gallery on March 5, 2009.
Michael Audain is Chairman of Polygon Homes Ltd., one of British Columbia’s leading home builders. The company has built over 19,000 homes in Metro Vancouver since he founded it in 1980, and received numerous awards for its integrity and building excellence.
Mr. Audain, a fifth generation British Columbian, was educated at the University of British Columbia and the London School of Economics. He is a governor and past Chairman of the Business Council of British Columbia, a Past President of the Urban Development Institute, and a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.
An active supporter of the arts, Mr. Audain is Chair of the Vancouver Art Gallery Foundation and the Audain Foundation for the Visual Arts. He is a trustee and past Chair of the Vancouver Art Gallery, a former director of Business for the Arts, the former Chair of the British Columbia Arts Renaissance Fund, and a former member of the British Columbia Arts Council.
Mr. Audain has been appointed to the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia. He has also been honoured with the Business for the Arts Edmund C. Bovey Award and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. He has received an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the Emily Carr University of Art & Design, an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria, the British Columbia Museums Association Distinguished Service Award, the Simon Fraser University President’s Distinguished Community Leadership Award, and the Vancouver Board of Trade Community Leadership Award. He is also a Business Laureate of the British Columbia Hall of Fame.
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Michael J. Tims - Vice-Chair
Appointed Vice Chairperson of the Board of the Gallery on June 23, 2008.
Michael Tims is the Chairman of Peters & Co. Limited, a Canadian investment firm specializing in the oil and gas, oilfield services and energy infrastructure industries.
Mike holds a B. Comm. degree (with distinction) from the University of Calgary and an M.B.A. degree from Harvard University. He is a Chartered Business Valuator.
Mike has previously served: as the Chairman of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund, the insurance fund for the Canadian investment industry; as Chairman of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada; and as a member of the Wise Persons’ Committee (which studied securities regulation in Canada).
Mike is presently: a director, and the immediate past Chair of the United Way of Calgary and Area; a member of the Management Advisory Council at the Haskayne School of Business of the University of Calgary; a Trustee of the University of Calgary Foundation; a member of the national Business Advisory Committee for the “French for the Future / Le français pour l’avenir” program; Co-Chair of the capital campaign and a Past Chairman of the board of West Island College in Calgary; and a past director of “Canada’s Top 40 Under 40” program.
Mike was the first recipient of the Management Alumni Excellence (“MAX”) Award from the University of Calgary, and was the 2007 recipient of the Distinguished Business Leader Award, presented by the Haskayne School of Business and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. He was recently named “Citizen of the Year” by the City of Calgary in recognition of his long-standing involvement with community, educational and charitable organizations.
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Paul R. Baay - Trustee
Appointed Trustee of the Board of the Gallery on June 27, 2006, renewed for a second term on March 9, 2009.
Paul Baay is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in administrative and commercial studies. He has been President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of True Energy Trust since 2000. He has been Chair of the Board of Directors of Vero Energy Inc. since 2005. He is also the chairman of Veraz Petroleum Ltd. and a member of the Board of Directors of Millennium Seismic Inc. since 2001. From 1997 to 2000, he was Chair of the Board of Directors of Request Seismic Surveys Ltd. and served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Remington Energy Ltd. from 1991 to 1999. He is currently a Director of the Rundle Mountain charitable foundation.
Mr. Baay has held a variety of not for profit positions including the British North American Committee (C.D. Howe institute), the Alberta College of Art and Design (Director), the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (Governor), the Canadian Oil and Gas Symposium (Chairman), the Calgary Zoological Society (Director), Junior Achievement of Southern Alberta (Chairman), and the University of Western Ontario Alumni (Calgary Rep.). In 1998, he was chosen by the Financial Post Foundation as one of Canada's Top 40 under 40.
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Allan D. Benoit - Trustee
Appointed to the Board of the Gallery on March 5, 2009.
Mr. Benoit holds Masters’ Degrees in Natural Resources Management and Architecture from the University of Manitoba. He is the owner and Principal of Ahtikaki Consulting Inc., a community development consulting firm for cultural and economic initiatives in Manitoba, and is a Senior Policy Advisor with the Manitoba Metis Federation Inc. Mr. Benoit served as the Coordinator for the Red River Cart Journey (North American Indigenous Games). He also served as Senior Architectural Designer in Toronto. He currently serves as the Chairperson for the St. Norbert Parish Metis Council, and a member of the Métis National Museum Steering Committee in Winnipeg.
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Guy Bourgeois - Trustee
Appointed Trustee of the Board of the Gallery on August 4, 2009.
Guy Bourgeois is a graduate of the Université de Moncton with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) specialized in marketing. He has completed additional studies in communications at the University of British Columbia and in advertising at the Université de Montréal.
He is currently the National Director - Marketing Communications for Rogers Wireless, overseeing go to market strategies for the Fido brand. He has held various senior positions in branding and advertising since joining the company in 1997.
Guy is also himself an artist, both as an amateur photographer and a digital artist. Over the past 11 years, some of his work has been exhibited at various locations in Montréal, including the O Patro Vys, the Quartier électro Gallery, the Wilder and Davis Gallery, and at the Université de Montréal.
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Mandeep (Roshi) Chadha - Trustee
Mrs. Chadha was appointed Trustee of the National Gallery of Canada in December 2006.
Mrs. Chadha brings her passion for community development, education, and culture to a range of organizations. She is a Board member of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, a member of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Red Cross and a member of the Board of St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation.
Mrs. Chadha’s commitment to excellence in education is reflected in her close affiliation to McGill, as a member of the Board of Governors (since 2003), and as a member of the Board of the McGill University Health Centre. Mrs. Chadha has a long-standing association with the Agri Foods Division of Balcorp Limited, and in 1999 cofounded with her husband, Baljit, the Chadha Family Foundation, providing bursaries every year to Indo-Canadian students at McGill and Concordia Universities.
Mrs. Chadha brings her expertise, commitment to McGill and a strong vision for educational institutions to her role as a member of the McGill Board of Governors Audit and Human Resources Committees, the Joint Board-Senate Committee on Equity, the Campaign McGill Cabinet, and currently serves as a Board representative to the University Senate.
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Fred S. Fountain - Trustee
Appointed Trustee of the Board of the Gallery on March 24, 2005 and reappointed for a second term on June 23, 2008.
A founding partner in the law firm formerly Franklin, Mitton, Fountain and Thompson, Mr. Fountain currently serves as legal counsel for the law firm Burke Thompson. Since 1985, Mr. Fountain has been President and Chief Executive of The Great Eastern Corporation Limited, an investment management firm. He was also Judge and Chairman of the Regional Assessment Appeal Court from 1980 to 1989.
Mr. Fountain was associated with the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia from 1997 to 2002, and held a variety of positions, including honorary Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Governors, as well as Chairperson of its Acquisition Committee. He also served on the Board of Governors of the National Arts Centre Foundation.
He is a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers Society and the Canadian Bar Association, and a past member of the International Bar Association, the International Commission of Jurists and the Canadian Council on International Law.
Mr. Fountain has received a number of awards including the AFP Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year for Atlantic Canada (2007), the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Dalhousie University (2000), SFRE Philanthropist of the Year (1999), Dalhousie University Community Award (1998), and Dalhousie University Alumnus of the Year (1997).
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Linda Hutchison - Trustee
Appointed Trustee of the Board of the Gallery on the January 29, 2008.
Ms Hutchison is a committed supporter of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) University, and currently serves as its Associate Director of University Relations. She previously served as its interim President and as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors. She is a long-serving alumni representative on the Board of Governors and the NSCAD Alumni Association.
Ms Hutchison has a business background that includes design work in the corporate and non-profit sectors and the operation of an independent billing service provider for family physicians. She has 20 years of experience in owning and operating Condor Holdings, which provides office and residential rentals in the medical community. She was also the first foreign artist to hold an exhibition in the province of Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, in the post-revolutionary period. She was invited to speak with Cuban Union of Artists in the Province, lectured and toured Art schools in Cuba and was interviewed by Cuban media.
Linda Hutchison is a longstanding volunteer engaged in a variety of support areas. She has works of art held in the permanent collection of the Nova Scotia Art Bank and Acadia University.
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G. Howard Kroon - Trustee
Appointed to the Board of the Gallery on March 30, 2009.
Mr. Kroon is a chartered accountant and a graduate of the University of Waterloo, where he earned a Master of Arts degree. He is CEO of Palliser Lumber Sales Ltd., a Canadian secondary lumber manufacturing company, and works in strategic and promotional development with Palliser International Ltd. / Fitmetabolism Inc. Mr. Kroon is currently on the Board of Directors of Dynetek Industries Ltd., in addition to participating in an international development project in the Philippines. He is a member of the federal advisory group for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, as well as a volunteer ice hockey coach in his community.
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Liza Maheu - Trustee
Appointed to the Board of the Gallery on March 5, 2009.
Ms. Maheu is the Executive Director of La Maison des artistes visuels francophones du Manitoba, a centre for contemporary artists working in Manitoba’s francophone community. She previously worked as the Marketing Director for the Centre culturel franco-manitobain and has been involved with different community activities, including serving on the committee for the Festival du Voyageur and Tourism Riel. Ms. Maheu is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Association des groupes en arts visuels francophonesin Ottawa and is the Director of the foundation Les amis des arts visuels du Manitoba. She holds a bachelor degree in business administration (B.B.A.)
Harriet E. Walker - Trustee
Harriet E. Walker was appointed Trustee on the Board of the National Gallery of Canada on September 15, 2006 for a three-year term.
Mrs. Walker is President of the firm Harriet Walker & Affiliates.
Harriet Walker has been a member of the Governor of the Royal Ontario Museum from 2003 to the present (2009) and is the current Chair of the major donors group called the Royal Patrons Circle.
Mrs. Walker is Chair of the Patient Relations Committee of The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.
Between 1997 and 2003, Harriet Walker sat as Trustee and as Co-Chair of the Board of the Royal Ontario Museum. She is currently a Governor of the Foundation Board of the Royal Ontario Museum.
In the past, Mrs. Walker has occupied several other functions including Director of Public Relations at the London Museum of Archaeology, Director of the London Chamber of Commerce, and Vice-Chair of Arts Heritage London. She was Program Consultant to the Royal Visit for the Office of International Relations & Protocol.
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