Board of Governors
CHAIR, Board of Governors: MR. B. PEARSON
Mr. Bruce Pearson is the retired former President and Co-Founder of Pearson Dunn Insurance Brokers Inc.– a full service Canadian brokerage headquartered in Hamilton serving large institutional, commercial and personal clients from London to Lakefield with unique insurance solutions.
A Mohawk College graduate and a Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional, Bruce has a lifelong commitment to community service. His previous community involvement includes serving as Chair of the YMCA of Hamilton, Burlington, Brantford; Chair of Hamilton Police Services Board; Chair of the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO); Chair of the Insurance Institute of Ontario; past President of the Ancaster Agricultural Society; and former President of the Ancaster AM Rotary with 40 years of membership.
Bruce currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Mohawk College Foundation Board and sits on the YMCA of Hamilton, Burlington, Brantford’s CEO Performance Committee.
He is a lifelong resident of Ancaster where he lives with his wife Lori and two sons, David (class of 2018), and Michael, in Grade 10 – both are HSC lifers.
Bruce serves on the Executive, Finance, Nominating and Risk Management Committees.
PAST CHAIR, BOARD OF GOVERNORS: MR. A. KAIN
“Andy” is a lawyer by profession and is a founder and the president of Windular Research and Technologies Inc. (“Windular”). Windular is a privately held corporation that provides innovative renewable energy systems, consulting and advisory services to the global telecommunications industry. Andy also operates his own law practice providing corporate and commercial advice to private companies with an emphasis on start-up business. From July 1995 to February 2010, Andy was General Counsel to the portfolio and administrative managers of a US$5 billion Bermuda-based hedge fund (the “Tewksbury Group”). Prior to joining the Tewksbury Group, Andy was employed as an Associate in the Tax Department at Aird & Berlis LLP in Toronto. Andy has extensive experience in corporate commercial matters and advising corporate and not-for-profit boards. He has held numerous private company and not-for-profit directorships.
Andy earned a BA (Honours) in History and Political Science from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Ottawa where he graduated cum laude. He is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Bermuda Bar Association.
Andy is actively involved in the Transformation HSC Capital Campaign where he is currently a member of the Campaign Cabinet Committee. He also coaches the HSC Senior Girls’ Hockey Team.
Andy and his wife Ruth are the proud parents of three daughters who are alumni of the College and a son who recently completed Grade 10 at HSC.
Andy serves on the Executive and Nominating Committees.
Corporation Secretary and Chair, Board Development Committee: Ms. M. Williams
As McMaster University's Vice-President of University Advancement, Mary Williams leads one of Canada's strongest advancement teams with a stellar reputation for delivering strong results to the University in the development of its reputation and resources. At Mac, University Advancement broadly includes the University’s communications and marketing activities, relationship with government, alumni relations and fundraising. Williams has played a number of roles at McMaster since she joined the team over 30 years ago.
As an active volunteer, Mary is a past-president of the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (her national professional organization), and has been actively involved in many boards in the broader Hamilton area, including: Ronald McDonald House, the Hamilton District Health Council, the YWCA, YMCA of Hamilton, Burlington & Brantford and the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Conference Board of Canada’s National Council of Foundation Executives and the YMCA Canada Board of Directors.
Mary, a McMaster graduate herself, grew up in Hamilton, is married to Rob Forbes and together they are proud parents of Liam Forbes who is currently a very proud Grade 11 HSC Student.
Mary is the Chair of the Board Development Committee, and serves on the Executive and Nominating Committees.
Chair, Finance Committee: Mrs. C. Mills '94
Christine Mills is an Assurance and Advisory Partner with SB Partners Chartered Professional Accountants in Burlington. With over 20 years of experience serving clients in the public and private sectors, Christine’s client experience covers a wide range of industries including manufacturing and distribution, utilities, life sciences, health care and not-for-profit organizations. Much of her career has focused on corporate reporting, business structure, family succession and tax planning.
Prior to joining SB Partners, Christine worked with Ernst & Young in Hamilton and Toronto where she led audit teams for many not-for-profit organizations in the Hamilton area, as well as multi-national public corporations reporting on the TSX and the NASDAQ.
Christine graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1998 with a degree in Honours Business Administration and obtained her Chartered Accountant designation in 2000.
Christine and her husband Warren (’94) are both proud alumni of HSC and their sons currently attend the Middle and Senior School. She and her family enjoy participating in local sports leagues and travelling as a family in the off-season.
Active in her community, Christine is a volunteer with the audit committee for the Bay Area Health Trust.
Christine is the Chair of the Finance Committee, serves on the Executive Committee and is a member of the Board of Trustees.
Christine is the Chair of the Finance Committee, serves on the Executive Committee and is a member of the Board of Trustees.
Chair, Board of Trustees: Mr. G. Reiner '03
In a more recent engagement, Geoff held senior leadership positions with an energy and infrastructure firm. Throughout a three-year period, he generated over $100M in new business revenue through both Fortune 500 companies as well as local, privately held SME’s. Here, Geoff was also responsible for a substantial capital raise where he worked with a number of different investment partners to provide the necessary capital injection to advance the company toward their 5-year plan.
In 2020, Geoff joined Wentworth Strategy Group as a Partner and Sales Advisor. Wentworth is a diversified management consultancy located in Hamilton, ON that is focused on helping small and medium enterprises thrive. Through Wentworth, Geoff works with his clients to enhance revenue generation and strengthen overall business valuation in preparation for a sale. He also works with clients in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, technology and the energy sector to double sales and increase profit margins.
Geoff is a McMaster University graduate of the MBA program at the DeGroote School of Business. He was highly engaged in co-curricular activities and was elected as class President. During his presidency, he facilitated a number of legacy initiatives that continue today. Prior to attending the DeGroote School of Business, he obtained an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.
In his spare time, Geoff loves to spend time outdoors, exploring and hiking with his wife and their young family.
Geoff serves on the Executive and Nominating Committees of the Board of Governors.
Dr. O. Akintan
Dr. Olabode "Bode" Akintan is a Child and Adolescent psychiatrist at McMaster Children’s Hospital. He also holds a faculty position (Assistant Professor) at McMaster University. He graduated from Medical school in Nigeria in 1996, practiced as a generalist for a couple of years, then moved to North America to complete psychiatry training and a child psychiatry sub specialty at the University of Maryland.
Since moving to Canada in 2008, Bode has helped to build the child and youth mental health inpatient unit (the largest program of its kind in the province) and Psychiatry Emergency Services, both at McMaster Children's Hospital. He currently serves as Medical Director of both.
In 2015, Bode graduated with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree through Cornell University NY, and Queen's University, Kingston ON. He serves on various committees at McMaster and on the Professional Guidelines and Standards Committee at the Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Bode is a past member of the psychiatry executive for the Ontario Medical Association (OMA).
Bode lives in Oakville with his wife Nene, two children (both alumni of HSC) and niece. His family is active in the community as part of a larger group of Nigerian professionals who migrated to North America. Bode's wife Nene is the founder and CEO of the non-profit organization “I am, I can, I will”.
Bode is a fan of the Barcelona football club, enjoys travelling with his family and enjoys reading non-fiction.
Bode serves on the Nominating Committee.
Ms. C. Clarke
Within BLG, Cindy is the National Group Head, Specialized Disputes, a role she has held since 2014. She is a member of BLG’s National Management Committee and the relationship manager for several key clients in the primary health care and financial institution sectors.
As National Group Head, Cindy is responsible for leading and overseeing more than 150 lawyers across four National Disputes Groups - Health, Labour & Employment, Insurance & Tort and Environment & Land Use Planning.
In her practice, Cindy represents hospitals and health organizations in complex, multi-million dollar medical malpractice actions. She also represents product manufacturers in product liability actions involving products with health effects, including pharmaceutical class actions.
Cindy previously served for 12 years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Mothercraft Society – an organization dedicated to healthy child development and strengthening families. Cindy has been recognized in the 2020 and previous editions of Best Lawyers in Canada® (Administrative and Public Law, Health Care Law, Medical Negligence); Chambers Canada as a ranked health care lawyer; and was honoured with a Zenith Award for Mid-Career Excellence and a Top 100 Most Powerful Woman Award by WXN.
Cindy lives in Brampton with her husband Chris and their three children, Sophia, 17 and twins Max and Lucie, 13. All three children currently attend HSC. Cindy loves the outdoors and spending time with her family.
Cindy serves on the Board Development Committee.
Mr. A. Hammond ’98
Andrew Hammond ’98 is the Senior Vice President, Enterprise Risk for the Royal Bank of Canada. In this role he is responsible for leading the strategic management of risk, including the definition and quantification of RBC’s risk appetite, ensuring financial resiliency, identification and management of emerging risk, measurement of credit risk and RBC’s risk framework and policy. He also has responsibility for risk data, program management and the administration of the Group Risk Management function. As a member of the Group Risk Management Operating Committee, Andrew contributes to the development of the overall strategy and direction of the group.
Andrew joined RBC in 2005. Most recently, he was Head, Global Credit and Cash Management in Wealth Management, where he lead a team of industry specialists who were accountable for the development of best-in-class credit and cash management products to support RBC’s wealth management businesses world-wide.
Before joining Wealth Management, Andrew worked in Group Risk Management where he provided oversight of all risks arising for our Wealth Management businesses in the Americas. Prior to that he provided risk support to RBC’s Corporate Banking and Global Markets platforms in both Toronto and London.
Andrew attended HSC from 1982 to 1998, where he met his wife Nora, and their twin sons are currently enrolled in the Montessori School.
Andrew joined RBC in 2005. Most recently, he was Head, Global Credit and Cash Management in Wealth Management, where he lead a team of industry specialists who were accountable for the development of best-in-class credit and cash management products to support RBC’s wealth management businesses world-wide.
Before joining Wealth Management, Andrew worked in Group Risk Management where he provided oversight of all risks arising for our Wealth Management businesses in the Americas. Prior to that he provided risk support to RBC’s Corporate Banking and Global Markets platforms in both Toronto and London.
Andrew attended HSC from 1982 to 1998, where he met his wife Nora, and their twin sons are currently enrolled in the Montessori School.
Andrew serves on the Finance and Risk Management Committees.
MS. M. HILL '07
Ms. Meagan Hill is a senior associate at McKinsey & Company and a member of their recovery and transformation service line. In this capacity, she advises clients to deliver operational turnarounds in various industries.
Meagan started her career at Morgan Stanley in New York City where, as a member of the securitized products team, she evaluated lending opportunities for commercial mortgage securitization. Meagan has previously worked at The Related Companies, a privately owned real estate firm; BASE Equity Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm; and the Canadian Federal Government under the Trudeau administration, supporting the development of the Canadian Infrastructure Bank.
In collaboration with Harvard Business School (HBS), Meagan designed the first HBS Executive Education program for First Nations and Native American investment professionals and government leaders. The program operates annually, and over the past three years, the program has graduated approximately 200 professionals from across Canada and the United States.
Meagan holds a BA from Harvard College where she was President of Harvard Student Agencies, the largest student-run corporation in the world. She is also a graduate of HBS where she completed her MBA.
Meagan serves as special advisor to the Head of College on fundraising.
Mr. P. Jeejeebhoy
Pheroze was called to the Bar in 1996. Since then, Pheroze has maintained a practice primarily focused on litigation, and he is certified by the Law Society Ontario as a Specialist in Civil Litigation. In 2016, with the retirement of his colleague, Pheroze established PJKJ Law p.c. Pheroze maintains a special interest in the area of medical malpractice work. However, PJKJ Law provides services for family law, criminal law, other personal injury issues and residential real estate. Pheroze is very proud of the fact that his oldest child, Zenobia, has completed law school with First Class Distinction, after graduating on the Dean's List from Queen’s University. Zenobia is now training with her father.
In addition to his work with HSC, Pheroze is the current Chair of the Lynwood Charlton Centre, a charitable organization that is the Lead Agency for the delivery of a spectrum of mental health solutions for children and youth in the Hamilton-Wentworth area.
Pheroze serves on the Board Development Committee.
In addition to his work with HSC, Pheroze is the current Chair of the Lynwood Charlton Centre, a charitable organization that is the Lead Agency for the delivery of a spectrum of mental health solutions for children and youth in the Hamilton-Wentworth area.
Pheroze serves on the Board Development Committee.
DR. R. MCCABE
Dr. Randi McCabe is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, and a clinical psychologist with 20 years of experience in the field as a clinician, researcher, educator, and healthcare leader. At St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Randi is a Clinical Director in the Mental Health and Addictions Program. She balances her clinical and administrative roles with her academic pursuits. Her research has focused on anxiety disorders and the development of novel cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) interventions for a range of disorders. She is a published author of more than 100 research papers and has published several books.
At McMaster University, Randi served as Chair of the Clinical Behavioural Sciences Program in the Faculty of Health Sciences (2003–08), a post professional psychotherapy training program for health professionals. She helped found the Mentorship Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences in 2015, and currently serves as co-lead. She also teaches and supervises graduate students in the McMaster Research Clinical Training Stream of the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour.
Randi lives in Hamilton with her husband and her two sons who both started in the Montessori Program at HSC at age three. Liam Harper-McCabe is now in Grade 10 and Brendan Harper-McCabe is in Grade 6.
Randi serves on the Board Development Committee.
At McMaster University, Randi served as Chair of the Clinical Behavioural Sciences Program in the Faculty of Health Sciences (2003–08), a post professional psychotherapy training program for health professionals. She helped found the Mentorship Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences in 2015, and currently serves as co-lead. She also teaches and supervises graduate students in the McMaster Research Clinical Training Stream of the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour.
Randi lives in Hamilton with her husband and her two sons who both started in the Montessori Program at HSC at age three. Liam Harper-McCabe is now in Grade 10 and Brendan Harper-McCabe is in Grade 6.
Randi serves on the Board Development Committee.
MR. E. SCHAEFER ‘91
Mr. Erik Schaefer is a partner at McKinsey & Company in Toronto and a leader in their Recovery and Transformation service line. In this capacity he advises clients, and where necessary, assumes interim senior management roles to drive operational turnarounds on large-scale industrial assets. He focuses primarily on the metals and mining industry, but has also led numerous transformations in other sectors including pulp and paper, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and across functions spanning operations, sales, marketing, organization and purchasing. He recently spent two years in Asia Pacific as the Chief Transformation Officer and Deputy General Manager leading the distressed turnaround of one of the world’s largest precious metals mines.
Erik previously worked as a process design and project engineer at Sulzer Chemtech in Switzerland, Canada and Germany. There, he designed and commissioned large-scale fractional crystallization systems to ultra-purify chemicals and petrochemicals.
Erik is fluent in English, German and French and possesses basic, though rusty, conversational ability in Spanish. He holds an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and an MBA with High Distinction (George F. Baker Scholar) from Harvard Business School. He and his wife Amy (’93, nee Lazier) are both alumni of the College, and their daughters Martha and Audrey currently attend the Senior and Middle Schools.
Erik previously worked as a process design and project engineer at Sulzer Chemtech in Switzerland, Canada and Germany. There, he designed and commissioned large-scale fractional crystallization systems to ultra-purify chemicals and petrochemicals.
Erik is fluent in English, German and French and possesses basic, though rusty, conversational ability in Spanish. He holds an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and an MBA with High Distinction (George F. Baker Scholar) from Harvard Business School. He and his wife Amy (’93, nee Lazier) are both alumni of the College, and their daughters Martha and Audrey currently attend the Senior and Middle Schools.
Erik serves on the Finance Committee.
Mr. C. Sherman '03
Charlie Sherman '03 is Legal Counsel with Rogers Communications. He supports the company's procurement department as in-house counsel. Charlie previously practiced corporate/commercial and real estate law at Hamilton law firms Evans Philp LLP, ESB Lawyers LLP, and Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP.
Charlie graduated with a B.A. (Honours) in Political Science from Dalhousie University and a Juris Doctor degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. He is a member of the Law Society of Ontario.
Charlie is a third-generation HSC alumnus (Class of 2003). He is a member of the HSC Alumni Association Executive Committee and is currently its Past President, having served as President from 2017 to 2019.
Charlie, a new HSC parent, resides in the City of Hamilton, where he lives with his wife Alexandra Weaver (Class of 2002).
Charlie serves on the Board Development Committee.
Charlie graduated with a B.A. (Honours) in Political Science from Dalhousie University and a Juris Doctor degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. He is a member of the Law Society of Ontario.
Charlie is a third-generation HSC alumnus (Class of 2003). He is a member of the HSC Alumni Association Executive Committee and is currently its Past President, having served as President from 2017 to 2019.
Charlie, a new HSC parent, resides in the City of Hamilton, where he lives with his wife Alexandra Weaver (Class of 2002).
Charlie serves on the Board Development Committee.
Ms. S. Shi
Sonia Shi has spent more than 10 years in the Financial Services industry after changing her career direction from Engineering. Her focus in recent years has been on regulatory rules implementation and execution within Capital Markets or at enterprise level, and is currently a Senior Project Manager at RBC Global Risk Management. Previously she held senior business management positions at BMO Capital Markets, and worked within TD Securities and Scotia Global Banking and Markets areas.
Sonia is certified with PMP, ACP and SMC, and holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Science and Technology University, Beijing, and an MBA from McMaster University DeGroote School of Business. Beyond work life, Sonia is an active member of the community she lives in, volunteering her time and talent.
Sonia's family resides in Ancaster. Her two sons are recent HSC graduates as lifers who both began in the Montessori program at HSC! Sonia’s personal interests are mentoring and coaching young professionals; she believes in the power of knowledge sharing.
Sonia serves on the Risk Management Committee.
Mr. M. Ayotte, Head of College
Marc has enjoyed his tenure as Head of College since arriving in July 2010. He continues to work with all stakeholders at HSC in further positioning HSC as the leading independent School in Canada with a transformed campus at its core.
Marc, his wife Kim, and their two children are enjoying being part of the HSC community and look forward to many years as members of the HSC family.
Marc is an attendee to all Committees of the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees.
Honorary Life Members
Mr. G. W. DeGroote ’74
Located in Hamilton, ON, Hillfield Strathallan College is a Canadian independent, co-educational day school.
The academic program runs from Montessori Toddler and Pre-K to Grade 12.
Hillfield Strathallan College | 299 Fennell Avenue West | Hamilton, ON L9C 1G3 | 905-389-1367