Board of Directors

Sean Sutherland is a senior litigation associate at one of Canada’s leading business law firms. Regularly appearing in courts across Canada, Sean’s national practice is focused on business-critical disputes, including complex commercial and energy litigation, regulatory investigations, class action defence, aboriginal law, judicial review of ministerial and tribunal decisions, and constitutional challenges.

In addition to his corporate and commercial practice, Sean is active in pro bono, public interest advocacy and has been counsel on leading cases on voting rights, self-represented litigants, and the application of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to universities.

Prior to his legal career, Sean held various leadership positions in youth politics. He continues to be an advocate for youth civic engagement.

Outside of his professional career, Sean keeps busy with his wife, son, dog and cat.

Alice Fang is President & CEO of NT Global Advisors, Inc. and Head of Northern Trust Asset Management in Canada.  She is responsible for the Canadian asset management business strategy, and oversees the development and delivery of investment management services and solutions for Canadian institutional investors, ranging from pension plans and public funds to foundations and endowments.  She is Chair of the NT Global Advisors, Inc. board and sits on the Canadian Investment Oversight Committee.

Prior to joining Northern Trust, Alice was Vice-President of Investment Solutions for a major Canadian bank, where she oversaw over $85B in investments for high net worth investors, private clients and organizations. She was responsible for product and distribution strategy, investment oversight and ongoing client portfolio supervision.  She was Chair of the Asset Mix Committee and sat on the Investment Committee. 

Alice is a tenured wealth and asset management professional, driving multiple dimensions of client experience and investment excellence. She is a graduate of Trinity College, University of Toronto. She is a member of the Advisory Board for George Washington University’s School of Business. Complementary to her professional life, she is an outdoor enthusiast.  She is an avid runner and skier, with a travelling spirit that takes her to diverse places like the base camp of Mount Everest, the summit of Kilimanjaro, or the temples in Koyasan.  She loves music, is voracious reader and is currently writing a book.

Abid Dobani is a senior executive in the finance industry with 20 years of global capital markets experience spanning roles across investment banking, equity research and derivative trading and sales. Currently he is the Managing Director and Head of Portfolio Management, Execution and Strategy for the Royal Bank of Canada’s Corporate Treasury. In this capacity, Abid heads a team that manages the interest rate, foreign exchange, and equity-related risk hedging of the bank’s balance sheet alongside the in-house managed portion of the employee pension fund. Abid is a graduate of the University of Waterloo’s Mathematics program and is presently matriculated at MIT in their Executive MBA program. He and his wife Farah (a developmental clinical psychologist) are passionate advocates for accessible children’s mental health services. Abid resides in Toronto and spends his free time enjoying sports with his three children.

Gail O’Brien is a founding member of the Advisory Board of Children First Canada.  Born in Montreal, and with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Fine Arts from McGill University, Gail moved to Calgary with her husband David and three children in 1978. Her career in fashion spanned the next 25 years including 10 years as General Manager of Holt Renfrew Calgary. During that time Gail began her deep commitment to community involvement serving on the boards of both the YWCA of Calgary and as Vice-Chair of the Glenbow Museum. Since her retirement, she has devoted herself fulltime to the Not-for-Profit sector focusing largely on women, medicine and the arts in organizations across Canada.

Gail’s current board commitments include: The Hospital for Sick Children Board of Trustees and Foundation Board of Directors; the National Arts Centre Board of Trustees; Co-Chair, Council for Canadian American Relations; Director of Business for the Arts; as well as involvement at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary as Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board and member of other Institute Advisory Boards. Past Board commitments include the National Arts Centre Foundation as Chair and the Ontario Science Centre.

Gail received the Women of Distinction Award for Business and Entrepreneurs in 2000.  In 2010, Gail received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Calgary as well as the Eric Harvey Award from the Glenbow Museum. In September 2011, Gail received the Alberta Medical Association Award of Honor (for a non-medical person) for her contribution to Health Quality in Alberta. Gail is married to David O’Brien; they have 3 children and 10 grandchildren all residing in Toronto.

Todd Ferguson joins Wellington-Altus from Manulife Securities’ high-valued partnerships and advisory teams, where he worked as Managing Director, Advisory Services.  A decisive people leader, Todd is committed to delivering exceptional results by building and motivating top-performing diverse teams.  Having an expansive career in financial services spanning over 25 years, Todd has both worked directly with private and institutional clients, led wealth management teams, as well as branches and large regions across Canada while he was Managing Director, Western Canada at one of Canada’s largest financial institutions.  Todd has served as a private company board member at Relevance Wealth and has eight years experience with IIROC’s Pacific District Council as a representative of industry.

Todd has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta, and graduated from the Ivey Executive MBA Program at the University of Western Ontario.

Todd passionately supports the broader community and is currently serving as Board Member and Chair of the Finance and Audit committee at Children First Canada.

Dr. Daniel Garfinkel received his Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Toronto and he completed his Pre-Doctoral Internship at Alberta Children’s Hospital, both in programs accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association. Daniel is a Registrant of the College of Psychologists of British Columbia. 

From 2010 to 2019, Daniel provided psychological assessment and treatment in the Child Abuse Service at Alberta Children’s Hospital. In 2013, Daniel’s position expanded to include clinical leadership of a multi-disciplinary team of 13 Child Abuse therapists. 

In 2019, Daniel and his family moved to British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. 

Currently, Daniel’s career spans three roles: 

1) Daniel is the Director of Services at the Treehouse Vancouver Child and Youth Advocacy Centre, responsible for clinical oversight of the centre’s multi-system response to child abuse. 

2) Daniel provides therapy to children, adolescents, young adults and parents, as an associate in a private psychology practice. This role keeps Daniel current on the latest research and practice in the field.   

3) Daniel is a contracted consultant to community organizations that support survivors of complex trauma. 

Daniel has been qualified as an Expert Witness in the area of Child Abuse by the Provincial Court of Alberta, and he holds professional certifications in evidence-based treatment programs for traumatized children. Daniel is routinely invited to provide trainings on topics pertaining to child abuse and children’s mental health. He has presented at provincial, national and international conferences on the role of child advocacy centres in helping children heal from trauma. In 2019, Closer to Home Community Services in Calgary awarded Daniel with the Community Builder of the Year Award. 

Outside of his professional life, Daniel, his wife and their two young children enjoy every opportunity to explore the beauty of their new home province.

Kimberley Bozak is on the Foundation Board of National Arts Centre and was a member of the Board of Trustees as Chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee.

She was also the Co-Chair of the Canadian Art Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to the promotion of the visual arts in Canada.

In addition to her involvement with arts and culture, Kimberley Bozak is Chair of the Wellington Financial Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting various local and national charities in Canada.

Prior to her involvement with not-for-profit boards, Kimberley Bozak was a film producer, marketing director for a financial institution and communications advisor to two heads of government.

Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Kimberley Bozak has lived and worked in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. She has an Honours BA degree in Political Science from Bishop’s University and is Co-Author of the book Glorious & Free; the Canadians which was released in July 2017 to celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial.

Alana Riley is the Senior Vice-President, Financial Services, Western Canada at IG Wealth Management. She is a success-driven people leader committed to delivering exceptional results by building and motivating top-performing diverse teams. An expansive career in Financial Services, leading teams of 1000+ employees in Wealth, Retail Banking, Commercial Insurance, Health Care, Small and Medium-sized business lines. Alana provides strategic insight as a member of the Gamma Steering Committee aligning the organization around the vision, scope, and delivery of transformational change leadership, digital platform launches and Client Experience model. Chair, Women of the Wealth, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Member and Chair, National Director Advisor Group.

Alana has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Windsor and a Master of Business Administration degree from Dalhousie University. Alana has founded, Invest in You; partnering business experts with executive coaching and mentoring.

Alana is active in the community currently serving as Board Member, Children First Canada, as well as Gordie Howe C.A.R.E.S. Previous Chair, Lean Advisory at Mt. Royal University, Chair, Women in Leadership, Committee Member Global Accessibility Advisory Group, and spokesperson for Calgary Marathon. Avid skier, runner and yogi, Alana enjoys spending time with her husband and three teenaged children.

Desiree Bombenon is an agent of change with a proven track record of leading businesses to success. Recently appointed as a Harvard Fellow for 2017, Desiree is a member of the Advanced Leadership Initiative cohort working on critical global humanitarian issues.

Desiree is a certified Strategic Leader and a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt.  She is the current President & CEO for SureCall Contact Centers, a global outsourced business solutions company. She is also the CEO of Desiree Imports, an award winning boutique wine, craft beer, and special spirits importer, the CEO of Mentor in a Miniskirt an organization leading the way for young females to reach their greatest potential, and a published fictional author for her books “the Offering” and “the Congregation.”

Desiree is an active community leader involved in several philanthropic endeavors – volunteering, sponsoring and advocating support for many important community organizations. She has launched a corporate responsibility program called ‘Good Call’ that creates a strategic partnership with SureCall, NPOs, and Canadian Charities. She has launched “Hero Girls” around her Harvard Project, educating females in underserved and disparate communities.

Desiree is an active member of Young Presidents Organization, serving as the Alberta Chapter Chair 2007-2008 and the first and still only female Regional Chair for Canada 2011-2013. She served on various committees at the International level, and has won International awards for her work globally for YPO. She was presented the Lang memorial award for her commitment and accomplishments to the Alberta Chapter, the Best of the Best Education globally, and Best Region under her Chairmanship.

Desiree is a member of International Women’s Forum, Women’s Executive Network, and has chaired several industry boards and focus groups. During her board tenor, Desiree contributed to the genesis and launch of the National Music Center – Bell Studio, opening 2016. Desiree serves as a current director of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce board. Desiree has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women2016, and one of the Top 50 Most Empowering Women in Business by Insights Success Magazine 2017. The Center for Economic and Leadership Development, an organization in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, recognized Desiree as a transformational leader naming her as a “Global Female Business Leader- Champions of Sustainable Development” for 2017.