Toronto Executive Mentors
Judy Goldring, President & Head of Global Distribution, AGF Management Limited
Judy G. Goldring is a renowned leader in the asset management industry and one of Canada’s most influential business women. As President and Head of Global Distribution at AGF Management Limited, she supports the CEO on business planning and execution of strategic initiatives.
Judy also brings unified accountability to and fosters greater synergies across AGF’s respective sales distribution channels globally. In addition, she oversees the firm’s Human Resources function and is responsible for AGF’s Private Client business. Judy is a member of the Board of Directors for AGF Management Limited and AGF Mutual Funds.
Judy is Vice-Chair of The Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC)'s Board of Directors and sits on the Board of the Toronto French School (TFS), Canada’s International School. In addition, she serves on the Scholarship Advisory Committee for the Children’s Aid Society, as well as is a lead fundraiser for the JDRF $100m Campaign to Accelerate.
In 2015, Judy was named a Top 100 Hall of Fame Inductee by the Women’s Executive Network™ (WXN).
Ross Wainwright, CEO, Alida
Ross Wainwright is a seasoned software executive with proven 30-year track record of identifying and fast-tracking opportunities that will not only disrupt existing market habits but also transform customer results to produce the most successful business outcomes.
As Alida’s new leader, he sees strong potential to become a compelling and transformative alternative to existing solutions in the CXM software space.
Over the past two years Ross has been the CEO for Dimension Data/NTT managing the Americas P&L. This business focuses on Networking, Security as well as Managed services and Consulting. The organization includes approximately 2300 employees across 6 countries with Revenues of 2.1B. As CEO, Ross oversaw all aspects of the business and reported to the Global CEO for NTT. Ross also led the integration of all NTT subsidiaries across the Americas supporting a global initiative focused on a full amalgamation of NTT assets.
Ross also spent 15 years at SAP and his last role was the EVP & Global Head of S4 Hana Cloud. This strategic new global business focused on delivering an ERP solution leveraging a SAAS / Public Cloud Delivery model. The business was a start-up within SAP and required leadership across Product Management, Development, Sales, Service, Partner Ecosystem and Customer Lifecycle management.
Ross was responsible for all aspects for the business and signed the first 50 clients in 2017. Ross also played the role of Chief Customer Officer overseeing Customer engagement and lifecycle to ensure successful implementation, support and renewal of the business.
Prior to this role Ross was the EVP & Global Head of Financial Services responsible for the end-to-end business including Banking, Insurance and Capital Markets. He had responsibility to lead Development, Industry teams, Services, Partner ecosystem, Support, Marketing/Communications, Strategy and oversee the global P&L for Financial Services. This business included 1250 employees stretching across 65 countries around the world and represents 1.55B total P&L for SAP. Ross has also spent 4 years as the EVP for NA Services (3450 employees and a 1.6B P&L).
Ross is a goal oriented, motivational leader with extensive global P&L management experience. He has an established track record of building and leading high performing organizations, driving a transformation leadership agenda and delivering consistent revenue & profit growth.
Leanne Hall, CEO, Creative Fire
Leanne Hall is a dynamic and innovative CEO overseeing Creative Fire, one of Canada's only Indigenous Strategy, Consulting, Engagement, Communications and Design Professional Services Firm. Advisory Portfolio includes: Reconciliation Action Plans, ESG/Sustainability, Indigenous Engagement, Nuclear, Mining, Energy, Real Estate, Financial Services, Public Sector, Retail Industries. Innovated Canada’s first Reconciliation Action Plan consulting practice creating a new corporate reporting cycle in Canada. Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Champion.
Led the National Deloitte Indigenous Practice and a Partner in the Risk Advisory providing professional services across the country for Corporate Canada, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Economic Development Corporation and their private businesses. Former mining executive with Noront Resources overseeing ESG, Sustainability, CSR and Human Resources creating award winning corporate programs.
Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women 2013 by WXN in the Trendsetter and Trailblazer Category.
Currently completing the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) Directors Education Program and the ESG Global Competent Boards Program.
Committed to building trusting and long-term relationships.
Member of the Board of Directors for: First Mining Gold
Past Board Member: Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), Mining Association of Canada (MAC), Board of Governors, Wilfrid Laurier University, Mining Industry Human Resource Council (MiHR), Women in Mining Canada (WIM Canada), Pine River Foundation.
As mother of two Cree teens, my passionate efforts to support Indigenous communities are an intrinsic part of her personal and professional life.
Deborah Flint, President & CEO, Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA)
Deborah Flint is a vision-driven, Canadian-born business leader with over 25 years of experience in the international aviation industry. Ms. Flint is currently the President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), operator of Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada’s largest airport and the sixth-most connected airport in the world.
Under Ms. Flint’s dynamic leadership, Toronto Pearson has been named “Best Large Airport in North America serving more than 40 million passengers” by Airports Council International (ACI) World for five years in a row.
Ms. Flint conceived of Toronto Pearson’s globally accredited Healthy Airport program and led the GTAA, along with some 400 companies operating at Toronto Pearson, in the development and evolution of the airport-wide program focusing on passenger and employee health. As a result of the Healthy Airport program, Toronto Pearson has been recognized as having the best hygiene measures of any airport in North America for two years in a row.
Due to the lengthy closure of the Canadian aviation sector, Ms. Flint is facing head-on dynamics while simultaneously driving a vision of a modernized airport system that the public and government understand and can champion. To create the “airport of the future,” Ms. Flint has inspired her teammates with a championship team mentally, encouraging Toronto Pearson employees to be results-driven, nimble, collaborative, innovative and inclusive.
Ms. Flint is passionate about making bold business and infrastructure moves to fulfill her future vision. As the Aviation Director of Oakland International Airport, Ms. Flint delivered a decade-long quest for airport rail with a $480 million Airport Rail Project for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART). Following her tenure at Oakland International Airport, Ms. Flint was named Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), one of the largest passenger and cargo airports in the world. During her time at LAWA, Ms. Flint implemented a $15 billion airport modernization plan, including the largest public works contracts in the city’s history for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to serve over 100 million passengers.
Ms. Flint is a member of the ACI World Governing Board, a Board Liaison for the Air Cargo Committee at ACI-North America (NA), a Board Liaison for the Safety and Technical Standing Committee at ACI-NA and an independent Director on Honeywell’s Board of Directors. She formerly served as a Director on the Federal Reserve Bank (San Francisco Branch), a Chair of the National Academy of Science’s Airport Cooperative Research Program and as a Director of the Airport Minority Advisory Council.
Ms. Flint has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from San Jose State University in California.
Carolyn Spriet, President, Hallmark Canada
Carolyn Spriet is a consumer-packaged goods executive with 25+ years’ experience leading Private, Private Equity and Tier One Multinational organizations and championing the growth of many of Canada’s most recognized household and retailer brands. She is currently the President of Hallmark Canada, responsible for local strategy and operations and driving sales in the Drug/Mass/Club/Grocery channels and the Hallmark Gold Crown independent retail stores.
Prior to joining Hallmark, Carolyn was General Manager of Sun Products Canada, a division of the $2B North American private equity-backed consumer products company that was formed with the acquisition of Unilever’s laundry business. Carolyn was responsible for the 2008 start-up of the Canadian company and built that organization for eight years until its successful sale to Henkel AG, a global CPG Multinational. As General Manager, Carolyn was responsible for the stand-alone $200 MM Canadian operation, including all functional strategy development, financial results, and leadership of the 70-person team.
Prior to Sun Products, Carolyn had a successful 16-year career at Unilever Canada. During this time, she held progressive marketing and sales leadership roles in all three company business units: Food (Becel, Ben & Jerry’s, Lipton), Personal Care (Dove, Degree, Axe) and Homecare (Sunlight, Vim, Snuggle). As a lead of the Unilever Laundry Divestiture team, Carolyn and her colleagues led the sale process with prospective buyers and ultimately executed the transfer of the business to private equity.
Carolyn holds an Honours Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. She lives in Toronto with her husband and three children. Outside of work, Carolyn enjoys anything that gets her outdoors and active - skiing, snowboarding, hiking and travel.
Sarah Jordan, CEO, Mastermind Toys
Sarah Jordan is CEO of Mastermind Toys, the nation's largest specialty toy and kids bookstore and Canada's Authority on Play. She leads 68 stores coast-to-coast and online, with thousands of employees from teams across their stores, Play HQ (head office) and warehouse, and creates a world-class employee and customer experience. In 2021, Mastermind Toys won the Omni Channel Award at Retail Council of Canada's Excellence in Retailing Awards for their digital transformation and Sarah received the Innovation Award at the Women of Inspiration Awards by the Universal Womens Network. Recently, Mastermind Toys was named a 2022 winner of Canada's Best Managed Companies and won the 2022 Retail Marketing award at the Excellence in Retailing Awards.
Sarah is a passionate, authentic, purpose-driven CEO with deep expertise in customer & employee experience, digital innovation and brand-centric reinvention. Previously she was the Senior Vice President, Customer Experience and Omni Channel Strategy at Scotiabank where she led the bank from #5 to #1 in customer experience ratings. She spent a decade with Boston Consulting Group, where she advised Fortune 500 companies on large scale retail customer centric transformations and cultural change. Sarah holds both an MBA and an Engineering degree from Queen’s University.
She is a board member at Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, the largest Canadian Property and Casualty Mutual Insurer with $4.2 billion in annual revenue, and assets of $11.3 billion, and 125 year heritage. She is also a board member at the Canadian Toy Association, the first-ever retail member in the organization’s history whose members include manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers in the $2.5 billion toy industry in Canada. She is also a board member at the Retail Council of Canada, the voice of retail in Canada, representing 45,000 store fronts, $485 billion in sales and 2.2 million employees.
Ashley Kirwan, Co-Founder, President & CEO, Orix Geoscience
Ashley Kirwan is a professional geologist and the Co-founder, President & CEO at Orix Geoscience; a geological consultant firm advancing strategic exploration and mining to meet client milestones, through the integration of data and innovative geological understanding. With 70+ diverse employees (100% female owned, 50% female employees), Orix focuses on a healthy corporate culture, high quality of work, and strong industry partnerships, operating within their three offices (Toronto, Sudbury, Winnipeg). She earned a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Geology at Laurentian University and completed the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program. She sits on the New Break Resources board, Women in Mining (Toronto) committee, Metal Earth steering committee, and is a strategic partner for a variety of female owned companies in the mining sector.
Ashley was named 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining (2016), awarded the Distinguished Alumni Rising Star Award from Laurentian University (2018), selected as a Top 40 Under 40 Sudbury (2019), awarded YWCA Women of Distinction Award (2020) and The Eira Thomas Young Mining Professional award (2020). Orix Geoscience celebrated their 10 year work anniversary this year, was named Sudbury Company of the Year (2022) and named to Morneau Shepell/The Globe and Mail Employee Recommended Workplaces (2019 & 2020).
Ashley is committed to leading a new generation of geoscientists in the mining industry, is a mother, spends her time between Toronto and Sudbury, and most recently discovered the joy and challenge of CrossFit.
John Ferguson, President & CEO, Purolator
John Ferguson is President and Chief Executive Officer of Purolator, leading a team of more than 14,000 employees across North America, where he is responsible for leading the company’s rapid growth and transformation.
In the course of his 30-year career, John has gained extensive experience in leading businesses in the transportation and logistics sectors across North America. Holding a variety of diverse, senior roles, he has demonstrated a proven track record in financial performance, operational excellence, automation, innovation and strategic planning.
Prior to Purolator, John was President and CEO of SCI Logistics, where he led its transformation into a leading supply chain solutions company with operations across Canada.
As the leader of Purolator, John has driven record operational and financial performance by motivating and empowering the workforce. This provided the capital and catalyst for a $1 billion growth initiative that is expanding and automating the business infrastructure to capture e-commerce market share through a world class last-mile logistics network.
John understands the critical importance of combining innovation and environmental sustainability. For example, by building the largest hybrid-electric fleet in the industry, Purolator has decreased its direct GHG emissions by 11% even with a significant increase in delivery volume.
John is a strong advocate for the people side of business, launching new priorities most notably workforce diversity and mental health programs, championing corporate culture and innovation through continuous improvement. Under his leadership, Purolator was honoured with the prestigious Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Culture award in 2019. John’s leadership and support for the company’s flagship “Purolator Tackle Hunger Program” has generated a 24% increase in donated food it delivers to food banks across Canada – 1.65 million pounds.
John currently serves on the board of directors of Trillium Health Partners Foundation, SCI Group Inc., and Innovapost Inc. He is also an active member in YPO (Young Presidents Organization).
John holds a Corporate Director designation (ICD.D) from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
Jeffrey L. Orridge, CEO, TVO Media Education Group
Jeffrey L. Orridge is a highly regarded corporate and community transformative leader with global experience building teams, brands, and businesses across North America.
Prior to joining TVO, Jeffrey served as Commissioner of the Canadian Football League and held senior leadership positions at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Tire Corporation, Reebok, Mattel, and Warner Brothers and USA Basketball.
A graduate of Harvard Law School and Amherst College, Jeffrey has earned a reputation for making lasting social impact. He has served in senior leadership roles at Right to Play, a global humanitarian organization as well as on the boards of War Child Canada, the Canada Post Foundation, BlackNorth Initiative and Historica Canada.
Jeffrey is a sought-after speaker, having spoken at Harvard Law School, Stanford University, Arizona State University, Schulich School of Business, Ryerson’s Ted Rogers School of Management, Drexel University Law School, and the University of New Brunswick (among others).
Drawing on lived experiences and having led transformational diversity and inclusion initiatives, Jeffrey is regarded as a thought leader on enhancing corporate brands through alignment with D&I goals.
Jeffrey, his wife Carly, and their two sons live in North York, Ontario.
Peter Dinsdale, President & CEO, YMCA Canada
Peter Dinsdale has worked and volunteered for service delivery and political advocacy organizations on a local, regional and national level. Mr. Dinsdale obtained a Bachelor of Arts – Political Science and Native Studies and a Master of Arts – Interdisciplinary Humanities in 1997 from Laurentian University.
He previously was the Chief Executive Officer for the Assembly of First Nations, the past Executive Director of the National Association of Friendship Centres and previously a member of the YMCA Canada Board of Directors.
In 2018, Peter became a recipient of the Order to Ontario. Peter is married with two children.
