Board of Directors

 

Grant Kook—Chair

Founder, past Chairman and , current President and CEO of Golden Opportunities Fund Inc., President/CEO of private equity and venture capital portfolio manager, Westcap Mgt. Ltd.    Fund manager of Golden Opportunities Fund Inc., First Nations and Métis Fund, Business Ready Investment Development Gateway (BRIDG), and First Nations Business Development Fund President and Chief Executive Officer of Cheung On Investments Group Ltd. Owner, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ramada Hotels in Saskatchewan since 1992. Serves on the boards of numerous private and publicly traded companies and is active in many community organizations as follows:  Vice President of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA), member of the World Entrepreneurs Association, Trustee for First Nation Trust Funds, Voluntary Chair of the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan, Executive Committee Member of the Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive for Kids, Sponsorship Chair for the 2006 PotashCorp Vanier Cup and 2004 Canadian Nokia Brier, Vice President of Sponsorship for 2010 Canadian World Junior Hockey Championship, Director of 2012 Tim Hortons Brier, Chair of 2013 and 2014 CIS University Cup, and Board Member of the new Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame. Recipient of the Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan, Bnai Brith – We are Proud of You Award, Ernst & Young nominee for Entrepreneur of the Year in 1998 and 2003, and in 2008 was recognized as one of the Province’s Most Influential Men by Saskatchewan Business magazine.

 

Blair Davidson

Chartered Accountant and a partner in the accounting firm of Hergott, Duval, Stack LLP since 1989. Active on several committees with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Saskatchewan, chair of the discipline committee, former representative for Saskatchewan on the Public Liability Committee of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and board member of AICA Inc., the administrator of the public liability insurance program for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. Has served on several Saskatoon area boards, including: Saskatoon Golf & Country Club; the Board of Directors of Saskatoon City Hospital, Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation, the Board of Directors of the Saskatoon Airport Authority, the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation, the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame, and the Royal University Hospital Foundation. Member of the Institute of Corporate Directors

 

Terry Dennis
	Member of Canora Town Council since 1997, and has served as the town’s mayor since 2000. An owner and operator of Dennis Foods, a family enterprise that has been a fixture in the Canora business community since 1947. Active supporter of the sports community, serving as a player, coach and volunteer in hockey, baseball and curling.

 

Dave Doepker

Executive Chairman of the Board and Vice-President of International Business for Doepker Industries Ltd., a family business founded in 1948. Previously, spent 12 years in the education field and then 5 years in the sales and management of an agricultural equipment business At Doepker Industries, held positions of Director of Personnel, VP of Marketing, as well as President from 1997 to 2005 before assuming his current responsibilities. Served as a Director on the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce A founding member of Action Humboldt, an economic development think tank for the Humboldt region. Sits on the Advisory Board for another Saskatchewan manufacturing company. Served on fund raising committees for St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation, and the Humboldt Jaycees.

 

Reg Howard

Senior Vice-President, The Phoenix Group. Prior to joining The Phoenix Group, was the Regional Manager for Saskatchewan and Manitoba with The Co-operators Insurance Company for 19 years. Serves on the boards of The Regina Exhibition Association, Regina Crime Stoppers and The Chris Knox Foundation. Is involved with North Central Family Centre, and has served as Co-Chair of the 1966 Grey Cup Anniversary Celebration for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

 

Randy Kachur

Graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, Bachelor of Law Degree in 1978. Partner with the Yorkton law firm of Rusnak Balacko Kachur Rusnak. Has appeared as counsel in all levels of court in Saskatchewan and the Supreme Court of Canada. Received Q.C. (Queen’s Counsel) designation in 2010. Current chair of the Mental Health Review Panel for the Sunrise Health Region. Serves as director on boards for various private corporations involved with residential and commercial property holdings. Past executive member of Yorkton and District Chamber of Commerce, Yorkton Curling Club, Yorkton Sunrise Lions Club, Yorkton Minor Sports Association and Yorkton Cardinals Baseball Club.

 

Sumith Kahanda

Graduate of the University of Saskatchewan (PhD, 2007), Katholieke University, Belgium (M.Sc., 2002) and University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (B.Sc., 1997). Environmental Engineer (P.Eng.), Clifton Associates Ltd., Saskatoon. Former University Lecturer, Sabaragamuwa University, Sri Lanka. Served on the Board of Saskatoon Open Door Society and the Board of Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Center. Community volunteer, immigrant advocate and recipient of Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award 2010.

 

Pamela Lothian

Pam graduated from the University of Saskatchewan, obtaining a BA (Political Science) in 1982, and Law degree in 1985. First female partner of McDougall Ready in the firm's 100 plus year history. Practiced law for 13 years before electing to concentrate on her second "career" as a homemaker, raising two daughters. Past president of the Regina Bar Association and a director of Regina Community Basketball Association and the Arthritis Society of Saskatchewan. Currently a director of Lex Capital Corp., a private investment holding company, and Lex Capital Management Inc., a private equity management firm. Co-chaired the Volunteer Committee for the CIS Women's National Basketball Championships hosted by the University of Regina, in March 2009.

 

Gayle MacDonald

President & CEO of G-Mac’s AgTeam Inc., an Agricultural Retail Business in West Central Saskatchewan. Full-time mother of three. Serves on the board of Canterra Seeds Former community representative on the board of Sun West School Division. Graduate of Quantum Shift Ivy School of Business, Western University, London, Ontario. Member of Kindersley Business Focus Group. Active Member in the Community, having coached and/or partipated in speed-swimming, fast-ball & hockey, curling, volley ball & golf,  as well as participated in and promoted community programs & fund-raising events. Enjoy playing in a band, entertaining crowds in numerous communities. Formerly, an orthoptic technician at the Orthoptic Clinic in Regina’s Pasqua Hospital.

 

Garry Reichert

Retired from SaskTel in 2005 after 38 years of service, in which he held progressively senior positions, including General Manager Technology Performance and Operations. Worked with SaskTel International on projects, including Manager for the Jilin Power Microwave and Fiber Project in northern China and Director of Engineering for the Leicester Communications Limited Project in the United Kingdom. Graduate in Electronic Technologies from SIAST.

 

John Ritchie
	First Vice President, Branch Manager and Investment Advisor for CIBC Wood Gundy. Chair (past) for the Investment Dealers Association of Saskatchewan. Division Chair (past) for the Regina United Way.  Vice Chair of Skate Canada, Regina. Co-founder and Chair of the Saskatchewan Open Squash Championships. Board member (past) Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan

 

Glenys Sylvestre

Chartered Accountant Associate Dean (Undergraduate), Paul J. Hill School of Business at the University of Regina Formerly an audit and assurance manager at Deloitte & Touche Served for six years as a Councilor with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Saskatchewan, including service as President and Chair. Also active on several committees and ad-hoc committees with the Institute including past service on the Practice Appraisal and Education committees Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, Provincial Board of Examiners, Saskatchewan representative. Facilitates board and executive training and development sessions for numerous organizations on topics such as fundamentals of accounting, risk management, interpretation of financial information and monitoring financial performance. Serves on several Regina community boards including Queen City Kinsmen Gymnastics Club, Arcola East Community Association and was a past volunteer for the 2005 Canada Summer Games.