TIFF announces new Board members Mary DePaoli, Danis Goulet, Allen Lau, Devorah Lithwick and Laurie May
Board members Ellis Jacob, Wade Oosterman and Shabin Mohamed depart as well as Francis Shen, Frank Kollmar and Geoff Beattie
The Board of Directors for the Toronto International Film Festival® (TIFF) today announced the appointment of Jeffrey Remedios, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Canada, as Chair of TIFF’s Board, replacing long-standing member Jennifer Tory who has held the role since 2016. Remedios, an established industry leader in both the music and business sectors known for navigating digital transformations with entrepreneurial creativity and strategic focus, has served on the TIFF Board for the past five years. A champion of ground-breaking artists, promoter of independent thinkers and advocate of distinct voices, he has spent his career supporting Canada’s leading cultural institutions.
Over the course of her tenure at TIFF, Tory served as the Chair of TIFF’s Philanthropy Committee for six years, led the development of the strategic plan exercises, championed the organization’s leadership transition committee, and was Board lead on the TIFF Tribute Gala, now known as the TIFF Tribute Awards, as a must-attend industry event to raise funds for TIFF’s year-round initiatives.
“I’d first like to congratulate and thank Jennifer Tory for her impeccable leadership and years of commitment and contribution to TIFF, particularly in recent years as the organization navigated these unprecedented times" said Jeffrey Remedios, Chair of TIFF. "I’d also like to thank our departing Board colleagues - Ellis, Wade, Shabin, Francis, Frank and Geoff - for their dedication and countless contributions. I’m humbled and honoured to serve TIFF’s mission in the role of Chair alongside my esteemed existing and new Board colleagues.”
“It has been a true privilege to lead this dynamic group of people and serve our beloved TIFF over the past 10 years," said Jennifer Tory. "Together with TIFF’s leadership we have celebrated many wonderful moments of success, just as we have also faced incredible challenges. I am so proud of the work we have accomplished during this time and our incredible ability to pivot when we had to. I have had the privilege of working alongside Jeffrey for several years and his business acumen and steady poise are exactly what the organization needs in its next chapter and I have no doubt that TIFF will thrive under his leadership.”
TIFF also announced the departure of long term members Ellis Jacob who sat on the Board for 17 years, Wade Oosterman for 13 years and Shabin Mohamed for nine years. Other members stepping down are Francis Shen, Frank Kollmar and Geoff Beattie. Joining the Board are Mary DePaoli, Danis Goulet, Allen Lau, Devorah Lithwick, and Laurie May. A complete list of all Board members is included below.
About Jeffrey Remedios
As Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company, Jeffrey Remedios is committed to broadening opportunities for artists on both the domestic and world stages, fostering artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship.
He is a longstanding champion of ground-breaking artists, promoter of independent thinkers, and fierce advocate of distinct voices, with a decades long track record as a thought-leader making an impact as a dynamic executive and passionate volunteer supporting Canada’s leading cultural institutions.
Remedios sits on the boards of CARAS (the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences), Music Canada, and was appointed Chair of the Board of the Toronto International Film Festival in November 2021. He is also on the board of Arts & Crafts, the award-winning, premiere independent music label he co-founded in 2003 and where he served as President until 2015. He founded Field Trip, downtown Toronto’s heralded boutique community music and arts festival held at Historic Fort York and is former Chairman of FACTOR (the foundation assisting Canadian talent on recordings). Remedios has also served on the boards of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Canadian Opera Company, CIMA (the Canadian Independent Music Association) and MACAC (the Minister’s Advisory Council for Arts & Culture).
Alongside his wife Lucia, Jeffrey personally supports a range of charitable campaigns for MusicCounts, the SHN (Scarborough Health Network), Toronto SickKids Hospital Foundation and the Toronto Public Library, among others.
A proud Scarborough-raised, first-generation Canadian, he holds an Honours Commerce Degree and a minor in Music from McMaster University, who inducted him into their Alumni Gallery in 2013. Jeffrey lives in Toronto with his wife Lucia, their son Silas, and daughter Luna.
About Jennifer Tory, C.M.
Ms. Tory retired in December 2019 as Royal Bank of Canada’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) reporting to the CEO following a distinguished 42-year career. In the CAO role, she held responsibility for Brand, Marketing, Citizenship, Communications, Procurement and Real Estate functions globally. Additionally, she provided leadership and oversight of transformational initiatives, with a particular focus on driving cross-enterprise efficiency and effectiveness. Ms. Tory currently serves as a Director on the Boards of BCE Inc. and ALLIED REIT and sits on the Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation Board.
A recipient of the 2011 Catalyst Canada Honour for championing women in business, Ms. Tory has been recognized by Women’s Executive Network (WXN) as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women and was inducted into the WXN Hall of Fame in 2017. A champion of diversity, Ms. Tory has been the recipient of numerous awards recognizing her work related to the advancement of women and the advocacy for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ diversity. These awards include the Harry Jerome Award and the Start Proud Leading Executive Ally award. Ms. Tory completed her ICD.D designation through the Institute of Corporate Directors at the Rotman School of Management. In December of 2019, Ms. Tory was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada.
About TIFF’s Board of Directors
Jennifer Baichwal
Jennifer Baichwal was born in Montréal and grew up in Victoria, British Columbia. She studied philosophy and theology at McGill University, receiving an M.A. in 1994.
Jennifer has been directing and producing documentaries for 25 years. Among other films, installations and lens-based projects, she has made 10 feature documentaries which have played all over the world and won multiple awards nationally and internationally.
Jennifer has taught film at the undergraduate and graduate level at York University. She has given workshops and lectures at a number of institutions (UC Santa Barbara, Bowdoin College, McGill University, among others). Jennifer sits on the board of Swim Drink Fish Canada, and has been a Director of the Board of the Toronto International Film Festival since 2016.
Asha Daniere
Asha Daniere is a strategic and legal advisor to companies in the media and technology industries. She is the Chair of the Board and Chair of the Governance, Nomination and Compensation Committee of RIV Capital Inc. (CSE:RIV) She has also served in leadership roles on the Board of Directors of multiple public companies listed on the NASDAQ and TSX. Previously, she was Executive Vice-President, Legal & Business Affairs at Blue Ant Media, a multi-platform media company.
Before her role at Blue Ant Media, Asha was the Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Score Media Inc., a publicly traded sports media company. In each of her senior executive roles, Asha has been instrumental in driving growth and successful change management through her leadership. Asha practiced law in New York City at White & Case LLP and as in-house counsel to The Topps Company, Inc. She received her J.D. from Tulane Law School and her B.A. from the University of Toronto.
Mary DePaoli
Mary DePaoli is Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer at RBC. She is responsible for building RBC’s brand and reputation globally across RBC’s retail banking, insurance and wealth businesses through an integrated approach to brand, marketing, corporate citizenship, sponsorship, social media, and corporate communications. In addition, Mary serves as Chair of the Board responsible for overseeing the RBC Foundation, one of Canada’s largest corporate donors.
Prior to joining RBC, Mary held a series of increasingly senior roles at Sun Life Financial where she led Sun Life’s business segment focusing on group retirement and investment solutions for corporate plan sponsors. In 2011, Mary was promoted to Executive Vice President, Public and Corporate Affairs and Chief Marketing Officer, with responsibility for leading the company’s marketing strategies in Canada, the United States and Asia.
In 2012, she was named Marketer of the Year by Strategy magazine, and in 2013, she was distinguished as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network. Mary was also named one of Canada’s top 40 under 40 recipients. In addition to her role as Chair, RBC Foundation, Mary serves on the board of Women in Sports and Entertainment (WISE), and Western University’s Fundraising and Donor Relations Committee.
Danis Goulet
Danis Goulet is an award-winning writer and director. Her films have screened at festivals around the world including Berlinale, Sundance, MoMA and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). She is a former programmer for TIFF and a former director of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. She is an alumna of the National Screen Institute and the TIFF Filmmakers lab. She is a former board member for the Toronto Arts Council and the Images Festival. In 2018, she joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Her debut feature NIGHT RAIDERS premiered in the Panorama section of the 2021 Berlinale and was selected as a Gala Presentation at TIFF 2021 where Danis was recognized with a TIFF Tribute Award. She was also recently awarded the Directors Guild of Canada’s Discovery Award in 2021 and the film won the Grand Prix at the Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal. Danis is currently in post production on IVY, a Netflix thriller. She is Cree/Metis, originally from La Ronge, Saskatchewan and now lives in Toronto.
Wes Hall
Wes Hall is an established innovator, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. As Executive Chairman and Founder of Kingsdale Advisors, he has been repeatedly named one of Canada’s most powerful people by The Globe and Mail, Canadian Business, Toronto Life and Maclean’s. He is also the owner of QM Environmental, a leading environmental and industrial services provider; Titan Supply, a top manufacturer and distributor of rigging and wear products serving industries in the oil and gas, construction and transportation sectors; and Harbor Club hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, one of St. Lucia’s premier resorts. In 2020, Wes was also appointed to the Ontario government’s Capital Markets Modernization Task Force, an advisory group of experts tasked to review and modernize the province’s capital market regulations. Now, Wes has become the face of hope and opportunity for millions of people who look just like him. You can find Wes on the upcoming 16th season of CBC’s Dragons Den as the first black Dragon who will make an impact and conscious effort to award opportunities to up and coming BIPOC entrepreneurs.
Wes is also known for his generosity, leveraging his business success to benefit others with a number of impactful charitable initiatives. He is Founder and Chairman of The Canadian Council of Business Leaders Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism and the BlackNorth Initiative, committed to the removal of anti-Black systemic barriers negatively affecting the lives of Black Canadians.
Wes also serves as a board member of the SickKids Foundation, Pathways to Education, The Black Academy, and is a Member of the Board of Governors at Huron University. He has changed the lives of thousands of children in the Caribbean and Canada, donating both his money and time. Wes is the recipient of the International Association of Business Communicators’ (Toronto) 2020 Communicator of the Year Award, and has received an honorary doctorate (2017) as well as the Vice Chancellor’s Award (2015), both from the University of the West Indies.
Tawfik Hammoud
Tawfik Hammoud is Boston Consulting Group’s Chief Client Officer and Industry Practices Chair. He serves on the firm’s Global Executive Committee, and is also a member of BCG’s Operating Committee. He was previously the global head of BCG’s Principal Investors & Private Equity practice, which he helped launch in 2015.
Tawfik's client work has spanned most industries and geographies with a particular focus on Telecom/Media/Tech and Private Equity. He has served many of the largest and most sophisticated private and public investors in the world on a variety of topics including growth strategy, asset allocation, thematic investing, organization and capabilities, digital, and governance. Over the last 20+ years, Tawfik has also worked extensively with broadcasters, content producers, telecom operators and media companies on issues ranging from distribution to strategy to digital and analytics.
Tawfik has an MBA from Harvard University and a Bachelor Degree in Finance from ESCP in Paris. Prior to joining BCG, Tawfik worked in investment banking as well as private equity and technology in the US. He writes frequently on investment and macro-economic issues and speaks at conferences on innovation and venture capital.
Tawfik is a regular delegate at the World Economic Forum in Davos and is Chairman of the board of Digital Ventures, a LA-based digital incubator and start-up builder.
Betty-Ann Heggie
Betty-Ann Heggie, a consultant in gender dynamics has had articles featured in Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, Apple News and Huffington Post. The author of Gender Physics, Unlock the Energy You Never Knew You Had to Get the Results You Want, she speaks regularly on how men and women can make progress together in the modern workplace. She is also a corporate director, philanthropist and a former Senior Vice-President with PotashCorp (now Nutrien), the world’s largest fertilizer company.
Betty-Ann has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, the Saskatchewan Business Hall of Fame, was given the Trailblazer Award from Women in Mining Canada and named one of the 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining. Other awards include: the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, the YWCA Lifetime Achievement Award and the University of Saskatchewan Alumni Mentorship Award.
Betty-Ann has also been on the boards of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority Inc., the Canadian Wheat Board, Allana Potash and MITACS. She was the founding chair of the Saskatchewan Chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors. She spearheaded the Betty-Ann Heggie Womentorship program at the U of S Edwards School of Business, a mentorship program for women designed to keep them in the workforce and get them to the decision-making table.
Allen Lau
Allen Lau is a visionary serial entrepreneur, a leader in Canada’s tech community, and a sought-after speaker and authoritative voice on entrepreneurship, the innovation economy, and the benefits of a diverse workforce. As the CEO and co-founder of Toronto-based Wattpad, a global multi-platform entertainment company for original stories and leading social storytelling platform, Allen leads an international team with the inspiring vision to leverage groundbreaking technology to transform how entertainment is sourced and produced while empowering diverse voices.
Under Allen’s leadership, Wattpad has grown into a community of over 90 million people who have written more than a billion uploads on the platform. Thousands of Wattpad stories have been adapted for other platforms and gone on to become blockbuster movies and #1 Netflix hits, Emmy-nominated television series, and bestselling books around the world.
Wattpad has raised USD $120 million from top VCs in Silicon Valley, New York, Canada, and Asia. In 2021 the company was acquired by Naver, the South Korean internet conglomerate, in a transaction valued at more than USD $600 million.
Devorah Lithwick
As Bell’s Senior Vice President & Chief Brand Officer, Devorah Lithwick oversees all brand and marketing communications activities for Canada’s largest communications company, including Bell’s digital and social media platforms, corporate and product advertising campaigns, and sponsorship and events programs.
Joining Bell Mobility in 2006 as Vice President Marketing Communications, Devorah was promoted to Senior Vice President, Brand for Bell in 2017. She has been a key driver of Bell’s reputation for leadership in corporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards, including with the Bell for Better and Bell Let’s Talk initiatives, and the transformation of the Bell brand into one of the most valuable in Canada.
Devorah serves as Board President of Lime Connect Canada and a Director of the Canadian Marketing Association. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto, and an alumnus of the Rotman School of Management’s Judy Project for rising women executives and the International Women’s Forum Fellows Program hosted by Harvard Business School and INSEAD.
Ana Lopes
Ana Lopes, born in Lisbon, Portugal, is a Toronto-based social innovator and entrepreneur who has led numerous not-for-profit transformations with a focus on corporate governance and philanthropic strategy. She has worked for 25 years in senior positions in both the private and public sector and is Director of The Tapscott Group Inc. – a privately held think tank focusing on the digital revolution in business and society.
She is presently a director of the Toronto Symphony Foundation, and Community Food Centres Canada. She is a former chair of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors. Ana has served on the board of numerous organizations including The Writers’ Trust of Canada, the World Wide Web Foundation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Foundation, Women’s College Foundation, Trent University, and Business for the Arts.
She is a Member of the International Portuguese Diaspora Council in Lisbon
Laurie May
Laurie May has been in the film business for over twenty years. She is Co-Founder and Co-President of Elevation Pictures, a Canadian distribution and production company launched at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Elevation is known for releasing award-winning films, including TIFF People’s Choice Award and Academy Award Best Screenplay winner, The Imitation Game; TIFF People’s Choice Award and Academy Award Best Actress winner Room; Academy Best Picture winner, Moonlight; and most recent Academy Award Best Actor winner, The Father. Recent releases include Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart, Danis Goulet’s Night Raiders, and Palme d’Or winner Titane. Elevation is also established as one of Canada’s premier production companies.
Prior to Elevation, she was Executive Vice President at Entertainment One, following the purchase of Alliance Films. Laurie had joined Alliance as Executive Vice President when they purchased Maple Pictures in August 2011. Laurie had been Co-President and Co-Founder of Maple Pictures from April 2005 until the sale to Alliance. Before founding Maple, Laurie was Senior Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs for Lionsgate from 1997-2005, where she oversaw legal for production, distribution and corporate matters. She sat on the board of directors of Lionsgate from 2005-2010. Laurie received her law degree from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and was Adjunct
Professor of Entertainment Law at Western Law. In 2010 was the recipient of the WIFT Outstanding Achievement Award and in June 2017 she became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Leslie Noble
Leslie Noble is an accomplished executive having built a small business into an industry leader within a highly competitive sector. She is a Founder of StrategyCorp a public affairs and management consultancy advising clients who operate at the intersection of the public and private sectors, in highly scrutinized and highly regulated industries. Leslie has recently sold her interest in the business but continues to work on key files with the company, while also pursuing other interests in the development industry.
She has significant experience in developing strategies to manage and protect corporate reputations and understands that developing enduring, productive relationships with key corporate stakeholders can build significant shareholder value. Her background in political and issue management makes her uniquely equipped to advise clients on managing complex public policy matters. Throughout her career, Leslie has assisted clients with high-stakes mandates throughout Canada, the United States, the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean. She leads StrategyCorp’s micro-political due diligence efforts which are designed to augment financial and legal investigations, with an understanding of how the evolving political landscape, regulatory systems, or cultural norms can undermine or otherwise impact an investment thesis. This assists those investing in unfamiliar territory to better assess the true value of the opportunity, creating a competitive edge, and enabling them to better mitigate or avoid risk.
Well-known and respected in Conservative circles, Leslie has served as a strategic advisor on numerous political campaigns in Canada, at both the federal and provincial levels, and is a frequent media commentator. Within the community, Leslie has served on the Board of Directors of Mount Sinai Hospital and currently, is also a member of the Board of Ducks Unlimited Canada. Leslie is an Honours graduate in Political Economy, from the University of Toronto.
Kevin Ulrich
Kevin Ulrich is the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer, and Partner of Anchorage Capital Group, L.L.C. Mr. Ulrich co-founded Anchorage in New York in 2003. In his role as Chief Investment Officer, he is responsible for overseeing the firm’s portfolio management, risk management, asset allocation, and investment decisions. He is the Chair of Anchorage’s Investment Committee. During his time leading Anchorage, the firm has grown to become a leading alternative credit and distressed investment manager, operating affiliate offices in London, Sydney, and Luxembourg.
Kevin is Chairman of the Board of MGM Holdings, Inc. (“MGM”) and has been a director of MGM since December 2010, and serves as the head of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Ulrich is also a member of the J. Crew Board of Directors.
Prior to co-founding Anchorage, Mr. Ulrich was Managing Director, Head of Distressed Bank Loans and Global Head of Bank Loan Trading at Goldman Sachs. In this capacity, Kevin was directly responsible for the trading operation and proprietary investment portfolio of the Goldman Sachs Bank Loan business.
Kevin has a total of 26 years of experience in the financial services industry and received a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he graduated with honors, and a B.A. from the University of Western Ontario.
Mark Wellings
Mark Wellings is a business professional with 30 years of experience in the financial services sector where he spent the better part of two decades at GMP Securities L.P. and before that Gordon Capital Inc.
Prior to this Mark spent several years in the resource industry in Canada and Australia. At GMP he co-founded the mining finance team which funded well over $10 billion for Canadian and international mining companies developing mining properties worldwide. During his 18 years at GMP, Mr. Wellings was responsible for, and advised on, some of the Canadian mining industry’s largest transactions, both in equity financing and M&A.
Mark is currently the Co-Head of Lithium Royalty Corp. and sits on several public and private Boards. He is a Professional Engineer and holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Geological Engineering.
Michael Worb
Michael Worb is the founder and CEO of Accompass, a human resources consulting company dedicated to helping clients make the most of their human capital. He had a vision nearly 20 years ago to provide a level of service not to be found anywhere else which he has stayed true since he started the company in 1997. Accompass has been recognized as a Top 100 Employer in Canada for small and medium sized employers, as a Best Workplace in Canada for small companies, and is a Certified Great Place to Work.
Michael has previously held the position of Chairman of the Board for The WoodGreen Foundation (TWF) for the past eight years. TWF was launched in 2009 to support the vital community services of WoodGreen Community Services and to strengthen its social innovation work. This includes strategic planning of revenue generation, the building and development of new and existing fundraising programs, and directing and supporting the Foundation’s volunteers, and advancement team.
Since 2018 Michael has been a member of the Princess Margaret Cancer Care Foundation.
02.12.2021 | Toronto Film Festival Dailies's blog
Cat. : PEOPLE