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Joanne Lee-Young '90, Board Chair
Chair, Head Evaluation Committee, ex-officio member of all board committees
Bio
Joanne was elected to the Board in May 2019. She served as an ex-officio board member and Advisor since 2017 in her capacity as President of the Alum Association. She has served as Board Vice Chair, and on various Board committees, including as a member of the ad hoc Head Search Committee, Governance and Finance Committees, Chair of the ad hoc Strategic Planning Committee and Chair of the Neighbour Committee. Joanne is a journalist in Vancouver and previously worked in Hong Kong for the Asian Wall Street Journal and as a contributor to the Wall Street Journal. An alum from the Class of 1990, Joanne graduated from Queen’s University and started her career as a news assistant at The Globe and Mail’s Beijing bureau. She is a staff reporter at The Vancouver Sun. At YHS, Joanne has volunteered in different roles to bring together new families, current students, and alums. She and her husband Philip Tulk have two daughters who are YHS alums: Frances (Class of 2022) and Pippa (Class of 2023).
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Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera, Vice Chair
Member, Head Evaluation Committee
Bio
Indira was appointed to the Board in March 2017 to fill a casual vacancy and was elected as governor in 2019. Indira served as the 12th President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Alberta, from 2005-2015. Prior to that, she served as Vice President of Research at the University of British Columbia. Indira is internationally recognized as one of Canada’s leading metallurgical engineers for her groundbreaking work on process engineering of materials and in 2002 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for her outstanding contributions to steel process engineering. She is currently a Senior Advisor for Bennett Jones LLP and also serves on the boards of the Bank of Nova Scotia, Magna International, TransCanada as well as the Asia-Pacific Foundation, and the Rideau Hall Foundation. She has devoted her career to advancing innovation in higher education and the private sector. In 2014, she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in the US, the profession’s highest honour. Indira was Chair of the World-wide Universities Network, consisting of nineteen universities from around the world. She has also served on numerous committees including the Prime-Minister’s Advisory Committee for Renewal of the Public Service; a Presidential Visiting Committee at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); the Conference Board of Canada; Canada’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Council; the Minister’s advisory committee on Canada’s Global Commerce Strategy and the Public Policy Forum. Indira has a grandchild at YHS: Anila in Grade 7.
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Kathy Butler, Treasurer
Chair, Finance Committee
Bio
Kathy was appointed to the Board in 2022 and served on the Finance Committee before being appointed Treasurer. She is Vice Chair & Head of BC Capital Markets at CIBC World Markets with 28 years of experience in investment banking. She leads teams in North America to offer companies advisory services in debt & equity financings and mergers & acquisitions in sectors such as technology, telecom, consumer retail, industrial products, and forestry. Kathy is on the Board of Governors and is Vice-Chair of the Business Council of British Columbia. She is on the board of CIBC World Markets Inc. and a Partner of Social Venture Partners Vancouver. She is also past Board Member of St. George’s Foundation and was Chair of their Investment Committee. BC Business Magazine recognized Kathy’s dedication to mentorship and diversity when they named her one of BC’s most influential women in finance. She holds an MBA (Honours) from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance (Honours) from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. Kathy and her husband, David Ferguson, have a Yorkie daughter – Alexa in Grade 11, and two sons in university.
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Michelle Ostrow '89, Past Chair
Member, Governance Committee, Head Evaluation Committee
Bio
Michelle was elected to the Board in 2015. She served as the Chair of the Board from 2020-2023. Michelle previously held the roles of Vice Chair, Chair of the Governance Committee, Chair of the Head Search Committee, and Chair of the Head Evaluation Committee. She was very involved in the development of new board policies and the revision of the Society Bylaws. Michelle is a YHS alum (Class of 1989) and completed a law degree at Dalhousie University (2000). She was called to the bar in British Columbia (2001) and currently practices law with KazLaw Injury Lawyers. She and her husband Marc Kazimirski have two children, Sophie (YHS Class of 2022) and a son who recently graduated from St. George’s.
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Shamir Alibhai
Chair, Master Planning Advisory Committee
Member, Governance Committee, Facilities and Maintenance Committee, Head Evaluation Committee
Bio
Shamir was appointed to the Board in November 2017 to fill a casual vacancy and was elected as governor in 2019. He served as a member of the ad hoc Head Search Committee as well as on numerous committees. Shamir holds an MBA, Harvard Business School, and HBA, Ivey School of Business at Western University, and is CEO, Domain Capital Corporation. Domain is an Exempt Market Dealer originating commercial mortgage securities and managing funds in excess of $300 million. Prior to this, he has been Senior Vice President, Investments & Operations, Larco Investments Ltd., for over 15 years. Before Larco, Shamir was Managing Director of Soros Real Estate Partners/Westmont in Tokyo. Earlier in his career, he was also Chief Financial Officer & EVP, Corporate Development at UniHost Corporation, then the largest public hotel company in Canada. Shamir is Chair of Admissions at Harvard University for British Columbia. He is also on the national audit committee of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He and his wife Sophia have a son who recently graduated from St. George’s School, and two Yorkie daughters: Mishal (Class of 2023) and Ava in Grade 12.
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Gina Arsens
Member, Finance Committee
Bio
Gina was elected to the Board in 2020 and served as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee. Gina is the Founder & CEO of Yumasoy, an innovative consumer packaged goods company making Om Noms, an innovative plant-based meat alternative and prior to that she was the CFO of Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster leading a new model of investment to accelerate innovation and competitiveness in Canada. She has over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneurial leader starting her career with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Creating a positive impact in the work she does has driven Gina to have a varied career from leading the Digital Transformation of a global industrial company to taking a poorly performing asset and turning it into a globally recognized software company. Gina graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Business Valuator. She had the distinction of receiving BC’s Top 40 Under 40 Award as well as BC’s Most Influential Women in Finance award. She and her husband, Cameron Carter, have two Yorkie daughters—Zoe (Class of 2022) and Julia (Class of 2023).
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Jill Donaldson
Member, Facilities & Maintenance, Neighbour Committee
Jill was elected to the Board in 2024. Jill Donaldson has been a corporate securities lawyer for over 25 years with extensive experience working with senior executives and their boards in M&A and capital markets, compliance and risk management, corporate governance, stakeholder engagement and strategic planning and implementation. Jill now focuses her time as a corporate director and current positions include Director of Prospera Credit Union and Chair of its Business Transformation Committee; Lead Director at Bluestone Resource Inc.; and Director of Fireweed Metals Corp. and Chair of its Governance and Compensation Committee Jill is also active in the community as Vice Chair of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. Jill holds her Juris Doctor (law degree) from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. Jill obtained her ICD.D designation in 2019 and ESG board designation (GCB.D) in 2023. Jill and her husband Mike have Fiona in grade 7 at YHS and Amanda ’23 who recently graduated from YHS.
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Michelle Grant
Member, Finance Committee
Bio
Michelle was elected to the Board in 2023 having served as a non-board member on the Board’s Finance Committee. Michelle is a Partner in PwC’s Deals practice, specializing in corporate restructuring and advisory services. She has more than 20 years of experience providing insolvency, restructuring advisory and distressed mergers and acquisition services. Ms. Grant also holds several national markets roles for PwC Canada relating to her industry specialties which include Energy, Utilities, Mining and Industrial Products. She received her Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree from Queen’s University. She is a Licensed Insolvency Trustee, and a Chartered Insolvency and Restructuring Professional (CIRP). Awards received include: Business in Vancouver Top 40 under 40; and Winner Association of Finance (BC), Rising Star Award. Michelle has been active on several Professional Boards including: ARIL Society Board; Insolvency Institute of Canada (IIC), nominating committee, policy reform committee, BC membership committee; and Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals, finance committee. She has also been active on Community Boards: Wavefront Centre for Communication Accessibility board member; Reconciliation Canada – board member; and Cerebral Palsy Association of BC – board member. She has two daughters enrolled at York House: Charlotte in Grade 4 and Katherine in Grade 1.
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Mike Hudson
Chair, Advancement/Major Gifts Committee
Member, Facilities and Maintenance Committee, Finance Committee, Governance Committee, Master Planning Advisory Committee
Mike was elected to the Board in 2013. He was Chair of the YHS From Local to Global Excellence (L2G2) capital campaign. He has served on many Board committees over the years and was a member of the ad hoc Head Search Committee. Mike was a professional hockey player who played in the NHL for nine years. Since retiring in 1999, Mike has been actively involved as member and chair of many boards including Camp Good Times Golf Classic and the University of Guelph Athletics Centre fundraising committee. He has served on the boards of numerous business ventures. Mike and his wife, Lisa, have been involved with York House since 2006 when they were new parents and have been major contributors and active supporters of the school ever since. They have four Yorkie daughters: Samantha (Class of 2019), Lauren (Class of 2021), Abigail (Class of 2022), and Emily in Grade 12.
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Omar Ladak
Chair, Facilities and Maintenance Committee
Member, Finance Committee
Bio
Omar was elected to the YHS Board in May 2022. He is the Co-Founder, Managing Director and Chairman of the Noverra Group of Companies. He has been a CEO, partner, business owner or board member of companies in the Business Services, Private Equity, Insurance, Technology, Real-Estate and Construction Services industries. Prior to co-founding the Noverra Group, Omar was a Partner at RPO Management Consultants. His consulting advisory experience spanned the Telecommunications, Transportation, Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Distribution, Alternative Energy, and Government sectors. Omar has served as a member of the Board, Advisory Board or Campaign Cabinet for the United Way of the Lower Mainland; the Quest Food Exchange; The Centre for Healthcare Management at the Sauder School of Business; the BC Construction Safety Alliance, and the Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and has served on the Board of YPO BC, as Chair of the Membership and Strategy Committees, and as Board Chair. In addition, Omar has served as a member of YPO Canada’s Board of Directors. Omar currently serves as a member of the Board of Junior Achievement British Columbia. Omar and his wife joined the YHS community as JK parents in 2018 and have a daughter, Talia, in Grade 5.
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Jennifer Mackenzie
Chair, Neighbour Committee; Member, Advancement/Major Gifts
Bio
Jennifer was elected to the Board in 2024. Jennifer is a seasoned healthcare executive in British Columbia with over 25 years of experience. Most recently, Jennifer served as COO at Vancouver Coastal Health (2014-2019) where she was responsible for all health and healthcare services for the 220,000 residents of Richmond. Before this, Jennifer was Vice-President, Strategic Planning, Transformation Support and Innovation at the Provincial Health Services Authority (2003-2014). Jennifer was named Canada's Outstanding Young Health Executive of the Year by the Canadian College of Health Services Executives for 2008. In 2009, she and her team received the Gold Apple Award for Top Innovator by the Health Employers Association of British Columbia and the silver award at the Institute for Public Administration of Canada's Public Sector Leadership Awards for outstanding leadership to improve Canada through advancements in public policy and management. Jennifer holds an MBA from the University of Victoria and a Bachelor of Science (Occupational Therapy) from Dalhousie University. Jennifer’s daughter, Sienna, is in grade 9.
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Kirsten Sutton '83
Chair, Governance Committee
Bio
Kirsten was elected to the YHS Board in May 2023. She is an unconventional tech leader. From a professionally trained chef, she navigated a significant career pivot to become one of Vancouver’s most celebrated tech execs. She has over 30 years experience in technology, software development and development operations as well as IT infrastructure and services including cyber security. Kirsten has held executive positions most recently at SAP and Vancity, driving transformational change and developing high performing, engaged teams. Apart from being regarded as an energetic, inspiring and authentic leader, Kirsten is a highly engaged community leader: Governor and past chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, past co-chair of the Government of BC’s Presidents Group which champions accessible and inclusive workplaces, member of the Government of Canada’s Task Force for Women in the Economy, member of the BC Government’s Provincial Accessibility Committee, SFU Beedie School of Business Advisory, and director of Greater Vancouver Realtors and Science World. Kirsten is a Woman of Distinction, received a Business in Vancouver Influential Women in Business award and has been named to BIV BC500 in 2021 and 2022. She is a YHS alum (Class of 1983) as is her daughter, Olivia, Class of 2023.
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Helen Shen, President, YHS Parents' Association (Advisor)
Bio
Helen joined the Executive Team of the YHS Parents’ Association (PA) in 2021 and was appointed the PA President in 2023. Prior to her current role with the University of British Columbia, Helen has over 10 years of experience in the K-12 education system in BC, as well as experience in guiding transformational changes for publicly listed companies and private companies. Helen holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia in Political Science and International Relations, a Master of Laws from Tsinghua University, and a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University. In addition to serving on the Board of Vancouver Bach Choir, Helen is also active in the community through her involvement with the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association, Society of Translators and Interpreters of BC, Project Management Institute, and Association of Change Management Professionals. Helen and her husband, Vincent, have two daughters at York House – Liana '31 and Sienna '35.
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Connie Chan '95, President, YHS Alum Association (Advisor)
Bio
Connie joined the Alum Association Executive in 2019 as a director at large and has been involved in the Holiday Market, the Used Uniform shop, Alum Day and other Alum Association events.
After her time as a York House lifer concluded in 1995, Connie continued her education in the United States graduating from Wellesley College and the George Washington University Law School. Connie has been practicing corporate and
commercial law in Vancouver since 2006 in both private practice and in-house roles. She is currently Senior Legal Counsel at the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink).
Connie and her husband Herbert Chan have two children, a son who attends Eric Hamber Secondary School and a daughter, Adele who is a member of the YHS Class of 2031. Connie has previously served as a board member of the Vancouver Bilingual
Preschool and as a YHS class parent.
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Margot Keate West '93, Chair, YHS Foundation (Advisor)
Member, Advancement and Major Gifts Committee
Bio
Margot graduated from York House in 1993, and is the great-niece of YHS founder Gretchen Meilicke Hyland. After leaving YHS, Margot pursued a BAH in Art & Architectural History from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, which included a term at the International Study Centre, Herstmonceux, Sussex and later an M.Sc. in Architectural Conservation from the Scottish Centre for Conservation Studies, University of Edinburgh. Upon returning to Vancouver Margot took over the family design firm Keate & Co. Designers from her father, and is lucky enough to count many YHS families and alums as clients. She designed and oversaw the installation of the YHS Alumnae archives and museum in 2010. Margot and her husband Ben West (St. George's ’92) have two children—Lachlan, a recent graduate from St. George’s and Eloise, in Grade 11 at York House.
