Leadership

Mélanie has extensive experience within the precious metals mining industry, particularly
in investor relations, corporate communications, and crisis management, as well as mergers and acquisitions. She is a mentor and speaker for the University of Ottawa Telfer School of  Management. She has served in a variety of executive and senior roles with precious metals
companies such as Goldcorp Inc., New Gold Inc., and Hecla Mining Company.

Mélanie holds an MBA and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Ottawa Telfer School
of  Management, and an ICD.D designation on the Board of Directors, University of Toronto.

Steve is an accomplished leader in security and enterprise software with extensive
experience in leading companies through rapid growth. He is deeply engaged with product vision and execution, and his commitment to high standards has helped him lead companies to realize their maximum potential. Steve has been involved with a number of public and private companies, both locally and in the US and Europe, including, CEO/Director of Sophos Inc., Chairman/CEO of Carbonite, Director for Utimaco, Alert Logic, Teradici, QuickMobile and Elastic Path. In addition to being a Covenant House Board member, Steve is active in the community as a development committee member for Social Venture Partners Vancouver and a member of the Science World Advisory Council.

Steve holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Western University; and a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University.

Jayana is a partner in the Audit and Assurance practice and BC’s culture and people leader with Deloitte. She started her career with Deloitte, in Edmonton, in 2003, before relocating with the firm to Ottawa, Croatia, and finally Vancouver, in 2011. She is recognized by her clients, peers, and teams as being able to bring strong technical excellence to meet client needs while also being practical and contributing to the development of skills with everyone she works with. During her 20 years with the firm, Jayana has had the opportunity to work with some of Canada’s largest and recognizable companies, as well as help new companies grow.

In 2018, Jayana was recognized by the Association of Women in Finance with the PEAK Rising Star Award. She holds a CPA CA from both the British Columbia and Alberta Institute of Chartered Accounts and completed her Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of New Brunswick that was built on the foundation of knowledge that she received from the Royal Military College of Canada.

Peter is a business and technology leader focused on growth. At Lyft, Peter launched the Vancouver market and went on to oversee the business in Canada, and lead the company’s growth market expansion efforts, globally. He has a passion for bringing innovations to market, creating lean operating frameworks, and building and leading high-performance teams.

Prior to joining Lyft, Peter’s accomplishments include helping scale Elastic Path through a period of sustained growth, and helping QuickMobile place as #1 on Deloitte Canada’s Technology Fast 50. He is a professional engineer, chartered professional accountant, holds an MBA from Queen’s University, and was named in Business in Vancouver’s Forty under 40 and BC500 rankings.

Professionally, Christian has spent his career mainly focused on finance and financial aspects of business in multiple sectors including aviation, the natural resources sector, and the public sector. In addition to being a partner with Deloitte, he has held positions of chief financial officer and vice president of finance with multinational companies and multiple countries in Asia and North America. Christian also had the privilege of serving as an assistant deputy minister with the Province of BC, most recently responsible for Indigenous relations. Christian spends his time equally between Victoria and Vancouver, while residing in Victoria.

With the remainder of his time, Chirstian is committed to working on the chronic issues that negatively affect the most vulnerable people in society. A collaborator and innovator by nature, he seeks to work with others on these issues.

Christian proudly holds an MBA from the Gustavson School of Business.

A committed social change leader, Christine has more than 25 years of multi-sector experience with roles in finance, government, and First Nations health governance. With both Skwxwu7mesh Uxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and settler ancestry, she is a champion of meaningful corporate social responsibility and sustainability with a deep commitment to advancing Indigenous self-determination. From program development and policy analysis to driving organizational excellence, she brings expertise in intergovernmental affairs, corporate board management, and executive leadership. 

Christine holds an Executive MBA in Indigenous Business and Leadership as well as a BA in psychology, both from Simon Fraser University.

Dr. David Byres is currently the President and CEO of the Provincial Health Services Authority, who ensure that BC residents have access to a coordinated provincial network of high-quality, specialized health care services. He brings more than thirty years of experience in the health sector that includes previously serving as the Associate Deputy Minister of Clinical Leadership for the BC Ministry of Health. David has held responsibility across a number of divisions in the Ministry including Primary Care, Pharmaceutical, Lab and Blood Services, Specialized Services, Population and Public Health, Health Sector Workforce and Beneficiary Services, and the Office of Indigenous Health.

David spent more than 15 years with Providence Health Care in roles that include Executive vVce President and  the Chief Nurse Executive in BC, for the Ministry of Health. His healthcare career began in community mental health, and as a registered nurse in medicine, mental health, community, and emergency settings.

David is actively involved in research and is currently a co-principal investigator examining a health equity intervention framework to promote the provision of equity-oriented care in BC’s emergency departments. He is also co-investigator with PORTIA: a multi-pronged observational program of outcomes research on treatment with injectables for addiction.

David holds a Doctorate in nursing practice, a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, and a Bachelor and Master of Science degree in nursing. He is an Adjunct Professor with the School of Nursing at UBC and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria. He is a Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders, the recipient of the Dean’s Medal of Distinction from the UBC Faculty of Applied Science, and was recently inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing.

Jane Dardi is a retired justice of the BC Supreme Court and was a founding partner of the Vancouver law firm of Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers. She now works as a mediator who concentrates exclusively on estate and trust disputes.

After her call to the British Columbia bar in 1983, Jane’s practice involved a broad spectrum of civil litigation matters, until 1990, when she focused on trust, estate, and fiduciary litigation. Prior to her appointment to the Court, Jane was recognized as a leading practitioner of estate litigation in Vancouver in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and by Best Lawyers in Canada for trusts and estate litigation.

Throughout her career as a lawyer, then as a judge, and latterly as mediator, Jane has authored numerous legal papers. She has also lectured extensively on advocacy, mediation, and wills, trust, and estate law topics to a wide audience that includes law students, law clerks, and lawyers.

Joy graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a BA, and then attended the London School of Economics in England, where she earned a diploma in trade union and industrial relations studies. For the next 13 years, Joy worked as an economist and negotiator in the union movement in Ontario and British Columbia.

In 1991, Joy was successful in her first attempt at electoral politics, when she was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Vancouver-Hastings, in British Columbia. She was re-elected in 1996 and 2001, before retiring from politics in 2005. During her political career, she held many significant portfolios that include: Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance, Minister of Health, Minister of Education, Government House Leader, and Leader of the Opposition, among others.

Joy is an owner (with her husband) of OUTtv, the world’s longest airing and most successful gay and lesbian TV network. She was appointed as Vice Chair of the  Mobility Pricing Independent Commission, in May of 2017. She was appointed as Chair of the Insurance Corporation of BC, from July 2017 to June 2022. In September of 2019, the Governments of Canada and British Columbia appointed Joy as Chair of The Expert Panel on the Future of Housing Supply and Affordability. The Expert Panel released their final report  — “Opening Doors: Unlocking Housing Supply for Affordability”  — in June 2021.

In February 2022, Joy was appointed to the Board of Directors of Nch’kay Development Corporation, the economic development arm of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), which is fully owned by the Nation. In June 2022, Joy was elected as Chair of British Columbia Ferry Services Board. She is a director on the Board of Covenant House Vancouver and the Board of Arthritis Research Canada. She completed her terms as director of Delta Hotels Ltd. and SilverBirch Hotels and Resorts Ltd., in September 2014.

The Governor General of Canada appointed Joy to the Order of Canada (CM), on December 29, 2021. The Lieutenant Governor of BC awarded Joy the Order of BC, in August 2022.

Lisa Dalton is the Chief of Staff at HSBC. Her responsibilities include leading the development, articulation, and execution of HSBC’s strategy in Canada, and advising and supporting the President and CEO on strategic business issues and initiatives. Lisa has more than 20 years of experience in financial services in both strategic and legal advisory roles. Lisa serves as a member of HSBC’s Executive Committee, who is responsible for overseeing financial performance, transformation initiatives, and talent management.  She is also a member of the Risk Management Committee, who is responsible for ensuring appropriate identification and management of both financial and non-financial risks.

Prior to taking on the Chief of Staff role, Lisa has held positions as the Corporate Secretary and Senior Legal Counsel at HSBC. Lisa is a former director of the Canadian Business Growth Fund and, as an active member of the Vancouver community, Lisa has served on several fundraising committees and as a director and as Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee for Crofton House School.

Before joining HSBC, Lisa practiced corporate law at a Canadian law firm, and she is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia. Lisa received her Bachelor Arts from University of British Columbia and her Bachelor of Laws from University of Alberta.

Tamara is a partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP since 2014. She was an associate with the law firm since 2007. Tamara practices wills, estate and succession planning and has experience in a variety of corporate transactions, including corporate reorganizations and share and asset purchase and sale transactions. As well, she advises not-for profit organizations and charities regarding corporate and governance issues. Tamara has completed the Part I and Part II Group Studies of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants’ In-Depth Tax Course. Tamara was formerly co-chair of Board Development Committee and a director of Vantage Point. At present, she is also a member of Law Society of British Columbia.

Tamara was a National Committee of Accreditation Student at Osgoode Hall School of Law. She holds a Masters (M.Phil), Chinese Commercial Law and Language from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Law (Honours) from University of Manchester.

Wade was a candidate for Vancouver City Council, in 2018. He spent three years serving as the Special Advisor on First Nations issues to the Premier of British Columbia. He was British Columbia Advisor to the National Chief, from 2012–2014. He was elected as Councillor for the Musqueam Indian Band, from 2004–2014. He has been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for service to the community. He has been listed as Vancouver Magazine’s 2013 and 2015 Power 50 that recognizes the 50 most influential people who help create positive change in Vancouver.

Wade was an LLB student at the University of British Columbia and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, from the University of British Columbia.