Philanthropic Leadership

List of 12 items.

• Elliot Johnson ’94, President

  Elliot has served as a trustee since 2016 and was formerly a member of the UCC Foundation Investment Committee. He is Chief Investment Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Evolve Funds, an investment firm specializing in exchange traded mutual funds. He has previously held senior roles at a number of large Canadian asset management, wealth management and capital markets firms.

   

  From 2016 - 2020 Elliot was also a trustee of Trinity College at the University of Toronto where he chaired the Committee on Investments.
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• Tanya Covassin

  Tanya has been a trustee since 2018. She serves as a director of various private and public companies. In addition to her global board work, Tanya has a background in both investment banking and private equity. She has originated, structured, executed and managed large-scale private and public investments and financings. 

  
  Tanya earned her Honours B.E.S. from the University of Waterloo and her MBA from the University of Toronto. She also has an ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
  
  

  Tanya is the mother of Massimo ’29.

   
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• Matt Farb ’96

  Matt has served as a Trustee since 2016 and was formerly a member of the UCC Foundation Investment Committee. He is President and Chief Investment Officer of Better Capital Corp., which he founded in 2015. He’s also served as President and CIO of Coldstream Capital Management Inc. and President of East West Investment Management Corporation.
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• Jim Garner ’77

  Jim Garner ’77 was appointed as a Trustee of the Upper Canada College Foundation in November 2019. Recently retired, Jim is an experienced senior executive with broad experience in finance, healthcare/life sciences and the education sector. He has extensive board experience as a director and executive with public company, broader public sector, not-for-profit and organizations.
  
  He served as Vice-Principal, Advancement and Strategy of Upper Canada College from 2014 until 2019, and is a former Association Council President (2012-2014) and member of the Board of Governors (2012-2014).  He has held several executive positions in private and public sectors, including Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services of the Hospital for Sick Children, where he oversaw the planning of the $400-million Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning. 

   

  Jim holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen's University and an MBA from the Institute of Management Development in Switzerland. Jim is a CPA/CA and a Chartered Business Valuator and earned his ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. He and his wife Sally share two daughters Jillian and Kate.

   
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• Christine McLean

  Christine has served as a trustee since 2023. She is a Portfolio Manager at Fairbank Investment Management and began her career at Sprucegrove Investment Management in 2004 as an Investment Analyst, before leaving in 2020 as the Director of Research. She serves as a Board Member of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd and Branksome Hall.  
  
  Christine holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration specializing in Finance from the University of Richmond, Virginia. 
  Christine is the mother of Kiran ’33, Mira and Logan.
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• Niral Merchant ’93

  Niral has served as a trustee since 2018. He is a Principal of Augmentram Capital Corp., a private merchant bank which provides capital and strategic insight to growing businesses. Niral has held senior financial leadership roles in a number of operating companies.

  
  He has an MBA from INSEAD and is a Chartered Professional Accountant and CFA designation holder. He is an active volunteer sitting on the board of a number of philanthropic and community-based organizations.
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• J.P. Mackay ’02

  J.P. is President of Association Council, which represents the interests of Old Boys, parents, faculty, staff, and other community members with demonstrated interest in the College. He also serves as Chair of the Barbara A. Barrow Scholarship Foundation and is a member of the Lang Scholar Program Advisory Board.
  
  Professionally, J.P. is Senior Vice President, National Operations at Allied Properties Real Estate Investment Trust.
  
  J.P. holds a BA from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from the Ivey Business School.
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• Cynthia Schyff

  Cynthia was appointed to the Board in 2023 and has been a member of UCC’s Audit and Finance Committee since 2018.

  
  

  Cynthia is Chief Financial Officer of Fleet Complete, a global provider of fleet management solutions.  She has more than 30 years of international management experience developed in high growth and innovative technology industry environments. Prior to joining Fleet Complete, Cynthia served as CFO of Blue Ant Media and Algorithmics, and Worldwide Head of Operational Risk and Governance Risk and Compliance within the IBM Risk Analytics business.

  
  

  Cynthia holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University and is a CPA, CA. 

   

  Cynthia and her husband Gord have two sons, Josh ’21 and Cam ’23.
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• Chanakya Sethi ’03

  Chanakya Sethi is partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, where his practice focuses on high-stakes litigation matters. He is serving his second term on the Association Council. A proud member of Bremner's House, Chan graduated from UCC in 2003 with the J. Herbert Mason Medal. While a student, he was involved with Convergence, the World Affairs Conference, Ontario Model Parliament, and student government. Chan is a graduate of Princeton, Osgoode Hall, and Yale Law School. He lives in Toronto with his husband, Kevin.
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• Raymond Shiu

  Raymond has been a trustee since 2020. He is Director, Private Capital - Consumer & Retail at Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP). Raymond joined OTPP in 2005 from RBC Capital Markets. He has been involved in a number of direct investments across the consumer sector and currently sits on several boards of private companies within the OTPP portfolio.
   
  Raymond earned a B.Comm. from the University of Alberta and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University.
   
  Raymond is the father of Tyler ’27 and Nathaniel ’29.
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• Stephanie Tjon

  Stephanie has served as a trustee since 2023. She is Manager, Business Support Team in the Office of Economic Growth and Innovation at the OSC (OSC Innovation Office). Prior to joining the OSC, Stephanie practiced business law at Osler and was a Senior Accountant at KPMG. She also sits on the OSC’s Inclusion and Diversity Council as well as volunteering in her community on a number of committees and boards.

   

  Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University and completed her law degree at the University of Toronto. 

   

  Stephanie is a mother to Noah ’27, Alyssa and Camille.
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• Staff:

  Brendan Dellandrea '01, Executive Director
  Patti MacNicol, Treasurer