WGOB Summit Toronto

Carolyn Lawrence

Founder of CLEAR PATH

Mary Larson

Partner at MNP

Amanda Voegeli

President & Managing Partner at Southlea Group

Gordon Frost

Partner, Global Rewards Solution Leader at Mercer Canada

Denise Gigova

Partner, Transformation Strategist & Board Advisor at MNP LLP

Alan Kenigsberg

Partner, Tax Group at Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Alexandra Kindbom

Chief Client Officer at Marsh Canada Limited

Carolyn Lawrence

Founder of CLEAR PATH

Website

Carolyn has spent the last two decades focused on fixing inequities in the workforce and believes that the next level in this space is to integrate equity right into how you do business, so inequities don’t occur in the first place.

Her career journey began at Women of Influence, a social enterprise focused on gender equity, where she succeeded the founder and spent a decade diversifying revenue and growing reach.

Recognizing corporate culture had to evolve to move the needle on gender equity, she sold the business and joined Deloitte to establish and build their National DEI consulting practice. In that role, she developed strategy, programs, and implementation for clients across finance, technology, law, health care, mining, venture capital, the public sector, and more.

Having proven her ability to initiate transformative change, Carolyn was tapped to become the first Global DEI Leader at Deloitte, responsible for driving equity and a culture of inclusion across 50+ geographies, and 21 business units.

After 8 years at the firm, she's chosen to leverage her wealth of experience, extensive exposure, and profound expertise to help organizations of all sizes address the foremost obstacles to achieving human equity — and optimize their business.

Highlights + Accomplishments:

Award-Winning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Leader: Recognized executive with an unwavering commitment to fostering DE&I.

Champion of Women's Advancement: Known for igniting women's progress in the corporate world, driving DE&I improvements across Canada, and instigating global cultural transformation within the world's largest professional services firm.

Visionary and Purpose-Driven Collaborator: Renowned for visionary thinking, passionate dedication, and purpose-driven collaboration, with a proven track record of effecting meaningful change.

Strategic Partnership Architect: Skillful in designing innovative strategic partnership models to identify and overcome barriers, facilitating the development of effective solutions that drive DE&I objectives.

Exemplary Executive Presence: Respected for a commanding executive presence, adept senior stakeholder management, and effective governance, consistently delivering impactful results.

Sessions

Session One - Keynote: Boards That Deliver: Driving Equity, Impact, and Business Performance

Monday May. 12 - 12:45pm - 01:25pm (40 min)

Mary Larson

Partner at MNP

Website

Mary Larson, ICD.d, is a Partner with MNP’s Consulting Services group in Montreal. Mary helps clients clarify and build alignment around their strategies, build leadership capacity and embed cultures that foster outstanding execution.

Mary is particularly focused on working with C-suite executives and CEOs. Drawing on her extensive business experience and skill in asking the right questions, Mary helps clients become more effective in aligning their teams around their work, and successfully addressing the issues that drive both behavior and culture. Mary has worked with clients across North and South America, Europe and Asia, including the Business Development Bank of Canada, Bosch / Siemens, Cirque du Soleil, Duke Power, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s and Western Union. She has held senior executive positions with McDonald’s Corporation in the U.S. and Alcan in Canada.

Mary, who works in both English and French, received her Bachelor of Arts (BA, Honors) from Princeton and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is also a designated graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.d) at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. She is board chair of McGill’s School for Continuing Studies, a board member of Prostate Cancer Canada and vice-president of the University Club of Montreal, and co-founded the International Women’s Forum in Canada.

Sessions

Session Two: Strategic Foresight: What is the Board’s Role in Scenario Planning?

Monday May. 12 - 01:45pm - 02:30pm (45 min)

Amanda Voegeli

President & Managing Partner at Southlea Group

Website

Amanda is a co-founder and the Managing Partner of Southlea Group.

Prior to this, she grew the Canadian Rewards practice at a large, multi-service consulting firm, spending 25 years as a well-known and trusted advisor to the boards and management teams of many of Canada's largest and mid-sized companies (both publicly-traded and privately-held). She uses her business acumen and direct approach to solve business challenges covering all matters related to pay levels, design and governance.

Industry Focus
Amanda works across all industries, with specific expertise working with miners, asset managers (including, but not limited to, all of the Maple 8 pension plans), broader financial services and insurance, and technology.

Amanda is a well known advisor in the asset management space and is regularly asked to advise Boards on current and projected trends in this unique sector.

Education
Amanda has a Bachelors of Commerce from the University of British Columbia. She is currently enrolled in the Institute of Corporate Directors’ Director Education Program and holds her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Affiliations
Amanda is a member of the Canadian advisory Committee of the Global Equity Organization (GEO), member of Women Get On Board, and a Board member for the North American AT Children's Project. She frequently presents on topics of compensation and governance matters.

Sessions

Session Four: Fireside Chat: The Future of Integrated Talent and Pay Governance at the Board

Monday May. 12 - 03:50pm - 04:35pm (45 min)

Gordon Frost

Partner, Global Rewards Solution Leader at Mercer Canada

Gordon is Mercer’s Global Rewards Solution Leader and has over 30 years of consulting experience, advising clients on how to strengthen the relationship between business strategy and people programs. He has extensive experience advising Boards of Directors and senior management on the design of market competitive total rewards programs that attract and retain top talent, align decision-making with organizational objectives and are consistent with sound governance practices.

Gordon has deep knowledge of the strategy, design, and financial impact of rewards programs, including equity-based incentive plans and sales incentive plans. He has also led broader projects related to talent strategy with a specific focus on the needs of a globally mobile workforce. In his current role, Gordon is responsible for ensuring that Mercer’s rewards solutions are best-in-class, allowing local consulting teams to deliver leading advice to clients and build total rewards programs that are future-focused in a rapidly changing and globally competitive marketplace.

Gordon first joined Mercer in 2000 and has been a member of both the Mercer Canada leadership team and the Global Career Practice leadership team. His consulting experience covers a broad range of industries with clients ranging from pre-IPO start-ups to global Fortune 100 companies. He also spent over 2 years as the Vice President of Global Compensation for a multi-national organization before re-joining Mercer in 2013.

Sessions

Session Three: From Risk to Reward: Unleashing the Power of Your People (Interactive Session)

Monday May. 12 - 03:00pm - 03:45pm (45 min)

Denise Gigova

Partner, Transformation Strategist & Board Advisor at MNP LLP

Denise is a transformation strategist and trusted advisor to Boards, CEOs, and Executive Teams around the world. As a Partner at MNP, she helps organizations face disruption head-on—designing resilient strategies, AI-enabled operating models, and modern governance frameworks that stand the test of change.

With 20 years of experience working with global corporations, public institutions, and crown agencies, she brings a bold yet pragmatic approach to the boardroom. She focuses on helping leaders cut through complexity, gain clarity, and lead purposefully.

In today’s environment of constant uncertainty, scenario planning and foresight are no longer optional—they’re essential. Denise works closely with Boards to evolve from traditional oversight to future-shaping leadership, enabling them to anticipate risks better, respond with agility, and drive meaningful, long-term impact.

Sessions

Session Two: Strategic Foresight: What is the Board’s Role in Scenario Planning?

Monday May. 12 - 01:45pm - 02:30pm (45 min)

Alan Kenigsberg

Partner, Tax Group at Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Alan is a partner in Osler’s Tax Group, and is the head of Osler’s customs, commodity tax and trade practice. His practice focuses on planning and advising clients with respect to commodity taxation (including Goods and Services Tax, Harmonized Sales Tax and provincial sales taxes), customs, import/export controls, controlled goods, excise taxes, fuel taxes, cross-border taxation issues and transfer pricing. In addition to tax planning and advising clients on starting businesses and carrying on business in Canada, Alan’s practice encompasses tax dispute resolution, negotiating voluntary disclosures for clients (sales tax, customs and export controls), obtaining export permits, providing client training seminars on sales tax issues, customs issues, and export controls and compliance, and conducting customs and North America Free Trade Agreement compliance audits.

Sessions

Session Five: From Operational to Existential - Board Oversight of Supply Chains in a Changing World

Monday May. 12 - 04:40pm - 05:25pm (45 min)

Alexandra Kindbom

Chief Client Officer at Marsh Canada Limited

Website

Lexie Kindbom is the Chief Client Officer of Marsh Canada, focusing on the Risk Management
and Corporate segments. In this role, she oversees the voice of the client program and works
with colleagues from across the organization to foster deeper relationships with clients and drive
enhanced retention and sustained growth. Throughout her career, Lexie has been strategic
advisor to risk managers, C-suite executives, and boards of directors primarily with respect to
D&O risk management. Lexie is a member of Marsh Canada’s Executive Committee and the
Executive Sponsor of Marsh Canada’s Inclusion & Diversity Council.

Lexie brings more than 25 years of legal and insurance brokerage experience to Marsh clients.
She is a leading advisor to companies, senior executives and directors across Canada with
respect to directors and officers (D&O) liability, risk and insurance. Lexie was Willis Towers
Watson’s Canada Head for FINEX Financial Institutions. Prior to that role, she led the FINPRO
Claims Advocacy Practice and was appointed the Professional Services Industry Practice
leader for Marsh Canada. Lexie is a past member of Marsh’s Global FINPRO Advisory Board,
which was developed to raise the bar for excellence in the D&O field. She began her career as
a practicing insurance defense litigation lawyer.

Lexie has been significantly involved in directors’ and officers’ education in Canada with a focus
on governance, D&O liability and risk management. She is a graduate of the Directors’
Education Program at the Rotman School of Management, sponsored by the Institute of
Corporate Directors at the University of Toronto. Lexie facilitated the module on D&O Insurance
and Indemnification at Rotman and other business schools in Canada for over ten years.

Lexie holds a B.A. Cum Laude from Mount Holyoke College and a J.D. from Tulane Law School.
She attended the University of Toronto Faculty of Law to obtain her Canadian Legal
Accreditation and is admitted to practice law in the Province of Ontario.

Sessions

Session Three: From Risk to Reward: Unleashing the Power of Your People (Interactive Session)

Monday May. 12 - 03:00pm - 03:45pm (45 min)

Brigid Pelino

Senior Vice-President & Chief People and Culture Officer at Definity

Brigid Pelino has been Senior Vice-President & Chief People and Culture Officer of Definity since October 2018. Prior to Definity, Brigid served as in the CHRO role for great Canadian success stories such as Tim Hortons (14 years), WestJet Airlines and HighLiner Foods. As well, she had senior HR roles in Canadian Tire and Allied Signal/Honeywell(California) and General Electric.

Brigid is a strong advocate for inclusion and currently serves as an Executive Sponsor of Definity’s IDEA Advisory Committee and a Reciprocal Mentor to the Vice Chair of Definity’s LGBTQ+ Employee group. Brigid is also a member of the ESG Steering Committee. Prior to her role at Definity, she was the Chair of the Women’s Canadian Foodservice Forum. In addition to an Honours Bachelor of Arts (Economics/Finance) and Master of Industrial Relations from the University of Toronto, Brigid holds a Chartered Director designation from McMaster University. Brigid has been recognized in the industry multiple times including as the recipient of the 2022 HRPA Woman of Distinction Award, HRPA Woman of the Year, Top 100 women, and many others.

Brigid stands out for her remarkable personal and professional accomplishments over 30 years of HR leadership and her recent dedication to championing HR best practices and business impact at Definity, but she will tell you that her biggest accomplishment is being mom to her three children, Aidan, Jenna, and Tessa.

Sessions

Session Four: Fireside Chat: The Future of Integrated Talent and Pay Governance at the Board

Monday May. 12 - 03:50pm - 04:35pm (45 min)

John Valley

Chair of Corporate Governance & Member of Risk Management and Crisis Response Team at Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

John is the Chair of Osler’s Corporate Governance practice and a member of the cross-disciplinary Risk Management and Crisis Response practice. His practice focuses on providing practical advice to clients on a broad range of corporate governance and securities law matters in both the public and private company context. John regularly advises businesses and boards of directors on matters including shareholder activism, stakeholder disputes, crisis response strategies and complicated public disclosure. John also advises on complex joint venture, partnership and shareholder agreements and similar arrangements, including in the infrastructure space and with respect to First Nations partnerships.

Sessions

Session Five: From Operational to Existential - Board Oversight of Supply Chains in a Changing World

Monday May. 12 - 04:40pm - 05:25pm (45 min)

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10 Years and Beyond: Defining Modern Governance.

Join us for the fourth annual WGOB Summit TorontoJoin us for the fourth annual WGOB Summit Toronto

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