The role of a director

The role of a director of a financial institution in today's environment is demanding, complex, and multi-dimensional. Stakeholders (including regulators) expect and demand more from directors than in the past, and consequently the director's role, although very rewarding, is a challenging one.

Directors of BlueShore Financial bring to the Board a broad range of knowledge and depth of experience, as well as support for the values and focus of the organization. The Board of Directors provides guidance on long-range objectives, oversees risks,  determines policy, and monitors the credit union’s progress. Day-to-day operations are the responsibility of Management.

Diana Chan - Chair

Diana is a business owner and former executive in the credit union system, both in BC and nationally. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant with extensive experience in human resources, finance and governance. Diana holds the Institute of Corporate Directors Director designation (ICD.D). Diana received her fellowship from the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC in 2018 and was presented with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal in 2012.

Diana is Treasurer and past Chair of the Whistler Chamber of Commerce and a Director of the Whistler Housing Authority. Diana has volunteered with various community boards including YWCA of Metro Vancouver, Whistler Institute for Learning Society, Basketball BC and served as a trustee of the BC Credit Union Employees’ Pension and Benefits Trusts from 2013 to 2015. She holds an honours degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. Diana resides in Whistler.

Tenure: April 2018 - Present
Current Term: 2021 - 2024

Lynne Charbonneau - Vice Chair

Lynne Charbonneau is a judge of the World Bank Administrative Tribunal and Adjunct Professor for the University of Calgary Faculty of Law. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of BlueShore Financial, she serves on the Board of Directors of Inuvialuit Development Corporation, a diversified investment, venture capital and management holding company owned on behalf of the Inuit of Canada’s western Arctic. Lynne has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations over the last two decades and holds the Institute of Corporate Directors Director designation (ICD.D).

Lynne is past chair of the Board of Directors of Actsafe Safety Association, a worker health and safety organization for the production of motion picture, television, live events and performing arts in British Columbia. In recent years, Lynne has also served on the Futures Task Force of the Law Society of British Columbia and on the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the Centre for Business Law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. From 2005 until 2018, Lynne served as Deputy General Counsel at HSBC Bank Canada. Prior to her time with HSBC, Lynne was a partner of the Canadian national law firm, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP.

Lynne received the 2018 Canadian Corporate Counsel Association (CCCA) Innovation Award for creation of value in a law department, the 2013 Lexpert Zenith Award recognizing her as one of an elite group of “Women Leaders in the Legal Profession” in Canada and a 2008 Lexpert designation as a “Rising Star – Leading Lawyer Under 40”. Lynne resides in North Vancouver.

Tenure: April 2019 - Present
Current Term: 2023 - 2026

Rod Dewar - Director

Rod Dewar is the former CEO of a $1.3B credit union and has held Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President responsibilities in the financial services and aviation business sectors. He has extensive insurance, wealth advisory, and fund management experience, and held senior national operations responsibilities for a global airline.

Rod holds the Institute of Corporate Directors Director designation (ICD.D). Rod is on the Board of the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) where he Chairs the Audit and Conduct Review Committee and serves on the Finance and Investment Committee. Rod is currently Board Chair of Consumer Protection BC. His previous board positions include the Victoria Airport Authority, Chair of Credential Financial Inc., Chair of the BC Ferry Authority, NEI Investments, Chair of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, Fundraising Chair Canadian Cancer Society, Royal Roads University School of Leadership Studies Advisory Council, and Chair of Canadian PGA golf tournament. He was born and raised in North Vancouver and now lives in Victoria.

Tenure: April 2017 - Present
Current Term: 2023 - 2026

Oliver Grüter-Andrew - Director

Oliver is the President & Chief Executive Officer of E-Comm 9-1-1, which answers the over 2 million 9-1-1 calls made annually by British Columbians. His 30-year business career includes significant experience with information systems management and digital transformation.  He held leadership roles in the utility and consumer retail industries, and served in executive positions at the University of British Columbia and the Provincial Health Services Authority prior to his current role. 

Oliver has been a governor and volunteer for not-for-profits and social ventures, including 10 years on the Board of the German-Canadian Benevolent Society of B.C.  He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of London. Oliver was born and raised in Germany, and lived and worked in the United Kingdom before moving to Vancouver in 1998, where he still resides today

Tenure: April 2023 - Present
Current Term: 2023 - 2026

Peter Leitch - Director

Peter is a Senior Advisor to North Shore Studios and Mammoth Studios after serving as President for over twenty years. He also serves on the board of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of BC after serving as the Chair for the past eighteen years.

Peter earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from UBC and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. He holds the Institute of Corporate Directors Director designation (ICD.D).

Peter is a former Chair of the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and a former Director of the BC Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on Canada Revenue Agency’s Small Business Advisory Committee and Film Advisory Committee. Peter was honoured with a fellowship by the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of BC in 2009 and was a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. Peter resides in North Vancouver.

Tenure: January 2011 - Present
Current Term: 2021 – 2024

Yale Loh - Director

Yale is a senior member of the administration at The University of British Columbia (UBC), and has extensive financial leadership experience across a wide range of industries and with  publicly traded and private companies and public sector entities.  Currently Yale is UBC’s Treasurer where he has direct responsibility for treasury, tax and the financial planning and analysis functions.  Yale also oversees UBC’s $2.8 billion endowment, and led the development of UBC’s responsible investing framework which includes a commitment to divest of fossil fuel investments and achieve a 45% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, together with the publication of UBC’s first Task Force for Climate Related Financial Disclosure report.  

With over 30 years of global experience in both the capital markets and corporate management, Yale’s career spans trading foreign exchange with JP Morgan in New York to progressively senior leadership positions with companies like Aritzia, Finning, Capital Power and BC Hydro.  Yale has broad strategic, financial, and risk management experience, and was part of the management team that led Aritzia’s initial public offering.  Yale holds both the Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst designations, together with a Masters of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Commerce from UBC.  

Yale currently serves the community as a member of the Finance Committee at West Point Grey academy and was previously on the Board at Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, a member of the United Way of Lower Mainland cabinet, and a coach with various community youth sports teams.  He is also a board member of a number of UBC subsidiary companies together with the staff pension plan.  Yale was born and raised in North Vancouver and currently resides in Vancouver.  

Tenure: April 2023 - Present
Current Term: 2023 - 2024

Julie McGill - Director

Julie is an experienced private equity and venture capital investor with a track record of bringing together people and resources to successfully scale organizations. She is currently General Partner in several direct and indirect private equity investment funds. She is focused on using collaborative investment principles to generate outsized returns and power equitable change in capital markets.

Previously, Julie has managed private asset portfolios in both a family office environment and an institutionally backed, top quartile performing North American buyout fund. Prior to entering private investment, she spent the first decade of her career in professional service firms, moving quickly from an audit to transaction advisory capacity. Through her work investing across a diverse range of both early-stage technology and mature companies, Julie brings a broad spectrum of operational, transactional, capital management and governance experience. Julie is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Business Valuator and holds the Institute of Corporate Directors Director designation (ICD.D).

Julie sits on a number of private company boards and is an active member of the community. She is past Chair of Central City Foundation and is involved in several local youth and sport organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University. Julie resides in Vancouver.

Tenure: April 2016 - Present
Current Term: 2022 - 2025

Chris Tham - Director

Chris is a seasoned finance executive and has held several leadership positions at organizations in the consumer and hospitality space. Today, Chris is Chief Financial Officer at Arc’teryx, a global leader in the design of high-performance outdoor gear where he leads the Finance and Strategy functions.

Chris was previously the Chief Financial Officer of Bailey Nelson, a multi-national direct-to-consumer eye care brand which he helped scale to over 90 stores.

Prior to that, Chris spent nine years at lululemon, holding a variety of leadership positions including International CFO where he led lululemon’s Asia Pacific and EMEA financial operations and SVP Finance, where he led the financial planning, investor relations and indirect procurement functions. Chris has also held senior finance roles at Intrawest, the former owner of Whistler Blackcomb which he helped take private in 2006.

A born and raised Vancouverite, Chris obtained his Bachelor of Commerce from UBC Sauder School of Business and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. He is also a proud advocate of supporting the community and serves as Board Director and Treasurer of Madrona School Society, an independent school focused on developing and nurturing gifted children to help them reach their full potential. Chris resides in Vancouver

Tenure: April 2022 - Present
Current Term: 2022 - 2025

Victoria Withers - Director

With her extensive business background, Victoria brings years of board governance experience to BlueShore. A senior executive at IBM Canada for 30 years, Victoria held the position of General Manager, Western Canada and upon retirement formed VLW Solutions. At VLW Solutions, she provides consulting services to assist organizations in the development and implementation of technology solutions.

Victoria is currently a Director of the Pacific Pilotage Authority and MedicAlert Foundation and has served on the boards of Vancouver Coastal Health, the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, Canadian Internet Registration Authority, QHR Technologies, Vancouver Board of Trade and the Telus World of Science. Victoria holds the Institute of Corporate Directors Director designation (ICD.D) and a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University. Victoria resides in West Vancouver.

Tenure: January 2013 - Present
Current Term: 2022 – 2025

Responsibilities of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors provides stewardship on behalf of the members and oversees Management. The Board’s principal responsibilities include:

  • Establishing Board and committee processes; 
  • Determining the selection, retention, succession and compensation of the President and Chief Executive Officer; establishing the CEO’s objectives, monitoring progress and conducting regular performance reviews;
  • Participating in an annual planning session to approve BlueShore Financial's Strategic Plan and review implementation of that plan; reviewing and approving annual business plans and budgets; 
  • Understanding the significant risks to which the credit union is exposed and ensuring they are properly managed;
  • Monitoring the credit union's progress towards its goals and the actions taken to achieve them; approving any significant new ventures;
  • Approving and monitoring compliance with all significant policies, regulations and legal requirements;
  • Overseeing timely and accurate reporting to members and regulators of the credit union's performance, financial statements and significant developments;
  • Ensuring appropriate code of conduct and conflict of interest policies are in place and adhered to by all Directors and staff, to ensure trust in the organization.

The Board regularly engages an independent third party to evaluate of the performance of Directors, committees and their Chairs, to supplement their own Director self-evaluation. The Board reviews the evaluation report and, as appropriate, implements changes in accordance with report recommendations.

Board Committees

The Board of Directors has standing committees to carry out both legislated and delegated functions. The committees meet regularly throughout the year. In addition to regular updates to the Board of Directors, each committee produces an annual written report confirming that all duties and responsibilities have been completed.

The Audit Committee has oversight responsibility for internal controls and financial reporting, reviews audit procedures and reports arising from audits and examinations. It oversees risk management practices in areas of financial reporting, operations, technology and any other areas that could have the potential to materially affect the health of the Credit Union. The Committee meets directly with the internal and the external auditor, both with and without Management.

The Governance and Conduct Review Committee has oversight responsibility for board governance, including the annual board evaluation process, Director compensation, and periodic review and recommendations regarding BlueShore Financial's Rules. The Committee also monitors compliance with policies governing privacy, conflict of interest, related parties and confidentiality.

The Investment and Loan Committee has oversight responsibility for lending and investment activities in accordance with BlueShore Financial's policies. This includes reviewing and recommending to the Board of Directors changes to policy, monitoring adherence to policy, approving loans that exceed management limits, authorizing write-offs and such other duties prescribed by statute or delegated by the board.

The Nominations and Election Committee has oversight responsibility for the nominations and election of Directors in accordance with the Credit Union's Rules. The Committee reviews all nominees in context of the defined competencies and skills required of Directors, as well as other nomination requirements. Although the Committee may endorse certain candidates felt to best represent the needs of the Board at the time, all nominees who are members in good standing and are eligible to run are presented to the membership.

The Human Resource and Compensation Committee has responsibility for overseeing certain human resource and compensation policies and programs to ensure they support BlueShore Financial's business strategy and good governance. It also assesses the performance of the President and CEO and determines their compensation.

The Risk Committee has oversight responsibility of risk management. The Committee must satisfy themselves that the risk management processes that are designed and implemented by Management are acceptable and aligned with BlueShore Financial’s strategy and the Board’s approved risk appetite and governance frameworks. It has direct oversight of the Chief Risk Officer and utilizes the tools and reporting provided by Management to independently determine the adequacy of Management’s actions to manage risk. Annually, this Committee recommends to the Board, approval of the Risk Appetite Framework, as the primary tool to set the risk boundaries within which BlueShore must operate. The Committee also has responsibility for ensuring the Credit Union’s risk management activities are independent from operational management, adequately resourced and have appropriate status and visibility throughout the organization.

Interested in contributing to your Credit Union?

Contact us if you would like to learn more about what’s involved in serving as a BlueShore Board Director.

BlueShore Financial, Financial Advisor, Sahar Abdul Zahir

Sahar Abdul Zahir

Financial Advisor

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