Governance

Kim Baird is an accomplished leader advising Indigenous communities, governments, businesses and other organizations on Indigenous matters. She is the Chancellor for Kwantlen Polytechnic University and is the owner of Kim Baird Strategic Consulting. Her continued goal is to improve the quality of life for Indigenous people through her services in relation to First Nation policy, governance, and economic development; as well as First Nation consultation, communication, and engagement issues. Kim also helps with reconciliation planning for companies and organizations. Kim is recognized for her communication, negotiation, and facilitation skills, and has extensive public speaking experience. She is on several boards including Canada Infrastructure Bank and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade,  Kim is a member of both the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada, is an Indspire Laureate and holds an Institute of Corporate Director’s designation.

Mr. Bernstein is a seasoned senior executive with extensive experience in the Canadian power, infrastructure and utilities sector, including the negotiation and structuring of complex infrastructure investments and projects.

Mr. Bernstein is currently a Senior Advisor with the Boston Consulting Group and President of Juno Advisors Ltd., a consulting firm focused on strategic advisory and investment opportunities. He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstone Infrastructure Corporation, responsible for the company’s overall management of power infrastructure and utilities businesses in Canada and internationally. Prior to this, Mr. Bernstein was President of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets Canada Ltd., a Senior Managing Director of Macquarie Group Limited and Macquarie Capital Markets Canada, as well as a senior executive with CIBC World Markets Power and Utilities investment banking group.

Mr. Bernstein holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Ivey Business School at Western University. He also holds Chartered Financial Analyst and ICD.D designations, and has served on various boards of directors throughout his career.

Ms. Bird is a Senior Business Advisor with the Vancouver office of Bennett Jones LLP, a large Canadian law firm where she provides advice to private and public sector clients on matters related to the development and execution of infrastructure projects.

Ms. Bird has been directly involved with large projects for more than 20 years, including the development and construction of the Canada Line rapid transit project in Vancouver, the construction of the Waneta hydroelectric generating station in southeastern BC and the redevelopment of Canada House in London, U.K. Ms. Bird serves on the boards of several Canadian companies.

Ms. Bird has received several awards; Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award and the Vancouver Board of Trade Sprit of Vancouver Outstanding Leadership Award. Most recently, Ms. Bird received the 2017 National Outstanding Leader Award from the Women’s Infrastructure Network.

Ms. Bird holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University and an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Ms. Byrne recently joined Cox & Palmer, a leading Atlantic Canada law firm, as Counsel. She previously held the position as Executive Vice President - Legal at Pennecon Limited.

Ms. Byrne has served on several boards and is an experienced director of non-profit and for-profit boards. She currently holds the positions of Director of Growler Energy Inc., Atlantic Lottery Corporation, Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation, and Canadian Manganese Company Inc.

Ms. Byrne is a graduate of Memorial University and holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor and a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Ottawa. She received the Institute of Corporate Directors Designation (ICD.D) in 2017 and an Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) certification from Competent Boards Canada in 2022. Ms. Byrne was appointed Queen’s (now King’s) Counsel in 2020.

Ms. Colpron currently serves on the board of directors of the Québecor inc. (including Québecor Média inc. and Vidéotron ltée), and previously served on the boards of Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) until 2022.

Prior to these appointments, Ms. Colpron served 12 years with the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec in the roles of Senior Vice-President of Financial Management, Vice-President of Investment Administration, and Vice-President of Finance and Administration – Private Equity. She has also held senior positions in overseas banks, serving as Chief Financial Officer of both Merrill Lynch Bank (Suisse) S. A. and Standard Chartered Bank (Switzerland) S. A.

In 2016, Ms. Colpron was named Fellow of the Order of Chartered Professional Accountants of Quebec (FCPA, FCA). She is also a qualified corporate director duly accredited by Laval University. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from HEC Montréal.

Bruno Guilmette is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Boralex Inc. where he is responsible for Finance and Accounting, Taxation, Investor Relations, and Risk Management and Internal Controls.

From December 2017 until June 2018, he served as interim Chief Investment Officer of Canada Infrastructure Bank, where he established the organization’s initial investment and advisory capabilities, policies, and processes.

Mr. Guilmette previously served on the Executive Committee and Board of the Global Infrastructure Investor Association and as the Senior Vice-President of Infrastructure at PSP Investments. Prior to his appointment with PSP Investments, Mr. Guilmette served as the Senior Director of Investments/Infrastructure, Services and Distribution at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. He has also served on the boards of other organizations, including AviAlliance, Isolux Infrastructure, Transelec and Southern Star.

Mr. Guilmette holds a Bachelor of Commerce from HEC Montréal, along with a Master of Business Administration from McGill University and an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Mr. Guilmette is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Elisabeth Hivon is a respected and influential business leader in project development, project finance, and public-private partnerships. Over the last fifteen years, she has focused on structuring and delivering complex and successful infrastructure projects in Canada, the USA, and Africa. More recently, she held the role as Executive Director for Canada with Meridiam Infrastructure.

She has served on several boards including the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) Hydrostor, Ambatovy Nickel Project, Madagascar, Chinook Roads Partnership (Southeast Stoney Plain Project) Calgary, Capital City Link GP (Northeast Anthony Henday project) Edmonton, Grandinq GP (Waterloo LRT project) and New Energy One LLC (renewable natural gas producer), Idaho.

Ms. Hivon holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from HEC Montreal. She also holds the CFA charter designation.

Hari Subramaniam is Executive Vice President at Constellation Software Inc. Prior to this, he held several senior roles as Chief Strategic Growth & Head of Global Business Development at Opus One Solutions, Chief Executive Officer at Jule (E Camion & Inspectech), and Vice President GE Global Growth & Operations Canada.

Mr. Subramaniam has served on numerous boards in areas related to real-estate, health, and energy, including Carousel Properties- Real Estate Corp, Rouge Valley Health System, Princess Margaret Foundation, Distributed Energy Association of Canada, Energy Storage Association of Canada and Ontario Energy Association.

Mr. Subramaniam holds a Bachelor of Science in Bio Medical Sciences at the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Laws from McGill University.

Ms. Youzwa is the current Chair of the Alternative Funds Advisory Committee for TD Asset Management and a National Director of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Ms. Youzwa is the former President and CEO of Saskatchewan Power Corporation. She has also served as Deputy Minister of Economic Development and as Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines for the Government of Saskatchewan.

Ms. Youzwa has served on numerous boards and has held policy advisory roles with such organizations as the Canada West Foundation, Canadian Electricity Association, the Energy Council of Canada, the Conference Board of Canada, the Canada Alberta ecoEnergy Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage, the Minister’s Advisory Council on Energy Science and Technology and the Canadian Standards Association.

Ms. Youzwa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Toronto. In 2012, she was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and, in 2011, received the Lieutenant Governor’s Gold Medal for Excellence in Public Administration.

Ehren Cory, CEO of the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), is a leader in sustainable finance and infrastructure investing in Canada. He joined the CIB in 2020 with a focus on accelerating new infrastructure investment through partnerships with the private and public sectors. Previously, he was the CEO of Infrastructure Ontario, one of North America’s largest public infrastructure developers, and a partner at McKinsey & Company advising project clients in both the private and public sectors. Ehren also serves on the Boards of the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships and Unity Health Toronto, and is involved in a number of leading sustainable investment organizations including the Institute for Sustainable Finance at Queen’s University. He received an MBA from INSEAD and an Honours BA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. 

John Casola leads the Investments team and is responsible for implementing the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s investment and advisory strategies, including transaction advice to public sponsors, transaction structuring, capital deployment and asset management. John and his team members actively work with public sponsors across Canada at all levels of government to develop project priorities and build opportunities for partnerships with private and institutional investors.

John is a recognized leader in the Canadian infrastructure sector and has more than 20 years of experience in lending to, and structuring and advising on project finance and public private partnership transactions across a variety of infrastructure asset classes. He has extensive experience advising both public and private sector organizations active in the infrastructure sector and was instrumental in advising on many “first of kind” PPP projects in Canada. John started his career practicing law at a major Canadian law firm (Torys LLP), and his previous experience includes being Managing Partner of PwC’s Infrastructure and Government Services team in Canada and founding and managing Investec Bank’s Project and Infrastructure Finance presence in North America.

John holds a BA in Political Science from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor. He has also completed Executive Development programs at Harvard University and at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

John is based out of the CIB’s Toronto office.

As the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Evelyn Joerg oversees the CIB’s financial activities, including risk, asset management, finance and IT. Previously, she was the Head of Asset Management, where she was responsible for managing the growing portfolio of the CIB’s investments.

Before joining the CIB, Evelyn was a Vice President at Brookfield Asset Management, focused on the portfolio management of infrastructure assets in North America. Over her 15 years of experience, she held progressively senior roles at Brookfield Asset Management and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Evelyn has served on several boards and commitees for both private and not-for-profit organizations, including Nova Transportadora do Sudeste, Arteris S.A, as well as the Brazil Canada Chamber of Commerce. She also serves as a mentor as part of the Women’s Infrastructure Network.

Evelyn holds a Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree from Queen’s University, is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a CFA charterholder.

Evelyn is based out of the CIB’s Toronto office.

Hillary Marshall brings senior management expertise and nationally recognized experience to lead the Communications and Public Affairs team. Her responsibilities include executing our strategic communications action plan and enhancing stakeholder relations with the public and private sectors.

An industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience in public affairs and communications, Hillary has held progressively senior roles in some of Canada’s best-known corporations, including Nortel, Hudson’s Bay Company and the Toronto Stock Exchange. During her time at public affairs firms, Hillary provided strategic counsel to management teams of numerous North American corporations and government agencies. Most recently, Hillary held the position of Vice President of Stakeholder Relations and Communications at the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA).

Hillary sat on Destination Toronto’s Board of Directors, is the Chair of the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s Talent Ecosystem Committee, is Vice Chair of the Policy and Advocacy Committee, and is past Vice Chair of the Management Advisory Committee of the Urban Land Institute of Toronto.

She holds a BA in Japanese and Political Science from the University of Toronto, a post-graduate diploma in Public Relations from the University of Stirling, Scotland and a Corporate Director Certificate from the Rotman School of Management.

Hillary is based out of the CIB’s Toronto office.

Steven Robins has been the Head of Strategy at the Canada Infrastructure Bank (“CIB”) since December 2020. In this capacity, Steven leads the strategy team and is responsible for impact measurement, our Investment Framework, our overall portfolio strategy and the identification of new opportunities to achieve the CIB’s priority outcomes.

Before joining the CIB, Steven was the Commercial Program Director for the Ontario Subway expansion at Infrastructure Ontario, where he stood up the commercial team to structure and deliver four planned subway extensions in Toronto and led the team to commence procurements on-schedule.

Prior to joining Infrastructure Ontario, Steven was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company in Toronto, where he led client engagements for electric and gas utilities, and infrastructure clients on energy transition strategy and capital program delivery.

Steven also holds an MBA and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. He also received an Honours Degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.

Steven is based out of the CIB’s Toronto office.

Frédéric Duguay became the first General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at the Canada Infrastructure Bank (“CIB”) in November 2018. In this capacity, Frédéric is responsible for leading the legal affairs, the corporate secretariat, as well as the compliance functions and regulatory activities of the CIB, including the implementation of legal and governance structures for investment transactions and responses to access to information requests.

Before joining the CIB, Frédéric was a Partner with Hansell LLP, where his legal practice focused on advising boards of directors, shareholders and management teams on matters involving special situations, crisis management, stakeholder relations, board effectiveness and the development of governance policies and practices. Frédéric also held progressively more senior positions with the Ontario Securities Commission.

Frédéric is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and is a graduate of the University of Ottawa.

Frédéric is based out of the CIB’s Toronto office.

Sashen Guneratna joined the CIB in 2019. As Managing Director, Sashen leads the CIB’s $10 billion+ Clean Power priority sector. Sashen spearheaded the CIB’s investment in Canada’s first small modular reactor as well as leads renewable projects across the country in solar, wind, transmission, energy storage and district energy. 

Sashen has more than 20 years of banking and advisory experience encompassing several sectors and jurisdictions. Most recently, Sashen was a Partner within the Capital Projects and Infrastructure group at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP with a focus on Water and Wastewater, First Nations led projects, Power and Utilities. Prior to joining PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in 2013, Sashen worked for National Bank Financial as a Financial Advisor and Underwriter of project finance transactions.  

Sashen holds an MBA and BBA from the Schulich School of Business. 

Jodie Parmar is the Head of Project Development for Western Canada – leading the CIB’s engagement with both public and private project sponsors in the West across all investment sectors. Jodie is also the National Lead for Agricultural Infrastructure whereby he leads CIB’s investment activities in agriculture and agrifood. In his role, Jodie offers advice and makes investments consistent with the CIB’s focus on new infrastructure in key priority initiatives.

Jodie has almost 30 years of experience in lending to, structuring and advising on project finance and public-private partnership transactions across a variety of infrastructure asset classes.

He holds an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and a BA in Economics from the University of Regina. He also holds a Certificate (Honours) in Business Intelligence – Data Analysis & Reporting from SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary. Jodie is a CPA, CMA, and has also completed executive development programs at institutions such as the Harvard Business School and Queen’s University.

Jodie is based out of the CIB’s Calgary office.

Philippe Raymond has over 30 years of experience in enabling public and private infrastructure projects – from project financing to procurement and strategic planning. In his role at the CIB, Philippe leads project engagement and opportunities across all priority sectors in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

He has worked on diverse infrastructure projects across the country, including transit, rail, ports, highways and bridges, education, health, public buildings, water, and energy.

Philippe is a Professional Engineer and graduated in civil engineering at École Polytechnique in Montréal. He holds an MBA in Strategic Management at the University of British Columbia and is a CFA Charterholder (Chartered Financial Analyst).

Philippe is based out of the CIB’s Montreal office.

Divya Shah is a Managing Director with the Investments team at the CIB. In her role, Divya is responsible for leading a team on CIB’s Public Building Retrofits Initiative and advising, sourcing, evaluating, developing and executing infrastructure investment opportunities in the Trade and Transportation Sector across Canada.

Divya has over 15 years of experience in project financing and developing public infrastructure projects through various roles at the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Manulife Financial. Before joining the CIB, Divya was SVP of Transaction Finance at Infrastructure Ontario, where she structured and negotiated a variety of large and complex P3, commercial and real estate transactions.

Divya is a Steering Committee member for the Women’s Infrastructure Network, Toronto Chapter. She is a CFA who also earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto. Divya was named as one of the 2020 inductees to the Urban Land Institute’s Women’s Leadership Initiative Champions Team.

Divya is based out of the CIB’s Toronto office.

Hillary Thatcher is Managing Director, Investments. Hillary leads the CIB’s Indigenous relationships and opportunities to engage with Indigenous communities. She is part of the team offering advice and making investments consistent in CIB’s priority initiatives.

Previously Director General of Innovation and Services at Indigenous Services Canada, Hillary spent 15 years with the Ontario government in senior roles across Indigenous Affairs, Energy and Infrastructure and Natural Resources. Hillary has a proven track record of building linkages among government, industry and Indigenous interests.

Hillary is Métis and has been an active member of the urban Indigenous community of Toronto through her volunteer roles at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, Red Sky Performance and the Downie Wenjak Fund.

Hillary graduated from Concordia University in Montreal and the University of Victoria.

Hillary is based out of the CIB’s Toronto office.

Charles Todd joined the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) in 2019 and is a Managing Director on the Investments team. He currently leads the CIB’s investments in Transit and its Building Retrofits Initiative. Charles also supports the CIB’s Indigenous infrastructure investments as a senior advisor. He has led the closing of over $3.4 billion of investments at the CIB.  

Before joining the CIB, Charles worked on numerous large infrastructure projects and investments across Canada in legal and commercial capacities. He was a senior lawyer and Commercial Director at Aecon Group Inc., supporting its largest and most complex pursuits and projects. Charles was also Contracts Director for Crosslinx Transit Solutions, the consortium delivering the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, where he was responsible for all contractual aspects of the project. Charles started his career practising corporate/commercial law at a major Canadian law firm. 

Charles holds a JD from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and a BA in economics from the University of Waterloo. 

Charles is based out of the CIB’s Toronto office. 

Jonathan is a Managing Director, Investments, and focusses on a number of sectors (including broadband and industrial decarbonization) and initiatives (including Infrastructure for Housing and Charging & Hydrogen Refuelling) nationwide. Being based out of the Montreal office, he represents the CIB in its efforts within the province of Québec. 

Jonathan has been part of the Canadian infrastructure financing landscape since 2008, including nine years with Casgrain & Company, a Canadian fixed income investment dealer where he participated in numerous infrastructure- related financings and launched the firm’s efforts in the space. During his time there, he authored a monthly project finance newsletter that reached equity partners, government sponsors, financial advisors and bond investors in more than 150 firms. He followed this by joining the infrastructure financing team of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (“CDPQ”) as a Senior Director, originating and structuring investment opportunities across the globe that often fell outside the scope of traditional financing. 

Jonathan holds an MSc. Finance from Concordia University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.