Board of Directors
The RSI management board consists of highly successful and dedicated leaders, entrepreneurs and experts who actively embed sustainability and innovation to advance the ability of business and society to thrive in new realities.
Their experience and expertise make them one of the most formidable cross-sector and intergenerational brain trusts in the country. The power of their combined networks in Canada and around the globe enables them to engage key decision-makers and market leaders to collaboratively discover and deploy solutions to system-level challenges impacting our world.
A knowledgeable and trusted resource, the RSI management board is capable of affecting dramatic and positive changes in the way sustainability is defined and deployed today and in years to come.
Alexander (Alec) Hay, PhD CEng PEng FICE CRM RSES
Founder and Principal of Southern Harbour Ltd, and adjunct professor at the University of Toronto.
Alec is a globally recognized leader in infrastructure risk, resilience and security planning. He is the founding principal of Southern Harbour Ltd, an independent risk advisory firm based in Toronto, and an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, where he teaches and researches infrastructure and community systems risk and post-disaster/conflict rehabilitation. He works with governments, international organizations, and multinationals to help decision-makers understand the risks they face in a rapidly changing world, as well as through-life equity protection and intelligent risk transfer. He has advanced risk-based assessment in insurance and has developed international guidance on commercial property resilience for the Building Owners and Managers Association.
Previously, he was the DIALOG Resilience & Security lead, before which he served 25 years as a British Royal Engineers officer delivering infrastructure and fortifications globally. He has a keen interest in developing young professional engineers as both a mentor and peer reviewer and on the Capacity Building Panel of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He serves on the certification board of Green Advantage, equipping construction trades with sustainable building skills, and more recently on the expert panel for the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) sustainable public-private partnership guidance document. He is a sought-after speaker and author.
Alec was an RSI Director from 2014 to 2019, returning to the board in 2024.
Alec is a globally recognized leader in infrastructure risk, resilience and security planning. He is the founding principal of Southern Harbour Ltd, an independent risk advisory firm based in Toronto, and an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, where he teaches and researches infrastructure and community systems risk and post-disaster/conflict rehabilitation. He works with governments, international organizations, and multinationals to help decision-makers understand the risks they face in a rapidly changing world, as well as through-life equity protection and intelligent risk transfer. He has advanced risk-based assessment in insurance and has developed international guidance on commercial property resilience for the Building Owners and Managers Association.
Previously, he was the DIALOG Resilience & Security lead, before which he served 25 years as a British Royal Engineers officer delivering infrastructure and fortifications globally. He has a keen interest in developing young professional engineers as both a mentor and peer reviewer and on the Capacity Building Panel of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He serves on the certification board of Green Advantage, equipping construction trades with sustainable building skills, and more recently on the expert panel for the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) sustainable public-private partnership guidance document. He is a sought-after speaker and author.
Alec was an RSI Director from 2014 to 2019, returning to the board in 2024.
Aidan has a long history in stakeholder management, Indigenous community engagement, public education and policy development. He works with clients across all sectors to find creative solutions for their projects and sets the strategic direction for their organization.
Clients quickly come to rely on Aidan’s candour, empathy, foresight, and ability to identify opportunities when charting new strategies, developing trust among their audiences, and overcoming stubborn challenges.
Clients quickly come to rely on Aidan’s candour, empathy, foresight, and ability to identify opportunities when charting new strategies, developing trust among their audiences, and overcoming stubborn challenges.
Darla Campbell is a professional engineer with experience in infrastructure development from environmental assessment through design, construction and operation. Darla has demonstrated leadership from the trenches of a construction site to the boardrooms of corporations. Darla is the Sustainability and Asset Management lead with Dillon Consulting Limited. She draws from her previous role with the Ontario Clean Water Agency on operational efficiencies and capital planning. She has led workshops with municipal clients on levels of service and risk considering climate change vulnerability, as well as delivered asset management training to over 200 participants from nearly 90 municipalities. She holds the certificate in asset management from the Institute of Asset Management and she is a certified sustainability (CSR) practitioner from the Chartered Management Institute.
She has served on boards, both corporate and not-for-profit, including experience with national and international organizations. Darla served as the executive director of the Ontario Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (OCSI). She was the chair of the Strategy, Policy and Innovation committee for the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Association and serves on the boards of the Canadian Network of Asset Management (CNAM) and Rethink Sustainability Initiatives (RSI). Darla is chair of Waterlution, a youth focused organization that inspires pattern-making and pattern-breaking change towards a healthy and sustainable relationship with water.
A speaker at various conferences on climate change and municipal infrastructure, Darla is adamant that strategic thinking and public engagement are essential in solving the infrastructure deficit and bridging the gap to sustainable living.
Senior Director of Business Development and Government Relations at CIET
Olivier is a senior leader at the confluence of an ecosystem of organizations that provide energy efficiency consulting, capacity-building & training, and financing for building decarbonization projects. His belief in the power of education and training to bring about transformative change at the organisational and systemic level are the centre of his work, which involves engaging both the public and private sectors to ensure Canada has a workforce with the skills and knowledge required to support its energy transition and the decarbonization of the built environment.
Over his 15-year career, he has worked with organisations like the UNEP and Canadian Standards Association on multilateral environmental agreements and the proliferation of the use of sustainability-related standards and codes by industry. Since then, in his work with Econoler and the Canadian Institute for Energy Training (CIET), he has narrowed his focus to energy efficiency, which is widely accepted to be one of the fastest, easiest, and most direct paths to decarbonization and climate change mitigation. In addition to this, Olivier serves as a facilitator and presenter for CIET in several training programs for related to the overarching themes of energy efficiency engagement and building decarbonization strategies.
Olivier is a senior leader at the confluence of an ecosystem of organizations that provide energy efficiency consulting, capacity-building & training, and financing for building decarbonization projects. His belief in the power of education and training to bring about transformative change at the organisational and systemic level are the centre of his work, which involves engaging both the public and private sectors to ensure Canada has a workforce with the skills and knowledge required to support its energy transition and the decarbonization of the built environment.
Over his 15-year career, he has worked with organisations like the UNEP and Canadian Standards Association on multilateral environmental agreements and the proliferation of the use of sustainability-related standards and codes by industry. Since then, in his work with Econoler and the Canadian Institute for Energy Training (CIET), he has narrowed his focus to energy efficiency, which is widely accepted to be one of the fastest, easiest, and most direct paths to decarbonization and climate change mitigation. In addition to this, Olivier serves as a facilitator and presenter for CIET in several training programs for related to the overarching themes of energy efficiency engagement and building decarbonization strategies.
Yasmin is a recognized Futurist, Strategic Advisor, Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach and Mentor for leaders, boards, business, academic and government organizations – including CleanTech and Social Entrepreneurs - in North America and broad. She heads up CTR Inc., a Future Shaping focused Strategic
Advisory, Innovation and Communications group. As an Executive In Residence at Foresight Canada she guides CleanTech startups on accelerated market readiness strategies and investor pitches. And she is a sought-after speaker and moderator on how to harness the power of collaboration and foresight to thrive in a world of converging disruptions.
Previously: she was a principal and solution accelerator at E&Y/CGEY; a senior marketing and business transformation leader for IBM and Nortel; contributed to the development and launch of President’s Choice Financial. Throughout her career, Yasmin has also supported several charities as a board director/advisor — e.g., March of Dimes, Habitat for Humanity, King Bay Kids and Seeds of Hope — focused on improving the life and wellbeing of people experiencing poverty, work and health challenges, and homelessness.
In 2011 she conceived and founded RSI as a ‘Think and Do’ hub, to connect leaders to rethink and shape a better future for organizations and society. In 2021-2022, she led RSI’s Community Climate Change in SJT project with a world-class team of futurists, scientists, engineers, digital communicators, infrastructure experts, developers, economists and educators - funded in part by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
A skilled facilitator, she’s led over 400 collaborative action-biased strategy and solution design initiatives, focused on building market leadership, sustainability, resiliency and future readiness. She is also the recipient of numerous awards for strategic foresight, innovation and leadership, including Global Trailblazer Leadership Award by Sir Martin Sorrell, MIT Social Architecture Award for Windward Cooperative Housing, and Inter-Gen Mentorship Awards.
Previously: she was a principal and solution accelerator at E&Y/CGEY; a senior marketing and business transformation leader for IBM and Nortel; contributed to the development and launch of President’s Choice Financial. Throughout her career, Yasmin has also supported several charities as a board director/advisor — e.g., March of Dimes, Habitat for Humanity, King Bay Kids and Seeds of Hope — focused on improving the life and wellbeing of people experiencing poverty, work and health challenges, and homelessness.
In 2011 she conceived and founded RSI as a ‘Think and Do’ hub, to connect leaders to rethink and shape a better future for organizations and society. In 2021-2022, she led RSI’s Community Climate Change in SJT project with a world-class team of futurists, scientists, engineers, digital communicators, infrastructure experts, developers, economists and educators - funded in part by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
A skilled facilitator, she’s led over 400 collaborative action-biased strategy and solution design initiatives, focused on building market leadership, sustainability, resiliency and future readiness. She is also the recipient of numerous awards for strategic foresight, innovation and leadership, including Global Trailblazer Leadership Award by Sir Martin Sorrell, MIT Social Architecture Award for Windward Cooperative Housing, and Inter-Gen Mentorship Awards.
Graeme is the National Director, Building Operations at First Capital REIT. He is a Professional Engineer and commercial real estate leader with 15 years of experience in operations management, technical team leadership, strategic decarbonization planning, and engineering design for high-performance facilities. Throughout his career, he has developed a well-rounded experience in various roles, including consultant, general contractor, and owner, working on diverse development projects and operational assets.
In his current role as National Director, Building Operations at First Capital REIT, Graeme leads a team responsible for delivering exceptional facility performance, customer satisfaction, and business results for a national portfolio of retail properties. His expertise in project management and mechanical design engineering allows him to oversee multi-million dollar capital projects from concept to close-out.
With a strong focus on sustainability, Graeme is experienced in identifying and implementing decarbonization strategies. He possesses a solid understanding of energy retrofit strategies and has a track record of driving building energy performance.
In his current role as National Director, Building Operations at First Capital REIT, Graeme leads a team responsible for delivering exceptional facility performance, customer satisfaction, and business results for a national portfolio of retail properties. His expertise in project management and mechanical design engineering allows him to oversee multi-million dollar capital projects from concept to close-out.
With a strong focus on sustainability, Graeme is experienced in identifying and implementing decarbonization strategies. He possesses a solid understanding of energy retrofit strategies and has a track record of driving building energy performance.
Matt is a systems thinker, who relishes working at the nexus of nature, technology and society. He is Chief Technology Officer and Biologist at HiGarden, where he leads the innovation of sustainable urban agriculture tech.
His overarching focus is on how biodiversity and ecosystem principles can pave the way for a more resilient future - whether in an urban farm or an ecosystem. As a post-doctoral fellow at McMaster University, he led a research program on the purposeful design of ecosystems to produce food and other valuable services like education. At the same time, he collaborated with the French National Centre for Scientific Research to develop methods for uncovering how biodiversity keeps natural ecosystems stable. He has helped secure numerous research grants, including a top-finalist in the prestigious NSERC Discovery Frontiers competition.
He has also worked on the wicked problems – and solutions – of conservation. He served as a Wildlife Ecotoxicologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, tracking the impacts of industrial pollution on the Great Lakes. He was also a consultant for the Bermuda Government and Bermuda Zoological Society, supporting the mapping and protection strategies of critical coral reef habitats. As a doctoral researcher, he innovated statistical tools for better biodiversity accounting and predicting ecosystem change. He continues to contribute to the science and conservation of biodiversity through publishing, conferences, advising and mentoring.
Matt’s conviction is that understanding, protecting and emulating nature is a key to transforming our planet for the better. He holds a PhD in Biology from McMaster University, and an MSc in Marine Science from the University of Otago, New Zealand.
His overarching focus is on how biodiversity and ecosystem principles can pave the way for a more resilient future - whether in an urban farm or an ecosystem. As a post-doctoral fellow at McMaster University, he led a research program on the purposeful design of ecosystems to produce food and other valuable services like education. At the same time, he collaborated with the French National Centre for Scientific Research to develop methods for uncovering how biodiversity keeps natural ecosystems stable. He has helped secure numerous research grants, including a top-finalist in the prestigious NSERC Discovery Frontiers competition.
He has also worked on the wicked problems – and solutions – of conservation. He served as a Wildlife Ecotoxicologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, tracking the impacts of industrial pollution on the Great Lakes. He was also a consultant for the Bermuda Government and Bermuda Zoological Society, supporting the mapping and protection strategies of critical coral reef habitats. As a doctoral researcher, he innovated statistical tools for better biodiversity accounting and predicting ecosystem change. He continues to contribute to the science and conservation of biodiversity through publishing, conferences, advising and mentoring.
Matt’s conviction is that understanding, protecting and emulating nature is a key to transforming our planet for the better. He holds a PhD in Biology from McMaster University, and an MSc in Marine Science from the University of Otago, New Zealand.
Gary is a seasoned Senior Strategy and Business Development Leader with two decades of experience dedicated to leveraging analytics and performance insights to address complex business challenges and foster growth and prosperity in a diversity of sectors and eco-systems.
This includes sustainability-focused initiatives from concept through to orchestrating cohesive teams and driving projects to successful outcomes. His expertise is underpinned by strong analytical capabilities, meticulous attention to detail, and a unique vision for both short-term and long-term strategic planning and sustainable value creation.
Currently, Gary serves as the Manager of Customer Operations at Quantum Lifecycle, Canada’s leading IT asset disposition and e-waste recycling service provider. In this role, he spearheads the development and execution of business growth strategies in emerging market segments while leading a dynamic sales team. His focus on performance management has led to the implementation of a novel sales process that enhances team training and aligns operational activities with organizational goals, ensuring exceptional client satisfaction and continuous improvement.
His academic credentials include a Doctorate in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Schulich School of Business at York University with specializations in Marketing and Finance.
He believes that sustainable innovation and collaborative strategy are vital for creating a resilient future. And is committed to driving positive change within organizations and communities.
This includes sustainability-focused initiatives from concept through to orchestrating cohesive teams and driving projects to successful outcomes. His expertise is underpinned by strong analytical capabilities, meticulous attention to detail, and a unique vision for both short-term and long-term strategic planning and sustainable value creation.
Currently, Gary serves as the Manager of Customer Operations at Quantum Lifecycle, Canada’s leading IT asset disposition and e-waste recycling service provider. In this role, he spearheads the development and execution of business growth strategies in emerging market segments while leading a dynamic sales team. His focus on performance management has led to the implementation of a novel sales process that enhances team training and aligns operational activities with organizational goals, ensuring exceptional client satisfaction and continuous improvement.
His academic credentials include a Doctorate in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Schulich School of Business at York University with specializations in Marketing and Finance.
He believes that sustainable innovation and collaborative strategy are vital for creating a resilient future. And is committed to driving positive change within organizations and communities.
Tony has over 30 years of advertising and communications experience. He has
created campaigns for a wide range of consumer brands, including Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Sun Life, Dell and Toshiba. He has also worked on pro-bono efforts for Greenpeace, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and Doctors for Protection from Guns, to name just a few.
For the past 15 years he has worked in the healthcare space as a Creative Director at both DDB and now, at Dentsu Health, on national, US and global brands. His work has been awarded at Cannes, Communication Arts, Graphis, Archive, New York Festivals, Marketing and the London International Advertising Awards, where he took home a Gold statue for Best Copywriting.
He has also been a judge at Cannes, and many other award shows. He is the former Chair of the Centennial College advertising committee, where he helped advise on the program curriculum. Tony is also a graduate of the University of Toronto, and has a management designation from IMD in Switzerland.
For the past 15 years he has worked in the healthcare space as a Creative Director at both DDB and now, at Dentsu Health, on national, US and global brands. His work has been awarded at Cannes, Communication Arts, Graphis, Archive, New York Festivals, Marketing and the London International Advertising Awards, where he took home a Gold statue for Best Copywriting.
He has also been a judge at Cannes, and many other award shows. He is the former Chair of the Centennial College advertising committee, where he helped advise on the program curriculum. Tony is also a graduate of the University of Toronto, and has a management designation from IMD in Switzerland.
Julian is the North American Lead for Climate and Decarbonization, where he oversees a team of sustainability consultants, engineers, and analysts. His 10+ years of project management experience in the energy and sustainability field, include managing national portfolios of over 1000 buildings, and delivering millions of dollars of energy savings. He has a deep understanding of a variety of energy systems from his diverse work on large-scale, complex projects in commercial real estate, retail, pharmaceuticals, and heavy manufacturing. Data-focused and creative, he identifies energy and sustainability solutions that help guide organizational strategy.
Julian is currently focused on helping organizations set targets and deliver on their decarbonization goals aligned with their overall ESG ambitions. He combines a knowledge of technology, regulation, carbon, and business strategy to advise global companies on decarbonization pathways. Constantly adopting a collaborative client approach, he works to align solutions with societal, customer, and investor expectations. Julian is also fostering a team culture that upholds JLL's values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Julian is currently focused on helping organizations set targets and deliver on their decarbonization goals aligned with their overall ESG ambitions. He combines a knowledge of technology, regulation, carbon, and business strategy to advise global companies on decarbonization pathways. Constantly adopting a collaborative client approach, he works to align solutions with societal, customer, and investor expectations. Julian is also fostering a team culture that upholds JLL's values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Chris is the Founder and Principal of TSG Consulting, Regional Manager (Ontario) at Aviva Risk Management Solutions (ARMS) and a part-time professor at Seneca Polytechnic College (Newnham Campus) in the Fire Protection Engineering Technology program. Chris has been in the insurance risk control industry since 1999. Now working with his third large global commercial insurance carriers, Chris has occupied positions from Junior and Senior Risk Control Engineer, Portfolio Executive, Manager and Interim Head of Zurich Resilience Solutions (ZRS Canada) while representing the ZRS department within the Zurich Canada C-Suite team.
Throughout his career, Chris has coordinated mid to large commercial accounts for insurance risk requirements and has conducted site specific insurance-based risk assessments for Property Damage, Business Interruption, Natural Hazards, General & Product Liability as well as Product Recall. Since 2010, Chris held the global role of Business Resilience Expert, covering all the Americas and Australia, with expertise in resilience risk analysis, continuity planning, supply chain risk and ERM. In addition, while with ZRS, Chris held the global role of Business Resilience Technical Expert, establishing globally recognised technical standards for the Zurich Resilience Solutions teams in over 40 countries. In 2011, Chris acquired his designation as Associate Member with the Business Continuity Institute (AMBCI). Present in over 120 countries and with more than 9,000 members, the BCI is dedicated to helping business resilience professionals grow, manage and keep their organizations business continuity risk resilience.
In his time with TSG Consulting Chris has joined speaking panels and provided informational presentations for various industry groups such as the BCI (London, UK November 2023 BCI Annual Conference), Conference of Metallurgists COM 2023, Institute of Asset Management (AIM) and Climate Change BCM and EM Conference 2023. Topics ranges from understanding insurance risk to the impact of climate change and geopolitical events on an organization’s resilience and supply chain. Chris has also participated in the RSI 2024 The Futures Action Series as well as providing insurance risk consultancy services to the Canadian Wood Council (mass timber construction industry).
Throughout his career, Chris has coordinated mid to large commercial accounts for insurance risk requirements and has conducted site specific insurance-based risk assessments for Property Damage, Business Interruption, Natural Hazards, General & Product Liability as well as Product Recall. Since 2010, Chris held the global role of Business Resilience Expert, covering all the Americas and Australia, with expertise in resilience risk analysis, continuity planning, supply chain risk and ERM. In addition, while with ZRS, Chris held the global role of Business Resilience Technical Expert, establishing globally recognised technical standards for the Zurich Resilience Solutions teams in over 40 countries. In 2011, Chris acquired his designation as Associate Member with the Business Continuity Institute (AMBCI). Present in over 120 countries and with more than 9,000 members, the BCI is dedicated to helping business resilience professionals grow, manage and keep their organizations business continuity risk resilience.
In his time with TSG Consulting Chris has joined speaking panels and provided informational presentations for various industry groups such as the BCI (London, UK November 2023 BCI Annual Conference), Conference of Metallurgists COM 2023, Institute of Asset Management (AIM) and Climate Change BCM and EM Conference 2023. Topics ranges from understanding insurance risk to the impact of climate change and geopolitical events on an organization’s resilience and supply chain. Chris has also participated in the RSI 2024 The Futures Action Series as well as providing insurance risk consultancy services to the Canadian Wood Council (mass timber construction industry).
Aiden is President of The Six Real Estate Developments Inc. a real estate investment and development company focused on the urban intensification of suburban areas. This includes dense, walkable communities, with access to major transit stations; the embodiment of the “fifteen minute city”. Aiden, along with his tremendous partnerships, have championed many projects aligned with this vision, including projects in Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga and Waterloo Ontario. Aiden is a tremendous believer and supporter of taking these projects further, not only encouraging a more sustainable lifestyle within suburban, soon to be urban, nodes, but encouraging energy efficiency within those buildings and the use of renewable energy sources.
In addition to Aiden’s work in urbanizing the suburbs, he is an angel investor in the clean/proptech space. Aiden invests in companies he can incorporate into his projects to ensure those buildings perform at their peak, all while helping start up technology companies grow into global players and ensure the decarbonization of the built environment.
In addition to Aiden’s work in urbanizing the suburbs, he is an angel investor in the clean/proptech space. Aiden invests in companies he can incorporate into his projects to ensure those buildings perform at their peak, all while helping start up technology companies grow into global players and ensure the decarbonization of the built environment.