OTTAWA, June 14, 2016 /CNW/ - Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is pleased to announce the appointments of a new Chairperson as well as six new members to its Board of Governors. The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, today confirmed the appointments of Margaret Biggs as Board Chairperson, and of Mary-Ann Chambers, Dominique Corti, Sophie D'Amours, John MacArthur, Chandra Madramootoo and Barbara Trenholm as governors. (Biographies are included below.)
"The International Development Research Centre will be well served by the wealth of experience of these new governors," Minister Bibeau said. "IDRC continues to be an integral part of Canada's international assistance, by investing in knowledge, innovation and solutions to improve lives and livelihoods in developing regions of the world."
"I'm delighted by the arrival of a new Chairperson and governors," said IDRC President Jean Lebel. "We look forward to benefitting from their collective knowledge, experience and strategic oversight as the Centre continues to fund researchers that drive global change."
The Government of Canada appointed IDRC Board members through a new, open, transparent and merit-based appointments process. The Board of Governors provides strategic direction, stewardship and oversight for IDRC.
About IDRC
Part of Canada's foreign affairs and development efforts, IDRC invests in knowledge, innovation, and solutions to improve lives and livelihoods in developing regions of the world. Bringing together the right partners around opportunities for impact, IDRC builds leaders for today and tomorrow and helps drive large-scale positive change. www.idrc.ca
Biographical Notes of New Board Appointees
Margaret Biggs (Ottawa, Ontario) – M.A. Norman Peterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University.
Serves on boards of the United Nations University – Institute for Water, and World University Service of Canada. Previously served on the boards of IDRC (as a governor), the World Bank, and China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development. Previously served as President of the Canadian International Development Agency, Deputy Secretary of the Privy Council Office, and Assistant Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.
Mary Ann Chambers (Toronto, Ontario) – C.Dir. McMaster University, DeGroote School of Business; Executive Management Program, Queen's University.
Serves on boards of GraceKennedy Ltd., Cuso International, and University of Guelph. Previously served on boards of Project for the Advancement of Childhood Education, Junior Achievement Canada, and the United Way. Previously served as Senior Vice-President at Scotiabank; and Member of Provincial Parliament of Ontario for Scarborough East, serving as Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, and Minister of Children and Youth Services in the Government of Ontario.
Dominique Corti (Montreal, Quebec and Milan, Italy) – M.D. Universita degli Studi di Milano; E.M. Leadership and Empowerment, Il Sole 24 Ore Business School.
Serves on board of Lacor Hospital in Gulu, Uganda. Recipient of the Knight of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy. Currently serving as President of Teasdale-Corti Foundation in Canada and Italy, undertaking advocacy on issues of global health, adherence to statutory requirements, fundraising, and governance.
Sophie D'Amours (Quebec, Quebec) – Ph.D. Industrial Engineering and Applied Mathematics, École Polytechnique; M.B.A. Operations and Decision Systems, Laval University.
Serves as Chairperson of the board for the Centre de recherche industriel du Quebec. Currently a Canada Research Chair and Vice-President of Research and Development for the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Laval University. Previously served as Vice Dean in the Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Scientific Director for NSERC Strategic Research Network on Value Chain Optimization, and Co-Director of the Network Organization Technology Research Centre.
John McArthur (Canadian, resident in Washington, D.C.) – Ph.D. Economics, University of Oxford; M.P.P., Harvard University.
Serves as a Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution, and as a Senior Advisor on Sustainable Development for the United Nations Foundation. Previously served as CEO for Millennium Promise Alliance; Professor at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs; and Senior Macroeconomic Advisor to the United Nations Development Programme.
Chandra Madramootoo (Montreal, Quebec) – Ph.D. Agricultural Engineering, McGill University; M.Sc. Agricultural Engineering, McGill University.
Serves on board of VALACTA, CGIAR, and International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics. Previously served on board of Institut de recherche et de développement en agroenvironnement. Currently Professor in Department of Bioresource Engineering at McGill University. Previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Director of the Brace Centre for Water Resources Management at McGill University.
Barbara Trenholm (Fredericton, New Brunswick) – ICD.D Directors Education Program, IDC-Rotman; M.B.A., University of Maine; CPA, New Brunswick.
Serves on boards of New Brunswick Power Corporation and Plazacorp Retail Properties Ltd. Previously served on boards of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, and the Pension Board of Trustees for the University of New Brunswick. Currently a Professor at the University of New Brunswick. Previously served as Acting Dean at the University of New Brunswick, auditor for the Office of the Auditor General of New Brunswick, and author of textbooks on financial accounting.
SOURCE International Development Research Centre
Joanne Charette, IDRC Spokesperson, Vice-President, Corporate Strategy and Communications - IDRC, [email protected] | +613.696.2323 or +613.852.5364 | @IDRC_CRDI
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