Board of Directors
Board Meeting Minutes
Susan Bisaillon | President
Susan Bisaillon is a healthcare executive with over 30 years of experience in academic and large community healthcare organizations as well as the community. She has expertise in leading health system transformation and providing a coordinated approach across systems to improve organizational effectiveness. As a healthcare leader, Susan has overseen operations in various clinical programs, patient flow, infection prevention and control and implementation of strategic priorities associated with a hospital merger. Currently, she is Chief Executive Officer at Safehaven.
As a healthcare leader, Susan is recognized for her strategic and operational experience, focus on quality and leading system change. Prior to Safehaven, she was Chief Operating Officer at Oakville Trafalgar Hospital. At Trillium Health Partners she was Associate Vice President, Operational Coordination and pre-merger at Trillium Health Centre held the positions of Executive Director of Clinical Operations and Director of Neuroscience / Musculoskeletal Health System and Complex Care. At the University Health Network, she assumed several leadership positions including Clinical Educator in Critical Care, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Cardiology, and Nurse Manager for the Coronary Intensive Care Unit and Cardiac Catheterization Labs in the Peter Munk Cardiac Program.
Susan holds a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Nursing from Memorial University in Newfoundland, and a Registered Nursing diploma from Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Susan is a surveyor with Accreditation Canada and Accreditation Canada International.
Renee Blomme
2021
Renee Blomme is the Director of Privacy and Risk Management for the Scarborough Health Network, where her focus is on advancing privacy, cybersecurity initiatives, developing an enterprise risk management program including emergency preparedness. Before working with SHN, Renee was the Manager of Patient Experience and Corporate Risk for North York General Hospital, where she established, developed and delivered transformative strategies to improve patient safety and mitigate risk. Renee’s work has been recognized as she continues to be an invited speaker at various conferences. Renee is the recipient of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute’s 2017 Patient Safety Champion Award.
Renee brings a strong educational background with a Masters in Nursing from the University of Toronto, and a Masters Certificate in Risk Management and Business Performance from Schulich School of Business. She has not only acted as a mentor to many new risk managers across Ontario, but also taught the Ontario Hospital Association’s Certificate program in Healthcare Risk Management and the Quality and Patient Safety Certificate. When Renee is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family.Janet Gillespie
2023
Janet (Jan) Gillespie is Vice President of Marketing Operations at Ricoh North America. Leading teams across the U.S. and Canada, Jan is responsible for marketing and sales technology planning, and creating engaging new platforms for digital customer engagement, e-Commerce and customer self-service.
In this role, she also serves as a member of Ricoh Canada’s Executive Management Team, bringing more than 25 years of experience in both B2B and B2C marketing environments with expertise in brand management, marketing technology planning and delivery, and digital marketing.
Jan lives in Burlington, Ontario and when not working, she enjoys spending time with her family & friends, travelling adventures around the world, and yoga.
Mary Peterson| President
2021
Mary Peterson is the parent of a son with developmental disabilities who was a long-time Safehaven Respite user until he aged out of children’s programming. Since that time, Mary has been a passionate advocate for Transitional and Adult Programming within this community. Mary lives in Toronto with her husband and three children and, in her business life, she is the Vice President, Enterprise Business Division, at Samsung Canada.
Marelize Konig
2023
Marelize Konig is an audit partner at PwC Canada where she specializes in the energy, mining and utilities sector with a focus on listed companies and multinational engagements. Marelize started her career with PwC in Johannesburg, South Africa and also spent two years with PwC in Philadelphia, USA. She joined PwC Canada in 2009 and was admitted to partnership in 2015. Marelize is a frequent presenter at external seminars and workshops on accounting, governance and regulatory developments.
She is a regular instructor at the Directors Education Program of the Institute of Corporate Directors and Rotman School of Business. Marelize is a wife to Alan and a mom to two young boys.
Jennifer Briscoe
Elected to the Board: June 2019
Jennifer Briscoe was called to the Ontario Bar in 1985 and the Quebec Civil Bar in 1988. She served as a Prosecutor for the Department of Justice in Ottawa then Montreal until 1997 when she transferred to Toronto. While in Montreal she served as co-chair Criminal Justice Subsection of the Canadian Bar Association. As a member of the Department of Justice Flying Team she handled cases in remote areas of the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut.
In Toronto she served as Team Leader Old City Hall, an onsite legal advisor for the Toronto Police Service and as Counsel in complex mega prosecutions. She currently serves as an agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.
Noela Fowler
2021
Noela Fowler is an Associate Partner at Deloitte. Having joined Deloitte in 1985, Noela has over thirty years consulting experience in corporate strategy development, business planning, corporate development and program management. Over the past 20 years, Noela has served in a number of roles in Deloitte’s Global Consulting practice including Chief of Staff for Global Consulting where she also served on the Global Consulting Executive and in Corporate Development, where she led the Strategic Hiring program globally. Currently, Noela leads Finance & Operations for Deloitte’s Global Delivery Center Network. Noela is excited to play a part in helping to navigate Safehaven’s future direction. Noela has two children, including an adult child with disabilities.
Gaurav Singh
Elected to Board: September 2016
Gaurav Singh works at Tangerine, Canada’s leading digital bank, and is currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer. Gaurav has worked at Tangerine for 17 years and served in a variety of capacities including Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Payments and Lending, Vice President of Strategy & Planning and Vice President of Integrated Marketing. Gaurav obtained his MBA from the Ivey School of Business and completed his undergraduate studies in Economics at the University of Toronto. He lives with his wife and son in the Greater Toronto Area and has an avid interest in local arts, culture and sporting activities.
Sandra Smith
2018
Sandra is a Healthcare Executive with over 24 years’ experience in the Ontario Health System. She is a Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE) who also brings a nursing background to her practice. Sandra is known as a values based leader with a focus on culture, leadership and engagement. Sandra has had the opportunity to be involved in a number of provincial committees and supports partnering to develop systems solutions. Prior to joining Women’s College Hospital as their Vice President, People, Culture and Equity & Chief Human Resources Officer, Sandra has worked at Southlake Regional Health Centre, North York General Hospital and Trillium Health Centre.
She is a member of the College of Canadian Health Care Executives (CCHSE) and holds the CHE designation, and is also a member of Human Resource Professionals (HRPA) and the College of Nurses Ontario (CNO).
Lorella Zanchetta
2023
Lorella is a strategic thinker and problem solver, skilled at critical and organizational analysis and structuring. Her experience includes founding, operating and managing a range of startup enterprises in various fields, acting as managing partner in a busy law practice, creating and chairing a variety of charitable and operational committees as president and board member in the arts, condominium management, and sports fields, and conceiving, initiating and managing organizational and operational solutions in a range of enterprises.
A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and called to the Ontario bar in 1988, Lorella has acted as counsel to a wide range of financial institutions, organizations and individuals, and has been a frequent speaker at seminars in the trust, banking and real estate sectors.
Lorella believes in fostering cooperation, accessibility and collaboration as a way to finding practical and effective solutions to challenges faced by her clients and the organizations in which she participates.
Gaby Bourbara
2023
Gaby has over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry working across Canada, the US and globally. In his role as Vice President and General Manager of Alexion Canada, he is responsible for all aspects of the commercial organization in Canada with the goal of transforming the lives of people affected by rare diseases.
Gaby came to Alexion Canada after establishing and leading the Global Commercial Function for one of AstraZeneca’s emerging oncology medicines. In that role, he was accountable for building Phase 3 clinical trial investment decisions, establishing the global strategic direction and engaging with markets in preparation for launch and positive patient outcomes.
During his 20 plus years with Alexion and AstraZeneca, Gaby has served in various sales, strategic marketing and leadership roles across the oncology, respiratory, cardiovascular and rare disease therapeutic areas.
Gaby holds Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Kinesiology and Bachelor of Arts in Economics degrees from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Laurel Brazill
2023
Laurel is a seasoned professional with over a decade of experience in provincial politics and government relations, specializing in the field of healthcare. During her time as the Director of Stakeholder Relations for the Minister of Health, Laurel’s contributions include managing significant partnerships and networks across the province. Most recently, Laurel played a pivotal role in coordinating the province’s COVID-19 response. Laurel has held roles at two of Ontario’s largest healthcare associations: the Ontario Medical Association and the Ontario Hospital Association. Laurel currently works at Wellington Advocacy as the Director of Stakeholder Relations for Ontario and Health.
Lindsey Coulter
Lindsey Coulter is a senior communications leader with over 20 years of experience in both the not-for-profit and public sectors. She has executive level experience developing and executing local and national media campaigns, most recently as VP of Strategic Storytelling and Thought Leadership at Kids Help Phone. Her deep experience spans across strategic communications, public relations, and media. She is known for her skills as a team-builder, problem-solver and ability to transform organizations through communications strategies.
Lindsey is deeply committed to serving her community and is passionate about volunteering. Joining the Safehaven Board of Directors is a full circle moment for her as she started her career as an educational assistant working with individuals with complex care needs. Lindsey has always used her voice to shed negative stereotypes and champion young people living with developmental disabilities.
Lindsey resides in Toronto with her husband and twin daughters.
Suzelle de Wet
Suzelle de Wet has spent her 17+ year career helping organizations plan, execute, and govern their complex strategic and capital-intensive mandates. She has held various leadership positions in industry-leading consulting firms and the public sector, having been able to support C-suite, Boards, and Senior Leadership in for profit, not-for-profit, and governmental sectors in North America, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia.
She is trained as an industrial engineer, holds an MBA, and has worked with different lines of business, stakeholders and across cultures. She has depth of experience in strategic planning and execution, capital governance, capital portfolio optimization, end to end capital delivery, scaling teams and specialist technical studies
Manny Gill
2024
Manny is currently the Vice President, Private Banking at Scotia Wealth Management. He is a seasoned banker with strategy and sales management experience. Throughout his career, he has led strategic partnerships and projects, built and motived teams to surpass targets, and implemented multiple change management initiatives.
Manny prides himself on being a generalist and is committed to always learning. Joining Safehaven is a continuation of that learning journey, while finding a way to give back to the community that welcomed Manny and his family into Canada in 2001.