Invest Toronto begins search for new Chief Executive Officer

Appointments to Governance and Strategic Planning Committees

TORONTO , Sept. 15 /CNW/ - Toronto Mayor David Miller today confirmed that the search for a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Invest Toronto will be undertaken by the Governance Committee of the Invest Toronto Board of Directors. The search for a new CEO follows the unfortunate resignation of Invest Toronto's first CEO, Michael Bryant . The Governance Committee will be assisted in their recruitment by Knightsbridge Executive Search.

The Invest Toronto Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Mayor Miller as the Interim CEO of the corporation until a new CEO is in place. Support in the operation of Invest Toronto will be provided to the Mayor through the senior staff of Invest Toronto , including Terrie O'Leary, the Executive Vice-President of Operations at Invest Toronto . Ms. O'Leary was previously the Canadian Executive Director at the World Bank and the former Chief of Staff to Finance Minister Paul Martin .

Responsibility for overseeing day-to-day business operations will be managed by Nick Lewis , Senior Economic Development Advisor to Mayor Miller and Michael Williams , the General Manager of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism of the City of Toronto . Mr. Lewis was formerly a Managing Director with the Royal Bank of Canada and Mr. Williams joined the City of Toronto from the Toronto Region Research Alliance (TRRA), where he served as Senior Vice President, Investment Attraction.

The Invest Toronto Board of Directors also approved the creation of a Strategic Planning Committee that will provide ongoing strategic oversight and direction for the corporation. The Committee will continue building on the plans initiated by the previous CEO.

The members appointed to the two committees are listed below. Biographical information on the members of the Invest Toronto Board and the members appointed to the two Committees confirmed today can be viewed at: http://www.investtoronto.ca/about-invest-toronto.shtml

Inquiries and submissions regarding the position of CEO of Invest Toronto may be directed in confidence to: Chris Sawyer , Senior Consultant, Knightsbridge Executive Search, [email protected] - 416.640.4312

In October 2008 , Council approved a new model to enhance Toronto's economic competitiveness and established two new corporations, Invest Toronto and Build Toronto . Invest Toronto's mandate is to engage the private sector in promoting Toronto as an investment opportunity through marketing, conducting trade missions, and coordinating with other governments and business. Build Toronto's mandate is to engage private and public sector partners in the development of under-utilized City real estate to unlock the value of those lands, stimulate the creation of desirable jobs, and regenerate neighbourhoods, in a manner consistent with the City's broader economic, social and environmental goals.

The Board of Invest Toronto was approved by Toronto City Council in February of this year. Invest Toronto will promote Toronto as a destination for businesses to invest, grow and prosper.

    

    BACKGROUNDER

    The Invest Toronto Governance/CEO Search Committee will be comprised of
the following members of the Invest Toronto Board of Directors:

    Mayor (Chair),
    Ann Buller
    Alan Broadbent
    Craig Brown
    Peggy Nash

    The Invest Toronto Strategic Planning Committee will be comprised of the
following members of the Invest Toronto Board of Directors:

    Mayor (Chair)
    Aleem Kanji
    Corrado Paina
    Councillor Kyle Rae
    Geoffrey Reeves
    Mark Surman
    Mike Williams

    The Board of Invest Toronto includes the following citizen members:

    Ann Buller, Vice-Chair
    President and CEO, Centennial CollegeDirector, Toronto Board of
    Trade
    Director, Ontario College Application Services
    Director, Association of Canadian Community Colleges
    Member, DiverseCity Steering Committee
    Member, Helping Youth Pursue
    Education Member, Advisory Council, Intelligent Community Initiatives,
    Waterfront Revitalization Corporation

    Alan Broadbent, Director
    Chairman and CEO, Avana Capital Corporation
    Chairman and CEO, The Maytree Foundation
    Chairman, Ideas That Matter
    Chairman, Diaspora Dialogues Society
    Chairman and Co-Founder, Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance
    Member, Governors' Council, Toronto Public Library Foundation

    Craig Brown, Director
    Partner and Chair, Emerging Global Business Group (Private Equity),
    Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP Co-leader, Fasken Martineau's India team
    and Ontario Regional Representative on China Team
    Board Member, Outward Bound Canada 2002-2006
    Founding Member, Street Kids International, and Board member 1989-1994

    Alexandra Dagg, Director
    Executive Vice-President and Canadian Co-Director on UNITE HERE
    Former Member, Advisory Committee, Scadding Court Community Centre
    Investing in Diversity Award

    Nick Di Donato, Director
    President and CEO, Liberty Entertainment Group
    Member, Board of Champions, Toronto
    Museum Project Member, Mayor's Economic Competitiveness Advisory
    Committee
    Director, Children's Charity Board of Variety Village
    Director, Tourism Toronto
    Member, Development Council, Hospital for Sick Children Foundation

    Aleem Kanji, Director
    Manager, Public Affairs, Greater Toronto Airports Authority
    Former Policy and Public Affairs Lead, Toronto Board of Trade
    Former Senior Economist, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and
    Trade

    Peggy Nash, Director
    Senior Negotiator and Assistant to the President, Canadian Auto Workers
    Union
    Member, Canadian Labour Congress Executive Committee and Council
    Former Member, United Way Campaign Cabinet
    Founding Board Member, Equal Voice
    Former Member of Parliament
    International Election Observer, South Africa (1994) and Ukraine (2004
    and 2007)

    C. David Naylor, Director
    President, University of Toronto
    Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
    Member, Commission on Education for Global Health Leadership
    Member, Mayor's Economic Advisory Committee
    Former Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
    Former Ex Officio Member, Expert Panel on Infectious Disease Control,
    Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

    Corrado Paina, Director
    Executive Director, Italian Chamber of Commerce of Toronto
    Vice-President, European Union Chamber of Commerce in Toronto
    Member, Steering Committee, Toronto Forum for Global Cities
    Member, Working Committee, Partnership to Advance Youth Employment
    Member, Working Committee, Toronto's EXPO 2015 Bid

    Hari Panday, Director
    President, Wealth Management, North America, and President and CEO, ICICI
    Wealth Management Inc.
    Former President and CEO, ICICI Bank Canada
    Member, Board, Harbourfront Centre
    Trustee, Royal Ontario Museum
    Governor, Roy Thomson Hall/Massey Hall

    Geoffrey Reeves, Director
    Vice Chair, Board Member, and Managing Director, Fixed Income and
    Currencies, CIBC World Markets
    Member, Investment Banking and Fixed Income and Currency Management
    Committees, CIBC World Markets
    Former Chair and Board Member, Canissue Inc.
    Former Head, Debt Capital Markets, CIBC
    Fundraising Co-Chair, Greenwood College School

    Mark Surman, Director
    Executive Director, Mozilla Foundation
    Former Open Philanthropy Fellow, Shuttleworth Foundation
    Former Managing Director, telecentre.org
    Former President, The Commons Group


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For further information: Media contacts: Stuart Green, [email protected], Deputy Director of Communications, Office of Toronto Mayor David Miller, [phone]; Websites: Invest Toronto - www.investtoronto.ca, Build Toronto - www.buildtoronto.ca