Meet the Hockey Canada Foundation Board of Directors

They are business leaders, former school teachers, Team Canada alumni and hockey executives. Their professional lives have pulled them in different directions, but they are drawn together by a shared love for hockey, and a shared interest in keeping the game strong.

The Hockey Canada Foundation Board of Directors are men and women who tirelessly give their time, energy and expertise to guide the Foundation and drive its mission.

Regardless of their backgrounds, they are all Canadians who have been shaped by the game. Now it is their turn to give back. While Team Canada chases gold on the international stage, the HCF board focuses on the grassroots, ensuring the next generation has the tools they need to be better players and better Canadians.

Executive Committee

Chair: Ashif Mawji

Edmonton, Alta.
Venture Partner, Rising Tide VC

Ashif Mawji is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, venture capitalist, mentor and community builder. He is a venture partner with Rising Tide (a San Francisco-based venture capitalist) and serves on a number of private and non-profit boards.

Ashif was awarded the 2002 Ernst & Young Prairies Entrepreneur of the Year Award, in 2005 was named as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40,  earned BDC’s Entrepreneur of the Year (Alberta) Award in 2007 and has received Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies Award three years in a row. He received NAIT's Alumni of Distinction Award and was also recognized as one of the Top 50 Graduates to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary. He also received an honorary degree in business administration from NAIT. Ashif is an Honorary Colonel for the 20th Field Artillery Regiment (Canadian Army) in addition to receiving the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals as well as the Alberta Centennial Medal. In 2019, Ashif was inducted into the Junior Achievement (NA) Business Hall of Fame.

Ashif serves and has served on several boards, including the Edmonton Police Foundation (chair), Sarah McLachlan School of Music, Young Presidents Organization Alberta (past chair), Hockey Canada Foundation Gala & Golf, CN Community Foundation, Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation, Kids Kottage, Alberta’s Promise, Economic Development Edmonton, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Corent Technology, University Hospital Foundation, Citadel, Edmonton Opera and others. He has also been a Prairies and national judge for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year program.

Ashif was named a Henry Crown Fellow in the Class of 2015 (only one of four Canadians ever to be selected to this group). He is happily married to Zainul and has two amazing boys, Kinza and Aariz.

Vice Chair: Mike Humes

Memphis, Tenn.
Managing Director, Donegal Associates

Mike Humes has more than two decades of experience in the professional sports industry, currently serving as Managing Director of Donegal Associates. Mike’s firm, which he started in 2013, works with a variety of clients with a focus on capital acquisition, real estate development funding strategies, start up funding and the development of enterprise growth strategies. Prior to starting Donegal Associates Mike served as Executive Vice-President of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. Prior to joining the Coyotes, Mike served as Chief Revenue Officer with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, as well as spent time working in the NHL, WNBA, K2 Sports and the American Hockey League.

Mike served as COO for the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer, helping the team establish new high water marks in ticket sales and overall revenue, and also spent time at K2 Sports as Vice-President of Global Marketing, where he helped drive annual revenue of over $300 million for the company’s 16 outdoor sports brands, in over 60 countries.

Mike’s experience includes time spent in business leadership positions with the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm, and the NHL’s Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets, where he served as SVP, Business Operations with the team when the team was welcomed the NHL as an expansion team in 2000.

Mike is a native of Fredericton, N.B., where he attended St. Thomas University, earning a bachelor of economics and business before earning a master’s degree in sport administration at Concordia University in Montreal.

He is the father of two children, daughter Allie and son Scott. Mike lives in Memphis with his fiance Penelope and step daughter Emerson.

Treasurer: Bill Ackerman

Airdrie, Alta.
Owner- Director, 1-800 Drywall, We R Sod, Roofing2U and Drywall2U

Bill Ackerman was born in Saskatchewan, graduated from SIAST-Palliser College and is a Certified Professional Accountant and a Certified Purchasing Manager. Bill joined Nova Chemicals in 1977 and progressed to senior levels of the company, in both finance and purchasing roles. During his career with Nova, Bill lived in Edmonton, Calgary and Pittsburgh. After leaving Nova in 2003, he was the chief financial officer for a start-up bottled water company, leaving in 2005 to establish the procurement function for Plains Marketing Canada in Calgary.

In 2008, Bill joined Husky Energy, a large integrated energy and energy related company, headquartered in Calgary. In his role as director of supply chain governance, he played a leading role in the introduction of best in class supply management practices delivering hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings to the organization.

In 2015, Bill retired from Husky to invest time in the development and growth of an internet-based marketing business targeted on construction and landscape materials, including drywall, insulation, roofing, sod, and related materials. These businesses have been operating successfully in Canada since 2013 and are being launched in the United States in 2016.

Bill is actively engaged in a number of community activities. He has been associated with Hockey Canada for over a decade, and has served as a director and chair of the Canadian Hockey Foundation U.S. board of directors for ten years. Bill is the treasurer for the Sharp Hill Preservation Society, a local group focused on the preservation of a specific municipal reserve in Rocky View County, and supports his wife’s “Juice Plus” business, directed at encouraging individuals to eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle.

Bill resides with Sharon on an acreage just outside Calgary. He enjoys spending time with his family, in particular, the grandchildren.

Secretary: Peter Brauti

Toronto, Ont.
Co-Managing Partner, Brauti Thorning LLP

Peter Brauti is a principal owner of the NHL expansion team in Seattle that begins play in 2021, and its AHL affiliate in Palm Springs. He has worked with a number of different minor league teams, players, coaches and organizations.

Peter is a co-managing partner of Brauti Thorning LLP, practicing principally in the areas of criminal law, regulatory offences, professional discipline and some specialized areas of civil litigation.

Peter received his bachelor of arts (honours) from McMaster University in 1993, his Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto in 1996, his master of arts from the University of Toronto in 1998 and his master of laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2002. Peter was called to the Ontario Bar in 1998.

As a former federal Crown attorney, Peter conducted hundreds of trials and appeals on behalf of the attorney general of Canada. As a defence lawyer, he has appeared as counsel at every level of court in Ontario, as well as the Supreme Court of Canada. He has been involved in litigating a number of high-profile cases before both judges and juries.

Peter has been named by the Toronto Sun as one of Canada’s top trial lawyers, The Law Times has described him as one of the top practitioners in the province of Ontario and the Toronto Star describes Peter as having a nearly flawless record. He has been presented with awards from the deputy minister of justice for his work in the area of trial advocacy as well as an Arbor Award from the president of the University of Toronto.

Peter has lectured at law schools across Canada, including more than 15 years at the University of Toronto Law School. He has taught and trained hundreds of graduating law students and young lawyers on how to conduct trials in courts of law and administrative tribunals, and is the former co-chair of the Federal Department of Justice Trial Advocacy Program. Peter has been invited on numerous occasions to provide lectures at judges’ conferences on various legal topics.

Peter played minor hockey in Toronto. His wife, Arynne, is a devoted hockey fan and his son, Jack, plays minor hockey in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). His daughter, Brooke, is learning to skate and is scheduled to start her hockey career in 2022.

Past Chair: Douglas Goss, K.C., AOE

Edmonton, Alta.
Counsel, Bryan & Company LLP

Born and raised in Edmonton, Doug Goss obtained his bachelor of commerce in finance from the University of Alberta in 1980, followed by his bachelor of law in 1984. Doug currently serves as counsel to the law firm of Bryan & Company LLP, and is a director and/or officer of numerous private and public corporations in Canada.

A firm believer in community service, Doug also serves on the boards of various Alberta charities and not-for-profit organizations. He currently serves as chairman of the board of governors of the University of Alberta, as well as chairman of the board of the TELUS Edmonton Community Board and Fort Edmonton Management Company, and is also a member of the board of trustees of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. Doug has served as the chairman of the board of directors of the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club, as a member of the board of governors of the Canadian Football League and as chairman of the board of directors of the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation.

Doug is the former chairman of the board of governors of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), was co-chair of the 2010 Grey Cup Festival, and served as chairman of the 2010 Hockey Canada Foundation Celebrity Classic. He was also the chairman of the Molson Canadian Heritage Hockey Classic, held in November 2003, and was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence on Oct. 16, 2013.

Foundation Directors

Director: Steve Albiani

Toronto, Ont.
Managing Partner, Stratum Advisory Group Inc.

Steven Albiani is the managing partner of Stratum Advisory Group Inc., a boutique tax and insurance planning firm that works with established entrepreneurs and leading Canadian business families.

Steven is an honours graduate with a bachelor of commerce degree from Queen’s University Smith School of Business, is a certified financial planner and holds a certificate from the Family Firm Institute as a family business advisor.

He is an active board member and owner of a private company in the industrial and automotive distribution industry that supplies customers throughout North America. He has also been involved in a number of companies in the startup technology space and formerly held board positions with Yourika (EdTech) and Apollo Cover (InsureTech).

As an active community volunteer, Steven is a founding board member of the SickKids Foundation Professional Advisory Board. He was formerly a member of the Queen’s School of Business Advisory Board, the Family Firm Institute (Toronto Chapter) and Queen’s Business Club (Toronto Chapter). He has been a guest instructor at both the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and Queen’s University, as well as a speaker at many industry and Family Office conferences.

Steven is originally from Sudbury, Ont., and resides in Toronto with his wife and four children.

Director: Kat Bitove

Toronto, Ont.
Founder of xoxo Sports

Kat Bitove is the founder of xoxo sports, which has been building personal brands and sponsorship strategies for Canadian athletes since 2018. She has cultivated years of experience in many facets of the sports industry, including on the client, property, agency and athlete sides.

Following her time with Maple Leaf Sport & Entertainment and the Canadian Olympic Committee in corporate partnerships, Kat took on the role of marketing manager for professional tennis star Milos Raonic. Her hands-on partnership experience includes working with brands such as Canadian Tire/SportChek, Rolex, Scotiabank, New Balance, adidas, Hudson’s Bay, Jaguar Land Rover and many more.

While not a natural athlete herself, her passion for sport has been central to her education, career and philanthropy, and she has seen first-hand how sport can improve the well-being of communities, which has included volunteering with Motionball and the African Impact Foundation.

A proud alumna of Branksome Hall, the University of Toronto and George Brown College, Kat’s goal is to empower athletes to define their own brands and activate them on their own terms, attracting partners that reflect their values and enabling them to pursue their goals in their sport and beyond.

A born-and-raised Torontonian, she resides in the city with her husband, photographer Quinton, and their rescue corgi, Steven.

Director: Paul De Benedetto

Chief Executive Officer at Syntheia AI Corporation

A seasoned business executive with over two decades of experience in the technology industry, Paul Di Benedetto currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Syntheia AI Corporation, a leading provider of immersive artificial intelligence platforms for enterprise and consumer applications.

Since joining Syntheia AI, Paul has been instrumental in driving the company's development and success by overseeing the company's technology strategy, developing new partnerships and expanding the company's technology footprint.

Paul has built, operated, and divested various companies, including Drone Delivery Canada where he was the co-founder and brainchild, and as co-founder of Data Centers Canada, which was later divested to Terago Networks (TSX:TGO) in May 2013 after achieving an ROI of; ~1900% in 3.5 years. a co-founder.

Paul has also been part of building and acquiring several highly successful Canadian IT services organizations and is a passionate hockey dad with two teenage boys playing AAA hockey.

Director: Sean Finn

Saint-Lambert, Que.
Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services & Chief Legal Officer, CN

Sean Finn was appointed executive vice-president of corporate services and chief legal officer in December 2008. He is responsible for a wide array of legal, government, regulatory, public affairs, risk mitigation and security matters.

Sean joined CN in January 1994 and led the company's corporate tax function while being involved extensively in CN's privatization in November 1995. He was appointed treasurer and principal tax counsel in August 1996; vice-president, treasurer and principal tax counsel in January 2000; senior vice-president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary in December 2000; and senior vice-president of public affairs, chief legal officer and corporate secretary in February 2003. As corporate secretary, he is actively involved and responsible for CN's corporate governance practices and the implementation of the CN Business Code of Conduct.

Prior to joining CN, Sean was the managing tax partner with Montreal law firm Lavery de Billy, where he was involved in domestic and international tax planning, cross-border financing, and corporate financing and reorganizations.

Sean graduated from the faculty of law of the University of Montreal in 1981 and completed a master’s degree in tax law at the University of Toronto in 1983. He was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1983. Sean was named Tax Lawyer of the Year by his peers in 2000.

He is a former chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (2006-2007) and Quebec Chamber of Commerce (2002-2003), and he is currently the only Canadian member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He was also chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal for a one-year mandate (2017-2018). In September 2018, Sean was selected to be the inaugural recipient of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Emeritus Leaders’ Circle Award, in recognition of his demonstrated commitment to advancing the CCC’s mission and vision, and for supporting the Chamber in achieving excellence in operations and delivering value to members.

Sean was also the mayor of the City of Saint-Lambert, Que., from 2005 to 2009, and a lecturer for 20 years in tax legislation and policy for the masters in taxation at Université de Sherbrooke and for the graduate diploma in taxation at McGill.

Director: Angela James, O.C.

Toronto, Ont.
Co-Owner & General Manager, Toronto Six (PHF)

The first Canadian woman inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010, Angela James grew up in Flemingdon Park with her two sisters, Kim and Cindee, and her mother Donna. She began her hockey career with the Flemingdon Boys House League, embarking on a lifetime in the game that has included four decades as a player, coach, official and administrator. Angela is a proud mother of three children and part of a devoted hockey family who played in the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA), Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) and Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL).

An Order of Canada recipient in 2022, Angela was a four-time gold medallist at the IIHF World Women’s Championship, scoring 11 goals at the first Women’s Worlds in 1990 – a record that still stands. She finished her international career with 33 goals and 21 assists in 50 games.

She received the Female Breakthrough Award from Hockey Canada in 2005 and was invested into the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2021. In addition to her HHOF induction, Angela has taken her place in the Black Ice Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame (2007), International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame (2008), Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame (2009) and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame (2019). In 2022, she received the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Serving today as co-owner and general manager of the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), Angela is described as “the first superstar of modern women’s hockey” and was the first and – to date – only Black woman to captain Canada’s National Women’s Team. The arena in Flemingdon Park has been renamed the Angela James Arena in her honour. She is also a member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) and the Carnegie Initiative, and participates in a number of initiatives surrounding diversity, inclusion and player issues with a number of associations and corporations.

Director: Barry F. Lorenzetti

Montreal, Que.
President, CEO & Founder of BFL CANADA

Barry Lorenzetti is an entrepreneur, builder and corporate leader in the insurance industry in Canada, and as his close friends can attest, he is also a discreet philanthropist and a man deeply aware of the importance of community service.

Barry Lorenzetti is an entrepreneur, builder and corporate leader in the insurance industry in Canada, and as his close friends can attest, he is also a discreet philanthropist and a man deeply aware of the importance of community service.

Under his leadership, BFL CANADA has become a Canadian powerhouse in the field of insurance. BFL has enjoyed extraordinary growth, with a team of over 1,300 employees in 26 offices across the country. The company has become the largest Canadian employee-owned and operated Risk Management, Insurance Brokerage, and Employee Benefits consulting services firm, and, as a founding partner of Lockton Global LLP, is now represented in over 140 countries around the world.

Of utmost importance to Mr. Lorenzetti is the fact that after more than 35 years, BFL continues to be owned and operated by its own employees all across Canada.

Mr. Lorenzetti has been heavily involved in community service and supporting charitable organizations for many years, as well as sitting on a range of boards. In 2017, he created the Barry F. Lorenzetti Foundation to support efforts to improve mental health in Canada with a focus of youth and young adults, as well as veterans with PTSD. Over the years, he has contributed to hundreds of organizations in Canada, and his philanthropic reach focused mainly in the areas of health, advancements for women, the arts and sports.

For several years now, and in keeping with his lifelong love of hockey, he has also been involved with Hockey Canada and has served on the Hockey Canada Foundation Board of Directors. One of Mr. Lorenzetti’s favorite projects with the Foundation is the Dreams Come True program in Quebec, in which he has participated both as an organizer and fundraiser. This program, which has been successful across Canada, promotes hockey to our youth.

He is a frequent speaker at various industry forums on insurance and other subjects in both Canada and the U.S.

Barry Lorenzetti is married to Carine Watier and the proud father of three children – Maggie, Justin and Jenna – and it has always been important to him to instill in his children the same sense of community his own upbringing impressed upon him.

Director: Brad Morris

Markham, Ont.
General Manager, Grote Industries Canada

Brad Morris has been a member of the Markham/Unionville community since 1976 and is a proud husband and father of two daughters. He has served in board, executive, leadership, volunteer and hockey positions.

Most recently serving as chair of the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation and director of Markham Stouffville Hospital, Brad has spent 12 years on the board, having chaired and helped lead signature fundraising programs. Brad further served as chair of the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA) from 2009-12, one of Canada’s largest trade associations with member revenue in excess of $19 billion; he was the youngest chair in its 75-year history at that time. Brad received the 2013 Young Executive Leader of the Year Industry Award, chaired the Government Relations & Governance Review Program and helped co-found AIA's Canadian Young Executive Society.

As an advocate of opportunity and empowerment for women, Brad has served 15 years as a director of the Ladies First Hockey Foundation, supporting Team Canada players while partnering to support the Olympic family and friends program. Further supporting women’s hockey, Brad served as a director and chair of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) from 2012-17, and in 2018 was recognized as CWHL Humanitarian of the Year. From 2009-22, Brad served as a girls’ hockey coach within the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) following his time in minor and junior hockey.

Brad received the City of Markham Board of Trade Anthony Roman Award as community and business leader of the year in 2019, served on the host advisory committee for the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal Canadian 2012 in acknowledgement of his significant national and community contributions.

Brad is part of the Grote Industries international executive team, a leading global innovator of electrical and safety systems with worldwide operations in the vehicle and transportation space. He has spent 30+ years with the company, holding leadership positions within business development, strategy, sales and marketing, and operations.

A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, Brad is a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Leadership and the Laurier University Award for Outstanding Extracurricular Achievement & Leadership, and has proudly pushed himself to reach the heights of Mount Everest Base Camp.

Director: Cheryl Pounder

Mississauga, ON.
TSN Hockey Analyst

A two-time Olympic gold medallist and six-time World Champion with Canada’s National Women’s Team, Cheryl Pounder is now one of TSN’s most prominent hockey analysts.

Raised in Mississauga, ON, Cheryl made her debut with the National Women’s Team in 1994 before playing for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, where she was team captain and was named league Rookie of the Year in 1996 and MVP in 1998. She was later inducted into the Golden Hawks Hall of Fame.

Internationally, Cheryl helped Canada win its first Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey in 2002 and played a critical role in helping Canada defend its title at the 2006 Games. She also won gold at the 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2007 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Since retiring, Cheryl has been an analyst and colour commentator for CBC and TSN, including broadcasting PWHL, NHL and international hockey games, and continues to coach girls hockey.