CommunityTom retired as President and CEO of Cambrian Credit Union in May 2020. Tom earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba, is a Fellow of the Certified Professional Accountants of Manitoba and holds the Institute of Corporate Directors’ ICD.D designation.
He serves on the board of Manitoba Blue Cross and is presently the ICD Manitoba Chapter Chair as well as a member of the Campaign Cabinet of the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. Amongst his many board of director appointments, he has served the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, Mount Carmel Clinic, Phoenix Soccer Club and the Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, and chaired United Way of Winnipeg’s 2005 campaign.
Tom was appointed to The Foundation’s Board in 2013. He currently sits on the Finance and Audit and the Investment committees, and previously served on the Development Committee.
Q: As the Chair of the local Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) chapter, what observations can you make about the workings of the Board of The Winnipeg Foundation?
A: The Winnipeg Foundation Board is most likely very unique in our province as I’m not sure there are many not-forprofit organizations that can build on 99 years of governance history. The Board strives to ensure it not only has the right skills in general, but the right skills that we need at a point in our Foundation’s journey. We complement these skills by endeavoring to have a diversity of thought and experience in the boardroom.
Q: In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the policy base of The Foundation guides our actions… how are we doing?
A: In some ways, The Foundation was made to be able to respond to this type of crisis. First, our endowment model makes us sustainable and gives us the capacity to respond. Second, our knowledge of the community allows us to respond with alacrity. The Board provides management with policies allowing them to act with confidence. Where our policies are not ideal for this unique situation, management is able to come back to the Board to consider necessary exceptions.
Q: As Chair of the Recruitment Committee for a new CEO for The Foundation, do you have any early reflections on the process?
A: A board’s best friend is process. No two organizations are alike. History, culture and the future needs of the organization are all considerations integral to crafting the right process. For example, The Foundation needs to seek input from more stakeholders than most organizations. I’m confident our research regarding the task requirements and the time we spent developing the process to hire the CEO to lead us into our next 100 years has been well thought out.
This story is featured in the Spring 2020 issue of our Working Together magazine. Download or view the full issue on our Publications page.