Two Co-Chairs, two new Vice Presidents and one new Trustee also named at today’s Annual Meeting
TORONTO – The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is pleased to announce that at today’s Annual Meeting, Rupert Duchesne, C.M. was elected President of the AGO Board of Trustees. Mr. Duchesne succeeds Robert J. Harding, C.M., who held the position for four years and remains a Trustee.
A leader of and participant on numerous committees of the Board, Mr. Duchesne was recently Chair of the People Committee, Chair of the Indigenous & Canadian Curatorial Committee, and was a member of the Executive, Collections, and Governance & Nominating Committees. He also served as an ex officio member of the Diversity & Inclusion Working Committee.
Mr. Duchesne was appointed CEO of Mattamy Ventures in 2020, part of Mattamy Asset Management. He is also a corporate advisor and director, and most recently was a member of the Ontario Government's Capital Markets Modernization Taskforce. He is Director of Monaker Inc., and previously of Dorel Industries, and Alliance Atlantis. He was the founding CEO of Aimia Inc., which he led from 2005 to early 2017. He was previously executive officer of Air Canada and before that a senior partner in a strategy consulting firm. Mr. Duchesne holds an MBA from the University of Manchester and a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Pharmacology from the University of Leeds. He is the former Chair of the Board of the Brain Canada Foundation. As a passionate supporter of the arts and in addition to his work with the AGO, Mr. Duchesne is a member of the board of the Luminato Festival in Toronto, and previously the Toronto International Festival of Authors and the Royal Conservatory of Music.
“Rupert has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the AGO and its priorities of art, audiences and learning,” said Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee Maxine Granovsky Gluskin. “His business leadership combined with his genuine love of the arts makes him deeply qualified and deserving of this appointment. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I congratulate Rupert, and look forward to working with him in his new role.”
The Annual Meeting also included the appointments of two Co-Chairs of the Board of Trustees. Rupert Duchesne and Jay Smith were named to these positions in recognition of their distinguished service and significant contributions to the AGO. As Co-Chairs, Mr. Duchesne and Dr. Smith will provide important guidance as the Gallery progresses into a post-pandemic future with a goal to attract broader audiences than ever before.
Trustees Cam di Prata and Liza Mauer were named new Vice Presidents at the Annual Meeting, joining existing Vice Presidents Andrew Federer, Rosamond Ivey and Jay Smith, who were re-elected. Liza Murrell was elected a new Trustee.
“As Ontario emerges from a long lockdown, the AGO is alive with energy and promise,” said outgoing President Robert J. Harding. “The Gallery will extend its welcome more widely than ever so that our audiences reflect the people who live here. The group of individuals appointed today are perfectly suited to help us achieve our ambitious goals. Their passion, expertise and authentic dedication to the AGO are well-known, and I am delighted to see the Board of Trustees in such good hands.”
ABOUT THE APPOINTEES
Rupert Duchene, C.M.; President and Co-Chair, AGO Board of Trustees
Rupert Duchesne was appointed CEO of Mattamy Ventures in 2020, part of Mattamy Asset Management. He is also a corporate advisor and director, and most recently was a member of the Ontario Government's Capital Markets Modernization Taskforce. He is Director of Monaker Inc., and previously of Dorel Industries, and Alliance Atlantis. He was the founding CEO of Aimia Inc., which he led from 2005 to early 2017. He was previously executive officer of Air Canada and before that a senior partner in a strategy consulting firm. Mr. Duchesne holds an MBA from the University of Manchester and a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Pharmacology from the University of Leeds. He is the former Chair of the Board of the Brain Canada Foundation. As a passionate supporter of the arts and in addition to his work with the AGO, Mr. Duchesne is a member of the board of the Luminato Festival in Toronto, and previously the Toronto International Festival of Authors and the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Dr. Jay Smith; Co-Chair and Vice President, AGO Board of Trustees
Dr. Jay Smith holds a Ph.D from the University of Toronto. After teaching at the University level and working at Merrill Lynch, he joined CIBC Wood Gundy as a Vice President, Director and shareholder. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute and a Certified Investment and Portfolio Manager. In 1991, Dr. Smith was selected as the first annual recipient of the Investment Dealer’s National Award of Distinction. With respect to the visual arts, he is a Trustee and Treasurer of The Gershon Iskowitz Foundation and a past President and Honorary Director of the Power Plant. He currently sits on the Tate’s North American Acquisition Committee and International Council, and is on the Board of the Council for Canadian American Relations (CCAR). Dr. Smith has been a member of the AGO Board of Trustees since 2004 and a Vice President since 2016. He is currently Co-Chair of the AGO, Chair of the Collections Committee and the Prints & Drawings Curatorial Working Committee. He is also a member of the Executive and Building Committees and the Philanthropy Working Committee.
Cam di Prata; Vice President, AGO Board of Trustees
Cam di Prata is Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of Gibraltar & Company, an investment management firm he founded in 2013. A former financial services industry executive with over 25 years of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) experience, Mr. di Prata has significant deal experience in the technology, media and consumer sectors. He is currently a board member of several Gibraltar portfolio companies including Crowdriff Inc., FanXchange Limited, and LXRandCo, Inc. He is also a board member of Ethereum Capital Corporation and an advisory board member of The BrandProject LP. An active supporter of the Toronto art community, Mr. di Prata has served on numerous not-for-profit boards including the International Festival of Authors, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Canadian Opera Company, the Empire Club of Canada and the Luminato Festival. Cam has been a member of the AGO Board of Trustees since 2011 and Vice President since 2021, He is currently a member of the Executive, Finance and Education & Programming Committees. He is also Vice Chair of the European Curatorial Working Committee.
Liza Mauer; Vice President, AGO Board of Trustees
Liza Mauer is a founding member and past president of Partners in Art, a not-for-profit organization whose main mandate is to provide art educational initiatives for its members as well as donating funds to arts organizations across Canada. She is past Vice President of The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery’s Board of Directors, a former member of the Tate Americas Foundation’s Acquisition Committee, and one of three founders of Art en Valise, dedicated to introducing Canadian audiences to new ideas in contemporary visual arts. She is currently a member of the New Museum’s International Council. Ms. Mauer worked as a marketing executive for Kraft General Foods and as a professional fundraiser for the Hospital for Sick Children. Liza has been a member of the AGO Board of Trustees since 2016 and Vice President since 2021. She is currently Chair of the Education & Programming Committee and the Philanthropy Working Committee, and Co-Chairs the Global Africa and the Diaspora Curatorial Committee. She is a member of the Executive, Advancement and Governance & Nominating Committees.
Andrew Federer; Vice President, AGO Board of Trustees
Andrew Federer is Vice Chairman, RBC Capital Markets and is a member of the Global Investment Banking Management Committee. He has an extensive and broad range of transactional experience having advised a number of North America's largest corporate issuers and private equity firms. He also previously served as Head of Corporate Finance in Canada. Mr. Federer is a former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of The Bishops Strachan School and Co-Chairman of the RBC Capital Markets Foundation. He has been a member of the AGO Board of Trustees since 2013 and Vice President since June 2017. He is currently Chair of the Advancement Committee and a member of the Executive and Governance & Nominating Committees and the Photography Curatorial Working Committee.
Rosamond Ivey; Vice President; AGO Board of Trustees
Rosamond Ivey is Founder and Managing Partner of JRS Group, a family investment company in Toronto. Prior to its formation in 1992, she spent six years in investment banking and two years in venture capital. Ms. Ivey is Chair of the Ivey Foundation, a position held since 1997. Its current focus is the advancement of a shared vision for Canada’s future, integrating the economy and the environment. She is a Director of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Winnipeg, a 30-year-old independent think tank developing sustainable solutions for global stakeholders. Previously, Ms. Ivey served on the Investment Committee of Western University and two terms on its Board of Governors. She is a past Director of World Wildlife Canada and Henry Birks and Sons. Ms. Ivey has served on the Advisory Faculty of the Institute for Private Investors, New York, and the Advisory Board of Flag Venture Capital, Connecticut. She received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Western University in 2018 and lives in Toronto and New York. Rosamond has been a member of the AGO Board of Trustees since 1997 and Vice President since 2004. She is currently Chair of the Building Committee and a member of the Executive Committee.
Dr. Liza Murrell; Trustee, AGO Board of Trustees
Dr. Liza Murrell is an avid art collector and supporter of art galleries and museums who enjoys painting in her free time. A member of the AGO since 2015, Dr. Murrell currently co-chairs the Friends of Global Africa and the Diaspora Curatorial Committee and is a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Working Committee. She served on The AGO Foundation Board of Trustees from 2019 to 2021 and was a Nominating Committee member during her tenure. Dr. Murrell is an active volunteer currently working Partners in Art as a member, The Studio Museum in Harlem, as a Global Council member; and Hot Docs as a member of the Founders Circle and the HD30 Committee. She has a longstanding relationship with Upper Canada College and currently serves as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Parents Organization and is a member of the Pluralism Task Force as well as a former member of the Association Council and the Prep Parents Organization. She recently joined the Advisory Board of the Art Museum of the University of Toronto. She has served with many other nonprofit organizations such as the Tropicana Community Services as a member of the board, UNICEF Canada as a member of The 25th Team, co-chair of the Toronto Botanical Garden’s Woman to Woman event, a member of North York General’s Heart of Fashion Committee, and as a member of Havergal College’s Gala Committee. Dr. Murrell holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She has been a member of the AGO Board of Trustees since 2021. She is current Co-Chair of the Global Africa and the Diaspora Curatorial Committee and a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Working Committee.
ABOUT THE AGO BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Art Gallery of Ontario is a corporation without share capital, governed by a Board of Trustees to which the Gallery is accountable. The AGO Board is comprised of a President, four Vice Presidents, Trustee Emeritus and 27 voting Trustees.
The Art Gallery of Ontario is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Additional operating support is received from the City of Toronto, the Canada Council for the Arts and generous contributions from AGO members, donors and private-sector partners.
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