Gary Cameron, P. Eng, Board Member
Vice President – Professional Services, Bell Canada         

Gary Cameron is Vice President – Professional Services, within the Enterprise Division of Bell Canada. Bell Enterprise provides Information and Technology Communications solutions to Canada’s largest public and private sector organizations. 

In this role, Gary leads all aspects of the Professional Services business in Canada. It is comprised of 1000 consultants and technical experts who are focused on designing and delivering complex solutions for our customers. Key practice areas include Contact Centers, Network, Wireless, Security, Systems/Storage, Web and Business Transformation services. This organization was formed in January 2007 following the integration of 14 Bell subsidiary companies back into Bell. The subsidiaries included Bell Security Solutions (BSSI), BCE Elix, Bell Business Solutions (BBS), Infostream, Bell Managed Information Solutions (BMIS), Cesart, JetNet, Cinnibar, Once Corp, Createch, Popware & Technomedia. 

Gary has a strong track record for delivering results, and brings an extensive network of industry and large customer relationships to his current position.

Gary has been with Bell Canada and the BCE family for 23 years, working in increasingly senior positions in Provisioning, Technology, Marketing and Sales.  Gary previously held the position of President - Bell Security Solutions Inc (BSSI) from 2005 to 2006. BSSI was a Bell subsidiary with 350 employees, providing complex, end-to-end network and information security solutions to large public and private sector customers in Canada and the US.

Gary was Vice President – Enterprise Accounts from 2002 to 2005, responsible for managing all aspects of Bell's relationship with 300 major Accounts with total Revenues of $1 Billion per yr. This included the Governments of Canada and Ontario (Bell’s two largest business accounts), as well as large Municipalities, Universities, School Boards and Hospitals. 

Gary holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto, and is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario (APEO). He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Ottawa Senators Foundation, and has served on the Boards for Expertech Network Installation and the Ottawa Center for Research and Innovation (OCRI).   .

Gary is Bell Canada’s executive sponsor for Ottawa, and is actively involved in a range of community and charitable organizations in the Ottawa area, including Muscular Dystrophy, Citizen’s Advocacy & CHEO.

Gary resides in Ottawa with his wife Cindy and their children Sarah and Adam

As co-host of CJOH’s Noon News program, Leanne Cusack experiences it all! She’s been sharing the lunch-hour with viewers of the Capital’s top rated Noon News show for five years offering up a combination of news, entertainment and lifestyles information.

Variety has always been the spice of life on the CJOH noon menu. Leanne is everywhere! She’s taken viewers behind the scenes to see what goes into producing some of the grandest productions to hit the Capital. She’s made her first attempt at skydiving, water skiing and rock climbing under the close scrutiny of a live camera.

One on one interviews with people from virtually all walks of life reveal her interest in what makes people “tick”, her curiosity, her compassion.

When Leanne’s not on the air, she’s likely in the garden or in the barn. She lives on a farm west of Ottawa with husband Wayne, and their horses and dog.

Leanne was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She moved to Ottawa to study journalism at Carleton University.

If you’ve been working while the Noon show was on the air, you may recognize Leanne from her work on both the Children’s Hospital and Heart Institute Telethons.

Leanne is a past recipient of the Radio and Television News Directors Association Scholarship.

Emily Farrell, Board Member
District Vice President, Scotiabank

Emily Farrell is Vice President, Ottawa River District for Scotiabank.  Starting her Scotiabank career in her native province of Newfoundland, she moved to Ottawa in 1993 and is now responsible for 25 Ottawa and region Scotiabank branches and over 400 employees.

Emily is past chair and a current member of the advisory board of the Women’s Executive Network, Ottawa (WXN), the country’s leading organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of executive-minded women in the workplace.  Recognized in 2008 as one of the founding members of the Women’s Educational Business Breakfast (WEBB), Emily is active in supporting WEBB in it’s role to serve the growing information and networking needs for women in Ottawa, and outlying areas.

Emily is an active member of the Management Development Program for Women (MDPW) chapter of the Carleton University Alumni Association.  She has served as a mentor for the MDPW, a management education program offered by the Centre for Research and Education on Women and Work (CREWW) at the Sprott School of Business within Carleton University.

Emily resides in Ottawa with her husband Al and has two children, Daniel and Rhea. 

Max Keeping is Vice-President of News at CTV Ottawa and anchor of its flagship 6 p.m. news program.

Max and the Home Team have dominated the news ratings in this region (Ottawa, the Ottawa and Seaway Valleys and Outaouais) for three decades.

Max is CTV's Ottawa News beacon in the community, making more than 200 personal appearances annually on behalf of charities, service groups, neighbourhoods and schools.

Max is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario. He has received the Ontario Medal of Good Citizenship, a 2003 Gemini, the 2004 Ottawa United Way's Community Builder of the Year, and dozens of other awards.

A new wing of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario is named in Max's honour. He is also a member of the Canadian Association of Broadcasting's Hall of Fame. In 2007, Max was awarded an Honourary Doctorate by the University of Ottawa. He has also helped raise more than $100-million for charities during his 36 years at CTV Ottawa. Max is Chair of the Ottawa Senators Foundation; the Children's Wish Foundation - Ottawa; the Alterna Do It For Dad Prostate Cancer Walk/Run; Founder and Chair of the Max Keeping Foundation; Co-Founder and director emeritus of Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa; Special Ambassador for CHEO; Patron, Ottawa Carleton Christmas Exchange; Patron, Ottawa Alzheimer Society; Member of the Leadership Committee of Ottawa United Way/Centraide; Member of the Advisory Committee for Roger's House; Member of the Courage Campaign for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation; and assists campaigns for many other organizations.

Max was born in Grand Bank, Newfoundland. He's been a working journalist for 51 years.

Throughout his career, John has been an innovator and has held a number of senior executive positions in the Canadian technology sector. Kelly is Co-Chair of the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA). Mr. Kelly was CEO of JetForm Corporation (subsequently acquired by Adobe) from 1995 until joining Reid Eddison Inc. in 1999, where he was a principal until 2008. Prior to that, Kelly founded Why Interactive, was a founder and Chief Executive at both Computer Innovations Distribution Inc. and Nabu Network Corporation and also a founder of SHL Systemhouse Ltd. (since acquired by EDS) where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from its inception in 1974 until 1980.

In 1997, Kelly won two significant awards: he was recognized as High Technology Citizen of the Year for the City of Ottawa and also as Master Entrepreneur of the Year for the province of Ontario. In 1998, he also won the Ottawa Business Journal's poll for Most Respected CEO for the City of Ottawa. In 1999, he won the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI) Civic Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In November 2000, Kelly received the Outstanding Volunteer Fund Raiser Award from the Ottawa Chapter of the NSFRE (National Society of Fund Raising Executives). That same year, Kelly received the Mentor of the Year Award from the Province of Newfoundland. In May 2001, Kelly was chosen Ottawa's Business Man of the Year for 2001 by the Consumers' Choice Award and Market Facts Canada. In May 2005, he received the United Way Volunteer of the Year Award.

Mr. Kelly holds an honors law degree from the University of Ottawa and an honors B.B.A. degree in Finance from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. He also holds an honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa.

John is married and has 5 children.

Cyril Leeder was promoted to president of Senators Sports & Entertainment on July 1, 2009. Leeder previously served as chief operating officer of the Senators and Scotiabank Place since August of 2002 and has been with the organization since its return to the NHL in 1992. From 1992 to ’98, Leeder also served as president of Palladium Corporation, which is the entity that developed and built Scotiabank Place. In this capacity, he was responsible for overseeing the approvals, design, development, financing, construction and opening of the building.

Born and raised in Brockville, Ont., Leeder graduated from McMaster University with a bachelor of commerce degree, summa cum laude, in 1982. He then articled with the accounting firm of Clarkson Gordon (now Ernst & Young) in Ottawa, where he obtained his chartered accountant’s designation in 1984. He was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in July 2009, the highest designation with the Institute. He left Clarkson Gordon in 1984 to work for Ottawa entrepreneur Bruce Firestone. While working with Firestone, Leeder held a number of positions and responsibilities within the organization until he was named president in 1987 and served as chief executive officer from 1988 to ’92. During that time, the company added more than 1,000 home sites, office buildings, retirement residences and plazas to the Ottawa community as well as developed a number of successful operating businesses.

A founding member of the Ottawa Community Ice Partnership, Leeder now serves as a director for the not-for-profit organization, which has developed and built the Bell Sensplex in a partnership established with the City of Ottawa. The Bell Sensplex boasts Ottawa's first four-pad arena and an indoor soccer field, and opened its doors in December of 2004. Cyril also spearheaded the public-private partnership with the City of Ottawa for the development of the Cavanagh Sensplex in Kinburn.

In addition to his duties as a member of the board of directors of the Sens Foundation, Leeder will serve his 10th tenure as chairman of the Bell Capital Cup hockey tournament. The Bell Capital Cup is recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest hockey tournament and takes place from Dec. 28 to Jan. 1, 2009.

Leeder is a member of the board of directors for the Ottawa Convention Centre, the Algonquin College sport managment advisory board and serves on the marketing board for the National Arts Centre. He was also a key member of Eugene Melnyk’s bid team that was awarded the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship and served as the record-breaking event’s vice-chair of the host organizing committee. Leeder has worked closely on other major successful event bids on behalf of Ottawa, including the 2005 and 2008 NHL entry drafts, 2003 Juno Awards, 2007 FIFA U-20 World Soccer Championships, and 2008-2009-2010 CIS basketball championship. Leeder has been the recipient of several accolades in the community including; the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce 2008 Business Person of the Year Award, the Max Keeping Foundation and Sens Foundation 2008 Just One Person award; the Celebrity Sports Dinner’s 2008 Brian Kilrea Award, and the Ottawa Tourism’s 2006 Tourism Leader of the Year.

Leeder resides in Ottawa with his wife, Lydia, and children Ciera, Dillon and Tyler.

Career

• Chair/C.E.O. and Partner, Hulse, Playfair & McGarry Funeral Homes and Chapels (Ottawa)
• Past President, Ontario Funeral Service Association
• Past President, Funeral Service Association of Canada
• Past Member, Humber College Advisory Committee, Funeral Service Education (Toronto)
• Past Chair, Ontario Board of Funeral Services (1985-86), and Discipline Chair (1986-87)

Eugene Melnyk assumed the role of sole owner, governor and chairman of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and Scotiabank Place on August 26, 2003.

In 1989, Melnyk founded Biovail Corporation, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on researching and developing some of the most advanced drug delivery technologies in the world. Under his leadership, Biovail became Canada’s largest publicly traded pharmaceutical company, generating more than $1 billion in annual revenue. He retired as the company’s chairman on June 30, 2007.

Prior to forming Biovail, Melnyk created a medical publishing company called Trimel Corporation that he founded in 1982 and later sold to Thomson Corporation in 1989.

Melnyk is extensively involved in the advancement of junior hockey and is the sole owner of the Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. He also chaired the bid group representing Ottawa and the National Capital Region in its successful selection by Hockey Canada to host the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship and now serves as chairman of the event’s host committee.

In 2001, Melnyk purchased the prestigious Mockingbird Farm in Ocala, Fla. After renaming it Winding Oaks Farm, he committed to restoring the farm back to its original glory and preserving it as an exclusive training centre for thoroughbred horses. It remains one of the top thoroughbred racing stables in North America.

In 2007, Melnyk purchased a second farm in Lexington, Ky. This stable is home to more than 550 thoroughbred horses that have yielded victories in the all three legs of the Canadian Triple Crown: the Queen’s Plate, the Prince of Wales Stakes and the Breeders’ Stakes. In the United States, Melnyk’s horses have celebrated wins in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, the Travers Stakes, the Jim Dandy Stakes and the Dwyer Stakes. Internationally, his horses have won the Barbados Gold Cup and participated in the prestigious Dubai World Cup. In 2007, Melnyk became the first owner to win the Triple Tiara (Canadian Triple Crown for fillies). He was presented the 2004 Eclipse Award (Speightstown) and was named national owner of the year by the United States Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) in 2005. A winner of five Jockey Club of Canada Sovereign Awards, he was also named its owner of the year in 2007.

In September 2008, Melnyk announced plans to bring a Major League Soccer expansion team to Ottawa and unveiled designs for a new, world-class $100 million outdoor stadium. The proposed stadium will be the second-largest outdoor stadium in Ontario and will be situated adjacent to Scotiabank Place.

Melnyk continues to support a variety of community initiatives, focusing much of his philanthropy on children, health care, education and sport development. He is a lead donor of Anna House, a unique childcare facility in Belmont, N. Y., and of Roger’s House, a pediatric palliative-care facility in Ottawa. He has also made significant contributions to St. Joseph’s Health Centre (Toronto), the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University (London, Ont.), St. Michael’s College School (Toronto) and a humanitarian organization called Help Us Help the Children that benefits orphaned children in Ukraine. In August 2007, in partnership with the Canadian Athletes Now Fund, Melnyk launched the national Patrons of Sport campaign to raise funds for Canada’s Olympians and top amateur athletes. In 2008, Melnyk was awarded the prestigious Order of St. Michael, the highest honour conferred by his alma mater.

Roy Mlakar, Board Member

Roy Mlakar begins his 13th season as president and chief executive officer of the Ottawa Senators and Scotiabank Place. He was elevated to his dual position in May of 1998. Since first appointed president and chief executive officer of the Ottawa Senators on June 3, 1996, Mlakar has worked diligently towards improving the fortunes of the club and increasing its exposure throughout the region and around the NHL.

Mlakar brings more than 35 years of professional sports experience to his current position. He spent seven seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, including five as an executive vice-president and two as club president. During his tenure with Los Angeles, the Kings set a California professional sports record with 282 consecutive sellouts and reached the Stanley Cup final in 1993.

Following his stint with the Kings, Mlakar served as chief operating officer for the Pittsburgh Penguins for two seasons before joining the Senators. During the course of his professional career, he has worked with teams in the American Hockey League, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.

Mlakar started his 38-year career by working for all three of Cleveland’s professional sports franchises — the Cleveland Barons (AHL), the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) and the Cleveland Indians (MLB).

He later joined the Providence Reds of the AHL in 1973, where he served as director of public relations and later as assistant general manager. After five seasons with the Reds, he joined the New Haven Nighthawks, the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate where he served as president as well as general manager.

During his 11 years with the Nighthawks, the club won the regular-season crown in 1980 and appeared twice in the Calder Cup final. In 1978, Mlakar won The Hockey News AHL Publicist of the Year. Five years later, he was awarded the AHL Board of Governors’ Hendy Award as the league’s executive of the year.

Mlakar sits on the board of directors of the Sens Foundation, the Candlelighters and the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame. He also is the honorary chair of the Ottawa Senators 65 Roses Sports Club. He was named the Ottawa Business Journal's CEO of the Year for 2008, and was also named to the NHL's Executive Business Advisory Board in 2007. In 2006, he received the Community Builder Award from the United Way. In 2005, he won the first annual Brian Kilrea Award recognizing contribution and commitment to the Ottawa community.

Mlakar and his wife, Tamera, live in Dunrobin, Ont., and have four daughters, all of whom reside in California.

Jim Orban, Board Member
Publisher, The Ottawa Citizen

After starting his newspaper career in 1972 at The Ottawa Journal, Jim worked at The Ottawa Citizen (1975) and the Edmonton Journal (1991) before returning to the Citizen in 1994. In 2003, he was appointed to the position of Publisher.

In recognition of Jim’s professional and community leadership, he has received numerous awards, including the OCRI Civic Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2002), and the Trudeau Medal from the University of Ottawa (2004). He was the first recipient of the “Just One Person” award in 2006, which launched a scholarship at the University of Ottawa exclusively for youth-in-care.

Jim holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Ottawa. In 2002, the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa established the $50,000 “James E. Orban Scholarship” to award annual bursaries to students demonstrating leadership and academic excellence.

For over 30 years, Jim has been involved in many community and newspaper organizations and is currently active in many community advisory/foundation boards. Jim is currently the chair, Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom.

Dave Ready, Board Member
Consultant, Ottawa Senators Hockey Club & Sens Foundation

Mr. Ready is currently a consultant for the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and the Sens Foundation. Prior to this position, Mr. Ready was the President of the Sens Foundation from spring 2001 to summer 2008.  His responsibilities included participation on the Management Team for the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and Scotiabank Place.  As President of the Foundation he was responsible for administration, fundraising and reporting on the activities as related to the Foundation’s role in the community.

An Ottawa native, Mr. Ready was previously Vice-president of the Children’s Hospital Foundation where he initiated several new and innovative approaches to fundraising, which included the first mega-lottery in the province of Ontario, which has raised millions of dollars for pediatric health care in the region.

Dave is a founder of the Bell Capital Cup, which is now the largest hockey tournament in the world, and a founder of Roger’s House named after Ottawa Senators assistant coach Roger Neilson. He presently sits on several boards and committees, including Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa, The Max Keeping Foundation, Ride for Dad, Children and Youth at Risk Advisory Committee, The OutCare Foundation, the Military Families Fund and the Roger’s House Advisory Board.