Shannon School of Business Advisory Board
In December, 2006, the CBU School of Business was re-named the “Shannon School of Business” after long-time supporter of CBU and Canadian business giant, Joseph (Joe) Shannon. The university also established a Business Advisory Board, made up of national business leaders, chaired by Joe Shannon, to further advance the School of Business as a strong force in developing our economic business opportunities. Members of the Business Advisory Board include:
Mr. Joseph P. Shannon
A native of Sydney, NS, and now residing in Port Hawkesbury, NS, Mr. Shannon holds an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Cape Breton University. He is currently the president of Atlantic Corporation Limited, a holding company which includes AIT Services, Seaboard/Harmac Transportation Group and several other companies. Previously, he was the president of the Cape Breton Development Corporation.
Mr. Shannon has served as a director for RBC Fund, Stora Enso Port Hawkesbury Limited, Atlantic Shopping Centres and Medavie Blue Cross. He has been inducted into both the Cape Breton and Nova Scotia Business Hall’s of Fame.
Mr. Purdy Crawford
A native of Five Islands, NS, Mr. Crawford has a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Cape Breton University. He currently serves as counsel for Osler, Hoskin, and Harcourt 2000 (Toronto) and is chairman of Allstream (formerly AT&T Canada). He also serves as a director on a variety of national organizations, including the Canadian National Railway Co., Petro-Canada and Maple Leaf Foods, as well as serving as a member on several university boards.
Some of his professional accolades include being inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame and as an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was also honoured with the Ivey Business Leader of the Year.
Chief Terrance Paul
Chief Paul was born in Membertou, NS and is currently chief of the Membertou First Nation, a role he has held for 26 years. A firm advocate for the recognition of Mi’kmaq Aboriginal and Treaty Rights, Chief Paul has served his home community as economic development officer and band manager before being elected chief in 1984.
An original founder of the National Capital Corporation Association, Paul has helped the group grow from seven members at inception to 50 Aboriginal corporations across Canada. Chief Paul has been the driving force behind Membertou’s success, doubling the land base and increasing the employment rate within Membertou to nearly 80 per cent. Infrastructure development, including the multi-million dollar Membertou Trade & Convention Centre, a new entertainment centre and Membertou Market are a tribute to Chief Paul’s leadership.
The Honourable A. Anne McLellan
A native of Hants County, NS, Ms. McLellan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University and a Master of Laws degree from the University of London (King’s College). She currently serves as counsel for the national law firm of Bennett Jones LLP (Edmonton). She also serves as a director for Nexen Inc., Agrium Inc. and Cameco Corp. She is also involved in the community, serving as a member of the boards of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and the TELUS (Edmonton) Community Foundation.
Previously, Ms. McLellan served as deputy prime minister in the Government of Canada, while concurrently serving as minister of public safety and emergency preparedness. She served as a minister in various capacities from 1993-2006 while elected as the Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre. She has also taught law at both the University of New Brunswick and the University of Alberta.
Ms. Susan Murray
Ms. Murray graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Political Science. She is the founder and chief executive officer of SAMCI. She has worked in government relations since 1980 and founded SAMCI, a national, independent government relations consulting firm, in 1982. She is acknowledged by elected officials, public servants and business leaders as one of the country’s leading government relations professionals.
Ms. Murray currently sits as chair of the National Government Relations Committee and as a director with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and MS Scientific Research Foundation. She is a current director and past chair of the National Ballet School, where she is also a member of the Corporate Cabinet for the school’s capital campaign.
In 1990, she completed the Senior Officers Professional Development Course at the National Defense College in Kingston, the first civilian invited to attend. While in 2002, Ms. Murray was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for Volunteerism for her work with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.
Mr. John T. McLennan
A native of Sydney, NS, Mr. McLennan holds both a Bachelor and a Master of Science degree and an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Clarkson University (New York). He also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Cape Breton University. He is currently the director of MTS (Manitoba Telecom Systems) Inc. and is the chair of Emera.
Previously, Mr. McLennan was vice-chairman and CEO of Allstream Canada (formerly AT&T Canada) and was the head of several other telecommunications companies throughout his career.
Mr. McLennan has served as the first chancellor of Cape Breton University as well as a director for several boards including, Air Jazz and Hummingbird Communications to name a few. He is also the past chairman of the Cape Breton Growth Fund Corporation. Mr. McLennan is also a valued donor to the CBU Future First fundraising campaign.
Mr. Louis J. Maroun
Mr. Maroun was born and raised in Sydney, NS and currently resides in Devonshire, Bermuda. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Brunswick and is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. He is currently the executive chairman of Sigma Real Estate Advisors and was most recently the executive chairman of ING Real Estate Canada, one of Canada’s largest real estate investment managers and Industrial landlord.
Mr. Maroun is lead director of Acadian Timber Corp. and has served on the board of InStorage REIT, a TSX listed company. He was also a director for Roycom Inc., Roy 3 and Roy 4-5 (Pension Fund Investment Pools) and previously worked for the Department of the Attorney General.
Mr. Maroun is also past chair of the National Board of Directors of the MS Society of Canada, a director of the MS Research Foundation, co-founder of Casting for Recovery Canada, chair of the End MS Training Network Committee, board member of Techlink Entertainment and chair of its governance committee and a director of the Atlantic Salmon Foundation.
The Honourable Kevin G. Lynch
Mr. Lynch was born and raised in Sydney, NS. He holds a PhD in Economics from McMaster University; a Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Manchester; and a Bachelor of Arts degree (Honours) in Economics from Mount Allison University. He was made a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and has been awarded honourary doctorates by seven Canadian universities including Cape Breton University. He is currently vice-chair, BMO Financial Group. In this role, he is a key strategic advisor to senior management. He represents BMO in domestic and international markets, building and expanding relationships with corporate and commercial clients, helping broaden BMO’s global networks and focusing on strategic issues and opportunities.
Mr. Lynch is a member of the Board of the Gairdner Foundation, which honours outstanding global medical researchers, the Board of Governors of Waterloo University, the Board of the Perimeter Institute, Board of the U.K. Ditchley Foundation and the Board of the Accounting Standards Oversight Council of Canada. He is also chair of the Canada Ditchley Foundation.
Prior to joining BMO, Mr. Lynch built a distinguished career in the Government of Canada. Before his retirement in 2009, he served the Government of Canada as Clerk of the Privy Council, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service of Canada and its 260,000 public servants.
Mr. Meredith (Sam) Hayes
For 27 years, Mr. Hayes played an instrumental role in the continued growth of The CSL Group Inc., a Canadian shipping giant with revenues of $500 million. Serving as executive vice-president and CFO, Mr. Hayes developed new European banking relationships that financed substantial growth in both domestic and international fleets.
During his 13 years as president and CEO, Mr. Hayes led the senior management team in growing the company from its Canadian roots to operations throughout the world, resulting in significant improvement in profitability and financial strength. The strong and cohesive management team developed during this time will continue the company’s positive progress.
Sir Graham Day
A native of Halifax, NS, Sir Graham has a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University. He currently serves as counsel for Stewart McKelvey (Halifax). Sir Graham serves as a director for well-known organizations such as Jacques Whitford Group Ltd., Scotia Investments Ltd. and DHX Media Inc. just to name a few.
He was previously chairman/CEO of several companies including Cadbury Schweppes and British Shipbuilders. Some of his professional accolades include being inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame, being knighted in 1989 by Queen Elizabeth ll for his service to British Industry and being selected as a companion, to the British Institute of Management. Sir Day is also an accomplished opera singer.
