The Board for 2012 was elected by Meridian's Members and announced at the Annual General Meeting on April 24th, 2012.
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The following Directors took office immediately thereafter. The Board also elected their Chair and Vice Chair that evening.
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The newly elected Directors are indicated by an asterisk below.
Don Ariss - Chair
Jim Barr
Alan Caslin
Gary Cerantola
Mark Kraemer
Ross Lamont *
John Murphy
Richard Owen
Colleen Sidford *
Kevin Thompson * - Vice Chair
Karl Wettstein *
Helen Young
Don Ariss originally joined the Meridian Board in 1993. A chartered accountant by profession, Don spent over 24 years with Hydro One Networks Inc. and its predecessor, Ontario Hydro, in a wide range of financial and executive capacities. Subsequently Don spent nearly three years as Business Administrator for Master's College and is currently retired.
Jim Barr is recently retired after a 46-year career with CUMIS Insurance most recently holding the position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Barr has been involved in the cooperative movement and credit union system for more than 55 years. He was also a past President/Chair of the Boards of the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA); the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada and the Burlington Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Barr is also a past Director of the Ontario Credit Union Charitable Foundation and currently serves on the Boards of the Burlington & Greater Hamilton United Way and a condominium corporation.
Alan Caslin was elected as a Director in 2003 after having been a credit union member most of his life. He holds a degree in Business, Economics and Management (1998) and a masters degree in Operations Management (2005). Alan is employed with General Motors of Canada as the St. Catharines Powertrain, Facilities Manager. In addition to his Board role with Meridian, Alan is a proud volunteer with a number of community groups including the boards of the YMCA and St. Catharines Jets Soccer Club.
Gary Cerantola is a Chemical Engineer, Chemist and has a Masters of Business Administration Degree. He teaches at Georgian College and Meritus and Phoenix Universities. For over 25 years Gary held vice president, management and technical roles in hydro and telecommunications. He has 13 years of Board experience including the Association of the Rehabilitation of the Brain injured, as well as at First Calgary Financial, and Credit Union Central of Alberta. Gary re-located to Ontario in 2010, and has a passion for advancing sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
Mark Kraemer started his career with the TD bank where he spent 12 years prior to becoming an entrepreneur in 1987. It is through these experiences, and owning and operating numerous businesses, that Finance and Accounting became his interest. He has found, that a rewarding aspect of serving in the financial services sector, is helping someone succeed. Mark has been dealing with the public for 37 years, including most recently for eight years as Mayor of Saugeen Shores and two years as Warden of Bruce County. For the past nine years, Mark has served as Chair of the Board of Westario Power, as well as serving on their Audit Committee. Additionally he has served as a member and Chair of the Board of Grey Bruce Health Unit. Mark is also very active in various aspects of the Town of Saugeen Shores where he resides with his wife Cathie.Â
Ross Lamont retired in 2011 from Bruce Power after a thirty-three year career in the Hydro sector. During this period he held a variety of senior positions in Finance and Community & Government Relations. Ross holds a BA in Economics, as well as an MA in Leadership. This latter degree having been obtained in 2007. Throughout Ross’s life he has been actively involved in community organizations and volunteering for many charitable causes. Ross was elected to the Board in 2012.
John Murphy is currently the Executive Vice President - Hydro with Ontario Power Generation. Mr. Murphy has held senior leadership roles at OPG, Ontario Hydro, the Power Workers Union, and the Electrical Power Systems Construction Association, for over 25 years. Mr. Murphy also served as a Director on the Board of Ontario Hydro, Ontario Power Generation, Electrical Safety Authority, the Canadian Council for Public/Private Partnerships and ABC Literacy Canada.
Richard Owen is the CEO of Home Ownership Alternatives Non-Profit Corporation, which finances the creation of affordable ownership housing and is based in Toronto. Mr. Owen is an experienced financial and real estate executive, holding a CA designation and an Honours Degree in Business and Economics. He brings an extensive credit experience from both the lenders’ and borrower’s perspectives. Mr. Owen has a strong knowledge of information technology, having twice been the combined Chief Financial Officer & Chief IT Officer for major corporations, and has been responsible for five conversions of enterprise-wide computer systems. He is known for being passionate about excellence and performance, yet retains a constructive sense of humour when the going gets tough.
Colleen Sidford is the VP Chief Investment Officer for Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG) and is responsible for managing OPG’s large portfolio of investments assets comprised of OPG’s Pension Fund and Nuclear Funds. Prior to assuming this position in mid-2011, Colleen held the position of VP Treasurer at OPG where she was responsible for the financing, risk management and the corporate insurance programs. Prior to her employment at OPG Colleen owned a European based private consulting business and held financial positions with major banking institutions. Colleen has extensive Board experience including serving on international boards. She is also a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Colleen was elected to the Board in 2012.
Kevin Thompson has been a Credit Union member since 1978, and was elected to his first term as a Director in 2004. Kevin worked for over 31 years with Hydro One and Ontario Hydro in operational, financial, and management capacities, and now provides consulting services in the power industry. He resides with his wife and 2 children in Aurora, and has served in numerous volunteer organizations over the years, bringing strong leadership and overall passion for the financial sector to the Board.
Karl Wettstein has been a Credit Union member since 1960 and was elected as a Director in 1999. For over thirty years, Karl worked with The Co-operators, one of Canada's most recognizable insurance and financial services providers, in several senior operational, corporate planning and human resources roles. Now retired, he is a passionate member of the Guelph community. He is City Councillor and an active member of Rotary.
Helen Young has been a Credit Union director since 1994. She and her husband are the business founders of Cave Spring Cellars, an estate winery in the Niagara peninsula and Inn on the Twenty, a full service hospitality business comprised of an inn, spa and restaurant. A lawyer by education, Helen has devoted the last twenty years to the promotion of Ontario wine tourism through various volunteer board memberships including the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership. Helen currently also serves on the Brock University Board of Trustees.
