Trustees & Patron
Robert Brant, Chair
Robert is the Managing Partner of the McCarthy Tetrault London office, where he has been based since 1998. He is an experienced corporate/commercial lawyer, focusing his practice on transatlantic M&A and capital markets work.
Rob received his LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto and his BA (Economics) from the University of Western Ontario. He is the past President of the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce.
Doug McPhee, Treasurer
A Corporate Finance Partner with KPMG and Global Head of Valuation Services from 1991 to 2020, he recently joined the $400bn Public Investment Fund as Senior Director. He moved to London from Vancouver in 1997 with his wife and 3 kids, is a graduate of the University of British Columbia and a Chartered Accountant. He has previously served on the Board of Trustees of Achievement for All, an educational charity focused on the UK’s most underprivileged children and on the Board of Directors as Vice Chairman of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators.
Courtney Lay, Maple Leaf Ball 2024 Chair
Courtney works in CIBC’s Investment Banking division where she advises clients in the infrastructure & power sectors across the UK and Europe. Born in Toronto, Courtney relocated with CIBC to London to pursue her career in finance in 2018. Courtney joined CIBC in 2012 as part of the Debt Capital Markets team. In that role, she focused on debt origination in the corporate bond market, specialising primarily in the power & utilities, infrastructure and energy sectors.
As a dual Canadian and UK citizen, Courtney has always had close ties to the UK. She has been involved in a number of charities and organisations historically including Special Olympics and the United Way’s Women Gaining Ground. Courtney holds a Honors Business Administration (HBA) from Ivey Business School in Canada and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Jerry del Missier
Jerry del Missier founded Copper Street Capital in July 2015. Prior to founding Copper Street, Mr. del Missier was Co-Chief Executive Officer of Barclays Corporate & Investment Bank and subsequently, Chief Operating Officer for Barclays Bank Plc (1997-2012).
Mr. del Missier is a past Chairman of the Board of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), and served on the Boards of the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA); the Markets Management Group (MMG) of the International Institute of Finance (IIF); the British American Business Council; and the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA). He currently serves on the Board of Room to Read, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the Advisory Board of the Queen’s University School of Business (QSB) in Kingston, Canada.
Mr. del Missier holds an MBA from Queens University (1987) and a BSc in Chemical Engineering from Queens University (1985).
Ashley Gallant
Ashley is the Managing Director of the British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA). Previously, she was the financial controller and business development officer for a long-established Mayfair gallery. Having received her BA(Hons) from McMaster University in Art History, she worked in Toronto for the Ontario Heritage Trust and as a curator for a Contemporary gallery. In 2010 she moved to London to pursue her Masters at Sotheby’s Institute and went on to work for Sotheby’s before joining a distinguished Bond Street gallery.
Ashley volunteers her time with the women’s charity, Smart Works, and is a proud member of Allbright.
Scott McVittie
Scott has over 15 years of live events programming and production experience in both North America and Europe. He was Director of Programming and Partner Promotions and Associate Producer at Luminato in Toronto before moving to the UK. He has produced a range of world-class events from large scale performances and galas, to limited run pop-ups and brand activations. In the UK he produced Canada Day in Trafalgar Square (2013) and is currently Events Programme Director at Interact Branding leading the creative team of Skylight at Tobacco Dock and producing visitor experience programmes for a variety of clients. Scott graduated from York University in Toronto, Canada with a Bachelor of Fine Arts - Theatre.
Jennifer Tripp Black MBE
Jennifer has Canadian and British citizenship. She is married and has one son. Jennifer worked for Wood Gundy Limited in London and Toronto for ten years (1971 -81) making two transatlantic moves. She starting as a junior secretary and became Assistant to the Vice Chairman. For the next five years she worked for Elmwood Women’s Club as their Toronto Programme Director. In 1986 she returned to work for Wood Gundy in London as Assistant Vice President in charge of Corporate Events and Roadshows until 1994. In 1994 Jennifer became the Chair of the Veteran’s Support Committee for the Canadian Women’s Club in London. In 2003 Jennifer became the Chair and Founder of Katie’s Lymphoedema Fund for the Royal Marsden School of Cancer Nursing and Rehabilitation. Jennifer was awarded an MBE in 2012 for her services to charity.
Jenny McCann
Jenny is the Trust’s Operations Manager & Secretary. She is charged with the day to day running of the Trust. She manages everything from our grant giving, fundraising, reporting, board meetings, to our website & social media activity.
HE The Honourable Ralph E Goodale,
High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Permanent Representative of Canada to the International Maritime Organisation
Ralph Goodale assumed his responsibilities as High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in April 2021.
Raised on a family farm near Wilcox, Saskatchewan, Mr. Goodale received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Regina in 1971, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1972. He has practical experience in business, law, agriculture and broadcasting, as well as federal and provincial politics.
Ralph Goodale was first elected to the Parliament of Canada in 1974 at the age of 24, representing Saskatchewan’s sprawling rural riding of Assiniboia. In the 1980s, he served as leader of the provincial Liberal Party, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in 1986.
Mr. Goodale returned to the House of Commons in 1993 as the Member of Parliament for Wascana, and was subsequently re-elected seven consecutive times, becoming Regina’s longest-serving MP. A member of the federal Cabinet under three Prime Ministers, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (1993-1997), Minister of Natural Resources (1997-2002), Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (2002), Minister of Public Works and Government Services (2002-2003), Minister of Finance (2003-2006), and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (2015-2019).
In March 2020, Mr. Goodale became a special advisor to the Prime Minister for Canada’s response to Iran’s shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, which claimed the lives of 55 Canadian citizens, 30 permanent residents of Canada and dozens of others with Canadian links. This role is on-going in pursuit of transparency, accountability and justice for the families of the victims.
Mr. Goodale is accompanied by his wife, Pamela.