Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud ’89
OECD Global Forum on Technology Lead

With more than two decades of experience spanning global policy, international relations, and public affairs, Elizabeth is currently leading the new OECD Global Forum on Technology (GFTech) at the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The forum brings together experts and policymakers in pursuit of responsible, values-based governance of emerging technologies. Elizabeth joined the OECD in 2020 as the first Head of Secretariat for the newly-formed Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, setting up the governance bodies and supporting the member states. Prior to that, she led the digital economy policy portfolio at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and served as the Director for the Business Action to Support the Information Society initiative (ICC BASIS). Also based in Paris, this role involved leading policy development and consensus building among companies and associations from over 120 countries, speaking and negotiating in international processes with the UN and agencies, G20, OECD and APEC as well as several other multistakeholder fora. 

During her 13 years at the ICC, Elizabeth managed projects and advocacy on issues from Internet and telecoms, privacy, data and consumer protection, as well as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and digital trade. Nominated by the United Nations Secretary General to serve on the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) for the Internet Governance Forum, Elizabeth represented the private sector on the MAG for 2 years. 

At ICC, Elizabeth founded and chaired the team behind ICC’s World Business Women (WBW) initiative, launched in 2012 with the ICC Secretary General as its champion. The initiative aims to promote greater diversity of representation and leadership across all of ICC, while promoting women’s economic empowerment through ICC engagement. 

Before relocating with her husband to France, Elizabeth held roles in Canada managing communications activities to support negotiations and health care policy at the BC Medical Association and supporting public affairs at VanCity Savings Credit Union. Elizabeth holds a Master of Arts degree in International Journalism from City, University of London in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia, where she studied International Economics, Political Science and English. In the early years in France, Elizabeth taught English courses to adults. Curious about many topics, Elizabeth is a keen consumer of The Great Courses and MOOCs. During a sabbatical in 2019, Elizabeth pursued an MIT Executive programme on Artificial Intelligence and enjoyed some time to read, garden and travel with her family. 

A dual citizen of Canada and France, Elizabeth is married and has two daughters aged 16 and 19.
 

Attorney, environmental litigation 

I am a litigation attorney at Archer Law practicing environmental law. I specialize in complex environmental litigation, products liability claims, and toxic torts. Specifically, I usually represent corporations in large, multi-district litigation, class action lawsuits, and other multi-party, multi-jurisdictional actions.

I grew up in Vancouver, and pursued a biology degree at UBC after attending Crofton. Shortly after, I moved to Minnesota for law school and then practiced in Minneapolis for three years after graduating law school. About four years ago I moved to my current firm, Archer, which had offices in Philadelphia, several cities in New Jersey, and beyond.

I have always loved to read, write, and analyze complex issues involving multiple stakeholders and considerations. The practice of law lends itself well to these skills and passions. No two days are the same, and I continue to be challenged every day. 

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Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Ratana International

Joanna graduated from the University of British Columbia, then went on to study Law at City University in London which was followed by a master's degree in corporate and commercial law at Cornell University. After an extensive career in law which saw Joanna progress from her first job at Shearman & Sterling in New York, where she represented financial institutions and public and private corporations, she joined Japan Tobacco International in Hong Mong as their Asia Pacific Legal Counsel before joining CitiBank as the Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel. In January 2016, Joanna left her legal career to join Ratana as their Head of Business Development.

Joanna joined the family business to spearhead the brand’s efforts in business development and global expansion making it one of the leading outdoor furniture manufacturers in North America. Since joining Ratana, Joanna’s efforts have been focused on business development working with large institutional clients like the Marriott, Hilton, MGM hotel group, cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Princess cruises as well as corporate coffee chains like Starbucks. Joanna has often been quoted for her expertise in design in a number of publications like the Wall Street Journal and the Vancouver Sun. Ratana is now one of the leading outdoor furniture brands in North America.

Owner, LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic

Tory Brooks-Hill ‘96 is the owner of LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic.  A medical fitness clinic located in Kerrisdale and East Vancouver.  Initially, Tory started her career playing professional field hockey.  This pursuit enabled her to live in three different countries: South Africa, Holland and England!  Upon retiring, she returned to tertiary education to obtain a postgraduate degree in marketing.  She was intrigued by the business side of professional sports.  Ultimately this curiosity led her to American Express whose marketing department is a leader in sports event marketing.

A pivotal time in Tory’s life was making the decision to stay home with her three children in their elementary years. Eight years later, the lens through which she observed physical activity had evolved.  She now understood the barriers many faced when attempting to become physically active or remain accountable to a regime.  Growing up with sport loving parents, being blessed with athletic genes and having access to elite training are only a few of the privileges that enabled her to play on the world stage.  

Through her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology, at the University of Toronto, Tory connected with the founder of LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic.  The unique approach to empowering behavioral change piqued Tory’s interest. Six months later, Tory and her husband signed on as their third franchisees.
 

Darcy Coard attended Queen's University and graduated with an Honours Economics degree in 2004. Following university, she worked for ScotiaMcLeod in Toronto as an Investment Associate for 2 years before returning to Vancouver. Darcy articled with PwC in Vancouver and achieved her CPA designation in 2011. She worked at PwC in the audit practice for 5 years before joining Vancity Savings Credit Union in the Finance department. She has held a few different roles at Vancity; Senior Internal Auditor, Manager Financial Planning and Analysis, Manager of Accounting, Director Financial Planning and Analysis and Director Finance Projects. Outside of work, Darcy enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 kids, running, and playing field hockey. 

Sabrina is a Growth Equity Analyst at Point72 Ventures, where she invests in late-stage start-ups, accelerating a venture’s product-market fit to reach more businesses and individuals. Sabrina graduated from Crofton in 2017, and went on to pursue her BCom degree from the UBC Sauder School of Business. At UBC she was a part of the co-op program, led the UBC Strategy Consulting Initiative (SCI), and TA’ed over 1,000 students. 

One of her favourite quotes is Wayne Gretzky's quote, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” This mindset has propelled her to learn to be comfortable with the unknown and has taken her to Kenya where she taught entrepreneurship in the township of Kibera, to Victoria where she founded an internal podcast series for the pension fund BCI at the onset of the pandemic, and to the bustling entrepreneurial ecosystem here in Vancouver as a Venture Student Analyst as part of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL). 
 

Fiona thought she was going to be a doctor or a veterinarian but curiosity took her elsewhere, and to many other places since.

Fiona is currently Head of Science at United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in Cambridge, UK. In her nearly ten years at UNEP-WCMC she has focused on global conservation research at the science-policy interface, engaging with scientists, intergovernmental agencies, policy makers, governments, and on-the-ground stakeholders. Her role has demanded leadership and management of diverse projects, staff and budgets, and international, collaborative development and fundraising. She has played a key role in strategy development and staff support. Fiona also holds a Bye-Fellowship in Geography at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge with various academic duties including teaching undergraduates, giving occasional lectures, mentoring, outreach and welfare duties. Previously, Fiona was Leader of the Norwegian Polar Institute’s Sverdrup Station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. She has a BA from Dartmouth College in Environmental Biology & Geography, a Masters in Conservation Leadership from Cambridge University as well as a Masters in Biology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She completed her PhD at the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge University. Finally, another career adventure appears to be on the horizon after Fiona’s most recent episode of curiosity.
 

Crown Counsel, BC Prosecution Service

Damienne Darby grew up in Vancouver and graduated from CHS in 1987. She completed her B.A. in English and Philosophy at Queen’s University, followed by her LL.B. at UBC. After completing articles at a civil litigation firm in Vancouver, Damienne followed her interest in criminal law and became a Crown prosecutor. She has worked at the Ministry of Attorney General (now BC Prosecution Service) since her call to the Bar in 1998. Damienne has prosecuted a variety of matters in BC Provincial Court and Supreme Court, focusing on sexual assault, exploitation and human trafficking cases. In 2014, she had the privilege of representing Canada at a United Nations Expert Group Meeting on human trafficking in Vienna and contributed to the resulting publication on the definition of exploitation in the HT provisions of the Criminal Code. Damienne has worked with the Organized and Major Crime section since 2017 and is currently involved in the sentencing phase of a gang-related murder and conspiracy.

Genetic Counsellor, Community Genetics Research Program, UB

Emma Ewasiuk works as a genetic counsellor with the Community Genetics Research Program, which is a part of the UBC Island Medical Program. A genetic counsellor is a health-care provider who is trained in both medical genetics and psychosocial counselling. After graduating from Crofton in 2014, Emma continued on to pursue her BSc in Biology at McGill University. She completed her degree with ample laboratory experience and a plan to continue working in traditional research, but then decided to explore new paths and instead became an educator at a program for young adults with autism. While she loved working in disability support, she never lost her passion for science, and chose to return to school to complete a Master’s in Genetic Counselling in Melbourne, Australia. Now located in Victoria, Emma’s current genetic counselling role is primarily research based. Her team’s research studies explore genetic health issues specific to Indigenous communities in Canada. One of such is the 'Silent Genomes' project, which uses the latest in genomic sequencing to diagnose rare genetic conditions in Indigenous families. She loves that she gets to work closely with Indigenous communities and that her work’s mission is centered around increasing equity and accessibility in healthcare.

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Sasha works as a Loyalty Programs Project Specialist at Lululemon. Her educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and a Diploma in Accounting from the University of British Columbia, complemented by Project Management courses from various institutions.

Starting her journey with Lululemon as a retail employee at the Oakridge Store, Sasha later moved to the Head Office Finance department. There she commenced with an internship and advanced to the role of Junior Accountant, specializing in International Financial Reporting. After extensive research and networking efforts to determine what job would fulfill her skills and passions, Sasha shifted her career to Project Management, joining the Lululemon Loyalty Programs team where she currently revels.

Outside of work, Sasha enjoys events throughout the city, portrait & event photography, and dog-friendly locations. She invites those interested to reach out to discuss career paths.
 

Deloitte, Consulting - Organization Transformation

Katie graduated from Crofton in 2013 and pursued a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Guelph, majoring in Tourism Management to merge her love of people and culture with business. After graduating, she spent three years at Expedia managing a portfolio of lodging accounts. Katie's desire for greater challenges led her to an MBA at the Ivey Business School, where she discovered that the project-based nature of consulting work matched her interests. Katie is currently a Consultant at Deloitte, where each day brings new challenges and opportunities. She believes that staying curious is one of her greatest character traits and thrives outside of her comfort zone professionally and personally. Katie has worked as an elf in Santa’s workshop on Grouse Mountain, served desserts in a chocolate café in Australia, and acted as an extra in Apple TV's SEE. Outside of work, Katie enjoys golfing, rock climbing, and testing new recipes. A highlight of her summer was summiting the Nevado Mateo Peak at 5,150m in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in Peru

Corporate finance, asset management, wealth management, Family Business and entrepreneurship

Jacoline was born in Zambia and came to Crofton in Grade 10 to 12 boarding school. She has lived and worked in Canada, Britain, Africa, Switzerland and UK.
 
She pursued an Arts degree in English Literature and quickly switched to business, Industrial Relations, McGill. She then took an MBA at Witwatersand while working for Deloitte in South Africa where one of her professors was Cyril Ramaphosa, current President of RSA, and who wrote the foreword to her second book. She received the ICD.D designation from Rotman to enhance her board skills. 

Jacoline is the author of three best-seller business books, the most recent, Money Magnet, published by Wiley, is a recommended text by Ivey and Toronto Metropolitan. She has written over 50 articles for the Globe & Mail on Entrepreneurship and family business. 
 
She is head of Client Experience at Burgundy Asset Management, where she works with high-achieving business owners, executives and their families, as well as family offices. Prior to working for Burgundy, Jacoline has over 32y in banking and in wealth management for UBS Bank, and also in a Family Office for over 10y where she sourced private equity direct investments. 

With her passion for business entrepreneurship, Jacoline has given her time to boards where she was Chair of the OCAD business incubator, director on the board of The Atmospheric Fund ($100M AUM) for 12y where she was head of Strategy, Audit, investment. Jacoline was elected President of The Ticker Club, 100y old investment club, and on the board of The Fraser Institute. 

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Katie is a lawyer specializing in insolvency and restructuring law. Her practice involves assisting clients with resolving challenges that arise from businesses in distress and uncertain times and providing advice to help clients save resources, preserve businesses and protect interests. When a business is impacted by events such as COVID-19, restructuring may be the difference between the business' demise and its recovery. Katie also has a fraud and asset recovery practice, acting in high-profile Ponzi scheme cases.

Her practice area is always changing, fast-paced and involves different areas of law, from closing corporate transactions to appearing in court.

Katie is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (Bachelors of Arts, Economics and Communications) and of University of Victoria (Juris Doctor, Law).

After graduating from CHS, Jules attended Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) to study RTA: Media Production. In her university career, she directed and produced multiple multi-camera and live productions including a live show in collaboration with 3 international universities. Additionally, she went on a 3-week intensive exchange to Los Angeles at UCLA, and interned at both CBC News and CityLine. Jules graduated with distinction and a concentration in Television and Video.

After graduation, Jules worked for companies such as the Toronto International Film Festival, Netflix, and the Banff World Media Festival. Currently, Jules works as the Digital Producer for Food Network Canada. Her position includes writing articles for the Food Network Canada website, creating video content for their social media channels, interviewing Food Network Canada talent and other celebrities, and reviewing new food products and restaurants.

VP Strategic Planning, Del Monte Foods, Inc.

Jeanette Naughton is Vice President Strategic Planning and Board Director at Del Monte Foods, Inc. (DMFI), one of the United States largest producer, distributor and marketer of branded processed food for the U.S. retail market. Along with the Del Monte brand for canned product, DMFI is also known for such brands as Contadina and Take Root Organics (canned tomatoes), College Inn and Kitchen Basics (broth and stock) and most recently Joyba (ready-to-drink popping boba).  As part of running a family-business, Jeanette has focused on key areas such as hiring key leaders in the organization, business process improvement, waste reduction, improved organizational effectiveness and leading DEIB efforts throughout the company.  

Jeanette received her Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Mathematics and minoring in Biology from Wellesley College and her MBA from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.  She also completed a Masters Program in Marine Biology from Northeastern University.  She is a published neurobiologist and worked at Google, Inc. for 8 years on various digitization projects in the Technology space before joining Del Monte.  Outside of work, Jeanette can be found driving/ traveling with her 3 children to and from sports practices, games and tournaments or musical theater classes and performances.  In her spare time she enjoys reading (historical fiction), helping out a local ranch with their DEIB pursuits and planning travel adventures for her family. 
 

Anita Petersen, some would say, is a wild blend of art history nerd, PR guru, secret dancer and home décor enthusiast. A proud alumna of Crofton House (Class of '90, baby!), Anita started her academic journey with a degree in Art History from UBC, and then added some post-grad work in Public Relations for good measure. 

Her career in marketing and branding started at the world's largest art publisher and licensor, Art In Motion. Always curious what life would be like on her own terms, she and her husband embarked on an adventure 13 years ago: their very own marketing and branding studio. Today, they're the creative force behind Scarlet Creative where they are busy collaborating with wholesale furniture and decor suppliers and renowned art publisher, Wild Apple.

From their picturesque studio in Naramata, Anita and her husband channel their creativity and curiosity, aided by a talented team of contractors from coast to coast. Avid travelers and community enthusiasts, they are also parents to a 16-year-old, 6’7” Dungeons and Dragon’s loving son whose dream is to get away from small town life and study at UBC, far away from his nagging mother. 
 

Danaka obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary studies at UBC, while competing for Team Canada in bobsled. Once retired and graduated she joined the working world but wasn’t happy with any of the jobs so she went to MIT to obtain her Master of Engineering in systems and supply chain. Danaka is a partner at iota consulting, a management consulting firm, where she consults in Supply Chain, Project Management, and Data Analytics - specifically in heavy manufacturing and technology. Her work has included managing suppliers through automated compliance audits, optimizing the processes and inventory of large Defense contractors, and redesigning current supply chain processes at a global mine. Danaka is also a sessional lecturer at the Dhillon School of Business, where she teaches Supply Chain and Project Management. Not enjoying the textbooks, she had to teach from she wrote her own! Stukent published her Principles of Supply Chain Management in the fall of 2022 which is already being used in over 20 different universities in North America. Danaka is currently working on her second textbook Introduction to Project Management which will be available through Stukent in fall 2024. Her love of numbers and helping people combined with algorithm writing took her into the medical side; Danaka cofounded VitaNova Technologies (VNT), a fertility company in the US, she is currently the COO. At VNT she wrote algorithms to better match surrogates and egg donors with intended parents. Additionally, Danaka is currently completing her PhD in Cardiology at the Cumming School of Medicine where she is optimizing the workflow of specific cardiac software to more easily find two biological markers of sudden cardiac death. 

Outside of work Danaka sits on the Training and Education committee for the Cardiovascular Network of Canada, where she educates other PhD’s, trainees, physicians, and health care workers in implementing and using technology in cardiac care. She also sits on the board of motionball, a national fundraising committee dedicated to raising money for Special Olympics. She is also an animal foster parent for her local Humane Society, where she looks after a variety of animals. Danaka routinely mentors’ high school and university students, helping them to find their passions, she is also an Educational Counselor with MIT where she works with admissions to find the best applicants that align with MIT’s mission. She is a certified coach and helps those she works with to achieve their goals and dreams.

When Danaka isn’t doing any of the above she tends to her garden, spends time in the mountains, and or spends time with friends.

Curiosity brought Sonya to Asia and Europe, taught her other languages and lead her to international marketing strategy and communications in sectors she never imagined - logistics, high tech, architecture, construction and forestry.

Today, Sonya leads marketing and communications strategies and campaigns while working closely with an array of stakeholders, including industry, academia and multiple levels of government. She is a graduate of McGill University (Bachelors of Arts, Modern Languages - German, Spanish & Japanese), and of EU Business School (Masters in International Marketing).
 

Tina graduated from Crofton in 2008 and moved south to study Mathematical Economics and Psychology at Pomona College in sunny Claremont, California. During her time there, she did a semester abroad in Freiburg, Germany, where she learned about the EU and became curious about life in Europe. She also had her first marketing internship at Technicolor, where she discovered that a lot of marketing was actually market research and not just ads and creative bits. After graduating and struggling to get a sponsored job in marketing in the US, she did an internship in Beijing with a start up called App Annie where she realized that she wanted to pursue work in a tech startup, but also needed more tangible business experience. Alas, she decided to look for pre-MBA experiences and discovered the Masters in Management programs in Europe which were popular but elusive in North America. She applied for a few, received offers and eventually chose London Business School for her one year degree, after a short volunteering stint in the Maldives. After heading over to London in 2013 and having an incredibly global experience at LBS, she started her career in app marketing, which was relatively new at the time. Since then, she's worked at 6 tech companies of differing sizes and stages, spoken at numerous conferences and podcasts, travelled to multiple European countries and dabbled in freelance work as well as starting her own company. She is currently at a mission-driven growth agency called Aperture in London where she heads up the performance marketing team and helps digital businesses grow through paid advertising. She is looking forward to sharing her experiences, many of which were led by sheer curiosity, and to talking about how that has impacted her life for the better. 

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