Board of Directors

Meet the 2024-2025 OSCR Board of Directors



About Us > Board of Directors

Lynne Blake

Chair

Lynne Blake is a very effective Healthcare Executive with over 15 years of experience, and who has worked in non-profit, public and private healthcare settings. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the management of complex business functions within retirement, seniors assisted living and also the long term care sector. Throughout her career she has been focused and continues to develop her skill set in the areas of healthcare management, non-profit management, business and strategic planning, change management, and community engagement and fundraising. 

Lynne has served on various not-for-profit committees and also board of management committees, representing senior assisted living and housing programs, municipal and not-for-profit long term care homes, and retirement living.

 

Lynne is a graduate of Queens University Advanced Labour Relations Certificate Program, Advantage Ontario Long Term Care Administrator Program, and the Schulich School of Business - Municipal Leadership Certificate Program.

 

Lynne continues with her desire and passion of serving seniors within her community, and has been very effective to-date by holding positions on various Board of Management committees.

Jean Samson

Vice Chair

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Griffin Allen

Board Member

Griffin Allen is a lifelong Oakville resident and a seasoned healthcare executive with a

career which spans two decades. Griffin joins the OSCR Board as Certified Healthcare

Executive in good standing with the Canadian College of Health Leaders and Masters of

Health Management from McMaster University.

 

Griffin finds great passion in serving older adults and vulnerable populations across

Ontario. In his current role with the Jarlette Health Services corporate team, Griffin sets

out everyday to make an outstanding difference in the lives of others. In terms of

virtuous leisure and Board of Director engagement, Griffin also serves on the Brant,

Haldimand, Norfolk, Hamilton & Halton Alzheimer's Society Foundation as the Vice

Chair, as well as on the Community and Home Assistance to Seniors (CHATS) Quality

Improvement committee. When not in the office Griffin can be found at the hockey arena

as he is also an On-Ice Official for the Ontario Minor Hockey Association.

Sharon Craig

Board Member

Sharon is a seasoned commercial and corporate career banker with over 30 years of experience. Her expertise includes leadership of high performing and diverse teams in the areas of profit management, policy oversight and client relationship management on a local and national scale. Currently, Sharon manages the commercial and corporate risk oversight for TD Bank Group across a number of geographies in Canada and various industry segments. Additionally, she has co-lead TD's GTA Women in Leadership chapter for the Commercial Bank for the past 5 years.


Sharon holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from Schulich.


She is known for her thoughtful and considered approach to projects while demonstrating a full appreciation for the broader strategic aim.


Elizabeth De Villiers

Board Member

Elizabeth De Villiers is a Senior Client Relationship Manager at Scotiabank and is a member of the Burlington/Hamilton/Niagara Commercial Team.


In this role, Elizabeth manages high-profile business clients, structure complex credit facilities, fostering longstanding relationships to ensure holistic service delivery to customers.

Elizabeth joined Scotiabank in 2021, shortly after immigrating to Canada with her family from South Africa. She has over 15 years of Commercial Banking experience, being a trusted advisor, servicing and supporting the local business community.


Elizabeth volunteers at her local Church’s Kids Ministry. Serving is about being helpful and supportive. “I love being involved in my local community, helping people thrive and be the best version of themselves.”

Reema Ghai

Board Member

Reema Ghai is a seasoned Human Resources professional with over 18 years of dedicated experience in Talent Acquisition, specializing in the Retail industry. Throughout her career, Reema has demonstrated exceptional skill in identifying, attracting, and retaining top talent, ensuring that her organizations are staffed with the best and brightest. Reema’s expertise lies in developing and implementing innovative recruitment strategies that align with business goals and foster a diverse and inclusive workplace.

 

In her current role as Director Talent Acquisition & Attraction at Staples, Reema leads a dynamic team driving initiatives that have significantly reduced time-to-hire and improved the quality of hires. Her strategic approach to talent acquisition has been instrumental in supporting the company’s rapid growth and maintaining its competitive edge in the market.

 

Reema holds a Bachelor’s degree in Labor Studies and is certified Professional Leadership & Management from Harvard Business School Online. She is passionate about continuous learning and development, regularly attending industry conferences and workshops to stay abreast of the latest trends and best practices in HR.



Outside of work, Reema enjoys mentoring aspiring HR professionals and volunteering with local organizations to support workforce development initiatives. Her passion comes from travel and food and being able to experience that with her husband and kids.

Abdul Hakim

Board Member

Abdul has held a variety of FP&A Leadership roles in Banking, Retail and Senior Living sectors for over 30 years.


He has served in large public corporations like Royal Bank of Canada, Hudson’s Bay and Sears Canada along with privately held entities (Olsen Fashion Canada) with a strategic vision of implementing process improvements through technology related solutions. He is currently a member of the Senior Leadership team at Sienna Senior Living where he manages a large and diverse team in Finance for Sienna’s 90 plus Retirement and Long-Term Care locations. 

 

Abdul is a Chartered Professional Accountant and earned his Master of Business Administration and a Master of Arts in English Literature qualifications from the University of Karachi. 

 

Known for his collaborative style and as an influencer who leads with confidence and approaches the most complex challenges with perseverance and commitment to success, Abdul’s career is testament to these traits. 

Jonathan Pinto

Board Member

Jonathan currently holds the role of Senior Vice President and Business Head for D. F. King Canada (leading corporate governance advisor/proxy solicitor/investor engagement firm); a key business unit of AST Trust Company Canada (AST), where he sits on the management team. He has held senior executive positions with AST, Genworth Canada (now known as Sagen Canada) and Manulife Financial. His experience has been primarily in finance roles of increasing seniority; including corporate finance, investor relations, treasury, corporate development and corporate strategy.

Prior to this, he worked in investment/corporate banking and equity research and held these high impact capital markets roles with top-tier national and global firms such as Citigroup, Scotia Capital and Société Générale.


Jonathan brings with him previous non-profit board experience, and he holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, an MBA (Finance major) from the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor, and a Master of Laws (Business Law major) from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University.

Carey Smith 

Board Member

Carey comes to OSCR with a colorful and varied background, with extensive experience in a regulatory environment.


He was most recently the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Bereavement Authority of Ontario, which is the organization responsible for regulating all funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematoriums in Ontario.


He spent his early career as a police detective investigating a wide range of cases and ultimately led one of the largest joint forces operations in the nation. He was awarded the Police Exemplary Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada, Romeo Leblanc.


Carey has also developed strong governance and business acumen, serving for 10 years as the Chair of the Board of First Ontario Credit Union.


He has studied at The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the Schulich School of Business at York University. Carey has earned the Chartered Director designation from the DeGroote School of Business and has an Accredited Director designation from Dalhousie University.

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