Board of Directors
Richard Pan, Director
Mr. Pan has been Vice-President and Head of Corporate Finance of Power Corporation since 2008 and is a leader in the finance and corporate strategy teams. He was Vice-President of Power Financial from 2008 until 2020.
Before joining Power, Mr. Pan was an Executive Director in Investment Banking with Goldman Sachs International based in London, England. In this capacity, he specialized in Energy and Private Equity and was a member of the Global Natural Resources group. He was previously a member of the U.K. Advisory group, specializing in mergers & acquisitions.
Mr. Pan is a Rhodes Scholar and holds a Master of Philosophy in International Relations from Balliol College at Oxford University and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. His secondary school education was at the University of Toronto Schools.
Mr. Pan is active in the community, with particular interests in education and the arts. He is the Canadian National Secretary to the Rhodes Trust, Chair of Rhodes Scholarships in Canada (RSC), and a Director of the Canadian Rhodes Scholars Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Opéra de Montréal and the Centaur Theatre.
Sharon Stern, Director
Sharon Stern is a Canadian entrepreneur and real estate investor. She is the President of Metro Investments, an organization focused on the acquisition, development and management of multi-residential and commercial properties in the downtown core of Montreal, and is President of Eastmore Management, an investment management company. Sharon also serves on the Board of Directors of Cedar Realty Trust (NYSE: CDR), a Real Estate Income Trust specializing in grocery-anchored retail properties. At Cedar, she serves on both the Audit and Compensation committees. She began her career in Strategy and Corporate Development for the Business Development Bank of Canada.
Sharon is an active investor in early-stage ventures and enjoys mentoring entrepreneurs. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree from McGill University in Economics and World Religions and a Master’s Degree from Brown University in Economic Policy and lives in Montreal with her husband and two sons.
Neil Murdoch, Director
Mr. Murdoch is an active investor and has served on the boards of many private and public companies, including his current portfolio of businesses. He is the former President of Aston Hill Asset Management, having retired in December 2015.
Mr. Murdoch has a strong track record of leadership and execution in the retail investment world. In late 2003 Mr. Murdoch founded Connor, Clark & Lunn Capital Markets Inc. where, as CEO and President, he raised over $2.5 billion in new assets before Aston Hill acquired the firm in 2013. Prior thereto, he was Executive Vice-President and Portfolio Manager at AIC Group of Funds. Mr. Murdoch joined AIC in 1993 when the firm managed only $150 million in assets and was instrumental in its growth to over $15 billion as one of the three principals of the business. The funds he managed were the winners of numerous investment awards.
In addition to his Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University, Mr. Murdoch also received a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Toronto and a Master of Management degree from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Mr. Murdoch is a member of the Desautels International Advisory Board and a loyal supporter of the University. He is also active in the community, having co-founded Operation Guardian Force and having been a Governor at Appleby College and on the board of Gold Medal Plates.
Mr. Murdoch and his wife Gisele live in Oakville Ontario and have three children (including Caroline, a 2013 Desautels graduate).