Our Board of Directors
Corix is governed by a public-style board of directors, which includes representatives from the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), Corix, and external independent companies.
Sue Paish, Q.C. (Chair)
CEO, Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster
Sue Paish is the Chief Executive Officer at Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster, where she joined the organization as its inaugural CEO. She is responsible for building and leading the Supercluster that will establish British Columbia and Canada as global leaders in digital technology.
Prior to her role at the Supercluster, Sue most recently served as President and CEO of LifeLabs, as well as the CEO for Pharmasave Drugs (National) Ltd. Before entering the corporate world, she followed a career practicing law and managing an international law practice. Sue was the managing partner of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP in BC, where she led the growth of the firm from one office to an international presence with nine offices on three continents.
Sue received a Queen's Counsel designation in 2000, was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2012, and has been recognized as one of Canada's top 25 women lawyers. She earned her Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law degrees from UBC, and is recognized as a Distinguished Alumnae from her Alma Mater.
A recognized community and business leader, Sue sits on a number of corporate and community boards in addition to the Corix Group of Companies, and chairs the Royal Columbian Hospital Redevelopment Campaign. She formerly chaired the boards for the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, the Vancouver Board of Trade, and the MLA Compensation Task Force, among others.
Sue has been a member of Corix's Board of Directors and Human Resources Committee since 2006, and assumed the role of Board Chair in September, 2019.
Lisa Sparrow
President and CEO, Corix Group of Companies
Lisa is the President and CEO of the Corix Group of Companies. Her responsibilities include establishing strategic direction, setting organizational mandates, and positioning the organization to focus on effectively delivering its objective to build, own and/or operate regulated and contract water, wastewater, and energy utilities across North America.
Lisa is an active leader in the professional utilities community. She was appointed to the National Drinking Water Advisory Council in 2009, the EPA Climate Ready Utilities Working Group later that same year, served as Vice President and President of the National Association of Water Companies and was elected to the Water Research Foundation Board of Directors in 2014 where she remains a director.
Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and a Masters in Management from Northwestern University.
Stephen Reynolds
Chief Sustainability Officer at PreferWest LLC and Chief Executive Office of Loblolly Estates LLC
Stephen (Steve) Reynolds is Managing Director at PreferWest LLC, where he advises and invests, and is also the Chief Executive officer of Loblolly Estates LLC, a renewable energy company, and The Fourth Act LLC, a commercial producer of plays. Previously, Steve served as Chairman, President and CEO for Washington-based Puget Energy and its utility subsidiary, Puget Sound Energy, from 2002 until his retirement in 2011.
Steve's five decades of experience in both the natural gas and electric power business include significant accomplishments in energy matters at the state and federal levels in North America and internationally. He was CEO of Reynolds Energy International, and served for 10 years as CEO of the Pacific Gas Transmission Company (now called Gas Transmission Northwest), a US interstate natural gas pipeline company connecting Canadian gas supply to West Coast markets.
He serves on the boards of directors for the ArtsFund, the 5th Avenue Theatre, the Tateuchi Center for the Arts, the Nature Conservancy of Washington, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and the Green Diamond Resource Company. He also serves on the Business School Advisory Board at the University of Oregon.
Steve has been a member of Corix's Board of Directors since March 2013.
Robert Elton
Corporate Director
Robert (Bob) Elton served as President and Chief Executive Officer of BC Hydro, a publicâowned energy company in the province of British Columbia, Canada, from November 2003 to December 2009. Before joining BC Hydro, Bob was Chief Financial Officer of Eldorado Gold Corporation from 1996 to 2001.
Bob is actively involved in the community and sits on several boards including: Chair, Advisory Board, Lunapads; Chair, Sustainability Advisory Board, Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants; Chair, Minerva Foundation for BC Women; Chair, Immigrant Employment Council of BC; and Member, Global Agenda Council on the New Energy Architecture, World Economic Forum.
He has been a member of the Corix Board of Directors since September 2013 and Chair of the Audit Committee since July 2014.
Zaman Velji
Portfolio Manager (Infrastructure and Renewable Resources), BCI
Zaman Velji is a Portfolio Manager with BCI's Infrastructure and Renewable Resources group, where he leads Asset Management activities for the portfolio. He focuses on collaborating with management teams of investee companies in the pursuit of long-term value creation.
Prior to his role at BCI, Zaman worked as a consultant with McKinsey and Company, serving institutional investors with a focus on alternative asset classes including private equity, infrastructure, and real estate. Before that, he also spent five years with the Aga Khan Development Network, advancing international development priorities in Central Asia. He has an MBA from The Wharton School and undergraduate degrees in engineering and in government from Cornell University.
Zaman has been a member of Corix's Board of Directors since 2016.
Steve Turner
Portfolio Manager (Infrastructure and Renewable Resources), BCI
Steve Turner is a Portfolio Manager with BCI's Infrastructure and Renewable Resources group. Steve joined BCI in 2008 and is responsible for sourcing, executing and managing infrastructure investments. In addition to serving on the Corix Board of Directors, Steve also serves on the Board of Cleco Power—a Louisiana-based electric utility.
Steve has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Montana Tech of the University of Montana and an MBA from the University of Victoria. Steve is also a registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in the Province of British Columbia and is a CFA charter holder.
Steve has been a member of Corix's Board of Directors since 2016.
Cynthia Johnston
Corporate Director
Cynthia Johnston is a Corporate Director. She serves on the Board of Directors of AltaGas Ltd. where she chairs the EH&S Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Russel Metals where she is a member of the Audit and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees.
Cynthia was Executive Vice President, Gas, Renewables and Operations Services at TransAlta Corporation (“TransAlta”) from 2015 until her retirement in 2017. Between 2011 and 2015, she held various positions at TransAlta, including Executive Vice President Enterprise Risk and Corporate Services and Executive Vice President Corporate Services. From 2013 until her retirement, she was Chief Operating Officer and served as a non-independent Director of TransAlta Renewables. Prior to 2011, she held various executive leadership positions at TransAlta and FortisAlberta.
Cynthia has over 30 years of diverse experience in strategic planning, complex project management, operations, sales and marketing, customer service, stakeholder relations, economic analysis and regulation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Calgary and a Master’s in Applied Economics from the University of Victoria. She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Cynthia has been a member of Corix’s Board of Directors since December, 2019 and currently Chairs the Audit Committee.
Lila Jaber
President, Jaber Group Inc.
Lila Jaber is President of Jaber Group Inc., a strategy and business consulting firm with a focus on the growth of Florida companies through successful navigation of Florida government processes and opportunities. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, a large diversified energy company in natural gas distribution, transmission, gathering and processing, as well as electricity distribution and generation.
Lila has a long history in the utility sector having worked with water, wastewater, electric and natural gas companies as a consultant and attorney as well as during her tenure as a Commissioner and Chair of the Florida Public Service Commission overseeing the state’s implementation of economic regulatory policy and procedures for the energy and natural gas industries.
Lila launched Florida’s Women in Energy Leadership Forum to celebrate the success of women leaders in the energy industry and their role in growing Florida’s economy and diversifying an already tremendous workforce. She also serves as a member of the Stetson University Board of Trustees, is past chair of Leadership Florida, former vice-chair and founding member of the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce, and past inaugural chair of the City of Tallahassee’s Independent Ethics Board. Lila was named the 2019 Lifetime Advocacy honoree by the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce, has received the Tallahassee Women Lawyers Diversity & Inclusion Award, and in 2016, received the commission of Kentucky Colonel by the state’s Governor.
She received her B.A. in Political Science from Stetson University and her J.D. from the Stetson College of Law. Lila joined Corix's Board of Directors in November 2020.
Grant Hodgkins
Portfolio Manager (Infrastructure and Renewable Resources), BCI
Grant Hodgkins is a Portfolio Manager with BCI's Infrastructure and Renewable Resources group. Grant joined BCI in 2017 and is responsible for sourcing, executing and managing infrastructure investments, with a focus on Power & Utilities and Energy. In addition to serving on the Corix Board of Directors, Grant also serves on the Board of Puget Sound Energy —a Washington State based gas and electric utility.
Prior to joining BCI, Grant was an Advisor with KPMG serving institutional investors with a focus on Power & Utility investments. Before that, he spent 7 years in corporate development roles with Fortis Inc. and Interfor Corporation. He is a Chartered Professional Account, a CFA Charterholder and Chartered Business Valuator and holds an undergraduate degree in Science from the University of British Columbia.