Meet Our Board of Directors

Al has over 25 years’ experience and is a recognized leader in the fields of taxation and corporate finance. He is currently the Vice-President of Taxation and Internal Audit at J.D. Irving, Ltd. As a strategic thinker, Al has built several teams while fostering collaboration among stakeholders.

Throughout his career, Al has volunteered for both his profession and his community in leadership and founder roles. He is the past chair and board member of several local, regional, and national, organizations and commissions.

Thor has been growing, developing and leading businesses as the focus of his career. He is an active investor and mentor to start-up businesses in New Brunswick; he has founded and led large industry focused innovation projects; bought and managed his own business; and guided an internationally focused forestry firm through a vertical integration effort while also acquiring new business units as part of that process. Thor is currently developing several new initiatives.

In addition to his uniquely varied career, Thor brings broad board experiences, ranging from tech start-ups to not-for-profits, as well as the Director Certification with the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D).

Petra is the Vice-President Saint John at the University of New Brunswick and is a dynamic leader who is actively engaged in all campus affairs, including academics, administration, and operations. She is an internationally-renowned researcher with a vision to develop strong partnerships that will inspire a thriving environment that enhances all of the community.

Through her experience in senior administration in a variety of academic institutions, Petra has the ability to take an academic perspective and apply it to a variety of scenarios. Petra is excited to find innovative approaches that will have a significant impact on Saint John.

Trisha is an experienced lawyer, with nearly 20 years of practice in the areas of Labour & Employment, Organizational Governance, and Self-Regulating Professional Associations. As a result, she has an extensive background in employment and administrative law, ADR, corporate governance, professional discipline, and the rights and obligations of self-regulating professional associations and not-for-profit organizations.

Trisha is the co-founder of Resonance Inc., a multidisciplinary workplace services company offering clients structural governance and strategic planning, conflict resilience and resolution processes, workplace investigations, arbitration, management and employee training, people services, and general employment law. Strategic in thought and practical in execution, Trisha and her team help organizations strive for and achieve workplace harmony.

Trisha is a past Board member of various local community organizations and the Canadian Red Cross. She is also a recipient of the Order of the Red Cross.

Shannon is a certified logistics professional with over 20 years experience in leading global marketing and business development initiatives. In her current role as Director, Supply Chain Innovation at Port Saint John, her primary focus is to position the Port for future growth, building the economy of our community with the collaboration of stakeholders and partners.

Previously Shannon has held positions on the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters boards, was a committee member for the Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick and volunteered with the Special Olympics, Red Cross, Heart and Stroke and the Canadian Cancer Society.

Shannon is excited for the opportunities ahead for our communities and is motivated to be part of it, to get stuff done now!

Ingrid has over 30 years’ experience in the energy and utility industry leading strategy development, business planning, business development, sales and marketing, operations, project management, government relations, process improvement, and corporate governance and compliance. Ingrid has led teams to consistently deliver results by leveraging her strategic insights, market knowledge and operational acumen.

She is a trusted advisor and accomplished leader in driving business growth and operational excellence, known for promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Ingrid is a lifelong resident of the Saint John region.

As the President of Opportunities Consulting Ltd, and Vice president of the Fundy Harbour Group, Wallace leads a team of professional staff in both the construction and property management sectors as well as providing strategic advice to clients from a variety of sectors.  With an entrepreneurial passion, Wallace and his partners are focused on growing the region one project at a time. From accessible seniors housing to award winning energy efficient commercial renovations to changing the Saint John skyline on the waterfront – developing the region with a purpose.

With his past experience on many nonprofit boards in the area, as well as experience on large corporate boards (Serving on the Atlantic Lottery Board of Directors), Wallace obtained his professional Chartered Directors designation (C.Dir) from the DeGroote School of Business/McMaster University in 2015.

Andy is a Division Manager with IG Wealth Management and currently specializes in helping successful small business owners and professionals establish or maintain their financial health.

In an uncommon career path, Andy spent the first 15 years of his career as a litigation lawyer and entrepreneur establishing his own legal practice in insurance. Construction, employment and wills and estates law.

An active member of the business community, Andy is also on the Executive of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Chair of the Hampton Public Works Committee. Previously he has donated significant time and experience on many Boards and Committees including as Chair of both the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce and the Cherry Brook Zoo (Saint John) and as Vice Chair of the Saint John Industrial Parks Board of Directors and the Dr. V.A. Snow Centre Foundation Board of Directors (Hampton) as just a couple of examples.

On the personal side, Andy is a proud husband, father and grandfather hailing from a small town in Newfoundland.

Ayman is a Workforce Consultant for WorkingNB, providing Human Resource Support Services to businesses in the South West Region of New Brunswick. With a strong business background and an entrepreneur, Ayman has helped several start-up businesses successfully launch. In addition to helping businesses grow, he has in-depth experience in Digital Marketing and Social Media. Ayman moved to New Brunswick in 2011 and is a champion and advocate for choosing Saint John as a place to live and work. His first-hand experience and his countless conversations with New Brunswickers has given him a unique understanding of challenges of growing our population.

Dr. Peter Kerr is an associate professor and chair of applied research in sales at the University of New Brunswick – Saint John.  As chair, he aims to increase the region’s competitiveness in professional selling. His research focuses on departmental and individual sales performance and aligning salesperson attitudes, behaviors, and capabilities with the firm’s strategic intent. 

Dr. Kerr has over 25 years of industry experience, holding management positions with TD Bank, Blackburn Media Group, Dell, Q9 Networks, and Bell Canada, where he was vice president of marketing for Bell’s Small & Medium business division.

Michael Stewart has served as the Chief Financial Officer of J.D. Irving, Limited since 2019. A University of Toronto alumnus, he began his professional career in KPMG's assurance practice before transitioning to senior roles in investment banking at CIBC World Markets and Jefferies & Co.

Michael is a strong supporter of Envision Saint John’s mandate, which aims to drive strategic, data-driven growth and foster economic development in the Saint John Region.  He is passionate about utilizing his professional expertise to foster positive change and progress within the Saint John community, which he is proud to now call home.