The Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s Board of Directors is comprised of our community’s leaders dedicated to making a difference in healthcare.
The Victoria Hospitals Foundation is grateful to have an inspired and engaged Board of Directors. Their dedication, expertise, and commitment to helping our organization are deeply inspiring. Every Board member has a unique reason why they are compelled to support and to serve with us. Browse their bios to learn more about this important group within the Victoria Hospitals Foundation team.
2021-22 Board of Directors (from left to right): Ian Wong (Treasurer), Jill Sing, David Cheperdak (past Board Member), Jessica Thomson, Tom Siemens (Secretary), Avery Brohman (Chief Executive Officer), Wendy Everson, Ruth Mogensen (past Board Member), Elin Bjarnason (past Board Member), Donnie Wing (Chair), and Alan Winter (Vice Chair). Not pictured: Marko Peljhan, Helen Wale, and Emilie de Rosenroll
Officers
Donnie Wing, Chair
Donnie Wing
Chair
Mr. Wing is a seasoned executive with extensive knowledge in insurance, investments, finance, strategy, policy, privacy and government relations. He was CEO of Healthcare Benefit Trust for five years and also served on their Board of Trustees. He also served as a member of the ICBC executive team for 12 years and as a Senior Policy Advisor and Acting Director for the Province of B.C.’s Crown Corporations Secretariat.
Donnie has given back to the community serving on the board for S.U.C.C.E.S.S., one of the largest social service agencies in B.C., for five years in various capacities, most recently in the role of Chair of the Board. Known for his collaborative working style Donnie is also very familiar with the Victoria community and pleased to Chair the board of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.
He joined the Victoria Hospitals Foundation Board of Directors in 2018.
Alan Winter, Vice Chair
Alan Winter
Alan Winter was appointed British Columbia’s first Innovation Commissioner and completed his term in 2020. Prior to this appointment, he was the President and CEO of Genome British Columbia, the founding President and CEO of the New Media Innovation Centre in Vancouver, the President of the ComDev Space Group in Ontario, and the President and CEO of MPR Teltech Ltd. in Vancouver. Alan has wide experience at senior levels in the technology sector and in government.
Alan is currently a director of Ontario Genomics Inc, Geoscience BC, Oceans Network Canada and a member of UBC’s Research and Innovation Council. In 2007, he received a Leadership Award from Life Sciences BC (LSBC). In 2017, he received the Don Rix Award for Lifetime Achievement from LSBC and the Bill Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award from the BC Technologies Industries Association (BC TIA).
He joined the Victoria Hospitals Foundation Board of Directors in 2017.
Tom Siemens, Secretary
Tom Siemens
Secretary
Mr. Siemens joined the Victoria Hospitals Foundation Board of Directors in 2018 and served as chair for several years before stepping down to resume a member position in 2022. In 2023 he assumed the role of Secretary. He has supported our local hospitals through volunteer leadership for many years, including serving on Campaign Cabinets for VHF .
He brings to the Foundation his extensive experience in finance and other disciplines from his 36-year career with RBC Royal Bank. After joining RBC in Winnipeg in 1982, Mr. Siemens worked across Canada in Calgary, Toronto, and Saskatoon, before retiring in Victoria in 2018.
During his tenure in Victoria, Mr. Siemens has been extensively involved with a variety of community organizations at the governance level. Mr. Siemens has served on advisory committees for Ballet Victoria and the City of Victoria City Manager. He was involved with both Junior Achievement and the United Way throughout his career, serving as Chair of the United Way of Greater Victoria’s 2006 campaign and as Past Chair and a Member-at-Large for several following years. Mr. Siemens has also been a member of the Camosun College Board of Governors, serving as Chair of the Finance & Audit Committees, and was a member of the Board of Advisors for the Faculty of Business at the University of Victoria. Most recently, he served as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of Pacific Opera Victoria. He also currently sits on the Greater Victoria Advisory Board of The Salvation Army, the Board of the Victoria Symphony, and the Investment Advisory Committee for the Catholic Diocese of Vancouver Island.
Mr. Siemens holds an MBA from the University of Manitoba and designations from the Institute of Canadian Bankers (ICB) and the Canadian Securities Institute (CSI). Mr. Siemens resides in Victoria with his wife. They have three adult children.
Ian Wong, Treasurer
Ian Wong
Treasurer
Ian has worked most of his professional career with the Government of BC focusing on Venture Capital. His most recent position was COO for the BC Tech Fund. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Certified Management Accountant and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Accounting) and a diploma in Business Administration (Finance).
His volunteer roles have included Board Member and Treasurer of the Victoria Chinatown Care Centre and Co-Chair of the Victoria Chinatown Care Society’s annual fundraising event. At the Victoria Foundation Ian serves on the Board of Directors; was Chair of the Vital Loans Committee; Member of the Finance and Audit Committee; and Member of the Governance and Nominating Committee.
In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, he is a member of the Foundation’s Finance and Investment Committee. Most recently, Ian added Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners’, Finance Committee to his volunteer commitments.
Ian is a fourth-generation Victorian with a great sense of belonging. He and his family enjoy all that Victoria has to offer, and he is committed to giving back to the community.
He joined the Victoria Hospitals Foundation Board of Directors in 2019.
Members
Wendy Everson
Wendy Everson
Prior to entering law school, Wendy worked with Transport Canada and Winnipeg International Airport as a commercial development project manager. Wendy was responsible for development and management of groundside commercial projects and a participant in, and with, the development of an overall marketing plan for the Airport.
Today, Wendy maintains a private legal practice, Everson Law, and provides legal services and advice to clients in the areas of real estate, development, business law, general corporate and commercial law and wills and estate planning. Wendy has a long history of community involvement and has volunteered with a number of organizations and foundations throughout her career, both at the executive level and with general membership. Her past participation includes being an elected member of the Provincial Council of the Canadian Bar Association, Chair of various committees and educational sections of the Canadian Bar Association, President & Director of the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, and a past member of the granting committee for the Victoria Foundation. Wendy is currently in her third term as a director of the Victoria Airport Authority.
Wendy obtained her Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Commerce Honours (Finance) degrees from the University of Manitoba, and her Juris Doctor of Laws (J.D.) from the University of Victoria. While attending the University of Victoria, she was awarded the National Trust – Donovan and Maryla Waters Award in Trusts and Estate Planning.
She joined the Victoria Hospitals Foundation Board of Directors in 2019. Wendy is very proud to continue her community engagement with the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.
Jill Sing
Jill Sing
Jill Sing has more than 25 years of multi-disciplinary experience across corporate and personal finance, investment, tax, and accounting disciplines. She is an independent consultant to global business families, endowments, and non-profit organizations, as well as a specialist in integrating accounting, investment, tax, and finance matters to meet the unique needs of all stakeholders. Sing acts as an independent counsel to both families of significant wealth and endowments as they contemplate and plan for the longer-term stewardship of their financial wealth. In addition to providing oversight of client family financial affairs, Sing’s work includes advising, mentoring, educating, and preparing the next generation of decision-makers, whether they be investment committees or family business owners, for the responsibility of managing significant financial wealth.
Sing began her professional career with the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touch, working in Fredericton, NB and St. Catharines, ON, leading tax and accounting projects and audits of communication, manufacturing, investment, and tourism businesses. After 10 years in public accounting, Sing relocated to Victoria, BC to work with RBC Dominion Securities, becoming a portfolio manager and investment consultant. She followed her interest in global wealth management and was a Vice President and investment counselor with a Swiss private bank, eventually taking a position to lead the BC team of Canada’s first national multi-family office. Sing founded her own firm in 2013, responding to her clients’ desire for an advisor with deep experience and expertise but not bound by the constraints of a large financial institution.
Sing holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick (1986). In addition to being a CPA, Chartered Accountant, Sing holds the following professional designations: CFA Charterholder, Canadian Investment Manager, Trust and Estate Practitioner, and Certified Financial Planner and is a CAFE-certified family council facilitator. Formerly, she held positions as trustee for the BC Institute of Chartered Accountants Benevolent Fund, director of CFA Victoria Society & Advocacy Chair, director of the Royal British Columbia Museum Foundation, and the Vancouver Island Roundtable for the Canadian Association of Gift Planners.
She joined the Victoria Hospitals Foundation Board of Directors in 2020.
Jessica Thomson
Biography coming soon.
Helen Wale
Helen Wale
Helen Wale is a Certified Executive Coach holding the ICF Professional Certified Coach credential and is an experienced Human Resources professional with over 26 years in a range of professional and leadership positions in health care organizations in both the UK and Canada, most recently working in senior roles within human resources at Island Health before establishing her own business in 2016. Helen has strong human resources experience in recruitment and selection, leadership and talent management and policy development and is also a trainer facilitating workshops primarily in leadership development, employee engagement and coaching.
Helen has expanded her industry experience more recently working with clients in manufacturing, municipal government, education, leisure and fitness, financial services, not-for-profit and news media.
With a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Helen is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR), holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management, a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching and is certified to deliver MBTI workshops and the emotional intelligence assessment EQi-2.0 and EQ 360.
Helen joined the Victoria Hospitals Foundation Board of Directors in 2021.
Emilie de Rosenroll
Emilie de Rosenroll
Emilie de Rosenroll is Founding CEO of the South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP), Founding CEO of the Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST) and collaborates with Indigenous partners to accelerate the Indigenous Prosperity Centre (IPC).
With 15+ years of senior leadership experience, Emilie is passionate about creating value for stakeholders and society, developing unconventional partnerships, staying curious and focusing on impact. She has helped create key economic development initiatives for Greater Victoria, including the Rising Economy Taskforce, Rising Economy Week and the Indigenous Prosperity Centre. Previously, Emilie was Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Province Association of Regional Development Authorities.
Emilie is a director on the board of Innovate BC and a member of the BC Shipbuilding Advisory Group. She is the recipient of the 2022 Victoria Community Leadership Award for Belonging & Engagement for her work as a ”visionary and collaborative leader who harnesses the energy of others to help inform her transformative work to ensure an equitable, resilient, and robust economy in our region.” Emilie is also the recipient of the 2020 Business in Vancouver Forty Under 40 award and a Woman of Influence finalist for the 2022 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. She speaks English, French and Spanish and has worked in different sectors in cities in Canada, U.S., France and Mexico.”
Marko Pelijhan
Marko Pelijhan
Marko has been serving as the interim Vice President for Clinical Operations South Island and Cowichan Valley since the fall of 2022. Previously in September 2021, he had been appointed the Vice President of Pandemic Planning. In this temporary role, he oversaw Island Health’s pandemic planning and response to COVID-19, while also monitoring analytics and modelling on a provincial scale, under the leadership of the Deputy Minister of Health and Provincial Health Officer.
Marko served as Executive Director Geography 4 in Clinical Operations prior to this appointment. As Clinical Director of the Royal Jubilee Hospital, he was responsible for several program areas including: Emergency; Medicine; Rehab; Surgery; Patient Flow; and Intensive Care at the Royal Jubilee and Victoria General Hospitals. Prior to this Marko held various roles in Emergency Medicine including Director of Medicine, Emergency Services.
In his Clinical Operations leadership roles he has supported the implementation of a variety of initiatives including the development of Hospital at Home, and the opening of Island Health’s first High Acuity Units while serving as the Executive Director of Clinical Service Delivery for the Royal Jubilee and Victoria General Hospitals.
Marko is a natural fit for a leadership position, having successfully worked across portfolios at Island Health to deliver excellent health and care. As a clinical leader, Marko has experience in all areas of health system delivery and has a clear understanding and appreciation for the connections between acute care, primary care, and community care.
Marko’s ability to be vulnerable and open to learning, growing and asking for help leaves space for those with expertise and knowledge to have a voice and input, which is critical to leading through these uncertain times.
Are you interested in joining our volunteer Board of Directors?
We’d like to hear from you. Please send your resume and cover letter to our Board Nominations Committee via email: vhf@islandhealth.ca
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