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Meet Our 2017 Heroes!

 


BARRY DOHMS | PRESIDENT
Walkerton Toyota, Guelph Toyota, Goderich Hyundai


Barry is the current President of a group of auto dealerships and leasing companies:  Guelph Toyota, Walkerton Toyota, Hyundai of Goderich, and Legacy Auto Credit and Leasing.  Don began his career in the automotive sector in 1973 and has held roles of increasing corporate responsibility throughout a 20 year tenure with many major brands including General Motors, Nissan, Mazda and Honda Canada.

Barry holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Saskatchewan and an MBA from the University of Calgary.  He became a Ivey Business School Quantum Shift Fellow at the University of Western Ontario in 2012 and serves on the Board of the Automotive Business School of Canada at Georgian College where he also received an Honorary Diploma.     The avid tennis player and classic auto collector currently resides in outside of Walkerton, Ontario with his wife, Annie, 3 children, 1 grandson and 2 dogs.

 

MIKE GEORGE | PRESIDENT & CEO
Trisura Guarantee Insurance Company


In 2006, Mike realized his long-term dream of starting his own insurance company, and along with Bob Taylor and John Garner founded Trisura. The business is built on the belief that exceptional service, innovative products, and hard work would create a company that brokers would want to do business with and support.

Mike is responsible for both the strategic and operational direction and performance of Trisura. He has over 25 years of experience in the industry and after starting his career in corporate banking, became a surety financial analyst in 1988. He went on to join fledgling Wellington Guarantee, which became London Guarantee where he ultimately led the field operations as senior vice president. Following the sale of London Guarantee to a large multi-national insurer in 2002, Mike stayed on to help with the integration and then left in 2005 to begin work on putting his Trisura dream into reality. Mike has truly worked his way up from the ground floor.

He holds a Bachelor of Science from McMaster University and is a member of TEC Canada's CEO forum. Mike is on the board of Brookfield Annuity Corporation and the Senior Executive Council of the Surety Association of Canada. He also chairs the annual Covenant House Executive Sleep Out in Toronto, is on the board of the Ontario chapter of the Children's Wish Foundation, and previously participated on the national Council of Champions for Big Brothers, Big Sisters Canada.

                

ADAM HILL |  CEO
LGM Financial Services Inc.

As the co-founder and current sole owner of LGM, Adam is the visionary behind LGM. With a foundation in accounting and life and general insurance, Adam has over 20 years of insurance and warranty experience in Canada and the United States. Adam eagerly participates in making a difference for others and particularly enjoys the complex areas of insurance and risk analysis. His network, experience and leadership enable LGM to be a competitive and adaptive solution provider.

Adam champions the core values of LGM and his dedication to giving back is evident in how LGM conducts its business. LGM and its employees donate time and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for charities across Canada. As an advocate for keeping our planet healthy for many generations to come, Adam is leading our initiatives to make a positive impact in the Canadian automotive industry and beyond.

CHRIS KOTSOPOULOS  | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Children’s Wish Foundation


Chris Kotsopoulos is a graduate of the University of Toronto and began his career in public accounting. Over the years he obtained his CPA/CMA designation and moved into the not for profit sector.  He served for over a decade in executive leadership roles at UNICEF Canada.  He then joined the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada as CEO where he has led the operations and revenue development to generate $24 million/year in support of children and families diagnosed with a life threatening illness.  Chris believes deeply in the power of a wish, which has a dramatic effective on mental health and healing.  He has participated in a number of executive education programs including Executive Leadership program at Queens School of Business as well as Strategic Perspectives in Not-for-Profit Management at Harvard Business School.

He is an avid sports enthusiast and family man with 4 children and 3 grandchildren and he resides with his wife in Markham, Ontario.    

 

VINCE PETROZZA | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Fortress Real Developments
 

Vince Petrozza, is the C.O.O. at Fortress Real Developments, and has served in the financial services sector for over 10 years, helping individuals and businesses with their investments. Since 2002, Vince has led the operations side of Fortress in structuring high quality real estate development deals.

Vince also sits on the board of directors of several projects funded by Fortress and meets regularly with planners, architects and construction managers during the ongoing monitoring of projects.

Vince has an avid interest in sports and directs that enthusiasm to charitable projects and donations that help disadvantaged children participate in recreational and amateur sports across Canada.

In addition to his role at Fortress, Vince is a mortgage broker with Building & Development Mortgages Canada Inc., registered with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario under the Ontario Mortgage Brokerages, Lenders and Administrators Act.

 

              

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STEVE PHILLIPS | EVP, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
The Sovereign General Insurance Company
 

Steve provides leadership to Sovereign’s talented team of professionals and is accountable for the organization’s underwriting performance and growth. With over 20 years as a leader in the financial services sector, Steve has a proven track record of building enhanced customer value propositions, fostering innovation and engaging teams to capture profitable revenue growth opportunities.

Since joining Sovereign, Steve has proudly championed the organization’s commitment to helping Canadians and building stronger communities, whether through Sovereign’s products and solutions, partnership with Children’s Wish or employee volunteer initiatives.

Sovereign has been a proud partner of the Children’s Wish Foundation since January 2005 and has corporately donated more than $2.6M to date, which translates into more than 260 wishes. And this does not reflect the additional dollars raised by Sovereign’s passionate employees to further enhance the organization’s annual cor­porate contribution.

Under Steve’s leadership, Sovereign continues to lead with purpose by integrating co-operative values and sustainability principles into all areas of its business.

             

HYUNDAI AUTO CANADA CORP.

 

Don Romano is President and Chief Executive Officer of Hyundai Auto Canada Corp.  He joined Hyundai in December 2013. In addition to overseeing the company's record setting sales performance, Don has been focused on the development of the new luxury brand Genesis, Hyundai’s Fuel Cell program as well as the new eco brand Ioniq.

Don began his career in 1985 with Nissan USA.  In 2000, he left Nissan to join Mazda where he executed the award winning “Zoom Zoom” campaign. In 2006, he was promoted to President of Mazda Canada while maintaining his responsibilities as Chief Marketing Officer.  During this time he oversaw Mazda’s recording setting growth in Canada while leading Mazda’s marketing activities across North America.

Don holds a B.S. in Business from California State and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University. He lives in Stouffville, Ontario with his wife of 24 years and four children.

 

SHAUN A. USMAR | FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Triple Flag Mining Finance Ltd.

 

Shaun Usmar, 47, founded Triple Flag Mining Finance Ltd. (“Triple Flag”) in April 2016, with financial backing from Elliott Management in New York, and serves as its Chief Executive Officer.  Prior to founding Triple Flag, Mr. Usmar served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Barrick Gold Corporation, from 2014 – 2016, where he helped restructure the company.  He joined Xstrata in 2006 as a founding member of the leadership team that grew the company into one of the world’s largest diversified miners at the time of its acquisition by Glencore in 2013. While at Xstrata his roles included co-head of Business Development in London, CFO of Xstrata’s global Ferro-Alloys business in South Africa, and CFO of Xstrata’s global Nickel business in Canada. Prior to Xstrata, Mr. Usmar worked at BHP Billiton in Corporate Finance in London, and started his career in mining in operations in the steel and aluminum industries as a production engineer. He also serves on the Ontario Advisory board of The Children’s Wish Foundation, since 2010.  Mr. Usmar holds a BSc in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, both with distinction.