Our Board of Directors
Mary Ballantyne | Chair
Mary led the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies for nine years until her retirement in 2019, and she continues to provide consulting services to child welfare initiatives across Canada. With over 35 years of experience working with vulnerable children and families within the Canadian context, she brings national experience in child well-being to our board. Working with SOS Children's Villages has provided her an opportunity to share learnings from the Canadian child welfare context and gain insight into what is working in other countries around the world.
Alicia Quesnel |
Past Chair
Alicia is a Managing Partner with the law firm of Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP in Calgary, Alberta. She joined the Board of Directors of SOS Villages Canada in 2016 and became the board chair in 2022. She is delighted to work with other members of the board, management, and staff of SOS Children's Villages Canada, all of whom are passionate about the work of the organization – caring for the most vulnerable.
Phil Hopwood | Treasurer
With over 35 years of professional experience, Philip Hopwood was a partner at Deloitte, leading their global Mining & Metals industry team. He has lived and worked in the UK, Australia and Canada where he now resides. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford University, and Cranfield University UK, Phil enjoys sport, music and historical research.
Emilia N. Nambahu | Secretary
Emilia is a Performance Management Coordinator at the University of Namibia with over ten years of experience as a social development expert. She previously served as Interim National Director for SOS Children’s Villages Namibia for four months and was appointed as a board chairperson. She has extensive experience supporting child and youth development organizations, reflected in her community-based work, university degrees, and professional work. She brings a wealth of experience and valuable first-hand insights to our work.
Christophe Hennebelle
Christophe is the Vice President of Corporate Communications at Air Canada, based in Montreal. Before joining Air Canada, he spent more than 13 years at Transat, holding various positions, most recently as Chief People, Sustainability and Communications Officer. His areas of expertise are extensive and include employee relations, compensation, talent management and acquisition, labour relations, internal communications, and media relations. Educated in France, he holds a master's degree in management and human resources and is dedicated to leveraging his vast experience to help vulnerable children around the world.
Catherine Munge
Catherine is a senior consultant with over 20 years of experience implementing large, complex digital transformation programs. She has extensive process and tech transformation experience, leading high performing teams in North America, Europe, and Asia. While volunteering at an SOS Children’s Village in Kenya, she saw first-hand the impact of our programs on children. She is delighted to have joined the Board of Directors and looks forward to sharing her tech and AI expertise.
Melanie Platt
Melanie has over 25 years of experience providing financial accounting, auditing, and advisory services to the charitable and nonprofit sectors. She is a trusted advisor to her clients, overseeing audits and reviews, recommending internal control and policy best practices, and ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant, a Licensed Public Accountant in the Province of Ontario, and a graduate of the Not-for-Profit Governance Essentials program offered by the Institute of Corporate Directors. She currently is a Partner at Welch LLP in Ottawa. Her other Board of Director roles include Treasurer of the Canadian Nurses Foundation.
Rumina Ratansi
Rumina is the founder and managing partner of Leadership Empire, an HR consultation and business leadership coaching organization. She is a seasoned executive and human resources veteran with 25 plus years of industry experience in the public, private, start-up, and not-for-profit sectors. She brings her expertise in HR including performance and succession management, change management, talent acquisition, and career development to our board and as a member of our HR Committee.
