George Cope is leading the transformation of Bell, Canada’s largest communications company, into the nation’s broadband leader with a strategy of unparalleled investment in advanced networks, innovative communications and media services, and an improved customer experience.

Recognized as Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year for 2015, Mr. Cope has earned a reputation as a strategic leader and builder of high-performance teams in public-company chief executive roles over the past 30 years.

When asked what makes a great leader, Mr. Cope said, “Recognizing the talents and ability of people who are not the same as you is what actually creates a great team, a successful operation, and ultimately…a great company.”

Appointed President and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada in July 2008, Mr. Cope also led the launch of the Bell Let’s Talk initiative, the largest-ever corporate commitment to Canadian mental health and now one of the country’s most prominent community investment campaigns.

“The Bell team put our name behind the mental health cause because eliminating the stigma is the first step in driving action. Bell Let’s Talk has helped spark a much-needed national conversation, driving awareness and engagement in mental health while also supporting new initiatives in care and access, research and the workplace.”

A graduate of the Ivey School of Business at Western University (HBA ’84), Mr. Cope was named Ivey Business Leader of the Year in 2013 and serves on the school’s advisory board. He has been awarded honourary doctorates by his alma mater and the University of Windsor, was Chair of United Way Toronto’s record-breaking 2013 campaign, received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his work on Bell Let’s Talk, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2014. He serves as a Director for the Bank of Montreal.

Ian Telfer has been a transformative force in the international mining industry for more than 35 years. A chartered accountant by training, the entrepreneur, financier, mine builder, and industry innovator has founded numerous companies with assets throughout the Americas, Asia, and Australia including TVX Gold, NewGold, Silver Wheaton (now Wheaton Precious Metals) and Goldcorp. Mr. Telfer is also credited with inventing the metal streaming business, which is now comprised of several multi billion-dollar companies.

“I like creating companies because they provide opportunities for people. By providing jobs, incomes and career paths, people have a chance to create their own success, to see how far they can go. An organization like Goldcorp creates that opportunity for a large number of people, and that’s what drives me.”

Seventeen years ago, Mr. Telfer founded Goldcorp’s predecessor, Wheaton River Minerals. He has served as Goldcorp’s chief executive officer and later as Chairman, rapidly growing the company from six employees to become one of the world’s premier senior gold producers, which now employs almost 20,000 people.

Mr. Telfer’s personal commitment to giving back is also a deeply embedded core value at Goldcorp, which has donated over $100 million to health, education, and the arts in the communities in which it operates. In 2007 he personally donated $25 million to what is now known as the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. At the time, it was the largest single gift ever given to a Canadian business school.

In 2007 he received the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He served as Chairman of the World Gold Council from 2009 to 2013 and was named one of Canada’s top 25 most powerful business people by Canadian Business Magazine in 2013.

In 2015 he was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame and in 2016 he was honoured as a Laureate of the British Columbia Business Hall of Fame.

Monique F. Leroux has enjoyed a remarkable career in the Canadian business community and the financial sector. Passionate about leadership and strategy, she now devotes her time helping the next generation of CEO’s and business leaders in creating sustainable impact.

An inspiring businesswoman, she forged an exemplary career as Chair of the Board, President and CEO of Desjardins Group from 2008 to 2016. She guided Desjardins Group through the 2008 financial crisis. Under her leadership, Desjardins delivered strong growth and profitability. She also assumed an important role in the cooperative movement around the world.

Ms. Leroux is a corporate director and is a Board member of Michelin, BCE/BELL, and COUCHE-TARD, chairing Michelin’s CSR Committee and BCE/BELL’s Governance Committee.

Ms. Leroux serves as a senior advisor for TENEO in both Canada and Europe. She is also an active Board member and strategic advisor to several private companies, including Lallemand, Lhoist, Sherweb and LG 2. In addition, she is a committed mentor within Chair Mentors International (CMi).

She is a Companion of The Canadian Business Hall of Fame (CBHF) , a member of the Investment Industry (IIAC), and a member of The Canadian Accounting Hall of Fame. She chaired Canada’s Industry Strategy Council and published a major report entitled ‘’Restart, recover, and reimagine prosperity for all Canadians’’.

A music enthusiast from an early age, she is Vice-Chair of the Board of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM)and Chair of the Board of the Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec du Québec. Passionate about education, she is also the Chair of the Board of Sherbrooke University.

Her exceptional contribution in the business world and in the community has been recognized with honorary doctorates and distinctions from 12 Canadian universities. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada, an Officer of the Ordre National du Québec, a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur (France) and a recipient of the Woodrow Wilson Award (USA).

She is also a Director Emeritus of the Rideau Hall Foundation, and a Fellow of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec (FCPA) and the Institute of Corporate Directors in Canada ( FICD ).

Ms. Leroux has published three books to the benefit of the Desjardins Foundation.

Robert J. Deluce believes, “whatever you take on, you need to be pretty passionate about it,” and he certainly inherited his parents’ love, passion, and drive for aviation. He is part of a decades-long Canadian aviation legacy that began when his parents started White River Air Services Limited in 1951. He trained at the Toronto Island Airport, obtaining his commercial pilots license in 1968 at the age 18.

In 2006, Mr. Deluce became the founder, president and CEO of Porter Airlines. With its signature “Flying Refined” branding, he helped to re-define the customer experience of air travel, earning Porter the Condé Nast Traveler Top Small Airline in the World designation in 2013.

He is a member of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, and is recognized as one of Canada’s most knowledgeable and respected airline owners and operators. His involvement in the aviation industry includes leadership positions at White River Air Services, norOntair, Austin Airways, Air Creebec, Air Ontario, Air Manitoba, Air Alliance, and Canada 3000.

Mr. Deluce has been involved over many years with Toronto’s Covenant House, Mount Sinai Hospital, and the Junior Economic Club of Canada.

“On our part, particularly with Porter, we try to support the communities that we’re providing service to. There’s always a multitude of different ways in which you can do that, but generally, we try to pick causes and endeavors that are fairly aligned with our own values, and our brand.”

His leadership has been recognized through a number of awards, including the E&Y Ontario Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, the Canadian Marketing Association Marketer of the Year, and the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (Entrepreneur of the Year). He is also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his significant contribution to Canadians.