DEI Recalibration: Boardroom Strategies for Evolving DE&I Policies
May 8, 2025
Our Fireside Chat Features:
Hilary Foulkes
Board Director, Pine Cliff Energy and Chord Energy
Jackie Sheppard, K.C.
Board Director, Suncor Energy Inc., Arc Resources Ltd. and Emera Inc.
David Smith
Board Director, Advantage Energy Ltd. and Wajax Corp.
Moderated by:
Scott Munn
Partner, Hugessen Consulting
We are thrilled to invite you to join our upcoming Board Ready Women event on May 8th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm (MT). We are hosting this event in person and virtually. In-person registration starts at 4:00 pm, with the panel starting at 4:30 pm, followed by cocktails and networking. Virtual networking rooms will also be available after the panel discussion.
Please note that in-person attendance is limited so we encourage you to register early to secure your spot.
DEI policies face increasing pushback in the US, and boards are reassessing their strategies in response to this evolving landscape. Canadian companies are now reviewing how these shifts south of the border might influence their own policies.
Join us for an insightful discussion on how boards are responding to these changes, balancing diverse viewpoints, and redefining their approach to inclusivity. Our dynamic panel – featuring Jackie Sheppard, Hilary Foulkes and David Smith, moderated by Scott Munn – will share their perspectives on these critical challenges.
Board Ready Women is grateful to Hugessen Consulting for sponsoring this discussion:
BRW Network Members/Associates:
Free
Non-members:
In-person $80/person
Virtual $50/person
(All ticket sales are final and cannot be refunded or exchanged)
To sign-up for Board Ready Women Network membership:
https://boardreadywomen.com/sign-up-for-board-ready-women/
Should you have any questions, please direct them to boardreadywomen@gmail.com.
Board Ready Women is grateful to McCarthy Tétrault for their ongoing support and generosity.
Speakers' Bios:
Hilary Foulkes
Board Director, Chord Energy and Pine Cliff Energy
Hilary began her career over 40 years ago as a geologist, working in northern exploration mining camps then transitioning to the oil and gas sector. She worked on the oil rigs and had technical roles in resource development and corporate planning for many years before moving to financial advisory work. The evolution from technical to strategic and leadership roles led to executive positions in both investment banking and oil and gas operations, including Managing Director at Scotiabank and Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer for Penn West Exploration. She founded the Canadian platform for Tudor Pickering Holt & Co., a U.S. based energy investment bank and remains a senior advisor to the firm.
Hilary served on a number of charitable, public, and private equity boards prior to becoming Board Chair for Enerplus Corporation. Upon the sale of Enerplus in 2024, she was appointed to the acquiror’s board, Houston based Chord Energy. Hilary serves on the board of Pine Cliff Energy and is the Vice-Chair of “Let’s Talk Science,” a national science education foundation.
A Deloitte Women of Influence Speaker and University of Waterloo Distinguished Alumni, Hilary is the recipient of the 2025 APEGA Centennial Leadership Award, and the 2025 Calgary Influential Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a committed mentor and promoter of education and science literacy.
Hilary is a lifetime member of both the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta and the Canadian Energy Geoscientists Association, a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and the U.S. National Association of Corporate Directors.
Jackie Sheppard, K.C.
Board Director, Suncor Energy Inc., Arc Resources Ltd. and Emera Inc.
Ms. Sheppard has over forty years of experience in the energy industry, during which time she has held numerous roles as both as an executive and as a director of public, private and crown corporations.
She is the former Executive Vice President, Corporate and Legal of Talisman Energy Inc. where she was responsible for legal affairs, business development, major projects, corporate communications, investor relations, corporate responsibility and government affairs.
She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Emera Incorporated (Emera) since 2009 and was Chair of the Emera Board from May 2014 to February 2025. She was a member of the Emera Board’s Management Resources and Compensation Committee and its Audit Committee from May 2009 to October 2014. She was also Chair of the two ad hoc committees formed by the Emera Board to oversee certain aspects of the financing related to Emera’s acquisition of TECO Energy in 2016.
In addition to Emera, Ms. Sheppard also sits on the Board of Directors of Suncor Energy Inc., a Canadian integrated energy company, where she is Chair of the Governance Committee and a member of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee. She is also on the Board of Directors of ARC Resources Ltd., a publicly traded Canadian energy company, where she is Chair of the Policy & Board Governance Committee and a member of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee.
Ms. Sheppard was the founder and Lead Director of Black Swan Energy Inc., an Alberta upstream energy company that was sold in July 2021. She is a former Director of Cairn Energy PLC, a publicly traded UK-based international upstream company, and the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (“AIMCo”), an institutional investment manager, as well as a former director of the general partner of Pacific Northwest LNG LP.
She also served as Chair of the Research and Development Corporation of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, a provincial Crown corporation, until June 2014.
Ms. Sheppard is a Rhodes Scholar, having received an Honours Jurisprudence, Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Oxford University. She earned a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from McGill University and a Bachelor of Arts from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from Memorial University in 2019. In 2008, Ms. Sheppard was appointed the King’s Counsel designation and in 2023 became a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors, Canada’s preeminent distinction for directors.
David Smith
Board Director, Advantage Energy Ltd. and Wajax Corp.
David G. Smith served as Chief Executive Officer of Keyera Corp. from 2015 until his retirement in 2020, and was a senior executive with Keyera since the company’s inception in 1998. David has more than 38 years of experience in the energy industry in Canada. He began his career with Imperial Oil Limited in 1982 and joined Gulf Canada Resources Limited in 1991.
David currently serves as a Director of Wajax Corp. and Advantage Energy Ltd. He also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Arts Commons (Calgary’s Performing Arts Centre), as a Director of the United Way of Calgary and Area, and as a member of the Advisory Board of Advancing Women Executives in Calgary. Previously, he served on the Boards of Keyera Corp., Crew Energy Inc. and BluMaple Capital Partners.
David holds a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo, a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University and the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Scott Munn
Partner, Hugessen Consulting
Scott founded the Calgary office of Hugessen. He has been a lead advisor to Compensation Committees across Canada as a Hugessen Partner and as a National Partner at a national human resources and benefits firm.
Scott has advised boards and executive teams for over 25 years. His expertise encompasses executive compensation, performance goal setting, evaluation, and governance, making him a sought-after consultant for a diverse clientele that includes large and mid-sized publicly traded companies, prominent private enterprises, family offices, and public sector organizations.
Scott’s influence extends beyond his consulting work. He is a faculty member for the Institute of Corporate Directors’ Director Education Program and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Calgary Chapter of the ICD. His commitment to corporate governance is further demonstrated by his role as Chair of the Governance Committee for Junior Achievement Canada.
Scott’s mission is to help boards and executive teams navigate the delicate balance between attracting and retaining top talent while ensuring responsible and transparent pay practices. Scott combines business strategy and finance with an understanding of market pay practices and governance to align compensation with measurable results.
In his advisory role, Scott Munn prioritizes collaboration and understanding client needs to develop the business rationale that enhances decision-making. His dedication extends to being accessible to all members of the client team, fostering effective communication and arriving at optimal solutions for organizations.
As a CFA Charterholder, Scott combines his academic achievements with a wealth of practical knowledge. He earned his MBA with distinction from the Schulich School at York University and holds a BA in economics from Western University.
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