Three new members have been appointed to McGill’s Board of Governors. Gerald Butts, Peter Coughlin and Samuel Minzberg were named members-at-large of the 25-member board effective Jan. 1.
“Our three new members bring with them a range of expertise that will be of considerable value to the Board in overseeing the affairs of the University,” said Board Chair, Stuart H. (Kip) Cobbett.
Gerald Butts is President and CEO of the national charity WWF-Canada, one of the country’s largest conservation organizations. Prior to joining WWF, he was Principal Secretary to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, where he worked directly with the premier, cabinet and public service to develop, implement and communicate the government’s agenda. Butts is a director of the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs. He holds an Honours BA and MA from McGill and has taught Literature, Communications and Political Science at McGill and York universities.
Peter Coughlin is the co-founder of Redbourne Properties Inc., a Montreal-based real estate and investment company formed in 1995. Prior to forming Redbourne, Coughlin was President of Claridge Properties Inc., the real estate holding company for the Charles R. Bronfman family. He holds a BComm from Carleton University and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. Coughlin is the former Chair of the Board of Lower Canada College and is currently Chair of the Montreal General Hospital Foundation.
Samuel Minzberg, a McGill graduate, is a partner with Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, and a member of that law firm’s Management Committee. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of HSBC Bank Canada, a Director of HSBC North America Holdings Inc. and of HSBC Finance Corporation. He is also a Director of Reitmans (Canada) Limited, Quebecor Media Inc. and Richmont Mines Inc. Minzberg is a Director and past President of the Sir Mortimer B. Davis – Jewish General Hospital Centre Board, and a past Chairman of the Jewish General Hospital Foundation. He has served as a sessional lecturer in taxation at McGill.
The Board of Governors is the University’s highest governing body. It is composed of 25 voting members, including members at large, student, staff and faculty representatives, and two observers. It generally meets six times per year.