National Arts Centre Leadership

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  Chair, Board of Trustees Guy Pratte, C.M.

  

  Chair, Board of Trustees Guy Pratte, C.M.

  Guy Pratte was appointed to the NAC Board of Trustees in January 2023. 

  An award-winning and highly sought-after lawyer, Guy Pratte has experience in complex commercial litigation (including class actions), administrative law and constitutional law cases.

  Guy is one of the most frequent advocates to appear before the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC), pleading in French or English, in cases involving either common law or Québec civil law. He also pleads before the Superior and Appeal Courts of Ontario and Québec, the Federal Court (FC) and Federal Court of Appeal (FCA).

  Guy Pratte was named to the Order of Canada in 2022 in recognition of his contributions as a lawyer, notably to pro bono work, and for his volunteer commitments to the performing arts. He was the National Arts Centre Foundation’s first Chair of the NAC Foundation and a member of the Stratford Festival Board of Governors for several years. He was the first president of Pro Bono Québec and subsequently Chair of Pro Bono Ontario. 

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  Vice Chair Derral Moriyama

  

  Vice Chair Derral Moriyama

  Appointed to the NAC Board of Trustees July 2021, Derral Moriyama, MBA, is President and CEO of Moriyama Consulting Inc.  With over 40 years of experience in the banking industry and private industry, Derral possesses a wealth of knowledge and strong contacts in the business community across Canada. Prior to his retirement in 2017, Mr. Moriyama was with BMO Financial Group for 31 years, where he held a number of senior executive positions in commercial and corporate banking, natural resource account management, risk management and retail banking. In their Toronto headquarters Mr. Moriyama served as Senior Vice President in Business Banking, responsible for national strategy development and sales for the Canadian small business and mid-market areas as well as responsibility for Agriculture and New Canadian Strategy Development for the Canadian market.  After moving to Vancouver in 2003 he became Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking in British Columbia and later Senior Vice President, Business Development for Western Canada.

  Derral has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Toronto and completed executive development programs at the Kellogg School of Business in Chicago as well as the Banff School of Management. His board and volunteer experience includes serving as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel for 39 Signal Regiment, Chair of the Pacific Region for the Canadian Forces Liaison Council, Co-Chair of the JTFP Advisory Committee on Diversity, Knighted by the Sovereign Order of St John, Chair of Northstar Trade Finance, Vancouver Board of Trade (Chair, Economic Development Committee), Vancouver Foundation, Founding Member and Treasurer of the B.C. Football Hall of Fame, Vancouver Aquarium (Past Chair), Board member of Oceanografic Aquarium and Foundation in Valencia Spain, National Nikkei Museum, New Car Dealers Association of B.C., RCMP Diversity Council, Co-Chair of the Arts Club / Bard on the Beach Capital Campaign for the West First Theater project and board member, Bard on the Beach.  Mr. Moriyama also serves in an advisory capacity to numerous companies and charitable organizations not listed above. 

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  Angela Birdsell

  

  Angela Birdsell

  Angela was appointed to the NAC Board of Trustees June 2019.

  Angela is an arts management consultant providing collaborative leadership in initiatives that enhance and enrich communities in Canada and abroad.  For over twenty years she has served in business planning, advocacy and resource development, for municipal, provincial and national agencies and many arts organizations and institutions.

  A seasoned advisor in government arts investment, Angela provides ongoing support to Australia Council for the Arts in the development of a flexible and responsive support framework for Australia’s major performing arts organizations.  Her portfolio has included all of Canada’s professional orchestras and opera companies, organizations in theatre, the visual arts and museums sectors as well as industry associations. Her work with orchestras and opera companies at Canada Council for the Arts and Saskatchewan Arts Board from 1997 – 2007 coincided with a period of robust artistic and organizational development, audience renewal and Canadian creation. 

  Angela is honoured to have leveraged significant investment for renewed cultural policy objectives and capital expansion projects in the cultural sector. As a Board Member and President, she served New Brunswick Youth Orchestra in the implementation of Canada’s first Sistema orchestra program, currently reaching over 1,000 children five days a week in eight municipalities. She has served on the Board of Orchestras Canada and chaired a number of United Way campaigns.  A native of Manitoba and based on Ottawa, Angela holds a Masters in Music from Université Laval and an MBA from University of Ottawa. 

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  Sanjay Shahani

  

  Sanjay Shahani Edmonton, Alberta

  Sanjay Shahani was appointed to the NAC Board of Trustees in October 2018.

  Sanjay Shahani has worked in the arts for more than 25 years. He has produced documentaries such as Don't Pity Me, Jaromír Skrivánek, and the series Different, Yet the Same: A Look at Canadian Cultures Today. As a theatre professional he is especially pleased to have contributed to Twisted Metal and Mermaids Tears, a community-engaged, professional theatre work that represented the plurality of South Riverdale in Toronto. As a volunteer, Sanjay has contributed to the growth and development of arts organizations. He is proud of his stint as founding Chair of the Prismatic Arts Festival in Halifax.  

  Most recently, Sanjay was the Strategy Lead for Arts and Culture at the Ontario Trillium Foundation, designing the Foundation’s arts and culture investment strategy. Before being appointed to lead the Foundation’s strategy, he oversaw province-wide granting to the sector. Prior to joining the Foundation, Sanjay was a Theatre Officer at the Canada Council for the Arts and Community and Multidisciplinary Arts Officer at the Ontario Arts Council.

  He is currently the Executive Director of the Edmonton Arts Council (EAC). Just over 17 months ago, Edmonton City Council directed the EAC to develop the next cultural plan for City. Sanjay in partnership with the Edmonton Heritage Council and Arts Habitat Edmonton, oversaw the building of Connections & Exchanges: A 10-Year Plan To Transform Arts and Heritage In Edmonton. Connections & Exchanges was approved by Edmonton City Council in October 2018.

  Sanjay grew up in Bombay, India and has studied and worked in the Czech Republic, the United States of America and Canada.

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  Yazmine Laroche

  

  Yazmine Laroche

  Yazmine Laroche was appointed to the NAC Board of Trustees in February 2023.

  Yazmine Laroche, ICD.D, was the first person with a visible disability to become a federal Deputy Minister in Canada and was Canada’s first Deputy Minister for Public Service Accessibility.  She is currently the Chair of the Disability Screen Office, and a member and past Chair of the Board of Muscular Dystrophy Canada. 

  Yazmine has had an eclectic career. From on-air host of community radio and tv and enthusiastic lead singer in local bands to drafting broadcasting legislation; from organizing Canada's first conference on the Arts and Broadcasting to securing funding to help launch the NAC's "Scene" series; from designing an award-winning talent management program for senior leaders to creating a multi-billion dollar infrastructure program for municipalities.  She has built a reputation as an innovative leader with the ability to mobilize people to achieve results.

  Yazmine is a compelling communicator, public speaker and idea-generator. Recognized as a Champion for inclusion, collaboration, and diversity, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Carleton University, in 2019, and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

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  Sherry Porter, C.M.

  

  Sherry Porter, C.M.

  Sherry was appointed to the NAC Board of Trustees November 2023 for a four-year term.

  Sherry has extensive board experience with public company boards, not-for-profits, crown corporations and independent boards. She is currently a board member of Organigram Inc. and the Halifax International Airport Authority.  In her not-for-profit work, she is currently a board member of the QEII Health Sciences Centre Foundation, where she also chairs the $100 million capital campaign, WE ARE. She has also been an active member of the Symphony Nova Scotia Foundation since 2014.

  She chaired the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation board for eight years and was an independent member of the Pharmasave Atlantic board for seven years. Sherry was a Governor of Dalhousie University for ten years, serving as vice chair on three occasions and as chair of the human resources, governance and nominating committee for six years.  

  Sherry has had leadership roles for many not-for-profit organizations: including being Chair of the Boards of the Pier 21 Society and the QEII Foundation and board roles at Symphony Nova Scotia, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the United Way, Runnymede Hospital and the Working Miracles campaign.

  Sherry's work experience involved senior corporate roles with Sobeys Inc, Nova Scotia Power, Shoppers Drug Mart and The Caldwell Partners. She also has CEO experience with trade associations in the grocery and retail drug area.

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  Mayor of Gatineau France Bélisle

  

  Mayor of Gatineau France Bélisle

  France Bélisle was born and raised in Gatineau (Hull sector). As the first woman mayor of Gatineau, she marked the return of an independent mayor’s office to Quebec’s fourth largest city.

  A woman of action and conviction focused on results, she also brings her determination, enthusiasm and love of people to the residents of Gatineau.

  A journalist by training, Mayor Bélisle spent 18 years at Radio-Canada, where she held various positions including director of public relations and public engagement in the office of the president of CBC/Radio-Canada. From 2015 to 2021, she was the general manager of Outaouais Tourism. Her mandate as head of the tourism association, which has more than 500 member organizations, was to raise the profile of the region in order to attract more tourists from across Canada and beyond.

  France Bélisle holds a BA in journalism from the University of Ottawa and an MA in Journalism Studies from Carleton University. Throughout her career, she has taken numerous courses in human and financial resources management, governance and planning.

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  Mayor of Ottawa Mark Sutcliffe

  

  Mayor of Ottawa Mark Sutcliffe

  Mark Sutcliffe was born at the Riverside Hospital to parents John and Florence, who were both immigrants to Canada. Mark has lived his whole life in Ottawa. He was elected Mayor of Ottawa on October 24, 2022.

  Prior to entering municipal politics, Mark was an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, volunteer, and community activist.

  For over 30 years, Mark covered politics and current events as a broadcaster for CFRA, CityNews, Rogers TV, and CPAC, and as executive editor and columnist for the Ottawa Citizen.

  Mark started his first business when he was 19 years old. He co-founded the Ottawa Business Journal in 1995 and founded and led several other small and medium-sized businesses. He has been a coach, mentor, and adviser to more than one hundred CEOs, entrepreneurs, small-business owners, and not-for-profit leaders.

  Mark has been a passionate volunteer and fundraiser. He served as chair of the board of United Way Ottawa, the Ottawa Board of Trade, OrKidstra, the Great Canadian Theatre Company, Ottawa Community Housing Foundation, and Run Ottawa. He also served as board member for Algonquin College, Invest Ottawa, Kind Ottawa, the Ottawa International Writers Festival, and the Royal Ottawa Hospital Foundation. His contribution to the city was recognized in 2016 when he was inducted into the Order of Ottawa and named the United Way’s Ambassador of the Year. In 2018, Mark delivered a highly regarded TEDx Talk about the role of luck in his life.

  Mark is an avid marathon runner who has raised more than $250,000 for Ottawa charities with his fundraising runs. He is the author of four books, including Long Road to Boston, which chronicled his quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which he completed in 2015 and 2018. Mark and his wife Ginny have three children.

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Artistic and creative leadership

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  Music Director, NAC Orchestra Alexander Shelley

  

  Music Director, NAC Orchestra Alexander Shelley

  Alexander Shelley succeeded Pinchas Zukerman as Music Director of Canada’s NAC Orchestra in September 2015. The ensemble has since been praised as being “transformed... hungry, bold, and unleashed” (Ottawa Citizen) and Shelley’s programming credited for turning the orchestra into “one of the more audacious in North America” (Maclean’s). 

  Shelley is a champion of Canadian creation; recent hallmarks include the multimedia projects Life Reflected and UNDISRUPTED,and three major new ballets in partnership with NAC Dance for Encount3rs. He is passionate about arts education and nurturing the next generation of musicians. He is an Ambassador for Ottawa’s OrKidstra, a charitable social development program that teaches children life skills through making music together. 

  Alexander Shelley is also the Principal Associate Conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and, starting with the 2024–2025 season, Artistic and Music Director of Artis-Naples and the Naples Philharmonic in Florida, USA. In the spring of 2019, he led the NAC Orchestra on its critically acclaimed 50th Anniversary European tour, and in 2017, he led the Orchestra in a tour across Canada, celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary. Most recently, he led the Orchestra in its first performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 30 years.

  He has made seven recordings with the NAC Orchestra, including the JUNO-nominated New Worlds, Life Reflected, ENCOUNT3RS, The Bounds of Our Dreams, and the acclaimed Clara, Robert, Johannes four-album series, all with Canadian label Analekta. 

    The Music Director role is supported by Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LL.D. (hc) 

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  Executive Producer, NAC Dance Caroline Ohrt

  

  Executive Producer, NAC Dance Caroline Ohrt

  Caroline Ohrt has held a variety of positions in various cultural organizations, acquiring a solid knowledge of the arts ecosystem, management and governance. She has built strong local, national and international professional network which allowed her to present the highest calibre artists from all over the world at the Place des Arts, Danse Danse’s home. While there, she developed many partnerships. She cultivated opportunities for artists and audiences to meet on multiple platforms, whether at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, at the Arsenal art contemporain or virtually. She actively contributed to the growth of the organization and took to heart the support and development of artists, which remains a cornerstone of her work.

  She has also held multiple positions in the world of contemporary arts, including with other dance organizations such as Compagnie Marie Chouinard and, more recently, at the Domaine Forget in Saint-Irénée. With a background in art history, Caroline has advised visual arts collectors and carried out assignments at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. She is recognized widely as a person in constant dialogue with the forces that shape contemporary creation.

  Recognized for her innovative strategic vision, she is actively involved in the community through her participation on prominent boards and juries. She is vice-president of the Conseil des arts de Montréal and a board member of the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal. Her advice is highly valued for her keen understanding of the cultural milieu and artistic realities.

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  Artistic Director, English Theatre Nina Lee Aquino

  

  Artistic Director, English Theatre Nina Lee Aquino

  Nina Lee Aquino is an award-winning Filipino-Canadian director and dramaturg who has tirelessly advocated for the representation and flourishing of IBPoC voices in Canadian theatre. She was the Founding Artistic Director of fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company and former Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre. She has directed world premieres and revivals at theatres across the country and has won a multitude of awards including the Ken McDougall Award, the Canada Council for the Arts John Hirsch Prize, the Margo Bindhart and Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award, as well as a Toronto Theatre Critics Award and Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Direction for School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Obsidian Theatre), in addition to two Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Sultans of the Street (Young People’s Theatre) and paper SERIES (Cahoots Theatre). During her tenure, Factory cemented its reputation as a national leader for the development of new work and emerged as a leading training ground for the next generation of diverse Canadian theatre creators.

  In addition to serving as the Founding Artistic Director of fu-GEN Asian Canadian theatre company, Nina Lee Aquino is credited with a string of firsts in Asian Canadian theatre: she organized the first Asian Canadian theatre conference; she edited the first (two-volume) Asian Canadian play anthology, and she co-edited the first (award-winning) book on Asian Canadian theatre.

  Nina Lee Aquino is currently President of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres.

  Over 10 seasons at Factory Theatre, Nina programmed world premiere and Toronto premiere productions from playwrights such as David Yee, Anusree Roy, Marjorie Chan, Yvette Nolan, Kat Sandler, and Jeff Ho, among others; programmed bold and imaginative re-interpretations of classic Canadian plays from Judith Thompson, Colleen Wagner, David French, Linda Griffiths, Daniel MacIvor, Anosh Irani, and Claudia Dey. She fostered relationships with some of the best theatre companies from across the country and brought their productions to Factory Theatre.

  Following the March 2020 pandemic shutdown, Nina fully embraced the new digital theatre medium, commissioning and directing new digital and audio theatrical works at Factory and with post-secondary institutions and festivals. Notable digital works include House: The Isolation Version by Daniel MacIvor (Factory Theatre), acts of faith by David Yee (Factory Theatre), Defined by Bone by Mayumi Lashbrook (CanAsian Dance), rabbit hole by David Yee (Ryerson University), and You Can’t Get There From Here, an audio drama series (Factory Theatre).

  Nina Lee Aquino co-wrote Miss Orient(ed) and her monologues have been published in Beyond the Pale (edited by Yvette Nolan) and She Speaks (edited by Judith Thompson).

  Nina has taught and directed at educational institutions such as Humber College, University of Guelph, University of Toronto Mississauga-Sheridan College, Ryerson University, York University, and the National Theatre School. She is an honorary member of the Canadian Association for Theatre Research and was recently appointed Adjunct Professor at York University’s Department of Theatre. Her leadership has extended into mentoring theatre students and emerging artists. She was also the 2019 winner of the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Margo Bindhart.

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  Artistic Director, French Theatre Mani Soleymanlou

  

  Artistic Director, French Theatre Mani Soleymanlou

  A 2008 graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Mani Soleymanlou has lived in Tehran, Paris, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, and has worked with such acclaimed directors as Alice Ronfard (Les pieds des anges), Brigitte Haentjens (L’opéra de quat’sous), Claude Poissant (Rouge gueule, The Dragonfly of Chicoutimi), Serge Denoncourt (Projet Andromaque, Les trois mousquetaires), Olivier Kemeid (Furieux et désespérés), Denis Bernard (Ce moment-là) and Eric Jean (Variations sur un temps).

  He is best known as the founding artistic director (2011) of the Montreal-based theatre company Orange Noyée. His distinctive artistic practice investigates notions of community identity (Un/One, Deux/Two, Trois/Three) and social relationships (Ils étaient quatre, Cinq à sept, 8). He pursued this approach more recently in Neuf [working title] and Zéro presented in fall 2019 in Montreal and Ottawa, and also in various artistic collaborations over the years: Lapin blanc, Lapin rouge, Les Lettres arabes II, and À te regarder, ils s’habitueront. Mani Soleymanlou was part of the impressive team behind Gabriel Dumont’s Wild West Show (premiered at the NAC in October 2017), as director and co-artistic director.

  Mani Soleymanlou assumed the position of Artistic Director of NAC French Theatre on September 1, 2021.

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  Executive Producer, Popular Music and Variety Heather Gibson

  

  Executive Producer, Popular Music and Variety Heather Gibson

  Heather Gibson is responsible for all non-orchestral music curation, and summer and community programming at the National Arts Centre (NAC). Heather and her team work with artists from all backgrounds -- from the most exciting new artists to the all-time greats -- to bring the best of the world to the NAC's stages, and the best of Canada to the world. Since joining the NAC team in 2016, Heather has been connecting and elevating artists via innovative and inclusive programs around the globe, including: EXPO 2020 in Dubai, which showcased the breadth and diversity of Canada’s performing arts community and brought 130 artists to the UAE over six months; COP15, the United Nations' biodiversity conference in Montreal; and the Global Network for Women Music Producers, an initiative to support women and non-binary music producers that so far totals 35 members in six countries, offering an international network for producers and a resource for artists and record labels. Heather’s commitment to the constantly evolving landscape of the arts continues by working to develop emerging performers, and deliver an equitable representation on our stages for women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ2S+ artists. In a direct and immediate response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in March 2020 Heather created the emergency artist relief fund #CanadaPerforms, which provided a season's worth of funding to nearly 700 performing artists and authors, non-profit festivals, and organizations. In the pandemic's first six months, #CanadaPerforms distributed almost a million dollars to arts workers across the country. Originally from Manitoba, Heather built her career in the performing arts in Halifax, where she was a successful artist manager, co-owner of Halifax's iconic queer listening room The Company House, and producer of multiple festivals and special events, including the Halifax Jazz Festival and In the Dead of Winter Music Festival.

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  Artistic Director, Indigenous Theatre Kevin Loring

  

  Artistic Director, Indigenous Theatre Kevin Loring

  Kevin Loring is an accomplished Canadian playwright, actor and director and was the winner of the Governor General’s Award for English Language Drama for his outstanding play, Where the Blood Mixes in 2009. The play explores the intergenerational effects of the residential school system. It toured nationally and was presented at the National Arts Centre in 2010, when Loring was serving as the NAC’s Playwright in Residence.

  A Nlaka’pamux from the Lytton First Nation in British Columbia, Loring created the Songs of the Land project in 2012 in partnership with five separate organizations in his home community. The project explores 100-year-old audio recordings of songs and stories of the N’lakap’amux People. Loring has written two new plays based on his work with the community including Battle of the Birds, about domestic violence and power abuse, and The Boy Who Was Abandoned, about youth and elder neglect.

  A versatile artist and leader Loring has served as the co-curator of the Talking Stick Festival, as Artist in Residence at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre, as Artistic Director of the Savage Society in Vancouver, as a Documentary Producer of Canyon War: The Untold Story, and as the Project Leader/Creator, and Director of the Songs of the Land project in his home community of Lytton First Nation.

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  Executive Chef Kenton Leier

  

  Executive Chef Kenton Leier

  Executive Chef Kenton Leier brings enthusiasm, passion, and creativity to the kitchens at Canada’s National Arts Centre.

  He is a second-generation chef, born and raised in Saskatoon, in the heart of the prairies. His culinary philosophy relies on the use of sustainable and locally-sourced ingredients of the highest quality, and letting their inherent qualities stand out in his dishes.

  Chef Leier led teams in Ottawa’s finest hotel kitchens before moving to the NAC in 2017. He has cooked for celebrities, politicians and dignitaries, won numerous medals nationally and internationally, and taught young cooks at Ottawa’s Algonquin College.

  He is committed promoting growth and excellence in his team at the NAC and leads them in their mission to represent the best in Canadian cuisine.

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