Governance

Shanni Eckford is President and CEO of a privately held international real estate investment company. She has extensive experience in capital planning, capital improvement execution, operational budgeting, team management, and creating reporting systems that maximize operational efficiency. Shanni completed her BA and Urban Land Economics at UBC and her MBA in business strategy at the Sauder School of Business. During her tenure on the Society Board since 2018, Shanni was Vice Chair for four years and has been Chair of the Advancement Committee, Chair of the Properties and Facilities Committee, a member of the New Buildings Task Force, and an ex-officio member of the Foundation Board for six years. Shanni began her tenure as Chair of the Society Board of Directors in 2023. She and her husband Michael have two sons currently attending St. George’s (’25, ’27). Her sons are the third generation of her family to attend Saints, joining their father, uncle, grandfather, and great-uncle as alumni. Shanni graduated from Crofton House, so has a longstanding connection and understanding of Independent Schooling.

Allan is a lawyer with a focus on business law and serves as the Chief Legal Officer of Corix, a leading district energy business with operations across North America. Allan has a BComm and JD from Queen’s University.

Allan entered St. George’s School in Grade 4 and fondly remembers his entrance interview with Steve Hutchison, who was the Principal of the Junior School at that time. During his school years, Allan primarily focused his efforts on academics and rugby. Allan is tremendously grateful for his time at St. George’s School, and for being part of the St. George’s community.

Allan enjoys spending his spare time with his wife Julia, daughter Becky, and dog Bernie. They also have a cat.

Nigel Kirkwood '83 is the CFO of Plenary Americas, a long-term investor, developer, and manager of public infrastructure in North America. He is responsible for the oversight of the Group Finance, Risk, and IT functions and works closely with the CEO on corporate initiatives and other operational matters. Prior to joining Plenary Americas in 2017, Nigel was the CFO for a portfolio of small-cap, publicly-listed companies. Before relocating to Vancouver in 2009, Nigel spent 16 years in London, where he was a Director in Mergers & Acquisitions at Citigroup. Nigel obtained his Chartered Accountant designation working with Ernst & Young in Toronto and has an M.A. in Economics from Queen’s University. Nigel is a proud member of our St. George's Association, as is his son, Thomas '19.

Karen Kwan is Aritzia’s Chief People and Culture Officer, overseeing all aspects of the People & Culture Department. Prior to joining Aritzia in 2017, Karen began her HR career in banking and Lululemon Athletica, where she held key global HR leadership roles. She is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University, majoring in English Literature and minoring in Sociology. Karen was born and raised in Vancouver, BC, and has two children, one of whom attends St. George's School and will graduate in 2033.

Mark Lewis '89 is a partner at the law firm Bennett Jones LLP, where he is Co-Head of the firm's National Real Estate Group. He has served on the Foundation's Board since 2017 and became Chair in 2023, at which time he joined the Society Board. He has been a member of the Foundation Board’s Audit & Risk Management, Properties & Facilities and Nominations & Governance Committees. Mark is a current Director of the Urban Development Institute a member of the Campaign Cabinet of the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, and a former President and Director of both BC Rugby and the Vancouver Rowing Club. Mark's son Carter graduated from Saints in 2020.

Chris is a seasoned finance executive and has held several leadership positions at organizations in the consumer and hospitality space. Today, Chris is Chief Financial Officer at Arc’teryx, a global leader in the design of high-performance outdoor gear where he leads the Finance organization in charge of the Accounting, FP&A, Asset Protection, Procurement, and Legal functions.

Chris was previously the Chief Financial Officer of Bailey Nelson, a multi-national direct-to-consumer eye care brand, which he helped scale to over 90 stores.

Prior to that, Chris spent nine years at Lululemon, holding a variety of leadership positions, including International CFO, where he led Lululemon’s Asia Pacific and EMEA financial operations and SVP Finance, where he led the financial planning, investor relations and indirect procurement functions. Chris has also held senior finance roles at Intrawest, the former owner of Whistler Blackcomb, which he helped take private in 2006.

A born and raised Vancouverite, Chris obtained his Bachelor of Commerce from UBC Sauder School of Business and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. Chris enjoys playing ice hockey and getting into nature with his family. His son, Cory, attends St. George's School and is in Grade 6.

David has over 35 years of experience working in various industries in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Strategically oriented with a strong operational focus, he has experience in real estate, professional services, telecommunications, and other sectors. David has a strong client service focus and is passionate about people and organizational sustainability.

Along with his wife, Natalia, they have two boys at St. George’s School, Nicholas in Grade 11 and Christopher in Grade 8. They also have an older daughter who graduated from Crofton in 2024 and is currently at the University of Notre Dame.

Hao Min has been serving as a Board Member since 2023. Having graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Engineering (2009) and an MBA (2013), Hao currently leads a team of passionate real estate development professionals at Bold Properties, focused on providing housing solutions in Greater Vancouver. Together with his wife Sabrina, they have a son, Mario ‘32, who attends St. George's School, and a daughter named Mira, who attends York House School.

Peter Wilken has been closely involved with St. George’s School as a parent to Paolo ‘13 and Jack ‘21, husband to Regina, who sat on the SGPA Board and was co-convenor of the Saints Fair two years running, and as a Strategic Advisor to the school Leadership Team for 16 years. He is an ex-Adman, and Canada is the 11th country he has lived and worked in. He is a Brand Management Consultant, author, speaker, and brand-building coach. Peter was privileged to serve on the board of CAIS (Canadian Accredited Independent Schools) from 2019 to 2024.