2022 RECOMMENDED CANDIDATE BROCHURE - Meridian ...

2022
RECOMMENDED
CANDIDATE
BROCHURE

Table of Contents

NOMINATION PROCESS                                             03

RECOMMENDED CANDIDATES
Stacey Grant-Thompson                                          04
Lianne Hannaway                                                05
Gail Harding                                                   06
Tamara Paton                                                   07

2022 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING                                    08

The content of the Candidate Statements, as included herein,
is printed as received from the Candidates.

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Meridian’s Nomination Process

Each year, the Board of Directors appoints              The Nominating Committee is assisted by an external
a Nominating Committee who is responsible               advisor who conducts preliminary interviews of
for ensuring the integrity and quality of the           selected Qualified Candidates on behalf of the
Director nomination and election process. The           Committee. The Nominating Committee then selects
Committee is also responsible for recommending          a short list of Qualified Candidates for interviews
to the Membership those candidates who are best         with the Committee.
qualified to serve Meridian as a Director in order to
have a high performing Board.                           Upon completion of its interviews, the Nominating
                                                        Committee determines the best-Qualified
Meridian’s Board consists of 12 Directors elected for   Candidates to fill the available positions on the
three-year terms. Generally, every year, the term       Board, and then places its recommendations behind
of four Directors expires and Meridian holds Board      those identified Candidates equal to the number of
elections to fill these vacancies and other vacancies   vacancies. This step is designed to ensure Meridian’s
that may have occurred.                                 Membership can be satisfied that the recommended
                                                        Candidates are, in the view of the Committee,
Candidates must be a Member of Meridian by the          the best qualified individuals to serve Meridian’s
last day of the Nomination period and hold the          Members.
required Membership share. Candidates must meet
the eligibility requirements outlined in Meridian’s     Any Candidate not being recommended may
By-Law #1, and not be disqualified from being           request that its name appear on the ballot to
a Director of a Credit Union under applicable           participate in an election. The Candidates not being
legislation.                                            recommended did not place their names forward
                                                        for an election, resulting in this year’s election being
The process is highly competitive. All applications     decided by acclamation. The four Recommended
are evaluated, however only Qualified Candidates        Candidates are therefore acclaimed as directors
are considered beyond the application part of the       and will begin their three-year terms following
process. In order to be a Qualified Candidate, an       Meridian’s 2022 AGM on April 21, 2022.
individual must meet the Director Selection Criteria
and have one or more of the skills and expertise that
best complement the current Board.

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Recommended Candidates

Stacey Grant-Thompson
I am honoured and excited to be recommended to serve as a member of the Board of Directors at Meridian
Credit Union. I’m attracted to MCU for several reasons; the focus on digital transformation and the growth
ambition are both closely aligned with my professional experience and interest. The most important
attraction is Meridian’s purpose – helping you achieve your best life. For me, financial literacy is an essential
skill and key enabler for people to live better. The potential for Meridian to fully deliver financial wellness to
members through education, product features and member benefits could be a powerful differentiator and
create significant positive impact in the community.

I am a marketing and customer experience expert and have led the marketing function in multiple financial
services organizations, most recently as Chief Marketing Officer at Manulife Canada. I have experience
successfully building, scaling, and re-positioning brands at ING Direct, Rogers, Fido, Chatr and at Manulife.
I integrate a strong understanding of business model levers with customer insights to build winning value
propositions. I have extensive expertise in digital and direct marketing related to the optimization of end-to­
end marketing programs. I’ve also led multiple digital transformation initiatives related to marketing, sales,
service, and operations.

I have executive experience in a variety of roles in banking, insurance and telecom including as a strategy
function lead as SVP Strategy at Manulife Canada and as a General Manager with P&L responsibility at
both Manulife and Rogers. This range of executive roles and experience across industries has given me a
multi-faceted perspective that pragmatically integrates strategic opportunity with operational execution and
performance targets.

I believe that education is a critical enabler for empowerment, employment, and advancement opportunities.
Literacy is a foundational requirement for education. This interest led me to join the Board of ABC Life
Literacy. At ABC, I chaired the Marketing & Communications Committee and the Governance and Nominating
Committee. Currently, I’m on the Innovation & Impact Committee of Pathways to Education which is helping
guide the digital transformation of the organization as it seeks to scale the number of high school students it
supports to graduate from high school. Mentorship is also a critical component in personal development. I
am a Mentor for early-stage companies in Rotman’s Creative Destruction Labs Artificial Intelligence stream
and I continue to mentor several former teammates.

I look forward to leveraging my interests and experience to actively contribute to the success of MCU through
my Director position.

                                                                                                                     4

Recommended Candidates

Lianne Hannaway
I am honoured and excited to be recommended to serve as a member of the Board of Directors at Meridian
Credit Union. I have a long-standing commitment to purpose-driven organizations, having contributed as
a director to member-driven and not-for-profit organizations for the past fifteen years. I strongly believe in
innovative, adaptive and collaborative cultures being better positioned to weather challenges and therefore
better serve its members and communities.

I bring a solid financial service and business transformation background, highlighted by senior leadership
positions at TMX Group as Managing Director, Business Finance & Controller and at KPMG LLP as Partner
in the Toronto Accounting Advisory Practice. My varied experience provides me with a unique perspective
grounded in strategic financial management and cross-functional collaboration. With my Chartered
Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) designation, I balance a drive for growth with fiduciary responsibility and
integrity.

I am presently the Treasurer and Board Member of The Equality Fund, a groundbreaking partnership
combining feminist philanthropy, grant-making and investing that supports women’s rights organizations
and movements globally with a backing of $300 million from the Canadian government. Also, as Chair of
the Finance & Audit Committee, I counterbalance our global impact agenda with international regulatory
requirements of a growing and status quo challenging organization.

I am also a Board Member of Kids Help Phone, Canada’s only 24/7 national support service providing
professional online and telephone counselling and volunteer-led, text-based support to youth across Canada.
In addition, I serve on the Audit & Risk Committee, the Black Advisory Council and the Brand Task Force. My
past board experience includes Humber College, where I was also a member of the Audit & Risk Committee
and the Academic & Student Affairs Committee.

I am passionate about financial empowerment for all Canadians, especially for its underserved and
underestimated populations. I am currently the Founder of Wealthnuvo, a financial platform designed to help
women entrepreneurs and investors understand their finances and build wealth. I am also actively pursuing
my Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation.

I am looking forward to actively contributing to the success of Meridian Credit Union.

                                                                                                                 5

Recommended Candidates

Gail Harding
I am excited and honoured to be recommended to serve on the board of Meridian Credit Union. I bring over
30 years’ experience as a financial services executive and corporate lawyer at a regional financial institution
where I was responsible for the legal, governance, regulatory compliance and ethics functions. During this
time I also sat on the boards of its subsidiaries which offered equipment financing, wealth management,
insurance and trust services.

First elected to the Meridian Board in 2019, I am currently the Chair of the Risk Committee and have also
served on the Governance Committee and the Audit and Finance Committee. I believe that my knowledge
and experience will assist Meridian as it continues to deliver on its strategic priorities in an increasingly
complex regulatory environment. I am excited to have the opportunity to serve on the Board of a member
focused organization and be part of Meridian’s sustainable growth journey. I am interested in leveraging new
technologies to provide an exceptional member experience.

I have extensive board experience in numerous not-for-profit, crown corporation, professional association
and corporate boards. I have also served on university advisory councils as well as the C.D. Howe Institute
Financial Services Research Council. I am an active volunteer in the community and in my profession. I am
passionate about diversity and inclusion and have served as a mentor and on the advisory board of a number
of initiatives aimed to increase the number of women in senior positions. In recognition of my contributions
I have received a Women in Law Leadership award, a Canadian General Counsel award and the Queen’s
Counsel designation.

I hold a Bachelor of Education (Honours) and a Bachelor of Law degree as well as the ICD.D designation from
the Institute of Corporate Directors. I am a strong believer in life long learning and have taken numerous
courses and webinars related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters as well as technology.
In 2021 I obtained my FSA designation from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and I am currently
pursuing my Masters in Law at York University.

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Recommended Candidates

Tamara Paton
Thank you for the opportunity to serve Meridian members as a member of your board of directors for the
past nine years. As a Niagara resident, I see firsthand the difference Meridian makes in members’ lives and
communities. It would be a pleasure to continue this work and contribute to the future Meridian is creating
through our new strategic plan.

In my professional life, I am an independent strategy consultant helping executives and boards lead,
communicate and collaborate effectively. Today, my clients include innovators bringing new technology to
education and healthcare sectors. I also serve on the board of directors of a fintech company that helps
consumers optimize cash flow and repay debt faster.

Within my community, I volunteer as an advisor to non-profit boards and management teams. I also serve
on the board of a family foundation committed to the health, education, and social wellbeing of Niagara
residents. In my leisure time, I enjoy exploring local green spaces while hiking and training for triathlons with
my husband and teenage children.

I began my career in structured finance with a Canadian bank and in management consulting with a global
advisory firm. A lifelong learner, I hold a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and an
MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. I have also earned the Chartered Financial
Analyst, Chartered Director, and Professional Certified Coach designations.

Whether describing a new business relationship or the sponsorship of the 2022 Canada Games, I am fond of
saying “only Meridian can do this.” I remain grateful to you for the opportunity to support this work and learn
from Meridian’s board and leadership team.

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Join us at the 2022 Annual General Meeting

Date: Thursday, April 21, 2022
Location: MERIDIAN ARTS CENTRE (Lyric Theatre)
5040 Yonge Street, North York, Ontario
Registration & Refreshments: 5:15 PM
Meeting Commencement: 6:00 PM

Meridian     encourages       the   use   of   public
transportation. The MERIDIAN ARTS CENTRE
is near the Yonge Line: Sheppard-Yonge & North York
Centre stations, as well as the Sheppard Line.

Parking is also available at:
       5000 Yonge St – Underground lot with direct
 P1 connection to MERIDIAN ARTS CENTRE;
       wheelchair accessible with elevators

 P2    95 Beecroft Rd – 24-hour indoor lot
       with staffed booth until 10:00 PM

 P3    180 Beecroft Rd – 24-hour outdoor lot
       with automated payment

 P4    North York City Centre – Open 24 hours
       with automated payment

Webcast Details
If you are unable to attend in person, you can
participate by live webcast. Members are asked to
send a request by email to AGM@MeridianCU.ca.

Teleconference
Members who wish to use teleconference are asked
to call 1-866-592-2226 for further instructions.

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