Board of Directors

Claudio Grossi – Chair
Toronto, Ontario

Mr. Grossi is a Chartered Accountant and has an MBA in International Business and Finance. He has over 30 years’ experience in the finance area ranging from public accounting to financial control, reporting and management in the biotech, manufacturing, and transportation industries in Canada, the US and Europe.  Mr. Grossi is CFO of Novera Capital Inc. a Fintech company that provides investment solutions through innovative fund structures.  From 2002 to 2018 he was the Managing Director of Finance for the 407ETR Highway and drove significant systems and operational changes with the Company. From 1996 to 2001 he was the Corporate Controller of a US publicly traded international Biotech Company in Atlanta, Georgia and previously was the Managing Director of their Italian and Spanish Operations from 1992 to 1996. From 1987 to 1991 Mr. Grossi worked for Deloitte in their audit and financial services areas in Canada and later in Italy.

James Hanson – Vice Chair
Victoria, British Columbia
Vice President, Operations and Support Services, Island Health

As Vice President – Operations and Support at Island Health, James provides strategic and operational leadership in the areas of Facilities Maintenance, Design and Construction, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Management, Protection Services, Housekeeping, Food Services, Laundry, Logistics, Patient Flow, and Health Emergency Management. In this role James leads a diverse and integrated team focused on enhancing Island Health’s physical infrastructure, processes and support services to improve our patients’ experience and ensure system sustainability.

James joined Lymphoma Canada after losing his father to non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2016.

Sharlene Smith – Past Chair
Victoria, British Columbia
Owner/Operator, CommPlan Canada

Sharlene is the owner/operator of CommPlan Canada, a BC-based communication management consulting firm she established in 1997 after a 20-year career in communications, public relations and management in senior positions largely in the public sector in BC and Saskatchewan.  

Sharlene is a founding member of both the University of Victoria and Royal Roads University’s public relations programs, where she has taught hundreds of public relations practitioners from across Canada. She is a life member of the Canadian Public Relations Society, was inducted into its College of Fellows in 2003, and is a recipient of the Society’s Lamp of Service – Canada’s most coveted public relations honor for an individual member.

Sharlene has held governance positions with national, provincial and local organizations. She has been on the boards of nine public and voluntary sector organizations, serving as the lead director (Chair or President) on four of them. 

She comes to Lymphoma Canada as a result of her husband of 35 years being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2013.

Dr. Nathalie Johnson – Director
Montreal, QC
Division of medicine, hematology and oncology, Jewish General Hospital

Dr. Nathalie Johnson is a hematologist who treats patients with lymphoma and CLL with a special interest in lymphomas that occur in the adolescent and young adult population.  She completed her clinical training in hematology and oncology at McGill and her PhD in Pathology at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in 2010. Since then, she has been performing translational and clinical research at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. She is also an associate professor in the department of Medicine and Oncology at McGill University. Her research focuses on identifying the factors that predict responses to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.  Her motivation for joining Lymphoma Canada is to help lymphoma patients by promoting advocacy, education and research.

Dr. John Kuruvilla – Director
Toronto, Ontario

Dr. John Kuruvilla is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and a Clinical Investigator in the Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. He is a hematologist and member of the Lymphoma Program and the Autologous Blood and Marrow Transplant program. Dr. Kuruvilla’s research interests include novel drug development in lymphoid malignancies incorporating translational research and clinical trials in these disorders. He is a member of the Hematology Disease Site Group of the Canadian Trials Group (CCTG formerly NCIC CTG) as well as the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of Lymphoma Canada.

Kathy Mannas – Director
Richmond, British Columbia

As a fundraising professional for over 30 years, Kathy has spearheaded a myriad of successful fundraising endeavours including corporate sponsorships, government and community grants, third party fundraisers and special events for three health charities.  Her work has incorporated a heavy marketing component that has included designing promotional materials, organizing stakeholder conferences, and participating in media interviews

In 1998 Kathy was among the first fundraisers in Canada to receive accreditation as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).  In 2002 she was appointed to the Greater Vancouver Board of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners where she served for six years.  In that capacity she founded and rapidly expanded one of the first LEAVE A LEGACY™ programs in Canada. Today this partnership of charities and professional advisors has expanded to regions across the country to create public awareness on the importance of leaving charitable bequests. 

Most recently, Kathy worked for 15 years as a senior gift planner, major gift fundraiser and capital campaign manager for The Salvation Army, Canada’s largest non-governmental social service organization.  

Sean Pieris – Director
Milton, Ontario

Sean is a seasoned financial services professional with almost 30 years experience in customer sales and service, banking, people management, and leading key strategic initiatives across various lines of business. In his current HR Director role at Rogers Communications, Sean is accountable for leading a team of Senior HR Professionals and developing & leading multi-year people strategy supporting  Senior Executives within the Residential Services division. An MBA graduate and Fellow of Canadian Bankers, focused in Financial Services from Canadian Securities Institute, Sean joined the Board of Directors for Lymphoma Canada in 2016.

Barbara L. Pollock APR, FCPRS, LM – Director
Regina, Saskatchewan
Communications Consultant

Barbara Pollock provides strategic counsel with POLMAC Communications, her communications and public relations firm, which offers strategic planning, crisis communications and issues management services. She returned to the firm in 2013 after nearly 13 years in the role of Vice-President (External Relations) at the University of Regina. She was part of the University’s executive team, responsible for reputation management, and relationship management with the University’s stakeholders, including alumni, donors, government and the public.

She holds an Accredited Public Relations designation and was inducted in to the College of Fellows in the Canadian Public Relations Society in 2006. In 2018 she was made a Life Member of the organization.

She holds bilingual degrees from the University of Regina in Arts and Education and certificates from the Institute for Educational Management, Graduate School of Education at Harvard University and the Institute for Crisis Management in Kentucky.

In 2009 she was recognized by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in Regina as Outstanding Fundraising Executive for 2008; and in 2008 and 2010 she was recognized as one of Saskatchewan’s Most Influential Women.

Her work/life balance efforts allow attention to her husband Paul, their chocolate Labrador Sam, cooking, golf and travel.

Sabina Vohra-Miller – Director
Toronto, Ontario

Sabina Vohra-Miller has a graduate degree in clinical pharmacology from the University of Toronto. She previously worked in biotech as a medical advisor, where her area of focus was lymphoma.

In 2016, she retired from her role in biotech and with her husband, she co-founded the Vohra Miller Foundation, a philanthropic endeavor with the goal of improving the health of the people and the planet. She is passionate about making healthcare accessible and equitable for everyone.

She has also been volunteering for Lymphoma Canada since then and has contributed to the development of educational materials and patient resources.

Sabina is a member of Vision2020, a program for next-gen philanthropists in Toronto, working hand-in-hand to invest in Toronto’s booming social capital and make the city more resilient and inclusive.

Siu Mee Cheng, PhD Candidate, MHSc., BASc., CHE – Director
Toronto, Ontario

Siu Mee possesses 25 years experience in the public, health and social services sectors at the local, provincial and national levels.  She has held leadership positions for governments and agencies in Ontario and Alberta, including Cancer Care Ontario, CPAC, Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Alberta Health, and helped to support the roll out of Ontario’s Wait Times Strategy for Surgical Oncology.  She has assumed leadership positions in national, provincial and local not-for-profit health and social services organizations.  She has experience in cancer control, and has worked across the care continuum from prevention and promotion through to hospice palliative care.  She is also committed to volunteerism, and has been a board director for several national and provincial not-for-profit health and social services charitable institutions.  These positions required engaging in significant advocacy, advancing health equity and increasing access to health and social services.  She is a PhD candidate in policy studies at Ryerson University, undertaking a SSHRC-funded research on integrated health and social care for older adult populations. She is also supporting research efforts in social innovation, government innovation and the impact of colonization on immigrants in health and other domains.  She possesses a BASc in public health and a MHSc in community health.  She is a Certified Health Executive Member with the Canadian College of Health Leaders, and is trained in SixSigma, Lean and Design Thinking. 

Corby Fine – Director
Toronto, Ontario

VP, Simplii Financial

A customer-focused, technology-savvy professional who has been instrumental in developing strategic growth opportunities and has a successful track-record of exceeding revenue, operational and NPS targets. He has built innovative digital products, implemented and optimized digital sales and service experiences, with a specialty on the application of big data and marketing innovation.

He has experience in digital product development, digital marketing, customer experience, loyalty, big data, marketing automation, and innovation. Equally comfortable in corporate, agency and startup environments, he has demonstrated the ability to add value in different scenarios and offers diverse industry experience in financial services, automotive, telecommunications, retail, and utilities.

Recognized for strong leadership and relationship skills, he has effectively managed teams from 2 to 130, along with complex internal and external relationships. He has scaled high performance cross functional teams and as a strategic leader, coached and mentored them by cultivating a spirit of collaboration.

He is an ENTP.
He likes funky socks.
He has 2 kids.
He will challenge rules to drive innovation.
He plays the drums.
He works hard and has fun doing it.

Robert Michon – Director
Gatineau, Quebec

Mr. Michon is an entrepreneur and independent consultant, specializing in the strategic use of IT. He is involved in a number of startups in the IT sector as an advisor and an investor. He was the co-founder of 4Degrees, Quebec City’s only Tier III colocation center, sold to Videotron in 2015. During his nearly forty-year career, he has provided consulting services throughout North America to companies including Oracle, American Express, CA Technologies, Fujitsu, Taleo and Suntrust Bank.

Mr. Michon has extensive governance experience having held board positions in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. He holds a Chartered Director (C.Dir.) from McMaster University. He also holds a B.Sc.(Hons), an M.B.A. and several other professional certifications.

Robert joins Lymphoma Canada as a way of “giving back” after the support he received during his personal fight against non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Neil James CPA, CMA – Director
Calgary, AB

Neil is a Chartered Professional Accountant with over 20 years of experience in financial reporting and controls, operational accounting, risk management, strategic planning, and systems and process optimization in a variety of industries including environmental services, energy, manufacturing and technology.

As the Vice President of Finance for Intelligent Wellhead Systems, Neil provides strategic financial leadership as a member of the executive management team as well as oversight and support of the financial reporting, general accounting, treasury, payroll, human resources, and corporate services functions for the organization’s North American operations.

Previously, Neil provided independent consulting services in financial management, planning, process improvement and change management for a range of clients across multiple industries.  From 2011 to 2014 he served as a Director of Finance with Tervita Corp. heading a team of over 60 accounting and support staff where he helped lead the restructuring and reorganization efforts of multiple business units and several key acquisition and divestiture initiatives. Between 1996 and 2009 Neil held a number of progressively senior finance and accounting roles in the energy sector with publically traded companies involved in domestic and international operations.

Neil has also held a governance position with a local non-profit organization serving as a board member and Treasurer.

Marie-Claude Doucet, LL.B, M.B.A – Director
Dieppe, NB

Marie-Claude Doucet is Chair of the New Brunswick Insurance Board since October 2016. Prior to her appointment to the Board, Ms. Doucet focused a bilingual law practice in civil litigation, specifically in insurance law.

Ms. Doucet holds a Bachelor of Psychology degree, a law degree and an M.B.A. Ms. Doucet also holds a Certification in adjudication for administrative agencies, boards and tribunals.

Ms. Doucet has significant governance experience in non-profit organizations

having served on the Board of Directors for a homeless shelter and currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Automobile Insurance Rate Regulators Association.

Ms. Doucet is a member of multiple associations, including the Law Society of New Brunswick, the Canadian Bar Association, the Moncton Area Lawyers Association, the Association des juristes d’expression française du Nouveau-Brunswick, the Foundation of Administrative Justice and the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals.