Joy Playford, CMC
Chair

Joy has been a member of the board since 2019.

Joy is an innovative leader with a passion for people, building community, developing organizational bench-strength and delivering exceptional results. Her interest in leadership started early, growing up in her family’s manufacturing business, where she learned firsthand the impact of entrepreneurs creating business success, developing opportunities for people and building strong communities.

Over a 30-year corporate leadership career, Joy effectively led change, turned around and grew business results, developed new service offerings and cultivated strategic partnerships. As a Vice President and General Manager with inter-provincial responsibilities, she effectively led strategy development, operations and performance execution across multiple business lines and locations. In private practice, Joy continues to support leaders and their success by providing Executive Coaching, Leadership Development and Team Facilitation support. Leaders particularly value her ability to both challenge and cultivate their growth in ways that inspires them to “up their game”, and find new ways forward. She co-created and facilitates the firm’s innovative Leadership Action Learning Forums.

Joy is a Certified Management Consultant. Her leadership development includes York Universities’ Executive Development Program, International Coach Federation (ICF) accredited Executive Coach training and Covey Leadership’s in-residence programs. Her community service includes founding membership in the Kelowna Women Leaders Network and service as a Director of the Women’s Enterprise Centre of BC. Joy supports the Playford Performance Group’s annual pro bono executive coaching in the not-for-profit sector. She has served as Chairperson for the Regional Development Council of the BC Cancer Foundation for the Southern Interior, Chapter Chair and Board Member of CMC BC.

Lindsay Sill
Vice Chair

Lindsay Sill is an Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the information/digital technology and services industry. She is skilled in Strategic Partnerships, Management, Leadership, Team Leadership, and Project Management. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Victoria.

Over the past decade she’s held various leadership roles at the Quantum Algorithms Institute and WestGrid / Compute Canada. Prior to that Lindsay worked as a Laboratory Manager in the Department of Medicine for the University of Calgary where she did research on gene therapy and immunology, which eventually led to a publication in Nature. As a member of the Advanced Research Computing (ARC) Working Group, Lindsay co-authored a position paper on the ARC needs in Canada, as requested by the federal government, through the Leadership Council on Digital Research Infrastructure. These efforts led to the 2018 federal budget announcement of $572.5M over five years to implement a Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy.

Lindsay was also an Advisory Board member of the first international and Canadian chapter of the non-profit organization Women in HPC, which works to improve the gender balance in high performance computing. She serves as a National and Global Ambassador for the Universal Women’s Network, Vice-Chair of The Nest Foundation, on the CanShield Solutions Board of Directors, and is a member of the CIRA Nominations Committee.

Hugo David Madeira, CD, BBA
Vice Chair

Dave has been a member of the Board since 2019.

Dave has been a member of the Board since 2019. Dave attended school in Toronto, and later moved to Vancouver to work as a Technology Support Officer with the Royal Bank of Canada and in computer support at Innotech-Execaire Vancouver. He earned his Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Entrepreneurial Leadership from Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

His 35-year career in the Royal Canadian Navy was with both the Naval Reserves and the Regular Force. Initially, he worked as a visual communications specialist and later commissioned from the ranks as a Maritime Surface Officer. He served as the Executive Officer of HMCS Discovery and as the Deputy Commanding Officer of the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre. While in recruiting, he specialized in attractions and diversity, recruiting for women, visible minorities and aboriginal people.

Dave retired from the Canadian Armed Forces but remains active in the community serving on committees at the school and district levels. He is currently a PAC Chair at McRoberts Secondary School. He supports his local community centre as a Vice President and a member of its youth committee. He also chairs the committee of his leasehold complex of over 250 units.

Colonel (ret’d) Chris Lythgo, CD, MBA, P.Eng.(Non-Practicing), CPM
Past National Chair

Chris Lythgo joined Commissionaires as a governor with the British Columbia Division in 2013. He subsequently became Chair of the BC Division in 2017 and elected National Chair at the AMOD in 2019.

Chris began his military career in 1964 under the Regular Officer Training Program while attending Royal Roads Military College and the Royal Military College of Canada. He served for 31 years in various command and staff positions both nationally and internationally. Following his military career, he became a senior executive in a BC provincial crown corporation. Establishing Seajay Consulting Ltd. in 2003, Chris worked with organizations at all levels of government, commercial companies, and several large international engineering firms in Canada and the United States.

Chris spent a great deal of time giving back to the organizations that had served him throughout his career. He sat, among others, on the Board of Governors of the Royal Military College of Canada, is a past president of the National Executive of the Royal Military Colleges Club of Canada (Alumni Association), on the Advisory Board of TOK Transit in Ontario, and is currently the Chairman of the Board of BC Rapid Transit Company and West Coast Express. He is an Honorary Governor of the National Board of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires.

Commander King Wan, CD

King joined the Naval Reserve while attending UBC. Upon graduation from the Reserve Officers University Training Plan he continued with his naval service. As a MARS (seagoing) officer, he participated in many naval training and operational cruises. He served two separate tours as Executive Officer of HMCS DISCOVERY then as Commanding Officer from 2001-2005. He was then appointed to the VDS office as the Canadian Forces Liaison Council BC Regional Liaison Officer for the Pacific and the North regions.

Commander Wan served on the Executive Committee of the Naval Officers’ Association and was the president from 2010-2011. He was also active with the BC and Yukon St. John Ambulance Brigade; served as Deputy and then appointed as the Provincial Commissioner (2008-2011). He also served 4 years on the Board of Governors for the Pacific Marine Training Institute (PMTI – later BCIT Marine campus) eventually as the Board Vice-chair. King is a member of the Vancouver cadre of Honorary Aides-de-Camp to the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia and president of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum in Vancouver. He also sits on the Board of the Vancouver Canadian Club as a special advisor.

Commander Wan graduated in Business Administration from the University of British Columbia, is a member of the Certified Professional Accountants (CMA) of BC and a member of the Institute of Certified Internal Auditors (CIA). He also earned an MBA from the Edinburgh Business School.

Gary Bass, O.O.M, M.A. (Crim.)

Gary Bass spent over 39 years in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at a variety of locations across Canada. He retired in May 2011 as the Deputy Commissioner for Canada West, which included the three northern territories, the Prairie Provinces and British Columbia. Prior to that, he was the Commanding Officer for “E” Division RCMP (BC) and Deputy Commissioner for Pacific Region, BC and the Yukon.

Before moving to senior management positions in the RCMP, Mr. Bass spent most of his career involved in major crimes, terrorism and organized crime investigations. Since retiring from the RCMP, he has been working at the Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies at Simon Fraser University as a Senior Research Fellow with interests in policing and related criminal justice issues.

Mr. Bass is a member of the Board for the Canadian Centre on substance Abuse, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Vision Quest Recovery Society. He recently served on the Premier of British Columbia’s Blue Ribbon Panel for Crime Reduction, which recently made recommendations to the Premier on changes to the criminal justice system in British Columbia.

Mr. Bass has been a member of the Board of Governors since 2013.

LCdr (Ret’d) Stuart Evans, CD, MBA, AScT, CMC

Stuart Evans has served on the Board since 2012 and currently sits on the Finance Committee and the national organizing committee for the Corps of Commissionaires centennial in 2025.

Stuart’s high-tech career began in the mid-80s in the electronic security field. During the 1990s, he worked in manufacturing, service management and business management, predominantly in BC’s high-tech industry. In 1998, Stuart concentrated his focus on the power electronics industry for the automotive and military markets, primarily working in sales and business development. Stuart held positions ranging from Account Manager to Director in various businesses ranging from start-ups to global corporations. He runs a business management consultancy, specializing in sales and marketing strategy for the high tech industry. Stuart’s past volunteer work includes serving on the board for the BC Chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers, and with the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC.

Stuart served in Canada’s Naval Reserve for 30 years, retiring in 2021 from his last appointment as Executive Officer in HMCS Discovery. He worked as an Intelligence Officer with Canada’s contingent in international exercises in Canada, as well as the USA, Chile and South Africa. Stuart received his MBA from Royal Roads University, a Diploma in Marketing and Sales Management from UBC’s Sauder School of Business, and a Diploma in Robotics Engineering from the BC Institute of Technology. He holds the designations Applied Science Technologist (AScT) and Certified Management Consultant (CMC).

Bill McKinnon

Bill joined the RCMP in 1975 and after completion of training, was posted to the “F” Division (Sask.) where he served for 26 years. Bill served in many communities during his time in Saskatchewan, at northern posts as well as a number of small farming communities and First Nation Reserves. His duties included traffic control, GIS, NCIS and Drug Units.

Bill moved into administrative positions serving in the Staffing & Personnel Section and then moved into Internal Investigations serving as the NCO I/C of the unit for the Division.

He was commissioned to the rank of Inspector in 2001 and became the Operations Officer at Kelowna Detachment in charge of all support sections. He was then promoted to Superintendent in May 2004 and became the Officer in Charge of Kelowna Detachment, the 3rd largest RCMP Detachment in BC. He remained in this position until his retirement in July 2013.

After retirement from the RCMP, Bill took a position as a Security Manager at the Kearl Oil site in northern Alberta where he worked for 18 months.

In addition to his normal duties he also served as President of BC Chiefs of Police, President of Cops for Kids, Board member of provincial CFSEU and speaker at the RCMP Jr. Officer course on Performance.

Bill is the recipient of a number of awards: RCMP Long Service Medal (Gold Clasp), RCMP Commissioner Commendation Outstanding Service British Columbia Meritorious Service Award, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal.

Capt. Philip Walters, CD, P.Eng, MBA, LL.B., Cert Conres

Phil Walters brings a variety of skills and experience to the Board. He is a mediator with a background in the manufacturing and construction industries. As well, he instructs in the School of Business at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Phil served for 36 years as a Reservist with the Canadian Armed Forces as a Combat Engineer Officer, primarily at 2nd Field Engineer Regiment in Toronto, and later at 39 Service Battalion in Richmond, BC. He also served as a Staff Officer in 32 Brigade Headquarters and later as a Course Commander in its Battle School. After his retirement, Phil has continued to be active in support of 39 Service Battalion as a coach and mentor.

Phil is a member of the Bar of British Columbia and is registered as a Professional Engineer (Industrial). He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada (B.Eng.), McMaster University (MBA), Institute for International Studies & Training (Japan), Osgoode Hall Law School (LL.B), and the Justice Institute of BC (Certificate in Conflict Resolution). As a former Vice President of Comstock Canada, a large scale industrial and commercial construction contractor, he fulfilled varying leadership roles in operations, engineering, business development, HR, contracts, and corporate and legal services.

Jas Parmar

Jas became a member of the Board in 2020.    

Jas currently serves as the Director, Total Compensation and HR Systems at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). She is responsible for providing strategic direction to the development and delivery of compensation and benefit programs, disability management, workplace accommodations, employee wellness programs, and HR systems operations and analytics. As a collaborative Human Resources leader, Jas has a passion for creating a culture of high engagement and performance by inspiring team members through coaching and development.

Prior to joining BCIT, Jas was the Director, People Services at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Early in her career, Jas managed English as a Second Language and skills training programs at DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society. Jas holds a B.A. degree in Psychology and English and an M.Ed. degree in Educational Leadership from Simon Fraser University. Jas also holds a Lean Greenbelt certification.

Alan Mann, CPA

Alan Mann presently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for VIH Aviation Group located on Vancouver Island. Alan is well-versed in financial planning and analysis with substantial credentials such as a proven ability to translate strategy into execution; and provide sound, integral and operational advice to Senior Management. He possesses a strong ability to maintain strategic perspective while effectively obtaining operational results. Alan is a designated CPA, with over twenty years of accounting knowledge specializing in aviation, manufacturing, and logistics companies with revenues in excess of $1 billion dollars. Companies that he has tenure with include Scotiabank, WestJet, ATCO Structures & Logistics and aviation start-up Enerjet. He has success in building start-up teams, raising capital and leading cross functional groups, both nationally and internationally while demonstrating a mandate to drive increased effectiveness and efficiency.

Alan has also served as an RCMP auxiliary member.