Board of Directors

Jacques Whitford is honored to have an outstanding Board of Directors largely composed of outside Directors who are world-class leaders in business within and beyond the consulting industry. They bring perspectives and experience gained from distinguished and varied careers to the strategic governance of our firm. They are nominated by a committee led by Hector Jacques, co-founder and current Chair of the Board of the firm and elected by our employee shareholders.

Hector J. Jacques, O.C., M.Eng. D.Comm. (Hon.), P.Eng. FEIC, D. Law (Hon.)
Chairman of the Board

Engineer, businessman, co-founder and former CEO of Jacques Whitford; Hector Jacques is one of the most recognized and accomplished professionals in the field of engineering as well as the business community.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay, Jacques furthered his studies in the engineering master’s program at the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS). His post graduate research was in the field of soil mechanics under the able direction of Dr. G.G. Meyerhof.

Upon graduation from TUNS, Jacques joined Warnock Hersey International Ltd. in 1967 at their Dartmouth office and in 1969 was appointed Manager of the Geotechnical Services Division for the Atlantic Region. In 1972, he and colleague Michael Whitford made the decision to become partners and build what would become one of the largest engineering firms in Canada. With a vision to build a first class engineering firm based in Atlantic Canada, they established their first office in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Over the 30 years following its inception, Jacques led the company through remarkable growth and today Jacques Whitford stands at over 1,600 highly trained professionals in 45 offices across Canada, the United States and internationally.

Currently serving as Chairman of Jacques Whitford’s board of directors, Jacques has received numerous awards over the past 35 years in recognition of his dedication and contribution to the engineering discipline and the community at large. These include:

Engineering Award for Distinctive Achievement in the Practice of Engineering by the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia, 1983.
Beaubien Award for Distinctive Achievement in the Practice of Engineering by the Association of Consulting Engineers, 1986.
Canada 125 Anniversary Medal, for his significant contributions to compatriots, community and to Canada, 1993.
Fellow, Engineering Institute of Canada, 1994.
Honorary Doctorate of Commerce, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, 1995.
Atlantic Canada Entrepreneur of the Year, 1996.
Fellow, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, 1997.
Honorary Doctorate of Law, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia and the University College of Cape Breton, Sydney, Nova Scotia, 2001.
Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame, 2001.
Gold Medal for distinction and exceptional achievements in their chosen engineering fields, Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia, 2002.
Honorary Doctorate of Law, Dalhousie University, 2005.
OTANS Petroleum Pioneer Award, for his outstanding contribution to the development of the Nova Scotia petroleum industry, 2006.
Officer of the Order of Canada, 2007

Gary C. Bruce

Gary is a retired executive having spent 35 years in the oil industry, most recently as a vice-president of Petro-Canada. He has held executive positions responsible for conventional oil and gas developments in Canada and internationally as well as Canadian oilsand and offshore developments. He is past chair of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC), past chair of the Centre for Frontier Engineering (C-FER), and past chair of the Cold Oceans Research and Engineering (C-CORE). He was awarded the Engineering Institute of Canada's Julian C. Smith Medal and an Honorary Doctor of Laws by Memorial University of Newfoundland for his outstanding contribution to the development of Canada. He is a graduate of Acadia University (applied science) and the Technical University of Nova Scotia (B. Eng).

Claude A. Comtois

Claude formerly served as President of Intermont Inc. and Agra Monenco Quebec Inc., Senior Vice President of SNC-Lavalin and President of The LGL Group Ltd. He has served as President of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Quebec and as a Director of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada. He received his B.Sc.A. (Civil Engineering) from École Polytechnique de Montréal.

Hal Hamilton

Hal is the former President and CEO of Golder Associates Corporation, a multinational engineering and environmental sciences firm, operating worldwide. He is currently Founder and President of Verdant Energy Ltd., a private company which develops and owns renewable energy power projects. His international business experience extends across North America, Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia. He has over 25 years experience in starting new companies, and leading established businesses to pursue new opportunities. Hal is an executive advisor to the Canadian Environmental Technology Advancement Corporation (CETAC-West) and a Director of three private companies. Hal completed both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Environmental Studies at the University of Alberta.

Robert T. McWhinney Jr.

Robert is the founder, President and CEO of Douglass McCarthy & McWhinney, Inc. (Washington, D.C.) management consultants. He is a Director of Abrams Industries, Inc. and was the President of Jacobs Consultancy, Inc., President and CEO of Stone & Webster Management Consultants, Inc. and Chief Operating Officer of Putnam Hays and Bartlett, Inc. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy and Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

Peter Mills

Peter is a company director and business consultant who completed his undergraduate and law degrees at Dalhousie University. Formerly Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and a director of the Thomson family holding company, he has over thirty years of experience in a broad range of businesses. These include heavy manufacturing, publishing, real estate, retailing, transportation, turnaround cases and world-class performers. He has served on the boards of over thirty corporations (both public and private) in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. He currently serves on four boards, including the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants as one of two non-accountants. He also serves as occasional executive-in-residence and as an examiner in the Directors Education Program at the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto sponsored by the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Malen Ng

Malen is Chief Financial Officer of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario (WSIB). She holds leading responsibilities in finance, investment, actuarial, internal audit, information technology, and procurement. She has extensive and diverse experience in the utility industry. Formerly employed by Hydro One Inc. she occupied several executive positions including: president and CEO of Hydro One Networks Inc., executive vice president of Wires Operations Hydro One Inc., and executive vice president and CFO of Hydro One Inc. She completed her undergraduate and MBA program at Queen’s University. Malen is a director and chair of the audit committee of both Empire Co., and Assisted Living Concepts.

Robert Youden
Chief Executive Officer

Robert (Bob) came to Jacques Whitford from J.D. Irving Limited where he was Vice President, Transportation. This was the most recent in a series of executive positions at this significant Canadian-based company, which has major operations in Atlantic Canada and New England, and a diversified global portfolio of industrial and retail services and products. He has served on a number of national and regional advisory bodies, including the National Marine Advisory Board of the Canadian Coastguard. Bob is a graduate of Dalhousie University (Commerce) and a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. Upon his arrival in 2003, he succeeded Hector Jacques as the firm’s second Chief Executive Officer.

Past Board Members

Thanks to the dedication of our board members, Jacques Whitford continues to grow and remain steadfast as one of the largest and most recognized firms in our field. Their vast and varied experience is essential to our success and their strategic governance is of supreme value. We herein recognize the contributions of past board members and express our gratitude for their guidance over the years.

Sir Graham Day

Sir Graham is retired as Chairman of Cadbury Schweppes plc and of PowerGen plc. Among diverse volunteer and business positions, he is Chairman of Sobeys Inc., Counsel to the Atlantic Canada law firm, Stewart McKelvey Stirling Scales, and holds the Herbert Lamb Chair in Business Education at the Dalhousie University Graduate Business School. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he is a graduate of Dalhousie University Law School. Sir Graham is a Fellow of University College (Cardiff), University of Wales and Chancellor Emeritus of Dalhousie University. He has received Honourary Doctorate Degrees from Dalhousie University, and institutions in the United Kingdom including The City University (London), Aston University, Warwick University, Humberside University and South Bank University. Sir Graham is past Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Association of MBA's and a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute (United Kingdom) and a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors (Canada). Following his distinguished career in business and voluntary service to the United Kingdom Government, Sir Graham was knighted in 1989 by Queen Elizabeth II for services to British industry.