SWIFT’s Board of Directors is comprised of government and non-government community leaders.
SWIFT today announced that John Innes and Mark Rausa, have been appointed to serve on its Board of Directors as non-governmental representatives, effective April 3, 2020.
The appointments of the new board members were agreed upon at SWIFT’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) an event which is usually attended by members but which this year was conducted online utilizing digital channels amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“On behalf of SWIFT, I’m honored to welcome John and Mark to our Board of Directors,” says David Mayberry, SWIFT Board Chair. “They bring years of expertise in key areas including finance and telecom and we are confident they will provide valuable perspectives to the project as we continue to move forward with Southwestern Ontario’s broadband expansion plan.”
Mr. Innes, who will serve as the Treasurer of the Board, recently retired from the County of Lambton where he served as the Chief Financial Officer. As a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) who has worked for more than 30 years in municipal government, Mr. Innes has vast expertise in working with public sector organizations, including previous experience with SWIFT.
Mr. Rausa, who will serve on SWIFT’s Procurement Approval Committee (PAC), recently retired from the telecom industry where he served for more than 30 years at an executive level. During his time, he held several senior leadership roles where he was accountable for the capital planning, operating cost optimization, engineering, construction, operations and maintenance of wireless and wireline networks across Canada.
In addition to the two newly elected non-governmental board members, incumbent non-governmental members Brent Royce, Denise Stonefish and Marylynn West-Moynes were re-elected and will each serve for a two-year term.
The Board also approved the appointment of George Cornell, Warden, Simcoe County as the new Vice Chair.
SWIFT would like to thank outgoing Board Members Bob Campbell and Steve Young for their valuable contributions.
“On behalf of our entire Board and SWIFT staff, I want to thank Bob and Steve for committing their time and expertise to the project and recognize the important contributions of these individuals in supporting the ongoing expansion of broadband connectivity across Southwestern Ontario,” says Mayberry. “I would like to express our sincere appreciation for their leadership, exceptional commitment and dedication to strengthening our local communities. Now more than ever it’s important we work together and as strong community leaders we look forward to learning of their future achievements as we wish them continued success in all of their upcoming endeavours.”
To view a full list of SWIFT’s Board of Directors, click here.
About SWIFT
Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) is a non-profit regional broadband project initiated by the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus to subsidize the construction of high-speed broadband networks across Southwestern Ontario. The project was approved for funding under the New Building Canada Fund – Small Communities Fund (NBCF-SCF), a joint federal and provincial infrastructure funding program, and leverages additional funding from municipal partners and private sector investors to improve access to broadband services across the region.
Media Contact:
Melissa O’Brien
[email protected]
Manager, Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology
226.256.1640
