Meet our Board of Directors

Michael Clarfield
Chair, Member of Fundraising and Strategic Planning Committee 

Michael is a Sports Medicine Physician in Toronto. After graduating from Medical School at The University of Toronto in 1980, he became the first physician to practice full time Sports Medicine in Toronto. He is now the director of The Sports Medicine Specialists in Toronto which is the largest Sports Medicine Clinic in Canada. He is presently the Team Physician for Tennis Canada, Company Physician for The National Ballet of Canada, and Physician to the NHL. Previously, Michael was the Head Physician for the Toronto Maple Leafs 1989-2004, Team Physician Toronto Argonauts 2009-2013, Team Physician Spidertech UCI Pro Cycling Team. He is also an Assistant Professor at The University of Toronto. Michael is happily married with two children. He enjoys many recreational activities especially cycling, skiing, hockey and golf.

Derek Wagar
Treasurer and Secretary, Member of Bi-laws and Finance Committees 

Derek is a Tax Partner at Fuller Landau LLP; a mid-sized accounting and advisory firm in Toronto. Derek has been a Canadian income tax professional since 1999. Before joining Fuller Landau in December 2010, Derek worked at one of the big four accounting firms as well as at two other mid-sized accounting firms in Toronto. Derek is a Certified General Accountant, a Chartered Professional Accountant, and a Certified Financial Planner. Derek Joined the board of Pancreatic Cancer Canada in August 2011 as a director shortly after he lost his Father to pancreatic Cancer. Derek was appointed Secretary/Treasurer in November 2012. In his spare time, Derek enjoys playing hockey, watching sports, and spending time with his family.

Libby Znaimer
National Spokesperson and Member of Communications Committee

Libby Znaimer is a prominent Canadian journalist specializing in health, the arts, and lifestyle issues. After working in television broadcasting covering business and politics for two decades, she joined Zoomer Media in 2006. She serves as Vice-President of News and Information for both Classical 96.3FM and AM740. She produces and hosts The Zoomer Report, which airs six times daily, and The Zoomer Week in Review, a weekly half-hour magazine show, covering a range of issues crucial to baby boomers. The topics run the gamut from health and wealth, to leisure, volunteerism, and political advocacy, from the special vantage point of the generation that has changed society in its wake. Libby also writes a regular column for Zoomer Magazine and contributes to the new television show “The Zoomer” on Vision-TV. She has contributed to numerous publications including Reader’s Digest, More Magazine, the Globe and Mail, and the National Post, where she wrote a popular series on breast cancer called “The Lump.” Her first book, In Cancerland Living Well Is The Best Revenge was published by Key Porter in October 2007. Libby broke into print journalism with The Associated Press in Tel Aviv. She then moved into television, with stints at Global Television, KSTP-TV in Minneapolis, and WNBC in New York. She covered Parliament Hill for three years, then moved to reporting and anchoring daily news coverage for ground-breaking television stations Citytv and CablePulse 24. She was also an on-air host for ROBtv (now Business News Network.) Libby is active in a number of cancer-related causes. In addition to being the national spokesperson and a director for Pancreatic Cancer Canada, she is a volunteer at The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, where she has served as co-Captain of Team Zoomer, and honorary chair of The Weekend to End Women

Ian Bowell
Co-founder, Past Secretary/Treasurer, Member of Bi-laws, Strategic Planning and Finance Committee

Ian is a Chartered Accountant with both Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Physics from the University of Guelph. He is a retired Ernst & Young partner and currently is a consultant to various entrepreneurial enterprises. Ian is a past Director and Secretary – Treasurer of the Summit Golf Club located in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Ian formerly held the following titles; President of the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce, Director/Treasurer of the York Technology Association, Junior Achievement Instructor and teaching master of mathematics and physics at St Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ontario. Ian brings his many years of experience as an advisor to family owned companies and to not-for-profit organizations to the Board. He was one of the founding directors of the Foundation and currently sits on the Finance/Budget Committee and the Bylaws Committee.  He served as the Secretary-Treasurer from 2007-2012.

Nella Contardi
Member of Bi-laws, Policies & Procedures and Fundraising Committee 

Nella Contardi is the Director of Purchasing/Product Development at Pizzaville Inc. She manages all charitable activities and/or partnerships with charitable organizations for that organization as well as Pizzaville’s “Rainy Day Fund”. Ms. Contardi has worked as a Legal Assistant for various law firms and managed the Legal Services Department at TVOntario until 1985. After a 12 year sabbatical to raise a family of three girls, in 1996 she joined her husband in the family business to assist in the growth of Pizzaville’s Franchise Chain. Ms. Contardi is currently active with Women Against Multiple Sclerosis (WAMS) an organization established by The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada in 2005. WAMS is a powerful collective of professional women dedicated to raising research funds to end MS. Nella was 2008 WAMS Honouree for providing leadership and participation in raising awareness and helping in raising funds for research to end MS. Ms. Contardi received the 2008 Volunteer Service Award from the Ontario Government in recognition of her commitment to the organization “Alternatives Integrating People with Cognitive Challenges Vaughan”. She remains an active member of the committee for the annual “Alternatives Golf Classic” Charity Event. In 2006, Ms. Contardi was presented with a volunteer recognition award from the City of Vaughan for outstanding contribution and dedication to the community.

Mike Pugh
Member of Finance and Strategic Planning Committee 

As Vice President of Global Transaction Banking at Scotiabank, Mr. Pugh has responsibility for business deposits and operating account services, across all business client segments globally. His focus is on providing liquidity solutions to multinational, commercial and small business clients. Prior to his existing role, Mr. Pugh was the Vice President of Global Transaction Banking for the Global Banking and Markets business segment. Mr. Pugh joined Scotiabank in 1978 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Since joining the Bank, he has held progressively more senior roles in retail banking, commercial lending, cash management, trade services and e-commerce. Mr. Pugh holds a Fellow designation in the professional banking program through the Institute of Canadian Bankers and a Certified Treasury Professional designation through the Association of Financial Professionals. He has successfully completed the advanced leadership program at the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University. Mr. Pugh is passionate about supporting the communities that we live in through working with numerous local and national charitable organizations. He is past Chair and Co-chair for Global Transaction Banking in support of the United Way.

Sandy Pearl
Member of Educational Committee 

A multiple award-winning producer, consultant, and writer, Sandy has extensive experience across a variety of media: film, television, fine art and digital content. She has spent the last twenty- five years living and working in New York City, Toronto and Los Angeles. When pancreatic cancer stole her mother, Sandy was overwhelmed by a profound sense of powerlessness as she searched for options for her mother’s care. Determined not to let pancreatic cancer have the last word Sandy became a member of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in New York prior to joining the board of PCC. In the fall of 2013 Sandy and her sister launched the first Gloria Pearl PCC Educational Symposium in honour of their mother. The symposium is the first phase of an ongoing national commitment to supporting families in need. Sandy believes the power of education is key to increasing awareness about this terrible disease and ultimately finding a cure.

Dr. Anish Kirpalani
Member of Educational Committee 

A radiologist with over 10 years of broad practice experience in both academic and private/community settings in Canada and the USA. He has been a staff radiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto since 2009, where he is also the medical director of the St. Michael’s MRI Research Centre, an Associate Scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Imaging at the University of Toronto. In addition to maintaining a busy clinical practice, Anish has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and has given numerous invited presentations in the fields of abdominal and cardiovascular radiology. Anish is a strong supporter of innovative educational programs, both professionally and in community service. He has a background in both engineering and medicine.

Mark Bridgman

As Senior Vice-president and President, TELUS Retail Limited, Mark leads and supports the team responsible for the end-to-end experience of our retail points of distribution. With more than 3,000 team members coast to coast, their primary focus is to evolve and transform TELUS’ award-winning retail and customer experience and become a leading destination for digital lifestyle and business solutions. Mark also oversees the Mobility and Future Friendly Home (FFH) portfolios for the TELUS and Koodo consumer and small business segments with more than 400 TELUS Stores and Koodo Shops, 225 dealer partners, Direct to Consumer for FFH, and our key national retailer partners. He is also a proud board member for iStore. Previous to this role, Mark was Vice-president, TELUS Stores, Koodo Shops and Channel Development. Under Mark’s leadership, the team successfully introduced the new TELUS Connected Experience store, where customers can experience and explore complete solutions to meet their lifestyle needs, guided by specially trained team members. Prior to this, he held the role of Vice-president, Channels and Channel Support, where he was responsible for the sales of wireless consumer and FFH products through multiple channels and supported the Trade Marketing, Continuous Learning, and Channel Support groups nationally. Mark’s career began with ClearNet with the launch of Mike service in 1996. Since then, he has held several senior roles in Marketing Operations, Product Development, Trade Marketing, and Channels. He’s also worn his world-renowned, patterned socks to work from his start at TELUS. In 2016, Mark was named to the board of the Pancreatic Cancer Canada Foundation and Wellspring.  His community involvement also extends to other organizations, such as Camp Oochigeas through the Sporting Life 10K, Adopt-a-Family, and Make-A-Wish Rope for Hope. Mark and his team truly support and believe in the TELUS value of giving where we live.

Mickey Jackman

As the Head of Strategy & Operations, Mickey is a key member of the Canadian Management Team responsible for enabling and supporting the successful delivery of business plans, market initiatives and overall operational excellence. Mickey and the team at Google Canada provide digital solutions to help businesses reach their audiences and build their brands through unleashing the power of the web. Prior to joining Google in 2015, Mickey was the Head of the Integrated Customer Experience Division and member of the Canadian Leadership Team at Apple Canada, a role he held since 2012. Prior to Apple, Mickey was the Director, National Retail at TELUS and held several senior leadership roles in sales, strategic planning, channel marketing, operations and training at TELUS, Mars and Heinz. Mickey grew up in the greater Toronto area, graduated from the University of Calgary in 2000 and has completed executive development courses at the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management. Mickey resides in Oakville with his wife Joanna and their two young children Sophie and Joseph. When he is not chasing Sophie and Joseph around, you can find Mickey trying to improve his golf game, experiencing new cuisines or planning the next exciting family holiday.