Board of Directors

Susan Kilburn has served as a Board Director with Burlington Hydro since 2017. She brings over 30 years of experience across diverse industries, specializing in process optimization, business/IT alignment, and large-scale transformation. In her current role as Chief Operating Officer at LightPoint Financial Technology, Ms. Kilburn focuses on operational efficiency, risk management, and cross-functional collaboration to achieve business objectives. Prior to joining LightPoint, Susan worked as an independent consultant with organizations such as BMO Financial Group and 407 ETR on transformative IT and business initiatives. Other roles that Susan has held include Vice President, Solution Management at Rogers Communications, and Vice President, IT Engagement Services at Symcor.

Ms. Kilburn is an alumna of McMaster University, where she earned her B.Eng.Mgt. in Engineering Physics and Management. She remains connected to McMaster, serving on the Industrial Advisory Committee for the Engineering and Management program.

Susan obtained her Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation from The Directors College in 2021. She lives in Burlington with her husband Mike and their son Damon.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward was elected for a second term as the 30th mayor of Burlington, Ontario in October of 2022. She is also the second woman to hold that position in Burlington’s history and is now the longest serving female mayor of the city.

Mayor Meed Ward is working collaboratively with Burlington’s city council, leadership team, staff and community partners to bring many initiatives that began during her first term as mayor to fruition and embark on new ones to help the city continue to grow and thrive. She also introduced a Deputy Mayor with portfolio initiative, giving each council member a focus area based on their unique backgrounds and interests. This is a new governance structure harnessing the skills and experience of each council member in service to residents.

Through initiatives such as the Mayor’s Red Tape Red Carpet Task Force, she led the city in partnering with local businesses to identify and remove the challenges to business expansion and attraction. In her commitment to reasonable growth and development, the work completed in Burlington’s new Official Plan will ensure future growth happens in the right places and at the right scale to align with the community’s vision.

On her path to becoming Mayor, she served as a Burlington city councillor for two consecutive terms, from 2010 to 2018. Prior to her career in politics, she worked for 22 years as a journalist for clients including the Toronto Sun, Vision TV, the CBC, CHCH News, Chatelaine, Toronto Metropolitan University and more, committed to keeping people informed about the issues that impact their lives. Mayor Meed Ward lives in Burlington with her husband, three children, and their Wheaten Terrier, Boston.

Mayor Meed Ward is a member of the Governance and Risk Committee.

Patricia (Trish) Volker brings a wealth of experience to both public and private Boards, with significant expertise in advisory, public accounting, banking and regulatory environments.

Trish is a corporate director, whose experience is highlighted by over 17 years of service at the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, the self-regulating body for Ontario’s Chartered Professional Accountants, including the roles of Director of Standards Enforcement and Director, Public Accounting and Special Projects. Trish served in various capacities in the accounting profession during her 30+ year career and currently serves on three listed company boards. Trish currently chairs the Audit Committees at ORNGE and Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corporation.

An aviation enthusiast and pilot, Trish is proud to have served as President of the Canadian International Air Show with full responsibility for Canada’s largest air display.

Trish is a CPA, CA and CMA, holds the ICD.D designation and earned a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto. She lives in Burlington with her husband Rick.

Trish chairs the Audit and Finance Committee and is a member of the Governance and Risk Committee.

Nicole has gained seventeen years experience in power generation and business leadership roles during her career. Her involvement in the industry spans across operations and maintenance, regulatory compliance, business planning and strategy, asset and project management, engineering, and contracting across the Thermal, Hydroelectric and Nuclear Generating Facilities.

In her current role as VP of Engineering at (Ontario Power Generation) OPG, she leads a team of over four hundred engineering professionals and managers who support all of OPG’s Generating Assets in the fleet. This team also leads strategy, compliance, and long term equipment reliability. Prior to this, Nicole held the positions of Director of Plant Operations and Director of Asset and Project Management for the 2,400 Megawatt (MW) Niagara Operations Hydroelectric Generating Station fleet of assets headquartered in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Outside of her role with OPG, Nicole has served as a board member for two non-profit organizations.  She holds an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Civil Engineering) from Queen’s University. When not supporting the clean energy transition, Nicole can be found around the City of Burlington spending time with her husband and two children.

David Kerr is a senior legal executive who provides strategic counsel to executives and management in diverse business sectors. His broad perspective is gained from progressive experience in professional advisory and governance roles. He is adept at risk identification, negotiation and solution facilitation in collaboration with diverse parties across public and private sectors.

David is an attorney with Axiom Law, an entity that provides senior in-house counsel services to its clients. He previously held legal and governance positions at Meridian Credit Union, Computershare Trust Company of Canada; Manulife Financial Corporation, and as an Associate Lawyer with Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP. David has a Chartered Director designation from The Directors College/DeGroote School of Management and is also a member of the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association.

David received his B.A. from Marietta College (Ohio), his LL.B. from the University of Western Ontario and was admitted to the Bar in 1996. David lives in Burlington with his wife Melanie and their two sons.

David is the chair of the Governance & Risk Committee and a member of the Human Resources & Compensation Committee.

Sherry Smith is a retired Human Resources executive and realtor with Century 21 Miller Real Estate Ltd. She has 30+ years of human resources and management experience that spans the retail, health sciences and telecommunications industries.

Ms. Smith most recently served as Senior Vice President of Total Rewards at Loblaw Companies Limited where she was responsible for Compensation, HR Services and HR Systems. A seasoned Human Resources executive, Sherry has extensive experience in the areas of compensation, benefits and HR operations. Sherry began her career at Nortel Networks where she spent more than 20 years in various leadership roles working in a large and complex global HR organization. Prior to joining Loblaw, she held the position of VP, Global HR Services at MDS Inc.

Sherry obtained her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario and her Masters of Business Administration from McMaster University. She obtained the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation from The Directors College in 2021.

Sherry chairs the HR and Compensation Committee. She resides in Burlington with her husband Bob.

Hassaan Basit is the newly appointed Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the City of Burlington and brings a wealth of experience from his extensive career in the public sector. Hassaan has dedicated over 20 years to working with conservation authorities, culminating in his role as Chief Executive Officer at Conservation Halton.

His leadership at Conservation Halton was marked by significant achievements in environmental stewardship, community engagement, and digital innovation. Additionally, he redefined the organization’s business model and implemented strategic initiatives that enhanced financial stability and growth while fostering a positive organizational culture.

Hassaan has cultivated strong relationships with all levels of government within the region. His leadership skills were further recognized when he was selected as the Chair of the Ontario Conservation Authorities Working Group. Additionally, he is a guest lecturer on sustainability at the University of Toronto.

Hassaan holds a BSc in Biology and Psychology from the University of Toronto, an MSc in Biology and Psychology from Queen's University in Belfast, an Executive MBA in Digital Transformation from The DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, and a Chartered Director (C.Dir) designation from The Directors College.