Ryan is President & CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg, working to strengthen Winnipeg’s business community and grow the economy by attracting visitors, new investment and top talent to the city. 

Prior to being named President & CEO in 2023, Ryan was Vice President of Sales & Business Development. During his five years in that role, Ryan assembled an exceptional team of business development professionals and secured unprecedented private and public sector funding to drive economic impact in our community.

EDW board role: Board Chair
Bill was elected CEO of Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd. in 1999, succeeding his father and making him the fourth generation to hold this title. P&H was founded in 1909 and is involved in many aspects of agri-business, including grain procurement and merchandising, flour milling, animal feed production, poultry farming and processing. 

Prior to joining P&H in 1990, Bill worked with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in three different cities: Winnipeg; Ottawa; and Johannesburg, South Africa. Bill is a past chairman and audit committee chair of the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange. He is also a past chairman of the Arthritis Society of Manitoba and the Fort Whyte Centre.

EDW board role:  Finance Committee Chair
Denise, a fellowed Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA) is the President of Asteria Global Inc. She supports clients across diverse business sectors in strategy formulation and integration, finance & accounting, performance management, change leadership, operations, and team development. Previously, Denise was a CFO in privately held and publicly traded environments, where she successfully enjoyed over 20 years of executive leadership involving financial and strategic planning, and mergers and acquisitions. 

Denise has moderated for the CPA, CMA Manitoba Strategic Leadership Program and the I.H. Asper School of Business Executive Education program. She is a past instructor for the University of Manitoba as well as a business coach and judge for business case competitions. Denise is currently a board director and the recruitment committee chair for The Associates (Asper School of Business). She is a past board director and member of the audit committee for the Canadian Cancer Society, past United Way Winnipeg committee member, and past board member and gala chair for the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Nick Hays was named President & CEO of Winnipeg Airports Authority in early 2022 – becoming the third person to hold the title in the organization’s 25-year history.

Hays comes to WAA from Vanderlande Industries, where he served as Vice President Canada for the global leader in airport logistic process automation. He previously spent 11 years working around the world for Cathay Pacific Airways and its parent company, The Swire Group, before moving to a senior advisory role with PricewaterhouseCoopers.  

Hays grew up in the United Kingdom near Europe’s largest air museum, which was housed in a former World War II base and frequently hosted airshows. This front-row seat to aviation history helped spark Hays’ passion for flight. He trained as a Royal Air Force pilot while attending university before focusing on a business career in the air transportation industry.  

Hays and his wife, Ren, reside in Winnipeg with their young son, Arthur. During their free time, they enjoy exploring new places together.

Michael Legary is a serial entrepreneur, investor and community leader who has founded, lead and exited multiple research, technology and information security companies over the past 25 years. He is the recipient of numerous business awards, including CBC’s Future 40 award and an E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year award for his entrepreneurial and startup endeavors across Canada. Michael has also had the honour to serve through civil service, including roles as Winnipeg’s first Chief Innovation Officer, as an advisor to the Manitoba Government.

Karl is a lifetime Winnipegger and  has been actively working in the construction industry since 1988 as a business owner and contractor and is currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and an original founding partner of Private Pension Partners (P3). P3 is a Winnipeg based real estate entity that provides customized portfolio and asset management, real estate development and advisory services for Canadian commercial and multi-residential real estate investors.

Karl has overall control and responsibility for development, design, construction, property operations, the primary management of service provider relationships and has successfully led over $500 million of development and redevelopment transactions in the past 10 years with P3 all in Manitoba.  

Karl is also the Chair of MCCC The Manitoba Centennial Centre Corporation is a Provincial Crown Corporation responsible for the development and administration of the Manitoba Centennial Centre for the Arts with direction operational responsibility for the Centennial Concert Hall and Manitoba Production Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Karin Pooley is a search professional with expertise in interviewing and assessing senior to executive-level candidates across a variety of industries that public, private, profit and not-for-profit. For close to 30 years she has partnered with senior executives and leadership teams to develop and deliver on their successful recruitment strategies and to administer and facilitate leadership assessments.  Karin has taken her expertise in recruitment training and currently leads the Talent Academy and Training practice.

Jeff was appointed Vice-President, External & Indigenous Relations and Communications in January 2020. He is responsible for internal and external communications to manage Manitoba Hydro’s reputation and community presence, employee communications, Indigenous and stakeholder relations. He is also responsible for the provision of legal services together with compliance activities for the corporation.

Jeff joined Manitoba Hydro in 2018 as Vice-President of Indigenous Relations. Prior to joining Manitoba Hydro, Jeff held leadership positions with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, TC Energy and Manitoba Metis Federation.

He holds both Bachelor of Commerce (honours) and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Manitoba, and a Master’s of Business Administration ( MBA) degree (with distinction) from the University of Birmingham in England. He also has a certificate in negotiation and conflict resolution from Dalhousie University.

He currently serves as the Treasurer of the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre and is a member of the Associates ( Asper School of Business). He has also served on the Boards of Keeyask Limited Partnership, Seed Winnipeg, Graffiti Art Programming and Mount Carmel Clinic Foundation.

Dr. Stephen Borys has long been a fierce advocate for the power of art to change lives. He holds an Executive MBA, PhD in Art and Architectural History from McGill University, MA in Art History from the University of Toronto, BA Honours from the University of Winnipeg, and is an adjunct professor in the History Department at the University of Winnipeg. He has held curatorial posts at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida; Allen Art Museum, Oberlin College, Ohio; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; and the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal. Dr. Borys has organized numerous exhibitions, published extensively in both museum and scholarly contexts, and lectured across North America and Europe. He is a graduate of the Getty Center’s Museum Leadership Institute, and is a fellow of the Royal Collections Studies Program. He has served on the boards of the Canadian Museums Association, Association of Art Museum Directors, and the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization. He received The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum and Diamond Jubilee Medals in 2022 and 2012, and the Order of Manitoba in 2020.

Brad is the President and Chief Investment Officer of the Megill-Stephenson Company, the holding company for the Chipman family of Winnipeg. Megill’s holdings include significant investments in automobile retailing, sports & entertainment, real estate, financial services, healthcare and a variety of other private and public investments. 

Brad is primarily responsible for creating and executing on Megill-Stephenson's Strategic Investment Plan for the company and its subsidiaries, including leading all acquisition and divestiture activities, reporting and making recommendations to the company's Board of Directors on its portfolio assets.

Brad graduated from the University of Manitoba's I.H. Asper School of Business with a Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree With Distinction. He is a CFA Charterholder and a graduate of the Directors Education Program delivered by the Rotman School of Management (ICD.D). Brad is a Member of the Associates and the Business Council of Manitoba, and was co-lead for YES! Winnipeg's 2025 Capital Campaign.

Danny is the Managing Partner as well as the Tax Practice Leader of the Winnipeg office of PwC Canada.  In his role as Tax Partner at PwC he provides the firm's clients with timely, innovative, and practical tax advice.  Danny has considerable experience in a wide range of taxation matters and serve clients in a variety of industry sectors. In addition, he has extensive experience serving owner/managed and family operated businesses. He has also served on the boards of the Manitoba Business School Foundation Inc., the Young Associates of the Asper School of Business, and St. John's-Ravenscourt School.