Board of Directors

Tiara Letourneau
Director and Chair of the Board

Tiara Letourneau is CEO for Rewrite Capital Advisors, a private investment and advisory firm dedicated to creating employee ownership for mid-market companies. She has extensive experience in financial strategy and innovation. Previously, she consulted at the UN’s Green Climate Fund on the design of its Private Sector Facility, which was tasked with private sector engagement in the Paris Agreement’s financial climate goals. Prior experience includes strategic consulting in Islamic banking services, microfinance, commercial and retail banking, and First Nations finance in Canada. Tiara holds a Master of Development Studies from the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa, and a Master of Finance from Cambridge University.

In 2010, Tiara was awarded an Action Canada Fellowship and chaired the Action Canada Task Force on Canadian Household Debt. She was also awarded a Financial Leader’s Award in 2014 from the People’s Bank of China School of Finance at Tsinghua University, Beijing. She is passionate about reducing inequality and unleashing potential among the underestimated. She is very pleased to join the ESOP Association's work of creating more employee-owners across Canada.

Joanna Phillips
Director and Secretary

Joanna is Vice President at ESOP Builders Inc. where she works along side her father, Perry Phillips to help businesses implement various types of employee share ownership models. She joined the Association in 2019 as a Board member and as Chair of the 2021 & 2022 Canadian Employee Ownership Conference. She is a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) and Certified Value Builder (CVB). She holds an Honors Degree in Business Management Specializing in Human Resources from Western University.

Since graduating, Joanna has worked with various companies in a wide range of industries such as healthcare, insurance, supply chain/ logistics, and marketing. She has excelled in all her roles and has been a trusted guide and advisor to business leaders to ensure continued success of the company. Joanna’s main areas of focus have been talent management and strategy, including succession planning, and education/communication of employee share programs.

Passionate about creating ownership cultures and shared wealth on a broader level, Joanna brings a creative, modern, and focused view to ESOP design and implementation.

John Stevens
Director and Treasurer

John Stevens has had a distinguished career over the past 30+ years, holding titles including Senior Vice President, President, CFO, COO, and CEO of fast-growing organizations like Nilsson Bros. Inc, Eveready Inc., NC Services Group Ltd. and ENTREC Corporation. John was also a member of the Board of Directors of Eveready Inc. and NC Services Group Ltd. John has a proven track record and 30+ years of broad experience in operations, business development, finance and accounting. 20 years+ experience at the most senior level of organizations working with private and public companies as well as companies owned by private equity. John has a passion for employee ownership, employee engagement, customer service and profitable growth. John also has extensive experience in strategic planning. During his career, John has been involved with 80+ acquisitions and is an expert when it comes to due diligence and integration. John was named a Business Leader of Tomorrow honoring Edmonton’s visionary business leaders. In 2013 and in 2015, John was named an E and Y Prairies finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2014 John was named one of the ten executives you need to know in the Oil sands by Oil sands Review Magazine.  John has volunteered his time and has been actively involved in non-profit organizations such as Prostate Cancer Canada, Kids Up Front and the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton. John was awarded the very distinguished Canada Community Advocate Award from Prostate Cancer Canada. John was very involved with Financial Executives International for over a decade including serving as the local board chair. John served a two-year term on the Petroleum Service Association of Canada board. John enjoys spending time with his four adult children, traveling, investing, NFL football and has a passion for cooking. John has attended cooking school in Italy, France, Las Vegas, Phoenix and completed the cooking boot camp at NAIT in Edmonton. John’s roots take him back to the family cattle farm north of Edmonton.  

Jon Shell
Director

Jon was Managing Director of SCP from 2017-2023, leading the transition to our Ownership Agenda. He spent most of his career in the private sector before joining SCP, founding and growing successful companies in both Canada and Australia. Jon co-founded both Save Small Business and the Canadian Employee Ownership Coalition. Jon was first introduced to SCP when Bill supported a volunteer entrepreneurship project he was leading in Kenya in 2008. He received a BA from Queen’s University and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University. 

Chad Friesen
Director

Chad is CEO of Friesens Corporation President of Tallgrass Employee-Owner Equity Fund. 

Tim Masson
Chief Steward & CEO at Raise