Ornge > About Ornge > Board of Directors

Board of Directors 



Chairman of the Board

Rainer Beltzner

Rainer Beltzner is qualified as a Chartered Accountant (Ontario, Quebec) and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (FCA); Certified Management Consultant and Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Ontario (FCMC) and Certified Corporate Director (ICD.D). Mr. Beltzner is a former audit and consulting partner with KPMG LLP and Managing Director of the Ontario Public Sector consulting division of BearingPoint (formerly KPMG Consulting). Mr. Beltzner is an independent management consultant specializing on the public sector specializing in Health Care, Education and Regulated Gaming and serves on a number of Boards including as Chairman of Ornge (Formerly Ontario Air Ambulance), Governor of Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Past President of the University Club of Toronto, and President & CEO of the Ontario collaborative education Marketplace.

Mr. Beltzner is a graduate of Acadia University (BSc) and of McGill University (CA Program) and has developed and taught business, audit, computer audit and management courses at McGill and Concordia Universities. Rainer Beltzner is a recognized expert on the subject of information systems and technology strategy, regulated lottery and gaming systems including its products and controls, health care systems, health information and health costs including costs of practice and related technical and professional fee components.

 

Director

Bethann Colle

Bethann Colle is a consultant focusing on marketing and strategic planning, with over 30 years of experience. Beth began her career in sales with IBM, worked in packaged goods marketing with Johnson & Johnson in Canada and McCain Foods in the U.S. and headed up marketing and merchandising for U.S. retailer Fanny Farmer Candies.

After 10 years “client side”, Beth joined Mosaic Marketing and Promotions Group where her last position held was as Executive Vice President. She focused on strategic planning and concept development for clients in a wide variety of services and industries including financial services, technology, telecommunications, consumer packaged goods, government, beverage alcohol, travel, medical and legal.

In 2000 Beth opened her own consulting practice.

Beth has completed the Director’s Education Program with the Institute of Corporate Directors and sits on the boards of Ornge and Urbana Corp. (a TSX listed investment fund). Past experience includes being a member of the Marketing Advisory Committee of SickKids Foundation at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. She has also served on the board advisory committee for Mully Children’s Family Charitable Foundation (supporting a home for children in Kenya).

Between contracts she travels and this includes volunteer work in Kenya, Uganda, Bangladesh and New Orleans.

 

Director

Lorne Crawford

Lorne Crawford is a seasoned Change Agent with extensive experience in the forestry industry including strategy development, operations management, labour relations, government relations and the creation of business partnerships with Canada’s First Nations. Lorne’s expertise is in organizational development and restructuring, and the leadership and motivation of people.

As Avenor’s Regional Vice President for Northwestern Ontario, Lorne has led and developed the management team in building N.W. Ontario forest operations to an annual supply of 6 million meters of fibre. Lorne also directed the development of the new $60 million Ear Falls sawmill including strategy, business plan, community involvement and political partnerships with a successful start up achieved on time resulting in production of 130 million board feet of stud lumber. Lorne has developed government relations for Avenor at the provincial and federal levels; including Ministries of Northern Development and Mines, Economic Development, Natural Resources, Environment, and Native Affairs, as well as spearheading the original First Nations program for Avenor. This program became one of the top two programs in Canada resulting in creative partnerships being developed in logging, silviculture, traditional values and capital projects. Lorne established and chaired the Regional Safety Council, actively championed all safety issues, leading to a caring, safer environment for employees and their families. Lorne led the N.W. Ontario management to a significantly improved safety record and a major reduction in accident occurrence.

On retirement from Avenor in 1998, Lorne formed Northwest Strategies Inc. (a Forestry Consulting Co.) and for the past 10 years has developed fibre strategies for Bowater, helping to implement, and deal with stakeholders (Government, Industry, Environmental groups, 1st Nations, Labour Unions etc.)

 

Director

Robert Sydney Lester

Dr. Robert Sydney Lester has recently retired from his role as Executive Vice President of Medical and Academic Affairs/Chief Medical Executive at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Dr. Lester’s distinguished career includes numerous positions, university appointments, honours and awards, memberships in professional societies and participation on hospital, university and provincial committees, and he was a pioneer in the development of Telemedicine in Ontario. He is presently a Professor Emeritus in Medicine at The University of Toronto. His areas of interest include physician leadership, hospital/community integration, and patient safety. Dr. Lester has lead and participated in over 80 Clinical Research Projects, most of which have been related to Clinical Trials in Dermatology.

Dr. Lester has served on the Board of the Toronto District Health Council and is presently on the Board of the Ontario Telemedicine Network. Dr. Lester has published numerous articles related to his work and has spoken at conferences across the nation and around the world.

 

Director

Donald Lowe

Donald Lowe is a corporate director with over 40 years of experience as a senior executive. He has served as President and CEO, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Chairman, President and CEO of Allied Canada, President and CEO, Kidd Creek Mines, President and CEO, Canadair, President and CEO, Fleet Industries and Chairman, Sedgwick Limited.

Mr. Lowe is a former member of the Advisory Board, Engineering Faculty, University of Toronto. Formerly Director, Airshow Canada, Alberta Natural Gas, Bayridge Resources, Butler Service Group, Devtek Corporation, Innocan Inc., Intek Diversified Corporation, Magnesium Company of Canada, Norr Partnership Limited, Scott’s Hospitality, Canadian Tire Corporation, Acanthus Real Estate Corporation, Algoods Inc., Ingersoll-Rand Canada, Teklogic Inc., Bombardier Inc., HSBC Bank Canada, Strongco Equipment Corporation, Kicking Horse Resources and Haley Industries Limited. Director, Magellan Aerospace Corporation.

B.A. Sc., University of Toronto, M.Sc., University of Birmingham.

 

Director

Christopher Mazza, MD, FRCPC, MBA

Dr. Christopher Mazza is the president, chief executive officer, and driving force behind the creation of Ornge. Under his leadership Ontario’s aero medical transport program has been transformed from a disparate series of air ambulance programs into an organization with a clear mission, vision, and values. Dr. Mazza’s combined expertise in the fields of health care and business has been a key component of Ornge’s success thus far.

An accomplished emergentologist, he has acute care experience in two of the country’s leading teaching hospitals, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Mount Sinai Hospital. He has more than a decade of experience in transport medicine, having formerly served as medical director of air ambulance programs at Sunnybrook.

Dr. Mazza is an Ivey Scholar for Scholastic Excellence in the Masters of Business Administration Program at the University of Western Ontario. He is also an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, and is frequently called upon to advise governments on a variety of matters related to transport medicine, emergency medicine, critical care surge capacity and pandemic planning.

 

Director

Barry Pickford

After 11½ years, Barry retired at the first of this year from BCE where he had been the senior vice-president-taxation for both BCE and Bell Canada. During his time with BCE, he led a group of 30 full time tax professionals and was deeply involved in all of BCE/Bell’s major financial transactions.

Prior to joining BCE, Barry was the vice-chairman tax for KPMG and a member of their management committee from 1988 to 1995. He obtained his CA designation in 1971 and FCA in 1990.

Barry lives in Toronto with his wife, Barbara, and two daughters ages, 8 & 7. He is currently president of Epilepsy Toronto and a member of the board of directors of a solar energy company as well as a member of the independence committee for a mutual fund company. He continues to do some financial consulting work with a few select clients.