Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors provides strategic oversight and fiduciary responsibility for Grand Challenges Canada. The Board comprises globally recognized leaders in science, health, finance, innovation, and governance. Together, they ensure our work remains bold, accountable, and aligned with our mission to save and improve lives through innovation.
Voting Members
Guylaine Saucier
Corporate Director and former CEO, Gérard Saucier Ltée
Board Chair, Grand Challenges Canada
Alain Beaudet
Past President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Cédric Bisson
Partner, Teralys Capital
Marine Buissonnière
Independent Researcher and Advisor in Humanitarian Action and Global Health;
Senior Advisor, Resolve to Save Lives
Daniel Carucci
Global Chief Medical Officer, McCann Health
Johanne Charbonneau
Retired Financial Executive / Corporate Director
Chair of Audit, Finance & Risk Committee
Awa Marie Coll Seck
Minister of State to the President of Senegal
Mohamed H.A. Hassan
President, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)
Dr. Mercy Mwangangi
Former Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Health, Kenya
Gerhard Pries
Founder and Executive Chair, Sarona Asset Management Inc.
Chair of the Investment Committee
Morris Rosenberg
Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada
Chair of Governance & Human Resources Committee
Non-voting members
Karlee Silver
Chief Executive Officer, Grand Challenges Canada
Peter A. Singer
Founder, Grand Challenges Canada, and former Special Advisor to the Director-General, World Health Organization
Investment Committee
The Investment Committee comprises experts in health, science, and business who together guide Grand Challenges Canada’s investment decisions. The Committee reviews and approves all investments made at the Transition to Scale stage, ensuring that each funding decision is strategic, impactful, and grounded in financial and operational due diligence.
Program Advisory
Council (PAC)
The PAC is composed of leading experts from science, technology, social innovation, and business. It provides strategic guidance and mentorship across Grand Challenges Canada’s programs, with a focus on ensuring scientific rigor and relevance.
Audit, Finance & Risk Committee
This committee supports the Board in ensuring robust financial reporting, internal controls, and proactive risk management. It upholds the organization’s accountability and compliance with nonprofit and public sector standards.
Indigenous Innovation Council
To ensure the Indigenous Innovation Initiative can meet the needs of Indigenous peoples, the Initiative is deeply rooted in Indigenous values and wisdoms, and built on a foundation of Indigenous ways of knowing and being. The work is guided by the Indigenous Innovation Council, an independent, First Nations-, Inuit-, and Métis-led governance body composed of remarkable Indigenous leaders, Elders, and knowledge keepers who are deeply committed to community engagement and co-creation.
While hosted by Grand Challenges Canada, the Indigenous Innovation Initiative and its Council operate independently and autonomously, ensuring culturally grounded leadership and decision-making.