AUDRIE CHAD

I am the founder of My Outlet, a hub for neurodiversity and inclusion. We employ a positive mindset to create space and opportunity for different types of thinkers (ADHD, Autism and more). We do this to empower kids, youth, young adults, mature adults and organizations.

We are very actively working across a number of dimensions (kids programming, education, training, mentorship, research, corporate advisory), to change the narrative around neurodiversity and drive positive outcomes for individuals, organizations and society.

As the founder, I am the visionary behind the work we do, and I am deeply vested in the company's long term success. I work across all areas of the organization, from strategy to business development, marketing, operations, finance, accounting, HR and Risk Management.

As board member of ION-Canada, I contribute to the development of the board's strategy, the visibility of the organization within society, and I contribute to a variety of related initiatives that serve the board.

• Company Overview: Non-profit think tank providing thought leadership in risk management for the financial industry globally, by bringing together leaders from industry, academia and government and providing education through research publications, seminars, strategic partnerships, and proactive outreach.
• Reporting to the Managing Director of Research and working closely with the CEO, responsible for leading the development and execution of the sustainability strategy for the GRI.
• Developing and delivering on the climate risk strategy for the GRI, including establishing a set of pillars upon which to grow and expand GRI’s reach for thought leadership in the field of climate, DE&I and sustainability.
• Develop content and deliver relevant and insightful presentations to boards, executive teams and management teams on risk topics including but not limited to climate, DE&I and sustainability.
• Lead a team of research professionals in the advancement of new research initiatives and content for seminars on a host of emerging risks, including but not limited to climate, DE&I and sustainability.

• Company Overview: Federal Crown Corp. providing concessionary financing in support of targeted public impact objectives.
• Reporting to the CFO, and for an extended period, the CEO, responsible for leading and developing the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Function at the CIB, including Credit, Operational, Market and Liquidity Risk. Worked directly with the Executive Team and cross-functional groups to establish the risk culture, and develop and implement policies, procedures and processes to carry out the mandate of the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB). As the face of ERM for the Board, actively presented at the Impact and Risk Committee of the Board (which met quarterly and participated at other committees including Finance and Audit Committee (quarterly), and Investments Committee (monthly).
• Served as a Voting Member of the Management Investment Committee (MIC), a committee with decision-making authority to make recommendations with respect to new and existing investments to the Investment Committee of the Board for approval (or, to provide Management with final approval to proceed to the next stage of the investment process, if the transaction was within the MIC’s Delegation of Authority).
• Presented the quarterly ERM report to the Impact and Risk Committee of the Board. Established the ERM Objectives for 2022.

• Company Overview: Federal Crown Corp. providing concessionary financing in support of targeted public impact objectives.
• Undertook full independent risk assessments for new investment opportunities, including risk rating assignment, calculation of estimated ECL, evaluation of transaction risks and opportunities, and produced and defended a related risk report for each transaction proceeding to the Management Investment Committee and the Board for consideration.
• Worked cross-functionally with the Investment teams to lead the risk work streams for transactions proceeding to MIC, and provided recommended guidance with respect to transaction structure and covenants, risk mitigation, risk rating assessment, fiscal impact estimation, Know-Your-Client (KYC) requirements, etc.
• Contributed to a number of ad-hoc workstreams, including the initial development and roll-out of the Commercial and Public Retrofit program, the development of an Integrated Investment Process, the development of new Sustainability Reporting and Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) reporting requirements, etc.
• Contributed to quarterly ERM reporting produced for the Finance and Audit committee of the Board, notably in the role of Energy sector expert.

• Company Overview: Commercial banking: clients with lending needs ~$25MM+
• Reporting to the District Team Lead of credit, responsible for managing a book of $1.2B in authorized credit, sourcing, underwriting and obtaining commitments for new business, and working across a wide spectrum of our partner groups to provide complete solutions to our clients including treasury management, sales & trading, mezzanine and capital partners, M&A, real estate, leasing, syndications, wealth and private banking.

• Company Overview: Commercial banking: clients with lending needs ~$25MM+
• Reporting to the AVP of credit, responsible for underwriting and obtaining commitments for new business, collaborating among the deal team (and syndications as required) to close new transactions and manage an existing loan portfolio.
• Led the underwriting for new credit in excess of $500MM (across multiple sectors including infrastructure, healthcare, food and beverage, government, construction and the marine industry), requiring in-depth business and credit due diligence, client negotiation and interaction with risk management to obtain credit approval under tight deadlines and ensure exceptional client experience.
• Demonstrated leadership in the management of a portfolio of loans, entailing accurate and efficient management of client requests, annual reviews and internal reporting.
• Recognized by management as a strong performer with disciplined work ethic and sound working knowledge of multiple industries, as demonstrated by the ability to obtain credit approval for new and existing business across multiple sectors, while simultaneously managing competing priorities across multiple reporting lines.

• Company Overview: Asset management firm with over $1.7 billion in AUM
• Reporting to Managing Director. Accountable for AFP/P3 transactions within OECD jurisdictions. Responsibilities included evaluation of investment opportunities, leading transaction due diligence & execution, negotiating commercial agreements (working directly with consortium legal counsel, financial advisor and rating agencies), bid preparation and management and development of junior staff on the deal team.
• Led the Finance team for the $350M P3 project to design, build, finance and operate (DBFM) the 610,000 sq ft Providence Care Hospital (“PCH”) in Kingston, Ontario. Responsible for developing the optimal financing structure, reviewing the project agreement (“PA”) and participating in negotiations with the client on the PA, negotiating construction and services contracts as well as bond and underwriting agreements, leading the financing competition among banks, life insurance companies and underwriters, liaising with and managing the lenders technical and insurance advisors.
• Drove the development of a unique approach to the sculpting of the lifecycle cost profile for the PCH project to meet the project financing requirements of lenders and rating agencies while minimizing negative cost impact to the bid. Smoothing the lifecycle cash flow profile resulted in an overall cost savings to the project of circa $3MM on a Net Present Value basis.
• Led the financial closing of numerous projects including finalizing proponent stage negotiations, preparing the Confidential Offering Memorandum with legal counsel and acting as the representative for Fengate and its equity partners through the bond marketing period leading to the successful sale of bond issuances, which were oversubscribed.
• Led the RFQ and RFP phases of the financing for the $1.1B project to DBFM the 1.7M sq ft New Oakville Hospital. Successfully secured debt financing by negotiating credit term sheets, underwriting agreements, construction and services contracts, and participating in the credit rating review process. Undertook market soundings and financial modeling analysis to determine that a publically rated long-term bond combined with a short-term club bank solution was the most efficient financial solution and partnered with bond underwriters and rating agencies to secure an “A-“ rating for the project.
• Led the evaluation of several brownfield investment opportunities from third party equity sponsors, including due diligence, asset valuation, identification of key value drivers, investment committee approval process and drafted the offer letter for submission to the seller.
• Developed and implemented robust generic financial model to be used in existing and future evaluation of commercial real estate opportunities in the Fengate Real Estate division.

• Company Overview: Global bank with Infrastructure lending operations in Toronto
• Reported to Director, Infrastructure. Accountable for sourcing and evaluating infrastructure lending opportunities within Canada. Responsibilities included evaluation of investment opportunities, transaction due diligence & execution, negotiating commercial agreements with equity sponsors and obtaining credit committee approval.
• Completed numerous AFP/P3 projects in the transportation and health care sectors, closing two large scale transport deals featuring revenue tolling risk in a very challenging market, generating a total of $4.6MM in revenue through upfront fees.
• Contributed to the establishment of the Infrastructure business in Canada, playing a key role in sourcing new investment opportunities. Represented the team at P3 Conferences in Toronto and established strong relationships with local management of developers for which the bank had existing relationships in Europe & the UK (ie. Carillion, Balfour Beatty and John Laing).
• Managed the preparation of credit papers and presentations to the Executive Management for the six fully credit approved Project Finance deals (aggregate transaction value >$1B).
• Analyzed and negotiated senior debt term sheets, construction heads of terms agreements and operations heads of terms agreements, involving active dialogue with equity investors, legal counsel, technical and insurance advisors.
• Developed and implemented internal RAROC model for transaction evaluation at HBOS Canada.

• Company Overview: Investment Banking subsidiary of CIBC, one of Canada’s top five Schedule I banks
• Reported to Managing Director. Loan origination of customized lending solutions to CIBC’s wholesale banking clients.
• Evaluated clients’ risk profile through the analysis of rating agency and equity research reports, corporate bond spreads and comparables and applying appropriate internal risk rating model to clients’ profile. Prepared credit applications for new loan transactions ranging from $25MM to $170MM in size under tight deadlines.
• Prepared presentation materials and presented recommendations to Credit Deals Committee meetings, chaired by CIBC WM Head of Origination, which facilitated assessment of the attractiveness of new deals by top executives.