The Design Exchange (DX) is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Committees are established within the Board to advise, maintain and oversee the different sectors of the DX. Committees include Nominating, Gala, Facility, Executive, Audit, Permanent Collection, and Development.

Elected Members

Tim Gilbert

Chair of the Board
Chair of Executive, Facility, and Development Committees

Partner, Gilbert's LLP Lawyers, Patent and Trademark Agents

Tim Gilbert is the founding partner of Gilbert's LLP, where he has acted as lead strategic counsel on several of Canada’s largest multi-national technology disputes. Tim’s practice focuses on advising clients in emerging, regulated and knowledge-based industries, with an emphasis on “bet-the-company” high-stakes litigation. Tim has developed a depth of expertise in the pharmaceutical field, where he has successfully broken legal barriers to product approval and designed policy solutions in Canada and the United States to balance the needs for new product innovation and increased access to life-saving pharmaceuticals.

As the founder of Gilbert’s Global, Tim also provides strategic consulting and legal services to companies, civil society organizations, governments and international agencies that are grappling with issues related to global health, trade, technology, sustainability and intellectual property. He is a director of Incentives for Global Health, a Yale-based not-for-profit organization advocating for adoption of the Health Impact Fund, a novel system designed to reward new drug innovation based on measured health impact.

In his spare time, Tim teaches trial advocacy to law students and young lawyers at the Faculty of Law at University of Toronto, Osgoode Hall Law School, and the Advocates' Society.

www.gilbertslaw.ca

Date Elected – June 7, 2006

Dave Marcus

Vice Chair
Chair of Audit Committee

President & CEO, Founder
AyA Kitchens and Baths Ltd.

After starting a natural products company in the mid-1990’s, Dave Marcus founded AyA Kitchens and Baths in early 2000. AyA, a Mississauga based, state-of-the-art manufacturer of mid to high-end residential cabinetry, quickly established itself as an innovator in its sector. ‘Aya’ is Japanese for design and great design is central to AyA’s success. AyA’s Green Design program was one of the first in its industry, and is highlighted by AyA’s offerings of urea-formaldehyde-free and fsc certified cabinetry. AyA designs and manufactures cabinetry for single family, multi-family and retail customers throughout North America.

www.ayakitchens.com

Date Elected – March 20, 2008

Morton H. Rapp

Treasurer

President, Manufacturers Realty Co. Ltd.

Morton Rapp has a Bachelor of Engineering from McGill University, a Masters of Commerce from University of Toronto and has completed an Advanced Management Program (A.M.P) from Harvard University.

Mr. Rapp serves on a number of Boards in the community including YMHA, Jewish Community Planning Council, Weizmann Institute of Science and serves as a Committee Member at Mount Sinai Hospital. His many interests include contemporary & modern art, science, literature and contemporary consumer & industrial design.

Date Elected – February 14, 1990

J. Urban Joseph

Officer

Executive, Retired (Toronto-Dominion Bank)

Urban Joseph’s distinguished career in the Toronto Dominion Bank began in 1952 in Quebec and culminated in his appointment as Vice-Chairman in 1992. He holds an Associate in Arts from the University of Saskatchewan, an Honours degree in Business and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.

Although retired from TD Bank in 1996, Urban is extremely active as a Corporate Director. Urban was made an Officer of the Order of the Canada in 2001 for his extensive contributions to the aboriginal people and youth of Canada.

Date Elected – June 18, 1996

Pierre Bertrand

Pierre is an experienced senior executive providing management consulting and interim executive and project management to mid and large-size private sector and socially innovative non-profit organizations. He has as a lifelong interest in the design sector and architecture in particular.

Pierre has led complex restructurings and improved organizational performance across the private, public and non-profit sectors, all operational and administrative functions, and with organizations of all sizes and stages of development having worked with Export Development Canada, Ernst & Young management consulting, the Business Development Bank of Canada, Evergreen, architectsAlliance and planningAlliance. He has significant international experience from work in 25 countries. Prior to the DX, Pierre’s Board experience included the Business Development of Canada as Head of Corporate Planning, Evergreen as General Manager and Treasurer, and the Sherbourne Health Centre as Board member and Chair of the Governance Committee. Pierre holds an LL.B. and MBA from the University of Ottawa.

Date Elected – December 9, 2011

Linda R. Lewis

Founding President, Ex-Officio

Chair (Retired), Ryerson School of Fashion

Linda Lewis is the Founding President of the Design Exchange and has served on the Board of Directors since 1985. She has a solid reputation for her advocacy of design and is currently working on a Canadian National Design Policy.

Ms. Lewis is former Chair of the School of Fashion at Ryerson University and has an extensive career in design practice and education.

Date Elected – Feb 6, 1997

Colleen Baldwin

Principal, Design Strategy
Straticom

Colleen Baldwin is part designer, part business owner and part Canadian design advocate. A founding member and principal of the firm, she has managed to grow Straticom into a leading interior design and strategic services firm in the Canadian marketplace.

Colleen holds a Bachelor of Interior Design from the University of Manitoba and began her career in retail and residential design then moved into the field of corporate interiors where she has focused her involvement for the past twenty years. She has designed and planned facilities for corporate, government, and non-profit clients across Canada and the United States.

www.strati.com

Date Elected – December 10, 2002

Lorne Gertner

CEO Hill & Gertner Capital Corporation

In addition to being a founding partner and CEO of Hill & Gertner, which is a merchant bank specializing in the retail and consumer products sector, Lorne is the CEO if Hill & Gertner Retail Partners, an affiliate of Hill & Gertner. Since its founding, he has been involved in over $1 billion worth of transactions in the retail sector, most notably, Eaton's, Dylex and Hip Interactive. From 1981 to 1996, Lorne was President and owner of Mister Leonard Inc., one of Canada's largest women's apparel manufacturers. He has a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Toronto and practiced architecture in the early 1980's. Lorne is a member of World Presidents' Organization and a founder of the Gertner Charitable Foundation.

Date Elected – October 25, 2007

Hussain Amarshi

Mongrel Media

Hussain Amarshi is a respected member of Canada’s film community through his role as the founder and President of Mongrel Media, an iconic Canadian independent film distribution company. Amarshi started Mongrel Media in 1994 after having founded the Kingston International Film Festival in 1989; and run the Euclid Theatre in Toronto in 1992. A graduate of University of Toronto and Queen’s University, Amarshi, having lived in East Africa and Pakistan, brings a global perspective to Canadian film industry and has committed to bringing the best of World Cinema to Canada. Mongrel Media is also firmly committed to fostering new voices in Canadian cinema and has been instrumental in developing and bringing to market films by some of the most distinctive Canadian filmmakers such as Deepa Mehta (Bollywood/Hollywood, Water, Heaven on Earth, Cooking with Stella, and Midnight’s Children); Sarah Polley (Away From Her, Take This Waltz, and Stories We Tell), Andrea Dorfman (Parsely Days, Love that Boy), Michael McGowan (One Week, Score, and Still), Mark Achbar(Manufacturing Consent, and The Corporation), Sean Garrity (Inertia, Lucid), Wiebke Von Carolsfeldt (Marion Bridge), Daniel MacIvor (Past Perfect, Wilby Wonderful) and Jennifer Baichwal (Let it Come Down, the life of Paul Bowles, Manufactured Landscapes, Act of God and Payback).

www.mongrelmedia.com

Date Elected – June 19, 2012

Klaus Nienkamper II

Chair of Gala and Young Patrons Committees

Klaus by Nienkamper

With a lifelong association with high end furniture manufacturing and design, Klaus gained experience from an early age working in various areas of the manufacturing facility for the family business and eventually entering into sales.

In 2001 Klaus opened the eponymous design store on King Street East, blending great designs from the past and today for a look that is classic and always current. The store quickly became known for its distinctive product selection and presentation. KLAUS is Toronto’s exclusive retailer for residential furniture and accessories by several European and UK manufacturers. In addition, Klaus has had the good fortune of working closely with the design community throughout Canada and is dedicated to promoting Canadian design.

www.klausn.com

Date Elected – June 19, 2012

Stephan Weishaupt

Chair of Permanent Collection Committee

President, Avenue Road

Born and raised in Munich, AVENUE ROAD president Stephan Weishaupt was exposed to good design at an early age through his parents and grandparents, whose homes were filled with modern and contemporary furniture and art. After graduating from the University of Applied Sciences in Munich, Weishaupt worked in various marketing positions for the BMW Group in Germany, the U.S. and Canada. In 2005, he established his own business and communica- tions consultancy, working with clients in the design and fashion industries in Canada.

In 2007, Weishaupt launched Toronto based AVENUE ROAD with the goal of bridging artistry and design, showcasing unique pieces in an elegant yet accessible setting. In 2012 Weishaupt launched AVENUE ROAD U.S.A. with the opening of its first showroom in New York City.

www.avenue-road.com

Date Elected – June 19, 2012

David Wex

Partner, Urban Capital Property Group

David Wex is a founder and partner in Urban Capital Property Group, a Toronto-based residential condominium developer with over 4,000 developed or under development in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Winnipeg. Urban Capital has been a pioneer in developing residential buildings in former industrial or non-residential districts, typically setting a trend that results in a flourishing new neighbourhood. In addition, the company's developments have been highly innovative in terms of architecture and interior design, as well as environmental sustainability. Prior to establishing Urban Capital with partner Mark Reeve, David was a lawyer at Stikeman Elliott, a large Canadian law firm.

www.urbancapital.ca

Date Elected – June 19, 2012

Dr. Sandy Skotnicki

Medical Director, Bay Dermotolgy Centre

Dr. Skotnicki completed her undergraduate degree in microbiology and immunology and medical school at the University of Toronto. She received her dermatology training at the University of Ottawa and was awarded her Fellowship in Dermatology by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1997. She is a Diplomat of the American Board of Dermatology and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Medicine. Her memberships include the Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Dermatology Association, American Dermatology Association and American Contact Dermatitis Society. She is a Board member of the Canadian Dermatology Association and an examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in the speciality Dermatology.

Dr. Skotnicki has been practising in the Toronto area since 1997. In addition to managing her own Dermatology Centre, she is currently on staff at Women's College Hospital and St. Michael's Hospital and is a consultant for the Workplace Safety Insurance Board.

Dr. Skotnicki is also very active in the art community as a member of the Canadian Art Foundation and Partners in Art and a Board member of the Institute of Contemporary Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum and the Design Exchange.

www.baydermatologycentre.com

Date Elected – October 29, 2012

Councillor Michelle Berardinetti

Councillor Mary Fragedakis

City Representative Laurie Belzak