Cindy Forbes is now chair of Waterloo’s Board of Governors. She is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. Forbes has held various positions at Manulife Financial. In 1991, she became vice-president and CFO of the company’s U.S. group and pensions business. After serving in a number of roles in North America, she became senior vice-president and CFO for Manulife Japan and later moved to Hong Kong to assume responsibility for the financial activities of the company’s entire Asia region. As executive vice-president and chief analytics officer, she currently oversees Manulife global advanced analytics function. A Waterloo alumnus, Forbes graduated with an honours bachelor of mathematics. She joined Waterloo’s Board of Governors in 2012, and is its first female chair. Forbes succeeds Bill Watson, a lawyer and partner at Baker McKenzie LLP.
Thorsten Heins is now vice-chair of the Board of Governors. Heins has extensive international experience and knowledge developed through executive roles in the communication technology sector. Heins held several leadership positions at Siemens Communications Division, including CTO and executive board member. He served as an advisor to the European Union Commission and as board member for international industry groups. He has held a number of roles at Research in Motion, now BlackBerry, including CEO and president. He is an investor, board member and advisor for technology startups. Heins is chairman of the board for the Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce and has served on Waterloo’s Board of Governors since 2013. Heins succeeds Catherine Booth, president and owner of Booth Advisory Inc.
“These distinguished individuals bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that is particularly valuable to the University of Waterloo,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of Waterloo. “Their insights as members of our campus and broader communities plus their career successes on a global scale will support Waterloo as we continue to strive to be recognized as one of the top innovation universities in the world.”
Forbes’ is a three-year term, and Heins’ is two years.
