The Distinguished Leader Lecture Series honours leaders from the business community and offers students the opportunity to learn from these outstanding individuals.
The Distinguished Leader Lecture Series is supported by the D.G Willmot Lecture Fund

2020 Distinguished Leader
Bonnie Lysyk MBA, FCPA, FCA, LPA
Auditor General of Ontario
Bonnie Lysyk became the 13th Auditor General of Ontario on September 3, 2013, after having previously served as Provincial Auditor of Saskatchewan, and Deputy Auditor General and Chief Operating Officer of Manitoba.
Lysyk has held senior positions in both the private and public sectors during a 25-year career spent in three provinces. She has extensive audit, finance, risk management and governance experience. She served as the Deputy Auditor General and Chief Operating Officer for the Office of the Auditor General of Manitoba and, most recently, as Provincial Auditor of Saskatchewan. She also held a variety of senior roles at Manitoba Hydro and served as Chief Audit Executive of the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission.
A native of Winnipeg, Lysyk graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Administrative Studies (Honours) degree and subsequently obtained her designation as a Chartered Accountant while working with Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers). She also has a Masters in Business Administration and is a Certified Internal Auditor. In 2017, she was named a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario.
Lysyk is currently a member of the Canadian Council of Legislative Auditors and over the years has actively participated in many professional and volunteer not-for-profit organizations. She has also taught auditing courses in Toronto and overseas.
The Distinguished Leader series honours leaders from the business community and offers students the opportunity to gain insights from outstanding individuals. We hope you can attend this year’s event.
About the award
Year | Honoree | Title |
2020 | Bonnie Lysyk | 13th Auditor General of Ontario |
2019 | Michael Lee-Chin | Founder and Chairman, Portland Holdings, and Chairman and CEO, Mandeville Private Client Inc. |
2018 | Julia Deans | CEO, Habitat for Humanity |
2017 | Deepak Chopra | former President and CEO, Canada Post |
2016 | Martine Irman | Vice Chair, TD Securities and Senior Vice President, TD Bank Group |
2015 | Rossana Magnotta | Founder and CEO, Magnotta Winery |
2014 | Len Pennachetti | President and Founding Partner, Cave Spring Cellars |
2013 | Ned Goodman | Founder and CEO, Dundee Corporation and Dundee Wealth, Chancellor, Brock University |
2011 | Donald Ziraldo | Chairman, Ziraldo Estate Winery |
2010 | Galen G. Weston | Executive Chairman, Loblaw Companies Limited |
2009 | Michael McCain | President and CEO, Maple Leaf Foods Inc. |
2008 | John McCall MacBain | Founder and President, McCall MacBain Foundation |
2007 | Paul House | Chairman, CEO and President TDL Group Corp (Tim Hortons) |