Skills Ontario appoints three board members from construction industry

Ontario Construction News staff writer

Bryan Arnold, president and chief executive officer of Eastern Construction Co. Ltd; Andrew Pariser, vice-president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario; and Clarice Ward, project manager, specialty contracts at Melloul-Blamey Construction Inc. have been appointed to the Skills Ontario board of directors.

“Skills Ontario plays an essential role in filling the labour gap, and it is through the leadership of our board of directors and team members that we can continue to deliver on Skills Ontario’s mission to do so,” said incoming board chair Darryl Spector.

“Our amazing slate of new directors brings a unique and invaluable mix of experiences and admirable competencies to Skills Ontario that empowers our critical work towards delivering on our mission of helping young Ontarians recognize their potential and explore their career paths.”

With the appointment of a total of eight new members to its board of directors, Skills Ontario says it “welcomes an experienced and diverse group of respected and passionate experts to help lead Skills Ontario into its fourth decade.”

“As a testimony to Skills Ontario’s legacy of delivering on our mandate, we have experienced incredible success—the organization is looking forward to continuing to inspire the next generation of skilled professionals,” said past-president Karen Creditor. “On behalf of the organization, thank you to Cheryl, Jim, Louie, and William for providing their time, expertise, and skills in leading us, and a warm welcome to our newly appointed directors. We’re thrilled to work together to meet our collective goals.”

Departing the Skills Ontario board are four members: Cheryl Manuel of Deloitte, Jim Madder of Confederation College, Louie Leombruni of ArcelorMittal Corporate University, and William Chan of Western University.

“Thank you to Karen for her guidance, wisdom, and leadership during her term; we are delighted to have her staying on the board as past president,” said Ian Howcroft, CEO of Skills Ontario.

“I’d also like to extend a welcome to Darryl, as he moves on from the position of vice-president/vice-chair to president/chair. As a past Skills Ontario alumni coupled with Darryl’s experience in engaging with the skilled trades throughout his career, coupled with Paul Armstrong, COO of Mohawk College as the incoming vice president/chair, along with the incoming slate of new board members, Skills Ontario has a fantastic team leading us and I’m very excited to see the success to come.”