Alumni to fill top spots on Board of Governors

By Jason Winders, MES'10

Western’s Board of Governors named Hanny Hassan, BESc'64, as the university governing body’s next Chair at its regular meeting on November 24. His term begins Jan. 1.

Named to the Board by the Alumni Association in 2009, Hassan is President of Alef Consulting. He received a BESc from Western and MESc from Dalhousie. He has a long career in community service in London and beyond, including co-Chair of the National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee; and, most recently, as Chair of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee of Ontario. He received the Order of Canada in recognition of his volunteer contributions.

On the Board, Hassan has been chair of the Bylaws Committee, and a member of the Audit and Senior Operations Committees. He has been Vice-Chair of the Board since 2014.

Hassan follows Chirag Shah, who steps down from the Board when his term as chair ends Dec. 31. Shah was appointed to the Board in 2010 and served two terms as chair.

The Board also announced Thursday that Paul Jenkins, BA'71 (Economics), will serve as the university governing body’s next Vice-Chair. His term begins Jan. 1.

Named to the Board as an Alumni member in 2010, Jenkins was appointed Senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada in April 2003, for a term of seven years. He retired in April 2010. He has a BA in Economics from Western and a MSc from the London School of Economics.

On the Board, he was appointed vice-chair of the Property & Finance Committee in 2012, and has served as chair of the committee since 2013. As chair of P&F, he also served on the Audit Committee and the Senior Operations Committee.