As a Next Gen herself, Rebecca is an accomplished speaker and facilitator who specializes in the areas of Governance, Strategy, and Leadership Development. Rebecca has worked with family businesses and family offices across Canada ranging from $10M – $2B in assets. She particularly enjoys working with the Next Gens of these families through capacity building and uncovering their family history.

Rebecca is a key contributor and facilitator re: Next Gens for “Managing the Family Business”, an MBA course taught at the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management in Claremont, California. Rebecca has been a speaker and interviewee for several conferences, podcasts, and articles including RBC’s Investor & Treasury Services, SmartBe Financial, Canadian ETF Association, 100 Women in Finance… to name a few… to speak about her experience in the family business and family office space.

Outside of work, Rebecca was elected to the Calgary Philharmonic’s Board of Directors and Governance Committee in September 2021 and sits as its youngest director. She is currently pursuing her Institute of Corporate Directors’ ICD.D designation and is anticipated to complete it in 2023. At Queen’s University, Rebecca studied History & English and was actively involved with the Queen’s Debating Union – even representing Canada as a judge at the World Debating Championships in Manila, Philippines. In her spare time, she enjoys credit card point hacking, investing, salsa dancing, and traveling the globe.

More about Rebecca’s family:

One of her great-great grandfathers – Rudolph Clarke was the General Manager of the Bank of Montreal, while the other one – Philip S. Ross – was a founding member of The Association of Accountants in Montreal, first to become incorporated in Canada, later becoming the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Quebec. Phil Ross and George A. Touche founded Touche Ross & Co, which developed into one of the “Big Eight” accounting firms globally and today is known as Deloitte. Philip was one of the first 30 people elected to the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 1984. Other notable family figures include Sir John Kennedy, Chief Engineer of the Montreal habour commission; Howard Ross, Chancellor of McGill University; Billy Bishop, Canadian WWI flying ace; Major Eric B. Finley MC, initial inductee into Canada’s Hall of Valour; Dr. Alan Finley, awarded US President’s Citation for Outstanding Humanitarian Service; Sir Herbert Ames, financial director of the League of Nations; Sir William McKie, Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey noted for his music at Queen Elizabeth’s marriage, Coronation, and funeral; and, Hartland Finley, decorated WWII RCAF Squadron leader and initial inductee into Canada’s Hall of Valour. Most recently, several family members have been awarded the Order of Canada including Gerald Finley; Brian Finley & Donna Bennett; and Paul Ross.