Meet the BIG Team
Best In Governance (BIG), is proud of its diverse team of seasoned professionals, dedicated to providing superior service and future-focused guidance that challenges how the world works with integrity and accountable solutions.
Our decades of collective wisdom and expertise stemming from multi-disciplinary fields and sectors such as financial, mining, real estate, travel, environment, human rights, health & safety, and technology, fuels our passion and insatiable curiosity to be thought leaders in governance.
The BIG Team
![Best_In_Governance_V3_Ivy](https://bestingovernance.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Best_In_Governance_V3_Ivy-720x720.jpg)
Ivy Lumia,
CEO & Founder
Ivy Lumia has been a global innovator of modern corporate governance for 25 years. She is the CEO and Founder of Best in Governance Inc. (BIG), a firm pioneering "sustainable governance" by providing modern sustainable governance solutions for Boards of Directors and Executive Leadership. Prior to the formation of BIG, Ivy spearheaded the corporate governance departments for a Schedule 1 Bank, a public U.S. Corporation, two Federal Crown and Non-Profit Corporations, the corporate secretariat and national communications departments for Canada’s Big Lottery Corporations, and corporate relations department for an international humanitarian development firm.
Ivy is currently the Ontario Chapter Chair for the Governance Professionals of Canada, member of the GPC.D education advisory panel, member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standards Council of Canada Mirror Committee ISO/TC 309 Governance of Organizations, and ISO Working Groups Guidance for Governance and Human Trafficking. In 2023, Ivy Lumia was awarded the Top 50 Global Women Leaders in Sustainability as well as recipient of the Diligent MG100 – awarded to 100 of the most innovative modern governance professionals in the world. She holds a GPC.D designation from the Governance Professionals of Canada, GCB.D ESG Global Competent Boards designation, Sustainability ESG Practitioner and I.B.B.A. with Honors. Ivy speaks multiple languages, is an advocate for minority, societal and cultural rights, expert cat herder, terrible golfer, Second City comedy improv alum, and general do-gooder.
![Best_In_Governance_V3_Gerlando](https://bestingovernance.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Best_In_Governance_V3_Gerlando-720x720.jpg)
Gerlando Caruana,
Senior Associate Sustainable Governance
Gerlando Caruana is a third-year student at McGill University majoring in Political Science and International Development. As a dedicated scholar proficient in both French and English, he brings a nuanced understanding to the complex dynamics of corporate governance and sustainable development. Gerlando's academic excellence is complemented by his active involvement in initiatives that champion social responsibility and environmental stewardship. He is eager to leverage his comprehensive theoretical and practical skills in a professional setting, aiming to make a significant and positive impact on the world.
![Best_In_Governance_Sam_720x720](https://bestingovernance.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Best_In_Governance_Sam_720x720-720x720.jpg)
Samantha McDonald,
Portfolio Project Manager
Samantha is a seasoned sustainability professional and project manager, with 15 years experience in the ESG and responsible investing industry. Prior to joining BIG, she was Executive Director and Global Head of Issuer Communications at MSCI ESG Research, and VP and Stewardship Lead with TD Asset Management's ESG Research and Engagement team. She has also held business development roles with ISS Corporate Solutions and sustainability data analytics fintech, PortageBay. She is a master problem solver and thrives in execution mode. Over her career, she has flexed her project management muscles across the sustainability and ESG ecosystem in a variety of ways - from large research projects to product development; from designing investor ESG engagement strategies to building digital sustainability data platforms. Samantha has a Masters degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Political Science, focused on human rights and international development.
![Best_In_Governance_Steph_720x720](https://bestingovernance.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Best_In_Governance_Steph_720x720-720x720.jpg)
Stephanie Wood, CDI.D,
Director of Business Development & Sales
Stephanie is a senior growth strategy and sales leader with a significant background in STEM fields, ESG and finance. Prior to BIG, Stephanie managed global M&A and investment portfolios/verticals of software technology businesses, foreign exchange trading and, as an environmental scientist, managed mineral exploration and extraction projects in consultation with Canadian oil and gas industry clients and Indigenous and First Nations communities.