Canadian Rugby Foundation – March 2021

Jeff Chan Appointed Executive Director of the Canadian Rugby Foundation

from Canadian Rugby Foundation

The Board of the Canadian Rugby Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeff Chan to the role of Foundation Executive Director. Jeff replaces Clay Panga who will continue to assist with the development of the Canada U 20 program and head up the new British Columbia Grassroots Rugby Foundation that is looking to grow the game amongst young children throughout British Columbia.

ln this part-time role, Jeff will be primarily responsible for the growth of the Foundation’s portfolio of funds – through the establishment of new and the expansion of existing funds. These funds include those sponsored by local rugby clubs across Canada, university men’s and women’s programs, specific teams and programs such as Canada’s Senior Women, U20 Men’s, and Hong Kong Sevens, scholarships, and funds set up for specific capital projects or events.

He will also provide support to specific Foundation fund-raising initiatives, and to sponsored rugby events such as the Men’s and Women’s Canada Rugby Club Championships, and the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship. Additionally, he will provide advice and counsel on the Foundation’s future strategy and organization.

Jeff is currently the Chair and Co-founder of the afore-mentioned Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship, and Chairs Rugby Canada’s U SPORTS Applications Committee which is charged with advancing the two applications submitted to U SPORTS to approve Men’s 15s and Women’s 7s as official U SPORTS sports and national championships. ln a similar vein, he was previously a Director and Chairman of the Vanier Cup, Canada’s University Football Championship and its predecessor, the Canadian College Bowl.

His corporate experience including C-suite roles has encompassed financial services, electronics manufacturing, media & entertainment, IT outsourcing, and oil & gas, while his strategy consulting career (through McKinsey & Company and his own firm, Growth Alchemy Group) has taken him to over 20 countries serving clients in multiple industries on their growth strategy and organizational performance challenges.

Jeff has broad community experience serving on the Board of Directors of the Toronto Board of Trade, the Queen’s University Board of Trustees, the Toronto Junior Chamber of Commerce as President, The Variety Village (Toronto) Board of Governors and several start-ups, and with the Ontario Trillium Foundation. He can often be seen prowling the sidelines and touchlines at rugby, football and soccer games as he pursues his sports photography passion.

A graduate of Queen’s University (BA) and the University of Western Ontario (MBA), Jeff currently resides in Kingston, Ontario. He will perform his role remotely, traveling as needed.

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