Mary Lou Maher joined CAE’s board in 2021. Ms. Maher most recently held the title of Canadian Managing Partner, Quality and Risk at KPMG Canada from 2017 to 2021. She was also Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity of KPMG International during that same period. Over her 40-year career at KPMG Canada, she held numerous executive and governance roles, including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, and Chief Human Resources Officer. Ms. Maher was a member of the World Economic Forum focused on Human Rights and has served on other not-for-profit boards, including as Chair of Women’s College Hospital and member of the CPA Ontario Council. She currently sits on the board of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Magna International. Ms. Maher is also a member of the Canadian Public Accountability Board.
Experience, Qualifications, Attributes, and Skills
Ms. Maher brings extensive expertise in human resources and compensation, gained while serving as Chief Human Resource Officer, Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer and Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity at KPMG, where she created KPMG Canada’s first-ever National Diversity Council and was the executive sponsor of pride@kpmg. She also brings experience in finance and accounting, developed during her many years at KPMG where she gained audit experience in retail, manufacturing, financial services (banking and brokerage), hospitality, healthcare and real estate and was recognized through her election as a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario. Ms. Maher is also an expert in risk management, with experience serving as a member of the KPMG Canadian Executive and Global Risk Management leadership teams, which are responsible for managing risk and legal matters for KPMG Canada. Ms. Maher holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University. She received the Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award from McMaster University in recognition of her work on inclusion and diversity, was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the WXN 100 Top Most Powerful Women in Canada, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Out on Bay Street (Proud Strong), and the Senior Leadership Award for Diversity from the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion.
