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Leadership Team

Sonya Lockyer

Sonya Lockyer

President & Chief Executive Officer, Lifemark Health Group

Sonya joined Lifemark as President and CEO in March 2023. She has spent the past 20+ years working with a number of Canada’s leading private and public healthcare organizations in executive and advisory roles.

Most recently, Sonya worked at TELUS Health leading their healthcare delivery capabilities, including clinical and pharmacy services. Prior to that Sonya was the CEO of Canadian Addiction Treatment Centres, the largest outpatient and inpatient addiction and mental health treatment network in Canada. Sonya has also worked as a management consultant and as an executive at CML Healthcare/LifeLabs.

Sonya’s relentless commitment to delivering excellence in both clinical quality and patient experience is a cornerstone of her people-focused leadership philosophy.

Sonya has an MBA from the University of Toronto and a BSc in Medical Laboratory Sciences from the University of Alberta. Early in her career, Sonya served as a member of Canadian Armed Forces, spending most of her time stationed at CFB Edmonton.

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Gilles Chabot - Chief Operating Officer | Clinic Operations
Gilles Chabot

As our Chief Operating Officer of Clinic Operations, Gilles sets the course for the day-to-day operations of our clinics. Gilles is a passionate leader who over the last two years, has been serving the company as the Provincial Lead for the Prairie region. Before moving out West, he was the Provincial Lead for Ontario for four years after having been a Clinic Director and an Area Manager. Gilles graduated in Physiotherapy from the University of Toronto in 1986 and was the General Manager of Sudbury Physio Centre for over 20 years, growing the business to one of the largest and most respected providers of rehabilitation services in Ontario.

Andrea Ross - Vice President | Finance
Andrea Ross, Vice President, Finance

As Vice President, Finance, Andrea is responsible for the financial leadership of the business, managing the accounting, reporting, planning, and analysis functions while providing strategic decision support for business transactions and initiatives. Andrea represents Lifemark within the Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaw Finance teams. 

Andrea joined the Lifemark team in October 2022 and has been with Shoppers Drug Mart since 2010.  In her previous role as Senior Director, Investor Relations, Andrea played a key role in developing messaging and communicating the company’s financial, ESG, and strategic progress and priorities to the investment community.  Prior to this, Andrea held finance roles in Pharmacy, Real Estate, and Retail Finance where she has led the development, implementation, and oversight of financial frameworks and processes for a number of businesses including SDM retail stores. Prior to joining Shoppers Drug Mart, Andrea worked as an auditor with BDO in Winnipeg, Mississauga, and Singapore.

Andrea is a Chartered Professional Accountant with a Bachelors of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba.  She moved to Toronto from Winnipeg 14 years ago and lives in the city with her husband and 3 boys.

Shari Cohen - Senior Vice President | Corporate Development
Shari Cohen, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development

As Senior Vice President for Corporate Development, Shari is responsible for pursuing and completing strategic acquisitions throughout Canada in all areas of Lifemark’s business. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University, and has a strong and diverse background in US health care business development working at HealthSouth, a US national health care provider. During a ten-year period at HealthSouth, Shari had several roles, gaining experience in marketing, business development and mergers and acquisitions of rehabilitation clinics throughout the US.

Since 1999, Shari has been leading Lifemark’s aggressive acquisition strategy, completing over 75 acquisitions in the last several years. Her role includes collaboration with Lifemark’s leadership team on its acquisition strategy and executing this plan working closely with potential acquisition targets through all aspects of the acquisition process including prospecting leads, business valuation, and negotiation of a transaction. As part of the acquisition process, Shari liaises with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure an effective outcome for all parties as new businesses join Lifemark.

Brock Dodgson - Chief Information Officer
Brock Dodgson, Chief Information Officer

As CIO, Brock provides vision and leadership for the development and implementation of information technology and telecommunications initiatives.   Prior to Lifemark, Brock has had over 18 years of experience in IT working in several healthcare companies including Cancer Care Ontario, Canadian Institute for Health Information, OACCAC and Agfa Healthcare.

Brocks holds a Bachelor of Math Degree from the University of Waterloo, and is also a certified project management professional. Since joining Lifemark in 2015, Brock has led key digital transformation projects, delivering on his mandate to become a technology innovation leader in healthcare. 

Nicole McKibbon - Vice President | People & Culture
Nicole McKibbon – Vice President, People & Culture

Nicole McKibbon is a seasoned HR executive with a 15 +year career focused on cultivating thriving workplace cultures and enhancing company performance. As the Vice President of People & Culture at Lifemark Health Group, Nicole is on a mission to inspire, build, transform, and lead HR functions and teams in the dynamic realms of retail and healthcare services.

At Lifemark, Nicole's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and growth isn't just a vision; it's a driving force that attracts and nurtures top talent. Proficient in a broad spectrum of HR processes, from talent acquisition to organizational transformation, Nicole has consistently demonstrated her ability to motivate large teams, develop innovative strategies, and achieve outstanding results within high-pressure, action-oriented, and high-growth environments, all in pursuit of creating a workplace that empowers employees to reach their full potential while delivering exceptional value to customers and stakeholders.

Her holistic approach to HR and her unwavering commitment to Lifemark’s mission and purpose make her an invaluable asset. Under her leadership, Lifemark's People & Culture division is poised for continuous growth and success, bringing about a positive impact not only within the organization but also in the communities it serves.

Amanda Steeves - Vice President | Marketing
Amanda Steeves – Vice President, Marketing

As Vice President, Marketing, Amanda is responsible for driving growth through innovative marketing, digital enablement & customer acquisition solutions. Overseeing our in-house team, Amanda leads demand generation, digital marketing, patient experience and communications functions.

Amanda joined Lifemark in 2019. Her tenure includes Executive Marketing and Leadership roles at a renowned global health and fitness company, a growth consultancy and strategic marketing agencies. Throughout her career, Amanda has collaborated with a plethora of leading Canadian organizations across sectors like healthcare, wellness, education and manufacturing. Her expertise shines in her passion for building and leading high-performing teams, developing growth-focused marketing solutions and cultivating a collaborative, engaged and inclusive culture.

Amanda has an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, an HBA in Sociology from the University of Toronto and has completed executive programs at Harvard Business School and Rotman School of Business.

Rylan Grand, Ph.D. - Director | Business Strategy and Reporting
Rylan Grand, Ph.D. - Director, Business Strategy and Reporting

On a mission to find innovative and sustainable solutions to complex health and wellness issues, Rylan joined Lifemark as the Director of Business Strategy and Reporting.

With over two decades of experience, Rylan has collaborated extensively with several of Canada’s eminent healthcare and research organizations. His professional career began at the bench side studying the impact of the environment on the nervous system in health and disease. Following the completion of his Ph.D., Rylan transitioned into consulting where he leveraged data analytics to help decision makers improve healthcare. At Lifemark, Rylan leverages data analytics and business intelligence to drive strategy and decision making.

Rylan's unwavering dedication to leveraging insights from data to enhance patient outcomes and decision-making reflects his people-centric approach to leadership. He has a relentless passion for learning and is driven to understand the people, spaces, and networks that come together to support Lifemark’s clients improve their health.

Don Kunkel - Senior Vice President | Medical Assessments
Don Kunkel – Senior Vice President, Medical Assessments

Determined to bridge the gap between clients and top-tier medical assessments, Don serves as the Senior Vice President of Medical Assessments at Lifemark Health Group.

With over 30 years of experience in the healthcare sector, Don has collaborated with several of Canada's distinguished healthcare and insurance entities, establishing a niche in connecting clients with high-quality, evidence-based independent medical assessments. As a seasoned veteran of the insurance and healthcare industries, he brings extensive experience in all aspects of Medical Malpractice, Motor Vehicle Accident, and Workplace Disability insurance claims. 

Prior roles saw him enhance company growth and develop a robust national network of assessors. As the President of AssessMed, he launched and expanded the company's national reach while tripling its profits. Before this, he was the Director of B2B National Accounts at CML Healthcare. Earlier, he made significant strides as Vice-President of Business Development at Medisys Healthcare, where he spearheaded the growth of the Independent Medical Assessment division.

Don’s leadership style is rooted in his favourite business mantra, "surround yourself with good people and stay out of the way." He believes that collaboration and trust within a team drive innovation and excellence.

Rene Deschamps - Vice President | Strategic Partnerships 
Rene Deschamps, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships 

In his role leading Lifemark’s strategic partnerships, Rene heads a team focused on building new relationships which enable partner organizations to meet their objectives.  Rene graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Physiotherapy degree from the University of Ottawa. He also holds an Honors degree in Biology with major in physiology.

Rene joined Lifemark in 2005 and has vast knowledge of all aspects of the business thanks to a wide range of prior roles including Clinic Director, Regional Manager, Area Manager, and Director of Operations. Taking a client-centered approach to his role, Rene is known for building strong relationships and matching business needs with innovative business ideas.