In 2006, the Canadian Securities Administrators enacted legislation requiring every mutual fund to establish an independent review committee (IRC) to address conflicts of interest that can arise between the manager and unitholders of the fund. The mandate of the Bridgehouse IRC is to review all conflict of interest matters referred to it by Bridgehouse, and consider whether Bridgehouse’s proposed actions achieve a fair and reasonable result for the Bridgehouse Funds. Bridgehouse refers for approval or recommendation all situations where a reasonable person could consider Bridgehouse to have an interest that could conflict with the interests of any Bridgehouse Fund.
IRC Members
Bridgehouse is very pleased that the following distinguished individuals have agreed to serve as the members of the Bridgehouse IRC. You may contact the Bridgehouse IRC by email at irc@bridgehousecanada.com
Lawrence Ritchie, ICD.D, Partner, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (IRC Chair)
Mr. Ritchie has extensive experience within the Canadian securities regulatory environment. Mr. Ritchie is a partner in the litigation department of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, where he has practiced throughout his professional career, except for his time spent at the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC). Mr. Ritchie’s practice at Osler involves securities, governance, risk management, and business litigation matters, including regulatory investigations and proceedings. Mr. Ritchie also Chairs Osler’s Risk Management and Crisis Response national practice and is a practice lead for Osler’s Capital Markets Regulatory Enforcement and Broker-Dealer Disputes team. He has served as a member of its Partnership Board and, throughout his career at the firm, has chaired a number of its national committees. From 2007 until 2014, Mr. Ritchie served as Vice-Chair of the OSC and was a member of the commission’s Board of Directors. In his position at the OSC, Mr. Richie was responsible for establishing policy initiatives, oversight, and reviewing and ruling on regulatory policy matters. Prior to his position at the OSC, Mr. Ritchie was again a Partner at Osler. From its inception in 2018 until 2024, Mr. Ritchie was a member of the Board of Directors of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. He was a member of the RCMP IMET Special Advisory Group and has served on a number of not for profit boards. He is a frequent author and speaker on various financial regulatory, governance and capital markets enforcement matters, including being the key editor of Osler’s Risk Management/Crisis Response blog, lecturing at the Rotman School of Management/ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program, and being an adjunct professor at Osgoode Law School and Queens Law School.
Brian Gore, Former President & Chief Executive Officer, Fundserv Inc.
Mr. Gore has over 25 years of investment fund industry experience, with a focus on technology and administration. Mr. Gore retired as President and Chief Executive Officer from Fundserv Inc. where he worked from 2007 to 2012. Mr. Gore began his career in the investment funds industry in 1987 when he joined AGF as a Senior Systems Analyst and was shortly thereafter promoted to Manager. In 1993, Mr. Gore accepted the role of Vice-President of Client and Dealer Services and in 1996 was appointed Senior Vice-President of Administration. In 2002, AGF created a subsidiary, Unisen, and Mr. Gore was appointed Executive Vice-President of Corporate Development. Citigroup acquired Unisen in 2005 and at that time he was named Director of Corporate Development. Mr. Gore has been a member of a number of investment fund industry committees.
Katherine MacMillan, President & Chief Executive Officer, Fundserv Inc.
Ms. MacMillan has extensive experience in the investment fund industry. She is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Fundserv. She has held a seat on Fundserv’s Board since 2014, and previously served as its Board Chair for six years. Prior to joining Fundserv, Ms. MacMillan was President and CEO of International Financial Data Services (IFDS) globally and served on the Board for nine years. Under her leadership, IFDS experienced record levels of growth, employee engagement and improved client experience. Ms. MacMillan spent more than 15 years at Manulife Financial, holding various leadership roles in Client Services, Marketing and Operations and in her last role at Manulife, serving as Executive Vice President & General Manager, leading international teams across Canada, the U.S. and Philippines with full accountability for the strategy and continued growth of the John Hancock Retirement Plan Services business. Ms. MacMillan is a recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 program, a national program that uniquely celebrates the achievements of 40 Canadians in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, who have reached a significant level of success before the age of 40. She serves on the Board of Nature United, Board of Second Harvest, the Advisory Board of the Smith School of Business, and the Board of Governors for Junior Achievement of Central Ontario.
IRC Report to Securityholders
On an annual basis, the Bridgehouse IRC reports to securityholders regarding its activities on behalf of the Bridgehouse Funds.
