June 14, 2011 10:00 ETTORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 14, 2011) - The MasterCard Foundation announced today the appointment of Mr. James (Jim) Leech, President and CEO of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (Teachers'), to its Board of Directors. Teachers' is one of the world's leading pension investment organizations and enjoys consistently high service ratings from its members. The largest single profession pension in Canada, it currently administers the pensions of 295,000 members.
"Jim has earned an outstanding reputation for his expertise and leadership in building exceptional organizations and strong management teams," said Lois Juliber, Chair of the Board of The MasterCard Foundation. "Beyond his business success, Jim is dedicated to building strong communities, in Canada and around the world. We welcome his insight and his experience to the Board of The MasterCard Foundation."
Mr. Leech is committed to education and community and serves on several boards. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation since 1996, and currently chairs their Investment Committee. He is also Chair of the Advisory Board of the Queen's University School of Business and is a member of the Advisory Board of The Learning Partnership, a national organization dedicated to strengthening public education in Canada through business, education, government and policy partnerships.
Internationally, Mr. Leech has been actively involved with Right to Play, a charity dedicated to empowering children through sport. He served on its Board from 2002 to 2011 and was Chair of the Finance Committee.
"The combination of education and financial inclusion has the power to transform lives," said Mr. Leech. "As Canada's largest independent global foundation, The MasterCard Foundation creates opportunities for people living in poverty in developing countries to learn and prosper. I am pleased to contribute to this important work."
Mr. Leech graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada with a B.Sc. (Honours Math and Physics) and holds an MBA from Queen's University. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors.
About The MasterCard Foundation
The MasterCard Foundation advances microfinance and youth learning to promote financial inclusion and prosperity. Through collaboration with committed partners in 40 developing countries, The MasterCard Foundation is helping people living in poverty to access opportunities to learn and prosper. An independent, private foundation based in Toronto, Canada, The MasterCard Foundation was established through the generosity of MasterCard Worldwide at the time of the company's initial public offering in 2006. For more information, please visit www.mastercardfdn.org.
The members of The MasterCard Foundation Board of Directors are:
- Lois Juliber, Chair, retired Vice-Chair and Chief Operating Officer of Colgate-Palmolive Company
- Phillip Clay, Chancellor and professor of city planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- James Leech, President and CEO of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
- Festus Mogae, former President of the Republic of Botswana
- Hutham Olayan, Principal and Director of The Olayan Group
- Paul Ostergard, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Citigroup Foundation
- Marguerite Robinson, former professor, author, independent consultant on microfinance
