Board of Directors

Director Qualifications

Meet our directors

Harry Bryant, Board Chair

Harry is a graduate of the University of Guelph and has his Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) designation with the Insurance Institute of Canada. He has spent his entire career in the insurance industry, holding senior level positions with various companies, including within the Mutual system. His strengths are in the areas of underwriting, claims, marketing and strategic planning. Harry is a strong proponent of the Mutuals because they are grass root organizations who have never lost sight of their commitment to their policyholders/members, or their importance in the communities they serve. He is proud to see the mutual system grow and thrive. Harry has been a policyholder of Dumfries Mutual since 2011. In his spare time, Harry enjoys their family cottage with his wife and two grown children and hiking the Bruce trail. He is a volunteer for the Region of Waterloo Hospice.

Lynda Crickmore, Board Vice Chair

Lynda has over 35 years of progressive Operations experience, and is currently the Vice President, Special Commodities at Challenger Motor Freight Inc., where she works closely with People Leaders as a strategic business partner and trusted advisor and is a member of the Executive Team. Challenger, one of Canada’s largest privately owned transportation and logistics companies, is recognized as an industry leader for their People-First culture and commitment to driver safety, retention and training. Lynda also has extensive experience in the areas of goal setting, executive oversight, strategic planning and customer retention.

Chris grew up on a beef and swine farm in Flamborough. He attended the University of Guelph and graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1992. Chris has practiced in Renfrew, Moose Jaw, Port Elgin, and has been at Clappison Animal Hospital in Waterdown for over 20 years. He lives in Oakville with his wife Maria and step-children Megan and Aidan. Chris has proudly served on the Dumfries board since 2006. When he is able to find time, he enjoys fishing and golf.

 Doug Patton, Board Member

Doug Patton was elected to the Dumfries Board in 2015.  He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant.  Doug has over 20 years of senior financial and general management experience across a broad base of industries.  This business experience includes strategic planning, fiscal governance, and business development.  Doug has also served on other commercial and non-profit boards, and has been a Director of the mutual Collectivfide Insurance Group from start up in 2019.  Doug has also completed the OMIA Directors Certification Program, and has been a farm policyholder since 2010.

 Fausto Pellegrino, Board Member

Fausto runs Pellegrino Consulting and is an experienced leader in sales/marketing, IT and Business Development arenas. With this proven track record, his current contract is acting as the Global Executive Director for Kognitiv Corporation (HQ’d in Waterloo), where he works with the sales advisors, client success and delivery teams. Prior to Kognitiv, he spent three years in Boston as the Executive Director of Global Business Development at Wellesley Information Services (WIS / SAPinsider). Previous to this, he also spent 10+ years at BlackBerry in various global roles, including heading up Government and Enterprise sales, strategic alliances, and product solutions, growing the business throughout North America. He has also worked for Descartes Systems and Deloitte Consulting, managing special projects for clients such as Apple, Delta Airlines, Samsung, Herman Miller, Telecom Italia, SAP, IBM, PeopleSoft and Siebel. Fausto resides in Cambridge with his wife, Chantal, and their two teenaged children. He has been a Dumfries policyholder since 1991.

Mark Fisher, Board Member

Mark runs MDF Industries Inc., which manufactures and services more than 70,000 machines in over 65 countries around the world. Mark has been a proud business owner for more than 12 years, with experience in manufacturing, distribution, wholesale and retail. Mark also designed, developed and grew a software system to over 100,000 active customers. Mark lives in Cambridge with his wife, Marlah, and is excited to welcome his first child in 2022. Mark is also an avid curler and has been a Board Member on the Galt Curling Club Board of Directors since 2019.

 Scott Roung, Board Member

Scott was elected to the Dumfries Mutual board in 2013 and has been a policyholder since 1980. He retired from his career at the City of Hamilton as Manager of Facilities in 2021. He firmly believes in working within and fostering a culture of collective ownership, courageous change, steadfast integrity, while keeping the policyholders’ best interests at the core of decision making. Scott has owned and operated his own small construction business for over 30 years. Scott studied English at Athabasca University, has his Certified Facility Management designation, and has completed the OMIA Director certification program. He recently accepted a position as a director at large with the OMIA Board commencing in 2022.

Martha Sharp, Board Member

Martha grew up on a family farm in South Dumfries, north of Paris, and is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University. She is a proud partner with her husband Bill with Sharp Bus Lines, Sharp Farms and most recently Glenridge Hazelnuts. The realities of the family business require diverse skills and responsibilities, including marketing, recruitment, research, budgets and strategic planning. Martha was elected to the Dumfries board in 2018. As a policyholder since 1991, her experience is beneficial to a progressive and collaborative board environment that is committed to keeping policyholders’ interests at the forefront of decision making. In her spare time, Martha enjoys spending time with her family, golfing and volunteering.

Tanya Theroux

Tanya Theroux opens the line of communication between clients, vendors, contractors, and employees to get projects done. With over 20 years leadership experience and a career marked by success in operations, finance, business development and customer service, she understands that the customer is the single most valuable asset an organization can have. Tanya along with her husband, Mike, own and operate Den-Rick Weeping Tile Limited, a waterproofing and weeping tile company for residential and commercial construction. She specializes in administrative operations, analysis, and project management. Tanya will track each project’s performance, specifically to analyze the successful completion of short- and long-term goals and ensure projects meet budgetary objectives based on financial analysis. Before going into business with her husband, Tanya was in a management role for a large transportation company in which she was well-versed with developing recruitment, training, safety, and compliance strategies. She possesses an aggressive approach to identifying and resolving inefficient operational practices and risk management. In her spare time, Tanya enjoys spending time outdoors, camping and boating with her husband and two grown boys.