Board of Directors

The board members of Oakville Galleries contribute a wide range of expertise and personal lived experiences that bring a diverse view and valued perspective to the board. The board is a non-profit, volunteer group of individuals committed to building a world class contemporary art institution that will engage and inspire individuals from all over the world in pursuit of a more inclusive and just world for all—engaging, educating, and inspiring critical and creative thinking through contemporary art experiences.

Anne Aziz – Director 

Anne opened the award-winning Studio H interior design firm in the early 1990’s. She is passionate about the arts and enjoys an extensive collection of Canadian and International art, as well as being a fan of theatre and the opera. She also strongly believes in giving back to her community and has volunteered her time extensively for many charitable projects in Oakville and Toronto, including the development of The Lighthouse for grieving children. Anne has extensive interests beyond the world of design and views these as all intertwined in a creative mosaic. She is a resident of Oakville where she and her family have made their home for several decades.

Dustin Brown – Director

Dustin Brown (Partner; Head of Strategy: Elemental) is one of Canada’s top advertising professionals leading one of the country’s most awarded independent Toronto creative agencies. Since the beginning of his career, Dustin has led strategy for some of Canada’s biggest brands, including Scotiabank, Starbucks, Canada Goose, Stanfield’s, Herschel Supply & Co, Appleton Estate and OLG.  As an advertising professional Dustin helps brands understand their ‘Why’ and develops brand strategy to help them connect with their target consumer through digital and traditional media. He has held board positions on St. Michael’s Hospital Young Leaders and the Canadian Marketing Association. Dustin moved to Oakville five years ago to raise his family with his wife and two daughters.

Cindy Cottrelle - Director

Resident of Oakville since 1992, Cindy brings a lifelong passion for the arts, heritage preservation, and community development. She holds a Fine Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario and was a primary school teacher, inspiring creativity and a love of learning in young students. As the owner of the art gallery, Summer & Grace Gallery in downtown Oakville, she is dedicated to supporting emerging artists and creating opportunities for artistic engagement within the community. Her commitment to cultural enrichment extends beyond the visual arts through her volunteer work throughout the past 35 years in Oakville.


With a particular passion for architecture, design, and historic preservation, she has been directly involved in numerous renovation projects in Collingwood, Muskoka, Oakville, Toronto, Caledon, and Florida, including the restoration of an 1864 stone castle in Caledon, Ontario. She values the connection between art, history, and place. She loves creating beauty where it didn’t exist before and is inspired by the transformative power of art, design, and thoughtful restoration.

Carlyle Farrell – Chair

Carlyle is a Professor in the Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University. An economist by training, he holds a Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba and has over 15 years of private sector experience as a senior executive and international management consultant. Carlyle is a serious collector of Caribbean art and has built a unique collection of some 200 works over the last 25 years.

 

He is a passionate supporter of contemporary artists from the Caribbean and has loaned works from his collection to several major international exhibitions, e.g., Caribbean: Crossroads of the World shown at the Queens Museum of Art, El Museo del Barrio, and The Studio Museum in Harlem. Works from his collection have been exhibited in the recent exhibition Denyse Thomasos: Odyssey at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and will also be exhibited in the upcoming exhibition Fragments of Epic Memory at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Carlyle currently serves on the AGO’s Global Africa Diaspora Curatorial Committee, and he is a long-time resident of Oakville.

Jodi French – Director

Jodi is an experienced community leader who has held numerous art education leadership roles, in particular her creation and leadership of the annual, “Art Attack”, in school art-based program for elementary school aged youth. She is passionate about giving back to her community and has been a key leader of fundraising for the Oakville Trafalgar Hospital Foundation’s own events. Jodi is a partner in her family’s commercial design and development business. Jodi and her family are long term residents of the Oakville community.

Ali Adil Khan – Director

Ali Adil Khan is an art critic, curator, writer, and collector based in Oakville. He has organized and curated numerous exhibitions in Canada and abroad, served as an advisor to the Royal Ontario Museum, the Aga Khan Museum, Ontario Arts Council, Canadian Community Arts Initiative, and the Art Gallery of Mississauga. He is the founder and director of SAGA Foundation and the South Asian Gallery of Art (SAGA). He received his education and engineering degree in Karachi. He works as a senior executive at IBM, where he leads Global Strategic Sales and Sustainability. 

 

Prior to that he worked as Associate Vice President and Head of Business Transformation at Capgemini Canada, and in senior Finance and IT roles at Ontario Power Generation. He has an MBA degree in Finance and MIS from the University of Texas at Austin and has completed executive leadership courses at Harvard Business School of Harvard University, Rotman School of Business, University of Toronto, and George Washington University.

Tania Buckrell Pos – Vice Chair 

Tania Founded Arts & Management International LLP, an art advisory firm specialising in bespoke art advisory and management over 20 years ago. She works regularly with private banks, public collections and distinguished international collectors. Tania has been quoted in leading publications; appeared on a BBC documentary; and curated the Royal Academicians in Dubai, to name a few of her accomplishments. Tania is a published author and was selected as a British Spear’s 500 leader, 3 years in a row. Tania has orchestrated acquisitions of blue chip works of art, setting a world record at auction with Monet’s Waterlilies (London Christie’s 2008). She has placed important works of art in museums, foundations, trusts and international collections. Tania’s experience lies in managing all aspects of a collection from transaction due diligence, to exhibition loans, to curating the aesthetic direction of portfolios.

Joseph Sardella – Treasurer

Joseph is a resident of Oakville and a Canadian and US CPA by profession. Joseph is a US tax partner with Grewal Guyatt LLP, an accounting firm based in Richmond Hill servicing clients in the greater GTA. Joseph has a master’s degree in US taxation from Villanova University in Philadelphia and handles all the firm matters relating to US taxation planning and compliance. He is an active member of the community and enjoys cycling and hiking. He is married with five children.

Graeme S. Thomson – Director

Graeme’s career as a Lighting and Set Designer spanned 45 years across multiple platforms including theatre, dance, opera, public art, architectural lighting, and display. Graeme is a recipient of 5 Dora Mavor Moore Awards and has garnered over 20 other nominations for his design work in Toronto. Graeme has been a resident of Oakville since 1989. Graeme’s professional arts expertise and community knowledge is a great asset to the Oakville Galleries board.