Global Director & Equity Partner, Veritas Institute
Kathy Fischer is a distinguished executive leader, governance strategist, and global standards authority whose career spans senior roles across public institutions, private enterprise, and international regulatory bodies. As Global Director and Equity Partner at Veritas Institute, she plays a central role in driving worldwide growth and expansion—leveraging her extensive professional networks, cross-sector relationships, and deep expertise in governance, engineering, and global standards to position Veritas Institute as a premier force in international professional development.
Kathy’s leadership footprint extends across some of the most influential organizations in Canada and abroad. She serves on the board of Let’s Talk Science, mentors emerging leaders through the Institute of Corporate Directors, and contributes to global technology and governance frameworks as a member of the ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1/SC 42 on Artificial Intelligence and Vice-Chair of its Canadian Mirror Committee. She also serves as Vice-Chair of Canada’s Mirror Committee for the IEC Joint Systems Committee on Bio-digital Convergence, shaping international dialogue at the intersection of engineering, biology, and digital transformation. Her commitment to developing future leaders is reflected in her ongoing mentorship of young professionals, students, and corporate teams.
Kathy’s board experience is both extensive and influential. She served more than a decade on the Standards Council of Canada, including seven years as Chair, and held governance roles with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority—including Chair of its Risk Oversight Committee and member of its Audit Committee. Her board service includes Direct Construction Company Limited, Thermal Energy International Inc. (TSXV: TMG), Infrastructure Ontario, the Canadian National Exhibition (Finance Committee), the University of Toronto’s Civil and Mineral Engineering Advisory Board (Chair), and The Riverdale Hospital/Bridgepoint Health, where she contributed to major redevelopment initiatives.
Her international governance contributions include serving on the IEC’s Standardization Evaluation Group 12 for Bio-digital Convergence, Canada’s National Standards Strategy Advisory Committee, and the Canadian Standardization Advisory Committee on ESG. She has represented Canada in an OECD initiative to establish global guidelines for state-owned enterprise governance and participated in a governance roundtable advising the Russian Federation. As a senior fellow of the Canada School of Public Service, she helped establish and deliver the federal Crown corporation director orientation program. She also chaired the committee that developed a university-level project management curriculum for Ryerson University.
Kathy’s executive leadership roles span major public and private organizations. She has served as President and CEO of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, and the Canada Lands Company Limited. Her operational and strategic leadership includes serving as President of Vestar Facility Management; Acting Commissioner, City Property, City of Toronto; Director of Facility Planning, Design and Construction for the City of Toronto; General Manager of Housing York Inc.; and senior leadership roles with Johnson Controls World Services, Inc., including Director of Vertical Markets and Regional Director of Healthcare Support Services.
A professional engineer and graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors’ Director Education Program, Kathy has been widely recognized for her contributions to engineering, governance, and public service. She is an inductee of the University of Toronto’s Engineering Hall of Distinction (2017) and recipient of the 2T5 Meritorious Service Medal for Mid-Career Achievement (2008), the Arbor Award for volunteerism (2006), and the Ontario Professional Engineers’ Engineering Medal for Management (2004).
Today, Kathy brings her global perspective, governance acumen, and unparalleled professional network to Veritas Institute—advancing its mission, expanding its international footprint, and strengthening its position as a leader in global professional development.