Gillian Riley

Gillian Riley is President of The Conference Board (Canada). She is the first leader appointed by The Conference Board since it resumed operations in the region, following the organization’s conclusion of a license arrangement with an independent Canadian organization.

Before joining The Conference Board, Gillian made a significant impact throughout her three decades at Scotiabank, where she championed innovation, drove growth, and created social impact. She is known for driving systemic change and building ecosystems for economic growth. 

During Gillian’s tenure at Scotiabank, she led Tangerine Bank—Canada’s top digital bank—as President and CEO, guiding it to expand its range of products and achieving top rankings in customer satisfaction. She also held senior roles at Scotiabank in Commercial, Retail, and Wealth Management. 

As part of her commitment to economic empowerment, in 2018 Gillian launched the Scotiabank Women Initiative. The groundbreaking program bridges systemic gaps in access to capital, education, and mentorship for women in business. Since its inception, the initiative has engaged over 40,000 women and has expanded to international markets.

Gillian is an accomplished board director, currently serving on boards in both Canada and the UK. Her roles include positions with Nationwide Building Society, a major financial services provider in the UK; Roynat Capital, where she acts as Chair; St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation and Huron University. Additionally, Gillian serves as a Senior Advisor at Bain & Company in the US, offering guidance to private equity and financial services clients. She has been recognized twice among Canada’s Top 100 Women for her leadership.

Gillian holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Hartford and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, Canada.