M. Jacqueline Sheppard

Ms. Sheppard has a wealth of executive experience in the energy industry and as a director of several large public, private and Crown corporations. Her expertise in strategic planning, global business development, public markets, legal and governance are the foundation for her leadership on various boards.

Currently, Ms. Sheppard is Board Chair of Emera Inc., an international energy and utilities company with operations in Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean, a role she has held since 2014. As Chair, Ms. Sheppard has played a critical role overseeing the company’s growth and strategic focus on decarbonization, decentralization and digitization. Ms. Sheppard also serves as a director on the boards of Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) and Suncor Energy Inc.​ Previously, she was a Founder and Lead Director of Black Swan Energy Inc. and a Director of Cairn Energy PLC, a publicly traded UK-based international upstream company. She also served as Board Chair of the Research and Development Corporation of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. From 1994 – 2009, Ms. Sheppard was at Talisman Energy Inc. where she held several executive roles including her most recent role as Executive Vice President, Corporate and Legal. Previously, she was in private practice and was a partner at a national law firm.

Ms. Sheppard was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 by the Women’s Executive Network and the National Post in 2002 – 2007, and was inducted into the network’s Hall of Fame in 2008. A Rhodes Scholar, she received an Honours Jurisprudence, Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Oxford University. She has a Bachelor of Laws degree (Honours) from McGill University, and a Bachelor of Arts and honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Memorial University. In recognition of her merit and integrity in the legal profession, Ms. Sheppard was appointed the Queen’s Counsel designation in 2008.