Board of Directors
Our appointed Board of Directors is made up of a diverse group of people who are appointed either to represent the interests of the stakeholders we serve, or as a professional in a specific area. Our primary stakeholders include the public, workers, and employers in B.C. Directors bring a wide range of industry experience and perspectives to their positions.
The role of our Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors is nominated by the provincial Minister of Labour. They serve as stewards of WorkSafeBC. The Workers Compensation Act sets out requirements that ensure our Board is balanced and represents the public interest, as well as the interests of B.C.’s employers and workers.
The Board is comprised of professionals from many communities, including:
- Health care/rehabilitation
- Actuarial
- Law/law enforcement
- Occupational health and safety
The Board’s strategic priorities are outlined in WorkSafeBC’s strategic plan. They are:
- Prevent workplace injury, disease, and death
- Improve return-to-work and claims service
- Operate an effective and efficient business
- Maintain a financially sustainable system
- Adapt to social, economic, and technological change
- Strengthen government and stakeholder relationships
Members of our Board of Directors
(December 2017–June 2026) Baltej retired from the RCMP after a 29-year career that included investigating high-profile cases, leading the Sikh Leadership and Police Committee on Gang Violence, and contributing significantly to advancing inclusion and diversity within the RCMP. He serves as the chair of the Canada India Education Society board and as a co-chair of the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, and he was a past director at Coast Mental Health. Baltej is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals for community service. He is also a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal. |
(February 2024–December 2025) Laird Cronk has significant experience in both labour and business endeavours. A Red Seal electrician by trade, he spent over two decades working in the marine, communication, commercial, industrial, and residential sectors in B.C. He was the Vancouver Island representative for the BC Building Trades Council and worked as an employment standards officer for the BC Ministry of Labour. From 2001 to 2018, he was the international representative with the 1st District Office of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, servicing IBEW local unions throughout B.C., Yukon Territory, and Alberta. From 2018 to 2022, Cronk was elected twice as president of the BC Federation of Labour, representing the views of more than 500,000 affiliated members from across the province. |
(December 2024–December 2027) Sharon Giffen has had a 35-year career in actuarial work, primarily in life insurance. For more than 15 years before retiring from full-time work, she held senior roles at Foresters Financial, a global, purpose-driven life insurance company. Her roles included vice-president of actuarial, chief actuary, chief financial officer, president and CEO of the Canadian business unit, and finally chief risk officer and chief compliance officer. Since 2016, Sharon has transitioned to board service. She is on the boards of four insurance companies, including a mortgage insurer, a pension risk transfer company, a health benefits company, and a fraternal organization offering life insurance. She has also volunteered extensively in the actuarial profession, the insurance industry, and community programs. |
(December 2019–December 2025) Michelle Laurie is a Red Seal–certified electrician and has spent 26 years as a worker representative and advocate. She was a staff representative for United Steelworkers, and prior to that she represented workers in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers as president of Local 258. She has considerable board experience, having been a vice-president of the BC Federation of Labour and past chair of the boards of the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre, United Way of the Lower Mainland, BC Citizens for Public Power, and the Electrical Industry Training Institute. |
(December 2022–December 2025) Cynthia Morton is a lawyer and former deputy minister, working in both B.C. and Ontario in the areas of labour and workers’ compensation, health care, and law. She was previously vice-president with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario before becoming deputy minister there. She was also B.C.’s first children’s commissioner and has served as the CEO of a national organization, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. Currently, Cynthia sits on the board of directors for the Canadian Cancer Society and BC Infrastructure Benefits. She is very familiar with the complex operational, legal, regulatory, and stakeholder-relations issues arising out of the areas of health and safety, as well as with workers’ compensation. |
(February 2020–December 2025) Becky Packer is a registered physical therapist with Island Health in the traditional territories of the Penelakut Tribe and Hul’qumi’num-speaking Peoples. She has experience working with regional and union coordination committees, focusing on safe patient handling and violence prevention. She has been a board director and secretary treasurer of the Health Sciences Association of British Columbia. |
(February 2021–February 2027) Lorna Pawluk, K.C. is a lawyer with over 30 years of experience in workers’ compensation. She began as an appeal commissioner in 1991 for WorkSafeBC. In 2001, she opened her own practice and represented employers in health and safety, assessment, and claims matters. She has been a chair, vice-chair, and committee chair on the board of directors at the BC Safety Authority (now Technical Safety BC), the British Columbia Institute of Technology, the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia (CMTBC), and the CMTBC Inquiry Committee. |
(February 2024–December 2025) Anil Singh has dedicated two decades to law enforcement, making significant contributions in areas such as domestic violence, criminal harassment, and elder abuse. He was also the driving force in bringing the first honour-based violence threat assessment and risk management training to law enforcement agencies in B.C. He is a serving member of the Vancouver Police Department and a member of the B.C. Police Association. During his three years as board chair of Coast Mental Health, he was a key promoter of community-based mental health services. He has a master of science degree from Middlesex University, London, with a focus on the leadership domain of social cognitive neuroscience. |
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(October 2021–September 2027) Judy Village is a certified professional ergonomist in Canada and the United States. She has 40 years of experience consulting, teaching, and conducting research in occupational health and safety with a focus on minimizing musculoskeletal injuries. Judy has served as president of the Association of Canadian Ergonomists and board member of the Canadian College for the Certification of Professional Ergonomists. She currently sits on the board of the Comox Valley Community Foundation. Prior to starting Judy Village & Associates in 1997, she was an ergonomist at WorkSafeBC, and from 1993 to 2020 she was an adjunct faculty member in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia teaching a master’s course in ergonomics. |
Anne Naser is an established innovator and strategic leader with more than 20 years of executive leadership experience. As president and chief executive officer (CEO), her focus is on championing health and safety, improving supports for injured workers, and ensuring the financial sustainability of the workers’ compensation system. Previously she was the senior vice president of information technology at the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation and chief information officer of WorkSafeBC. Anne has been named Canadian chief information officer (CIO) of the year by Computerworld and is a recipient of the Premier’s Award for Innovation. |