Strategic Advisory Council Bios
George S. Attar
Mr. Attar worked for two major companies in his 40-year career. His first half of his 40 years he spent at Accenture. Mr. Attar served as a partner with Accenture where his 21-year career within the firm gave him significant experience in a variety of industries helping companies achieve their business objectives.
In 2003, Mr. Attar joined McKesson Canada as CIO, a role he did for 17 of the almost 19 years at McKesson Canada. He also held several other executive roles at McKesson Canada including SVP Strategy & Business Development for 5 years, SVP of Government Affairs for 5 years, SVP of Technology Solutions for 10 years, and was also responsible for the development and implementation of McKesson Canada’s digital strategy in 2017 though 2021.
George S. Attar is currently an executive coach, currently working for several corporations helping their executives become more effective leaders.
Mr. Attar has been on the board of GS1 for over 10 years and is currently on the board of GS1 Canada and on the executive and the audit committee of GS1.
Mr. Attar earned his Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University.
Judy Birdsell
Judy Birdsell is one of the founders of Imagine Citizens Network (ICN) a Society whose mission is to enhance citizens’ ability to become valued partners in improving healthcare experiences and outcomes for people living in Alberta. She has always had a deep commitment to patient perspectives in health, as demonstrated by more than 30 years volunteering in leadership positions with several national non-profits.
Her passion for this cause was further fueled by a series of events surrounding her sister’s death in 2006. Her personal consciousness having been raised by these events, her family and her have experienced many other situations that have reinforced the absolute necessity of people (who are sometimes patients) being much more knowledgeable and engaged in their own healthcare journey (and that of their communities).
Professionally, she has a background in policy and strategy consulting, mainly in the field of health research policy. Previous volunteer roles have included President of Canadian Cancer Society; Board Chair, Stem Cell Network; Board Chair, Canadian Breast Cancer Research Initiative; Member, CIHR Stem Cell Oversight Committee; Board Member, Health Quality Council of Alberta and Board Chair, MCF Housing for Seniors. Currently Judy is a member of the following: Citizens Advisory Committee, Canadian Institutes for Health Research ( CIHR) North American Advisory Panel, Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS) and member of the Strategic Advisory Panel for Modernizing Alberta’s Primary Healthcare Systems (MAPS) for Alberta Health.
She had previously received three national awards to recognize her achievements in the voluntary sector and in 2020 was deeply honoured to be awarded the Order of Canada.
Dr. Allan Conway
Dr. Allan Conway, professor emeritus of strategy and entrepreneurship at the Odette School of Business, was the Dean of the School for over a decade. During that time, Dr. Conway dramatically altered the entrepreneurial landscape at the University of Windsor. While overseeing a faculty complement of over 60 full-time and 40 part-time professors, Dr. Conway took the time to promote curricular and extra-curricular change. Bringing a wealth of knowledge gained from his experiences at the Universities of Calgary, Western Ontario, and Harvard, Dr. Conway promoted faculty expertise, university infrastructure, and student engagement in entrepreneurship. He has consulted for a wide variety of organizations and has authored four books.