Vice President

President of The Cora Group, a Toronto-based  firm  which provides consulting services in corporate strategy, communications and executive coaching. Ms Côté-O’Hara’s clients have included the Federal Government, major corporations in the financial, telecom, high tech and entertainment fields.

During the past 18 years, Ms. Côté-O’Hara has provided leadership in the restructuring of the Canadian information and telecommunications industries in a competitive marketplace: first as Vice President, Government Relations of BCTel, Canada’s second-largest telephone company (now Telus); later as the founding President and CEO of Stentor Telecom Policy Inc., the policy development corporation and think tank of the Stentor Alliance, an organization representing Canada’s major regional telecommunication companies throughout the ‘90s.  As a current director of several public and private corporations and agencies including  Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS-Allstream), Xerox Canada, Protus IP Solutions Inc, The B.E.S.T. Venture Fund, and Ryerson University, Ms. Côté-O’Hara applies her analytical and governance skills, as well as her understanding of the information and communication industries. In the sports field  she served eight years on the board of the Canada Games Council and chaired its Governance Committee.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Côté-O’Hara held increasingly senior positions with various federal and provincial departments including an executive assignment with Petro Canada International Assistance Corporation, financial analyst with the Treasury Board of Canada ( portfolio included Sports Canada) and senior staff member to the Prime Minister.  She is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and of the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Business School, and a recipient of a number of awards.  These include recognition for outstanding leadership in business by Canadian Business Magazine, a citation for outstanding contribution from the executives of the Public Service of Canada and an award for excellence from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). She was also named “Woman of the Year” by Canadian Women in Communications.

Ms. Côté-O’Hara chaired the Advisory Group on International Trade in Telecommunication and Computer Services throughout NAFTA and the Uraguay  round of GATT negotiations. She has been active in many community, voluntary and trade organizations and has served on several Canadian and International task forces and advisory councils dealing with public policy on the digital and new  economy,  women in the workforce and  trade policies and agreements.