Education

University of Sri Lanka, BSc (Mechanical Engineering), 1974 University of California, Davis, MSc (Mechanical Engineering), (Fulbright-Hay Scholar), 1976 University of British Columbia, PhD (Metallurgical Engineering) 1980 

Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera PhD, FRSC, FCAE, DSc, O.C.

Senior Advisor

T: 604.891.5152 / E: samarasekerai@bennettjones.com

Vancouver

Dr. Indira Samarasekera advises companies on how to strategically position themselves for the future. She is one of the most esteemed directors and corporate governance experts in Canada with a long record of service on some of the country's most influential boards.

She currently serves on the board of directors of Magna International, TC Energy, Intact Financial Corporation and Stelco. She served on the board of Scotiabank for over a decade.

In these roles, she deals with some of the biggest economic shifts taking place in Canada today—the energy transition, how AI is reshaping business, the EV revolution and how climate change is altering business models. She advises boards on the strategic risks, opportunities and new expectations these issues bring. She navigates companies through myriads of geopolitical risks they are facing.

Dr. Samarasekera is renowned for her extraordinary vision and foresight. She was a member of the TMX Group/Institute of Corporate Directors committee that created the milestone report Charting the Future of Canadian Governance. She is one of the few women in Canada with a long record of board service at TSX 60 companies. She is one of 20 Canadians who are invited members of the Trilateral Commission, a global organization with members from North America, Europe and Asia that addresses challenges posed by political and economic interdependence. 

A former president and vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta (2005-2015), Dr. Samarasekera has received eight honorary degrees. She is internationally recognized as one of Canada’s leading metallurgical engineers for her groundbreaking work on process engineering of materials, especially steel processing. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 2002. In 2014 she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in the U.S. as a foreign associate, the profession's highest honour.

Dr. Samarasekera is co-author of the National Business Book Award's "Recommended Read" Nerve: Lessons on Leadership From Two Women Who Went First.