OBSI announces two new board members

Toronto, March 11, 2026 - The Board of Directors for the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) is pleased to announce two appointments to the board: 

• Eleanor Marshall has joined the board as a Community Director. Ms. Marshall is an experienced board member and finance professional with over 30 years of experience in treasury, pension fund management, capital markets, and investor relations. She has served since 2016 as a member of the board of Vestcor Inc., a public sector pension plan administrator and manager, and as Vice-Chair since 2024. Previously, she was the Senior Vice President and Treasurer of BCE and Bell Canada and President of Bimcor, Bell Canada’s pension fund subsidiary. Prior to joining Bell, she was controller at Roycom Summit REIT and an audit manager at Deloitte. She has also previously served on the boards for the Association of Canadian Pension Management, Aequitas Innovations Inc., and the Atlantic Women’s Venture Foundation. Ms. Marshall has the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors, and both Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designations. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University and is based in New Brunswick.  

• Ali Solehdin has joined the board as a Community Director. Mr. Solehdin is an experienced board director and technology executive with over 20 years of leadership in digital transformation, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. He currently serves as a director for Consumer Protection BC, and has served on several public-interest boards, including as President of the Simon Fraser University Alumni Association, Vancouver Chair for the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, and Director for the Laurier Institution. Mr. Solehdin holds an undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering from Simon Fraser University and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management. He is based in British Columbia. 

The Board of Directors would also like to express its sincere thanks to Mr. Ron Smith, who has recently completed his full term as an OBSI community director, for his contributions, insights and commitment to OBSI throughout his many years of service.   

OBSI is overseen by an independent Board of Directors. OBSI’s bylaws require that a majority of directors, including the Board Chair, be independent, meaning they have not been affiliated with industry for at least two years. These independent directors are referred to as community directors. Three of the community directors are also designated as consumer interest directors, who have a particular interest in, access to, and competency with the interests and perspectives of the consumers that OBSI serves. The board also includes three designated industry directors who are directly affiliated with a participating firm. 

Industry directors and consumer interest directors are expected to bring their unique perspectives and expertise to board deliberations to ensure that OBSI governance is undertaken with an understanding and appreciation of the interests and concerns of all the stakeholders served by the organization. All directors have a fiduciary duty to OBSI and do not advocate for or represent any outside interest while engaged in OBSI governance. 

More information about the Board of Directors is available here. 

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Canada’s Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) is a national, independent, not-for-profit organization that helps resolve and reduce disputes between consumers and financial services firms in both official languages. OBSI is responsive to consumer inquiries, conducts fair and accessible investigations of unresolved disputes, and shares its knowledge and expertise with all stakeholders and the public. If a consumer has a complaint against an OBSI participating bank or investment firm that they are not able to resolve with the bank or firm, OBSI will investigate at no cost to the consumer. Where a complaint has merit, OBSI may recommend compensation up to a maximum of $350,000. 

For more information, contact: 
Mark Wright, Director, Communications and Stakeholder Relations 
416-287-2877 ext.2225 
publicaffairs@obsi.ca