Bonnie Brooks is appointed as Chair of the ROM Board of Trustees

Bonnie Brooks is appointed as Chair of the ROM Board of Trustees

The Hudson’s Bay’s Bonnie Brooks assumes the Chair of the ROM’s Board of Trustees

(Toronto, Ontario – November 29, 2013) The Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) are pleased to announce the appointment of Bonnie Brooks as the Chair of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. Ms. Brooks has been a member of the Board of Trustees since June 2010 and this new role is effective immediately.

“We are very pleased to welcome Ms. Brooks to her new position at the ROM,” said Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “Her vast experience has played an important role in the Museum’s activities and she assumes leadership at an exciting time in the ROM’s history as it moves into its Centennial year.”

Ms. Brooks was recently appointed to the role of Vice Chair of the Hudson’s Bay Company, effective in 2014. This follows her 2008 appointment as the first female President and CEO of The Bay, operating retail outlets across the country. Prior to joining the Bay in 2008, she spent over 25 years building prestige retail formats around the world, including Holt Renfrew, Lane Crawford, and leading designer brand stand-alone stores in Asia.  As President of the Lane Crawford Joyce Group based in Hong Kong, Ms. Brooks oversaw many of the world’s leading brands in over 500 locations in nine Asian countries. In Canada, she is also known for her roles as Holt Renfrew’s Executive Vice President and Chief Merchant, as well as serving as Editor-in-Chief of Flare, Canadian fashion and lifestyle magazine. Ms. Brooks partnered with the ROM for the Bay’s sponsorship of the Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008 exhibition in Fall 2009.  Ms. Brooks was born in Ontario, grew up in London, Ontario, and holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.  

The ROM is an agency of the Government of Ontario. The Board of Trustees is the governing authority for the Museum, responsible for its policies, its operational continuity, and the collections and other assets which the Museum holds in trust for the people of Ontario. The Board consists of 21 Trustees - 15 are appointed, three are ex-officio members and three are elected by ROM members. The provincial government makes appointments through the Lieutenant Governor in Council. Trustees are volunteers who are dedicated to public service and the ROM’s well-being and long-term stability.