By Cecilia Nasmith

Don Morrison has accepted an interim appointment at the Northumberland Hills Hospital board table.

The hospital's announcement notes that Morrison has a history of service to the hospital, most recently as a Community Member since 2017 (serving on both the Finance-and-Audit and Governance committees).

Morrison was also on the board between 1999 and 2004, a pivotal time when the need for the new NHH was recognized and realized. Morrison chaired the New Hospital Committee from 1999 to 2001, and was board chair between 2001 and 2004. He reported to the board regularly on the progress of the new hospital, frequently delivering the good news of on-time-on-budget, and held the board chair position when the doors opened for the first time at NHH in October 2003.

The Cobourg (Ward 2) resident will assume the seat left vacant by Kai Liu.

The hospital press release provided a bio for Morrison, an honours graduate of the Western Business School who received his MBA from York University in 1968. Trained as a chartered accountant with Deloitte Haskins and Sells in Toronto, he began his career with that firm, serving first as senior audit manager and then as national staff director.

He joined the Royal Bank of Canada in Montreal in 1964, rising to the rank of assistant general manager within four years.

In 1972, he was recruited to the Canada Development Corporation - first as chief financial officer, then executive vice-resident and number-two operating officer – before leaving to assume the role of director of corporate services with Burns Fry Limited.

From 1979 to early 1980 Morrison was senior vice-president for the Bank of Nova Scotia and head of that bank's Canadian Corporate Banking Division. From February 1980 until his 2015 retirement, he spent his professional time as a business and financial consultant with emphasis on strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, financial evaluation and negotiation and litigation support services.

A Cobourg resident since 1997, Morrison's local volunteer activities have also included terms on the board and executive committee of the Art Gallery of Northumberland (1998-2001), director for Lakefront Utilities (2004-2007), various Town of Cobourg committees and – from 2012-2014 – board membership on the Ontario Shores Mental Health Centre (serving as a member of the Finance-and-Quality and Audit committees).

The NHH board is made up entirely of volunteers, and it's skills-based members develop hospital policy, make decisions about the hospital's future through strategic planning, and monitor operational and financial performance.

Morrison's appointment is considered an interim one pending the annual general meeting in June. Meanwhile, as he continues to serve on the General Governance and Finance-and-Audit committees, he will also take on a new role on the Facilities-and-Campus Development committee.

Board chair Pam Went said in the press release that they are thrilled to see Morrison return as a full director.

“We thank him for accepting this increased role, and know that the hospital – and by extension, the community it serves – will benefit from his unique understanding of the organization's history and future priorities,” Went stated.