Martha Durdin

Martha Durdin is the former President and CEO of the Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA). Believing that all people should have access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable financial services, Martha represented CCUA on the boards of the World Council of Credit Unions, with members in nearly 60 countries, and Co-operatives & Mutuals Canada, and she was a member of the National Steering Committee for Financial Literacy.

Prior to her role at CCUA, Martha spent decades in senior management, public affairs, and advocacy.  She was Managing Principal at Navigator, one of Canada’s premier strategic public affairs, government relations and public opinion research consultancies.  Martha was also Managing Director of Marketing, Communications and Client Strategy at BMO Capital Markets, and prior to that was Vice President of BMO’s global corporate communications function.  She also was Vice President of Media Profile, a public affairs agency with private sector and government clients.

Beginning her career in government, Martha worked on Parliament Hill in media relations and as  a Chief of Staff to two Federal Cabinet Ministers.  In 1985, she was part of the Canadian delegation at the UN End of the Women’s Decade Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

Martha is a deeply seasoned board member and governor, most recently as Chair of the Royal Ontario Museum and Chair of the Board of the Ontario Arts Council from 2003 to 2014.  She has been a chair, vice-chair, or director of numerous organizations, among them, the Writers’ Trust of Canada, Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Canadian Club of Toronto, Runnymede Health Centre, Business and the Arts in Canada, Opera Atelier, Factory Theatre, and the Homes First Foundation.  She is currently a Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Roots of Empathy, Dane Creek Capital, 8-Twelve Mortgage Corp. and the Canada Post Foundation. She is also a member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF), and a recipient of the 2020 Lieutenant Governor's Distinguished Service Award and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her service to the community.

Ms. Durdin is bilingual; holds a BA (Hon) from Western University in political science, an MSc in public policy from the London School of Economics, and an ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Directors at the Rotman School of Management.