Board Chair Series Episode 5: Gregory Gubitz
How I Lead a Not-for-Profit Board When the Work Happens Half a World Away
What does it take to govern effectively when your board is scattered across continents, and your mission is to conserve the African wilderness in Kenya?
In this session of The Board Chair Series, David Beatty sits down with Greg Gubitz, Chair of Big Life Foundation, to explore the high-stakes reality of leading a global charity. Big Life is on the front lines of conservation, protecting over 2 million acres of the Amboseli ecosystem and employing almost 600 community members to help the mission, which is as bold as it is vital: saving the African elephant from poaching and habitat loss by partnering with local Maasai communities.
Drawing from his experience governing a complex charity operating in Kenya with a board spanning North America, and the UK, Greg will share what happens when traditional corporate governance meets the raw, emotional, and volunteer-driven world of international impact.
Together, David and Greg will explore:
- Why standard corporate techniques often fail in "Impact Organizations."
- How to manage a mission that is thousands of miles away without losing strategic oversight.
- Engagement without Burnout: Keeping High-Level Volunteer Directors Meaningfully Involved.
- Shifting board agendas from reviewing the past to investing in the future.
- Why going to the frontlines and seeing the work on the ground transforms passive observers into strategic partners.
- Board Tools and Techniques Best Practices: Using informal monthly touchpoints to keep the formal board meetings focused on high-level strategy.
This conversation goes beyond theory. It is a practical, entertaining, and deeply human playbook for Chairs navigating dispersed boards and emotionally charged missions. Whether you lead a Not-for-Profit or are interested in the evolving landscape of Governance in Impact Organizations, this session offers a rare look at leadership that truly moves the needle.
Join us on May 12 at 12 PM EST for a candid discussion on modern not-for-profit governance in a global context.
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Speaker Highlights
Gregory Gubitz
Through his years of travels, Greg has developed a deep passion for conservation and the preservation of Africa’s wildlife and wildlands. In 2011, after seeing the devastation caused by massive amounts of poaching in Kenya, he became involved in the creation of Big Life Foundation Canada and has been actively involved with Big Life since then. In 2020, he became Chair of Big Life Foundation USA.
Professionally Greg is a seasoned CEO and business lawyer. He was the co- founder and is currently the Chairman of HLS Therapeutics a pharmaceutical company providing critical medicines across Canada and the United States. He led HLS from start-up, to a publicly traded company, and Big Life now benefits from these same leadership skills.
Mr. Gubitz was Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and General Counsel of Biovail Corporation, formerly Canada’s largest publicly traded pharmaceutical company. In that capacity, he was responsible for mergers & acquisitions and product acquisitions, culminating with the $7 billion merger of Biovail and Valeant Pharmaceutical International Inc.
Before joining Biovail, for 10 years, he was a senior executive with MDS Capital, a leading North American venture capital company, focused on healthcare. As Chief Operating Officer of MDS Capital, Mr Gubitz was responsible for all operational aspects of the company with a total of $1 billion under management.
Greg started his career practicing law and became a partner at one of Canada’s leading international law firms, where he represented numerous public and private companies in a wide range of transactions.
Our Hosts
David R. Beatty, C.M., O.B.E., F.ICD, CFA
One of the world’s most experienced corporate directors and educators, David has served as a Director on 40 boards in Canada, America, Mexico, Australia and England and been chairman of 9 public and 2 private companies.
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