Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Welcomes Robert L. Vanderhooft and Ken Hughes to The Banff Centre Foundation.

BANFF, AB, AUGUST 29, 2025 – Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is pleased to announce the appointment of the Honourable Ken Hughes, ECA, ICD.D and Robert L. Vanderhooft, CFA to The Banff Centre Foundation Board of Governors.

Residing in Canmore, Alberta and Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Ken Hughes is an entrepreneur and community leader with an accomplished career spanning public service, governance, and business leadership. He currently serves as Chair of the Board at Providence Therapeutics, Vice Chair of Beacon Data Centres, and Lead Independent Trustee of Nearctic Industrial REIT. He is also a member of the Board of the Banff Canmore Foundation, supporting philanthropic initiatives that strengthen community well-being and enhance quality of life across the Bow Valley.

Hughes has held influential roles in Canadian politics and public health. At the age of 34, he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada, where he served as Chair of the Aboriginal Affairs Committee and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister. In 2008, he became the first Chair of the Board of Alberta Health Services, leading the creation of Canada’s largest health delivery service. Elected to the Alberta Legislature in 2012, Hughes was appointed Minister of Energy and later Minister of Municipal Affairs, where he oversaw the resolution of nearly 10,000 Disaster Recovery Assistance Program claims following the southern Alberta floods in 2013, before returning to his private life in 2014.

Hughes was recognized as Honorary Chief Badger Runner of the Blackfoot Confederacy Piikani First Nation in 1991 and has received multiple civil honours, including the 125th Anniversary of Confederation of Canada Medal (1992), the Alberta Centennial Medal (2005), Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), and King Charles III Coronation Medal (2025).

Recognized by The Globe and Mail as one of Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40,” Robert L. Vanderhooft brings to The Banff Centre Foundation over three decades of leadership experience in the financial industry, with a proven track record of building and leading institutional asset management firms across the country. He is currently the President and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Forthlane Partners, an independent Canadian firm.

Prior to joining Forthlane, Vanderhooft served as Chief Investment Officer of TD Asset Management Inc. and was previously CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Greystone Managed Investments, where he oversaw more than $35 billion of assets under management, establishing Greystone as one of Canada’s leading pension asset managers.

With these new appointments, The Banff Centre Foundation continues to strengthen its leadership in advancing Banff Centre’s mission to bring artists, leaders, and communities together to create, collaborate, share, envision, learn, and be inspired. Guided by the Golden Rule of Endowment Management, the Foundation plays a critical role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of Banff Centre by managing and stewarding its endowed funds with transparency, accountability, and fiscal prudence.

For photos, information or interview requests, please contact: 

Carly Maga 
Director, Communications 
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity 
tel: +1.403.763.6210 
cell: +1.403.431.3423 
carly_maga@banffcentre.ca 

About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity  
Founded in 1933, Banff Centre is a post-secondary institution built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and leadership development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become a global organization leading in arts, culture, and creative decision-making across dozens of disciplines, from the fine arts to Indigenous Wise Practices. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to move everyone who attends our campus - artists, leaders, thinkers, and audiences - to unleash their creative potential and realize their unique contribution to build an innovative, inspiring future through education, performances, convenings, and public outreach. Banffcentre.ca