Vice-Admiral (retired) Bruce Donaldson, CMM, CD

Bruce Donaldson was appointed to the Board of Governors April 2016 for a three-year-term, which was extended to a second term ending April 2022. He is a member of the Governance and Nominating committees. In a career spanning over 35 years, Donaldson has served at the highest levels of leadership in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

He served as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (VCDS), from 2010 until his retirement in 2013. As VCDS and second-in-command of the CAF, he was directly involved in managing the full spectrum of the defence institution, including leading the development and execution of the twenty-plus billion dollar Defence Services Programme and the long-range strategic and capability planning for the CAF.

Prior to his appointment as VCDS, Donaldson commanded domestic and continental operations for the CAF as Commander Canada Command during the 2010 Vancouver Games and the G8/G20 summits that year. Previously, he served as Director of the Strategic Joint Staff and in command of the Canadian Pacific Fleet.

After retiring from the CAF in 2013, Donaldson joined CFN Consultants, a leading consultancy firm specializing in defence and security issues in September 2014.

Donaldson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from Carleton University (1981) and a Master of Arts in International Relations and Maritime Strategic Studies from Dalhousie University (1992). He is a graduate of both the Command and Staff Course and the National Security Studies Course at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto and a graduate in the initial cadre of the Senior Leadership Programme run by the Canada School of Public Service.