2025 Board of Governors Alumni Representative Election

Dr. Irene Fakankun obtained a Ph.D. in Biosystems Engineering at the University of Manitoba. Since graduating in October 2021, Irene has worked on research publications and as an instructor at the Chemistry Department at the University of Manitoba. As a member of the Board of Governors having served one three-year term (2022 – 2025), she has volunteered on the Advancement Committee and the Senate Committee and has been a valuable voice on the board. During her studentship at the U of M, she mentored undergraduate and research students at the Levin lab. In addition, she served as a Graduate Student Association Council Representative. She launched an online community called Schooling Moms, where she discussed navigating the challenges associated with going through a graduate program as a parent.

In addition to her experience as a teacher who has taught at the University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg, and Providence University College, she brings a wealth of knowledge, having been through the intensive Government of Manitoba's Leaders in Training Program. Irene has worked at Manitoba's Department of Agriculture, the Treasury Board Secretariat and currently leads the Biofuels portfolio at the Department of Environment and Climate Change.

Outside work, Irene volunteers on the welcome team at her local church, as a data analyst at the Awesome Treasures Foundation, and as a co-host of a family-focused group. She is a published scientist and communicator and was one of the women selected to present her work at the Soapbox Science event in 2021 and 2023.

With a diverse professional and educational background spanning three continents, she offers a unique blend of technical expertise, leadership skills, and a steadfast commitment to excellence that aligns with the University of Manitoba. Her heart of service and skillset complements the existing UM board, and she would be honoured to be re-elected.

Over the past three decades, JD Diabira has accumulated extensive experience in banking and on various Boards of Directors, both in Canada and internationally. After graduating from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Manitoba in 1994, JD’s academic journey has taken him to three other educational institutions—Sherbrooke University, New York University, and currently at McGill University where he is completing an Executive Master’s degree in Management.

His professional journey started with the Government of Manitoba Treasury Division, followed by stints at RBC in Winnipeg and as a bank regulator for the Government of Canada in Ottawa. JD also led Bank of America’s quantitative credit group in Boston and New York before co-founding Westbridge Trading Corp., a small commodities trading group, based in Calgary, with overseas operations.

One such overseas expansion led the group to acquire a small bank (BHCI) in Cote d’Ivoire. As a key shareholder and lead director, JD organized the small bank’s transformation from a near-bankrupt laggard to a segment leader, with a doubling of the bank’s assets and employee count; he also led the bank’s budget analysis and approval process, and was instrumental in revamping the bank’s Board of Directors.

In his role as CEO of Westbridge Trading Corp., JD has actively promoted the hiring of UM graduates, confident in the quality of education they have received. Since 2013, JD’s company has hired three Asper School of Business graduates, two of whom have ascended to prominent executive positions in real estate finance in Toronto. The UM connection also plays a significant role when his company’s commodities trading unit seeks consultants for agronomy and logistics-related projects, areas where UM graduates excel. The group is in the process of building a vegetable processing center in Ottawa, and JD is once again looking to Manitoba for executives in commodities, logistics and transport.

JD has helped set up the Nana Benz Center, a woman-focused business incubator in Togo. He led the center’s creation, recruited most of the board members, sits on the selection committee and oversees the Center’s budget.

Even though JD has been relocated from Manitoba, his connection to his alma mater remains steadfast. He consistently participates in UM events in Ottawa and has attended Bisons games and Homecoming events. JD and his wife, also a UM graduate, have a tradition of ordering UM sweaters and coffee mugs biennially, which they have taken with them to six different countries so far. It would be a profound privilege for JD to be elected to serve as an Alumni Representative on the Board of Governors.