The Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) Board of Governors has elected Dianne Doyle as its new chair.
Doyle, a health care industry leader with broad senior executive experience, joined the board in 2025. She is a former CEO of Providence Health Care, which is one of Canada’s largest Catholic health care organizations, and also served as president of St. Thomas More Collegiate, an independent private school in Burnaby, B.C.
“It is a privilege to step into the role of board chair. This is a pivotal year for KPU with a presidential search, a strategic planning process and ongoing fiscal challenges that face all universities,” she says.
Doyle brings experience in strategy, governance, organizational culture, team-building and capital planning to multiple boards. She is President of the Registered Nurses Foundation of BC, and has served as a director for the BC Rapid Transit Company, the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, Mothers Matter Centre and the Provincial Health Services Authority.
“As a volunteer, I bring governance experience and a commitment to fostering a culture that supports the wellbeing of students, staff and faculty. In my short time at KPU, I have been inspired by the organization’s resilience and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, reconciliation, excellence and innovation.”
Doyle succeeds Erin Barnes, who served as board chair for the past year.
Elected vice-chair is Furquan Gehlen, who began serving on the KPU Board of Governors last year. He has worked in the industrial automation industry as a program manager and commercial project engineer for over 30 years, and currently has a consultancy firm focused on program and project management in information technology and operational technology.
Gehlen holds a Master of Arts in Human Security and Peacebuilding from Royal Roads University and is a certified Project Management Professional. He is a social justice advocate and has 25 years of involvement on boards of various charities and non-profit organizations.
Both Doyle and Gehlen begin their second terms as board members on Aug. 1, 2026. Doyle’s term is two years and Gehlen’s is one year.
Also joining the Board of Governors are alumni members Ryan Keigher and Kritika Sohi. Keigher is a 2011 Entrepreneurial Leadership grad, former chair of the KPU Alumni Association, former board chair of the Risk Management Association and Senior Manager, Business Banking, at Coast Capital. Sohi is a 2012 Accounting grad and Senior Manager at Doane Grant Thornton LLP.
The board is also welcoming Sonia Parmar as a community member. Parmar is a partner at the Surrey accounting office David Pel & Company Inc. and serves on boards for SurreyCares Community Foundation and DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society.
The KPU Board of Governors is responsible for overseeing and managing the university’s property, finances, operations and overall affairs. Board members are volunteers and serve the university without remuneration.
