Instinctive Leader: As Ross Hunt moves into his past chair position, he is celebrated for his great leadership

Thanks to a very generous community, the CHEO Foundation is able to provide funding to CHEO, the CHEO Research Institute and Roger Neilson House. 

CHEO Foundation staff are passionate about raising money to serve children and youth from Eastern and Northern Ontario, Western Quebec and Nunavut. Hundreds of thousands of patients rely on the care CHEO can provide and thanks to donor dollars that’s possible. 

While the CHEO Foundation is a wonderful organization that does a lot of good in the community, the combined work and relationship of the Board of Directors and CHEO Foundation staff is the reason why the organization runs as smoothly as it does.

From April 2021 to April 2023 Ross Hunt has served as Chair of the Board. For two years, he has worked passionately with his fellow board members and President and CEO of the CHEO Foundation, Steve Read.

“These past two years with Ross as the chair have been exactly what this organization needed. We’ve undergone fairly significant change, and he has been a steady leader through that,” Read said. “He was a very important mentor to me when I came in halfway through his time as chair. He’s provided excellent counsel to me and to the organization.

“Throughout a lot of change, he was the one who made sure we always had the mission in mind. He holds an important role at Costco and he has helped foster the relationship between Costco and CHEO over many years.”

Hunt is one of the top executives at Costco Canada, and it is because of how much Hunt believes in CHEO and how much he pushes to get big dollar donations for CHEO that inspires other companies like Costco to donate.

Hunt does so much work behind the scenes and does not ask for an ounce of praise for it. He has the keen ability to motivate people in the right direction, and his persuasion techniques are obviously top notch.

“He has year over year over year set records of what CHEO has been given by Costco,” Peter O’Leary, outgoing past chair, said. “Last year he brought in another vendor and got them to break the record. He continues to push himself. He’s very humble too.”

Hunt could attract the largest donation in the history of the world and would find a way to keep his name out of the spotlight. That’s how much humility he has, and it shows just how much he truly believes in the CHEO Foundation. He inspires donors and does all this for no reason other than to make sure he helps CHEO become as successful an organization as possible.

And with companies like Costco being willing to donate, you know you are doing something right.

But getting donations is just the tip of the iceberg for Hunt. He loves to serve within the community as well. He loves giving back, especially to kids, which would explain why he loves being part of a children’s hospital foundation.

“He’s quite generous in the community himself, especially when it comes to giving kids opportunities to be kids,” current vice chair Ainsley Malhotra said. “Ross will always be the first to answer the call for help but the last to ask for recognition.”

He’s in it to make a true impact and to see the organization he is serving in a better position than when he started.

“I would describe him as a servant leader,” O’Leary stated. “A servant leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people perform as high as possible. It’s someone who is doing the work alongside others. He just gets things done. It’s a mission for him.”

What makes Hunt good at what he does, as well, is he gets people to really understand the mission. It is not just about him going out and serving others and encouraging donations but getting others to strive to do the same thing.

He believes in what the CHEO Foundation strives to accomplish; it’s all about the children, and that is something he is clearly heartfelt about.

Hunt is someone who has represented this organization well in the community and beyond. He made strides to encourage others to see the benefits of supporting CHEO. He ran so others beyond him could walk, although he hopes his leadership style and what he brought to the organization helps others strive to do the same.

“He is a very pragmatic and practical leader,” Read said. “He is a get-to-the-point, plain language kind of guy. I’ve always appreciated that Ross has been very accessible to me, and is available to help in any opportunity. He is ready to provide counsel when asked. He did a very good job as chair and was very helpful in steering the ship as he guided us through change.”

At the end of the day, Hunt has been a selfless leader. He listens to other people’s ideas and knows how to play to people’s strengths. If someone’s idea is more practical, that is the idea they are going to run with, as in Hunt’s eyes, everyone is a contributor.

Hunt is invested. He is invested in the organization and he is someone that people look up to.

And for Malhotra in particular, she hopes to step into his role with excellence, and continue to follow his lead to collaboratively bring the team together and continue to build a strong organization.

“I look up to his silent generosity,” she said. “He doesn’t make a lot of waves or noise, but he is always giving. CHEO has been lucky to have Ross over his nine-year tenure and will cherish his last two years at Past Chair. The stewardship he has used to guide and grow the organization through challenges never before seen is priceless.”

Hunt is giving with his time, money and efforts, and he is definitely a philanthropy champion. He is a great friend and a great colleague as well, and he is the ideal epitome of an inspirational board chair.