About Us

Mark Wilson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Bay Ferries Limited (BFL) and Northumberland Ferries Limited (NFL).  He has over 30 years’ experience in the Marine and Maritime profession. Wilson has been with the companies since May 2021, starting as Vice President Marine Operations, becoming Senior Vice President in July 2022 and Acting Chief Executive Officer in August 2023.

Wilson grew up in Prince Edward Island, Canada, and obtained his bachelor's and master’s degrees in engineering from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. In 2016, Wilson completed the Stanford Executive Program from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.

Prior to his career in the marine transportation sector, Wilson served 23 years in the Royal Canadian Navy, with increasing senior engineering responsibilities and active service in the Persian Gulf. He has also worked in the private sector as Vice President of sales and marketing for a craft brewery in Ontario. He then spent 11 years in various senior executive positions at BC Ferries. During this time, he worked six years as Vice President, Engineering, through which he held overall asset management responsibility for the company’s 36 vessels and 45 terminals and oversaw several major terminal and vessel construction and rebuild programs. His most recent role was as Vice President, Strategy and Community Relations.

BFL and NFL operate ferry services connecting the communities in the three Maritime provinces and the State of Maine. Owned locally by Maritime shareholders, the companies are headquartered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, with several sub offices in locations throughout the Maritimes.

Jeff is the General Manager of Northumberland Ferries and the Vice President of Marine Operations for both Northumberland Ferries and Bay Ferries. He is a highly effective maritime professional with extensive experience in marine and shore-side operations.  Jeff's current focus is on applying his collaborative and mission-focused leadership to progressing innovative projects aimed at continually improving the NFL-BFL service and experience. Jeff is recognized as an excellent communicator, from Incident Command to speaking with the public.

Prior to his work at NFL-BFL, Jeff worked at BC Ferries from 2008 to 2021 in various Director-level roles, including Training, Fleet Operations, and Terminal Engineering. Prior to BC Ferries, Jeff served in the Royal Canadian Navy as a MARS officer, retiring as a Commander in 2008 after many interesting roles and opportunities.

Jeff holds a BSc from the University of British Columbia, an MA in Leadership from Royal Roads University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Social Sciences at Royal Roads University. He is active in sports, including soccer, cycling, skiing, and golf.

Dan Riis is the Vice President, Engineering at Bay Ferries and Northumberland Ferries, and has been in this position for two years.  He has over 30 years of experience and education in the marine engineering field, holding a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and master’s degree in marine engineering, as well as attaining professional project management certification.  

Prior to joining his current position, he worked for eight years at BC Ferries, initially as the Program Manager responsible for new vessel construction and major conversion, and the final four years as the Director Fleet Engineering responsible for technical readiness and engineering operations across 36 vessels.  Before joining the ferry transportation industry, Dan spent 25 years as an engineering officer in the Royal Canadian Navy working in a variety of seagoing and engineering support positions, including operational deployment to the Persian Gulf, and retiring at the rank of Commander.  

Although he has spent the majority of his career on the Canadian west coast, Dan grew up in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia and currently lives in Halifax.

Jim is the General Manager for Bay Ferries.  He oversees all aspects of both BFL services, Fundy Rose and The CAT, with overall responsibility for sales and revenue management, onboard services, shoreside and terminal operations, contact centre performance and relationships with third party contractors. Jim’s goal is to ensure that we consistently deliver a safe, efficient and memorable experience for customers and foster a safe, respectful workplace for our employees.

Having worked in aviation and marine transportation for over 30 years, from front-line to leadership roles, Jim has a unique view of the passenger experience, the customer lifecycle and never forgets to put himself in the shoes of the customer. His background includes senior positions in passenger and onboard services, product development, terminal operations and management of customer contact centres in previous work for Marine Atlantic, BC Ferries, and Air Canada.

Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in human geography, having studied at McGill University and the University of Victoria. Originally from the West Coast, he has lived, worked and travelled throughout the country and the big cities, and has now taken root on the East Coast, appreciating and exploring the Maritimes. He’s always on the hunt for great local coffee.

Shawna is the Executive Director, People & Culture for Bay Ferries and Northumberland Ferries.  She brings over two decades of experience leading high performing results focused Human Resources teams.  With a range of practical knowledge from various industries including transportation, manufacturing, SaaS, and BPO, she leverages her diverse background to bring innovative solutions to drive HR transformation.  Shawna has a keen focus on nurturing and enhancing the employment journey at the ferries to positively support our people and our culture.

Emily Cannon is the Executive Director, Finance for Bay Ferries and Northumberland Ferries. Her responsibilities include all aspects of financial management of the Companies. In her role, she leads the finance team providing strategic direction to the Companies.

Emily brings to the role over 15 years of financial management experience. Prior to joining Northumberland Ferries and Bay Ferries, she spent years in public practise and hedge fund administration.

Emily received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UPEI Business School and Chartered Accountant designation from the Atlantic School of Chartered Accountancy.

Amanda Slade is the Director of Safety & Security for Northumberland Ferries and Bay Ferries, a former Examiner of Masters & Mates with Transport Canada and a former Senior Investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.  She has extensive seagoing experience as a senior deck officer in the cargo, offshore and passenger trades as well as ship-management roles in the USA, UK and Norway.

She holds a Master Mariner Certificate of Competency, a Diploma in Marine Navigation Technology and is a qualified Marine Emergency Duties Instructor. She has written for the Journal of Ocean Technology, is the National Treasurer for the Master Mariners of Canada and when not traveling for work attends calls as a Nova Scotia volunteer firefighter.

Jeff is a seasoned IT professional with over 25 years of diverse experience in the industry. Throughout his extensive career, Jeff has developed a broad skill set, encompassing cybersecurity, network administration, system integration, and IT project management. His commitment to excellence and innovation has been a driving force behind his success. 

For over 20 years, Jeff has been a pivotal member of Northumberland Ferries and Bay Ferries Limited, where he currently serves as Director of Information Technology. In this role, he leads a department that is focused on fortifying the company's digital infrastructure and ensuring the highest standards of cybersecurity. His efforts have been instrumental in safeguarding the organization's assets and maintaining operational integrity. 

He is passionate about staying ahead of the curve with the latest technology trends and enjoys sharing his knowledge through mentoring and participating in cybersecurity forums. 

Outside of work, Jeff is actively involved in coaching basketball and volleyball, which reflects his dedication to teamwork and leadership. He also enjoys traveling, exploring new cultures, and gaining fresh perspectives.

Kelly is the Director, Corporate Services at Bay Ferries and Northumberland Ferries, bringing close to 20 years of experience in the corporate sector underpinned by a solid legal foundation as a paralegal. In her role as Director, Corporate Services, Kelly oversees a broad spectrum of corporate functions, including corporate governance, risk management and regulatory compliance. 

Kelly began her career as a paralegal where she honed her skills in research, compliance and contract management. Her keen attention to detail and analytical thinking have been instrumental in navigating legal landscapes, ensuring that all corporate activities adhere to the highest standards of legal and regulatory compliance. 

Outside of work, Kelly enjoys staying active with a variety of activities, exploring new culinary experiences and spending time with friends and family.