KF Capital Ltd. Board of Directors
The KF Capital Board’s key responsibilities encompass a range of crucial functions. Primarily, they work closely with the CEO to set the principal objectives for the company, ensuring that KF’s goals align with our vision. A significant part of their role involves overseeing and guiding the CEO’s management of our business operations, while also rigorously evaluating our group’s performance against these objectives.
The Board also acts as a responsible custodian of the KF Capital Group’s assets. This involves a keen focus on monitoring and mitigating risks and ensuring the sustainable growth and stability of our organization. The Board diligently adheres to all applicable laws, discharging their duties with the utmost integrity and governing the group in line with best practices.
At the heart of its mission, the Board upholds the values and principles that define the KF Aerospace Group. Their commitment to these ideals is reflected in every decision and action, reinforcing our position as a leader in the aerospace industry.
Barry Lapointe, Founder and Chair
David Burke, Director
Noel C. O’Brien, Director
Stephen Plummer, Director
Rick Giacomuzzi, Director
Sally Dennis, Director
President & CEO
Tracy Medve, Director
Barry Lapointe, Founder and Chair
Barry loves aviation. He is an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer by trade, as well as a pilot. Since he started flying at the age of 16, Barry has logged over 18,000 flying hours (fixed and rotary wing). He founded KF Aerospace (formerly known as Kelowna Flightcraft) in 1970 and is currently the Chairman of the board.
Barry has served on dozens of public and private boards over the years, including Purolator Courier of which KF is a minority owner. His passion for aviation continues unabated and embodied in the creation of the KF Centre for Excellence, a legacy of the importance of aerospace in Canada.
Lapointe is an honorary lifetime member of ATAC and the AME association and has been recognized by AIAC, AIABC, BCIT, Rotary, and many other organizations for his contributions and accomplishments in aerospace and the local communities. He has supported AME Community Colleges across Canada including Okanagan College and Mohawk College and supported the University of British Columbia – Okanagan. Through the KF Charitable Foundation (now the Barry Lapointe Foundation), he actively supports causes across Canada including the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Kids’ Cancer Care Foundation, Kelowna General Hospital and Girls Fly Too.
Awards
1998 – Entrepreneur of the Year, Pacific Region
1999 – Business Excellence Award from the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce.
1999 – British Columbia Institute of Technology Honorary Doctor of Technology
2000 – Honorary Life Member, Air Transport Association of Canada
2002 – Aerospace Training Innovator Award from the Aerospace Industry Association of British Columbia
2005 – Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Association Hall of Fame – Pacific Region
2007 – Vancouver College Hall of Honor inductee in recognition of his exemplary performance and achievements, for reflecting credit on the Vancouver College community and for his service to the community.
2007 – Kelowna Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award as Business Leader of the Year.
2008 – British Columbia Export Award for Leadership
2009 – Paul Harris Fellowship certificate from the Rotary Club of Kelowna
2011 – British Columbia Aviation Council Lifetime Achievement Award
2013 – Honorary Fellow Medal – Okanagan College for his contribution and leadership in aviation entrepreneurship
2015 – Order of British Columbia
2019 – Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame inductee
David Burke, Director
David is an accomplished executive with an entrepreneurial spirit and extensive experience building successful, growth-driven companies. He is a CPA and a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors with an ICD.D designation.
In 2016, David sold StarDyne Technologies, a privately held software company he co-founded. Before StarDyne, David was CFO with Western Star Trucks Holdings. Prior to Western Star, he was with Gentek Building Products and for 17 years held various senior financial and information technology positions with subsidiaries of Alcan Aluminium Ltd.
David has served on a variety of public and private boards in sectors including technology, air and ground shipping services, finance, and manufacturing.
David currently serves as a director for a large international family trust with significant interests overseas.
In 2001 David joined the Advisory Board for the KF Capital and KF Aerospace group of companies and in October 2023 became a director for the KF group of companies.
Noel C. O'Brien, Director
Noel is a senior litigator with the law firm of O’Brien Devlin Macleod. He graduated as the Gold Medalist from the University of Windsor Law School and has been counsel in many high-profile cases at all levels of the courts in Canada including numerous appearances in the Supreme Court of Canada. He spent several years teaching at the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary, was appointed as King’s Counsel in 1994 and has been inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an honour reserved for less than 1% of the legal community.
Noel is a contributing author to several legal publications and other books highlighting several of his most interesting court cases.
Noel has been a member of the Board of Advisors at KF Aerospace since October 2018 and became a director for the KF group of companies in October 2023.
Stephen Plummer, Director
Stephen Plummer retired from IMP Group International Inc. on March 31, 2019. He joined IMP in 1978, immediately following his graduation from Dalhousie University. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree (Marine Biology) and an MBA (International Business).
Stephen’s 41-year career at IMP took him through several increasingly challenging positions to the position of Chief Executive Officer at the time of his retirement.
During his career, Stephen served on various boards including IMP Group International Inc. (advisory), Vector Aerospace Corporation (public), Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, QEII Foundation, Halifax Chamber of Commerce (Chair of the Board), Halifax Grammar School, and the United Way Halifax.
Stephen taught part-time at Saint Mary’s University, Mount Saint Vincent University, and Dalhousie University in both undergraduate and postgraduate business programs.
In 1998, Stephen was the inaugural recipient of Dalhousie University’s Outstanding Achievement in Business Award. He was chosen as one of Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEOs from 2009 – 2013 and was inducted into the Top 50 CEO Hall of Fame.
Stephen has participated as a member of the KF Group board of advisors since 2020 and became a director of the KF Group of companies in October 2023.
Rick Giacomuzzi, Director
Rick’s career includes over 30 years of experience in aviation and aerospace activities including senior management and board positions with a variety of corporations. In 1996 Rick was a founding shareholder and Chief Financial Officer of Avmax Group in Calgary. Avmax was a vertically integrated commercial aviation business involved in aircraft leasing, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), airline operations, spares management, pilot and technician training, airport development, engineering, and research & development products. Corporate responsibilities included financial reporting, debt and equity financings, domestic and international income and commodity tax management, mergers and acquisitions, contract negotiation, insurance management, and strategic planning. Avmax enjoyed exponential growth from a start-up to over 1,000 employees.
Rick has held vice president positions with two passenger airlines providing services to Air Canada and has provided consulting services to several other airlines.
Before his aviation and aerospace activities, Rick was the owner-manager and partner of public accounting firms providing financial reporting, assurance, advisory, and tax services to small to medium-sized businesses in a variety of industries.
Rick obtained his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary and subsequently earned his designations as a Chartered Accountant (CA) and Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).
He is married and is an avid golfer and traveller.
In February 2020 Rick joined the Advisory Board of KF Aerospace and KF Capital. Rick has consulted on various financial and operating projects for the corporate group. Rick became a director of the KF group of companies in October 2023.
Sally Dennis, Director
Sally is a lawyer. She earned her law degrees at Oxford University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria. She practiced as a business lawyer at a major Canadian law firm for many years before switching her focus to private client work, including trusts, private corporate governance, and personal and business succession planning. After a stint as general counsel to Intrawest PLC – the then owner and operator of multiple ski resort developments including Whistler Blackcomb – and serving in a law firm senior management role, in 2008 she joined a full-service regional BC law firm and resumed her private client practice. She retired from private practice in 2022 and now serves as a part-time legal consultant to KF Aerospace.
Sally has been a director of Rugby Canada since 2017 and is the chair of its board; she also serves as Canada’s representative on World Rugby’s Council. She is a director of Lion’s Gate Hospital Foundation and the chair of its governance committee, and a director of the KF Aerospace Centre for Excellence Association.
Sally divides her time between Deep Cove and Kelowna. She is married with three adult children and enjoys collecting cookbooks and cooking from them. She is an avid reader, loves to travel and is always planning her next foreign vacation.
She joined the advisory board of the KF Aerospace Group of Companies in early 2023 and became a director of KF Capital Ltd. in October 2023.
Tracy Medve, President & CEO and Director
Since 1985 Tracy has held various senior airline management positions at Norcanair, Time Air, Canadian Partner and Canadian Regional Airlines. Tracy was the co-founder of C.T. AeroProjects, a Calgary-based consultancy focused on air transport resource management, working with a wide range of public and private aviation clients around the world. From 2007 to 2012 Tracy was the President of Canadian North Airlines. In May 2013 Tracy was appointed as the President of KF Aerospace and became President and CEO in August 2021.
Tracy is a lawyer by training (University of Saskatchewan, 1982) and in 2009 graduated from the John Molson School of Business Global Aviation MBA program at Concordia University. She is the 2007 recipient of the John Molson School of Business MBA Scholarship and was inducted as a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society in 2009. She is also the recipient of the James C. Floyd Award for her contribution to the Canadian aerospace industry, awarded in November 2022.
Tracy is the Past Chair of the Air Transportation Association of Canada and the first woman in Canada to be inducted as an Honorary Life Member of ATAC. She also sat as a Director of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) and was a member of the University of British Columbia, Okanagan External Advisory Board. Since 2003 she has served as a part-time member of the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada (TATC). Tracy is the current Chair of the Fortis BC Board of Directors and the current Chair of SkyAlyne.
Tracy also served in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves as a Signals Officer from 1975 to 1981. She has two adult sons and enjoys golfing, cycling and learning to play the piano in her spare time.
Tracy became a director of KF Capital Ltd. in October 2023.
