Toll free general number: 1-877-444-5222

Mailing address: 227 Portage Avenue, R3B 2A6

Meet Our Staff – Pics & Bios (Listed Alphabetically by Last Name)

Rita Chahal, General Manager

Rita, as General Manager, of the Manitoba Chambers Of Commerce is well positioned and respected in Manitoba’s business community.    She has built strong connections all over the province as well as nationally during  her five year tenure.  She regularly consults with businesses and boards of all sizes and has particular acuity with SMEs.

Prior to joining the chambers, she was the Executive Director of Employment Projects  of Winnipeg  and later with Women in Media Foundation, a national organization dedicated to training and educating  young  women in technical careers for broadcasting, film and new media.  She has firsthand knowledge about career development and employment  related issues especially for youth and special target groups.

A graduate from Dalhousie University in Sciences,  she is committed to lifelong learning and is dedicated to mentoring and giving back.  A Certification in Human Resource Management and Adult Education from the University of Manitoba rounds out her experience.  Rita has also served on and continues to be involved with  a number of community boards,  advisory groups, and membership on  a number of selection committees in  areas of business and education.   Rita has been committed to Manitoba for the past 30 years since moving here from the Maritimes.

Terry Hayes

Born and raised in a rural northeastern Manitoba town, Terry went on to graduate with a diploma from the Red River College Business Administration Program in 1980 and then graduated with a degree from the University of Winnipeg Administrative Studies Program in 1982. After a couple of years in the workforce, Terry decided to further his education and returned to university where he graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree in 1988.

Terry began a career as a Branch Administration Officer with RBC Royal Bank in 1988 and managed the administration side of a number of bank branches throughout Manitoba until 1992.

Terry then accepted an offer to become an Executive Assistant (EA) to a Provincial Government Minister in 1992 and gained valuable experience working with many senior government officials.

Since 1996, Terry has been Director of Marketing and Membership with the MCC. His main responsibility has been membership retention and has been part of a team that has seen a net growth in membership of 59% since 2001.  Terry enjoys a busy life with his family and when time permits, he enjoys golfing and curling.

Graham Starmer, President

Born and raised in southern England, Graham Starmer went straight from school into the Thames Valley Region police force, later transferring to the Regional Crime Squad for Southern England.

He emigrated to Canada in 1969 and joined the Bank of Nova Scotia as an accountant, later the assistant branch manager, of a branch in Toronto.

Mr. Starmer returned to police work in 1970 when he joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He spent the next four years on general detachment duties, mostly in Manitoba, before being selected for the RCMP’s Security Service, based in Ottawa. He was responsible for counter-intelligence national programs in Ottawa as well as counter-terrorism work in Edmonton and Winnipeg.

In 1984 he was transferred by the RCMP into the newly-formed Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), as an intelligence officer and project manager. His duties included developing a sound working relationship with senior officials of the Manitoba government, as well as with Manitoba’s business and ethnic communities, and educational institutions.

Mr. Starmer resigned from CSIS in 1994 to take a position as an investigator with the Ombudsman’s office in Winnipeg.

He was selected by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce in January, 1998 to be its new President. The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce serves as the umbrella organization for 74 chambers of commerce throughout the province, with a total of about 9,000 members, as well as 250 Corporate members.

Mr. Starmer, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Carleton University in Ottawa and is working on a Master of Arts degree at the University of Manitoba, is married with two daughters. His wife Sylvia was born and raised in Minnedosa.