Senior Executive

President

David Agnew became Seneca Polytechnic’s fifth president in 2009.

Under his leadership, Seneca has continued to strengthen its reputation at home and abroad, forging new partnerships in industry and higher education, developing new programs, growing enrolment and making substantial investments in technology, teaching and spaces.

Prior to joining Seneca, Mr. Agnew held leadership positions in public, private and non-profit sectors, including as Secretary to the Cabinet in the Ontario Government, Principal Secretary to the Premier, President/CEO of UNICEF Canada, Principal at Digital 4Sight, Executive Vice-President and Corporate Secretary for the Credit Union Central of Ontario and Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments. He started his career as a reporter in Toronto, St. John’s, Ottawa and Edmonton. In 1995, he was seconded to the University of Toronto’s Massey College as a Senior Resident.

Mr. Agnew is Chair of Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA-AMC). He also serves on the board of the Conference Board of Canada and ventureLAB. Previous governance roles include Chair of Polytechnics Canada, Chair of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Colleges Ontario and Vice-Chair of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO).

He is a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals in recognition of his community and public service.

Email: president@senecapolytechnic.ca

Vice-President, Strategy and Brand
President’s Chief of Staff
Corporate Secretary to Board of Governors

A proud college graduate, Renata D’Innocenzo has spent most of her career in postsecondary education. In addition to her many years at Seneca Polytechnic, Ms. D’Innocenzo has worked as a consultant at colleges across Ontario.

Her work has spanned strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, issues management, dispute resolution, service leadership, business development, event management, marketing and corporate communications.

Paramount to these experiences has been the opportunity to mentor and develop the teams she has had the good fortune to work with.

She is currently Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors of the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society and served on the United Way York Region campaign cabinet.

Ms. D’Innocenzo graduated from Niagara College’s Journalism program and completed the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program at Seneca. She has a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Royal Roads University with a focus on leadership and innovation, and completed the Crisis Leadership in Higher Education Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Chief Information Officer and Vice-President, Students

Radha Krishnan joined Seneca in 2013, bringing more than 30 years of global information technology (IT) experience in various industries, including higher education, non-profit, supply chain, distribution, retail, manufacturing, dealership management, hospitality, travel and consulting. Mr. Krishnan has diverse experience in architecting, implementing and managing core IT functions in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. Mr. Krishnan sits on the board of a Markham-based non-profit technology organization. He is also a mentor with the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, coaching new immigrants to find jobs and be successful. He is a graduate of Bharathidasan University, the National Institute of Information Technology and the Project Management Institute.

Vice-President, Academic & International

Marianne Marando has enjoyed a 25-year career in higher education. She started her teaching career at George Brown College, where she also served as the Coordinator of the Marketing program. Dr. Marando then joined Seneca Polytechnic as a faculty member and co-ordinator in the School of Marketing, progressing on to her first administrative responsibilities with academic chair positions in the School of International Business and the Centre for Human Resources and the School of Media and Marketing. She also served as Seneca’s director of marketing and communications. Marianne spent six years at Durham College, first as executive dean, School of Business, IT & Management, and then as associate vice-president, academic. She returned to Seneca in 2021 and now oversees the academic faculties, applied research, international operations, registrar’s office and work-integrated learning.

Prior to her career in education, Dr. Marando spent 10 years managing marketing strategy in the consumer-packaged goods and health-care sectors for global brands, such as Johnson & Johnson and Baxter International.

Marianne holds a doctorate in education and educational leadership from Western University, an honours bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from York University, as well as an adult education certificate from Seneca. She serves as the Board Chair for Blue Door, a York Region-based provider of emergency housing and housing supports.

Vice-President, Human Resources

As Seneca’s chief human resources officer, Caroline Riley leads and supports initiatives across our Au Large priorities with the HR team. Before joining Seneca, Ms. Riley was the executive director, strategic HR partnerships and labour relations at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she led initiatives in organizational and workforce planning while implementing progressive HR policies, practices and procedures. Ms. Riley spent nine years at the City of Toronto in various labour relations positions, most recently as senior consultant for employee and labour relations. Prior to that, she was at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, where her focus was on employee recruitment. Ms. Riley holds a bachelor’s degree in English and anthropology from Dalhousie University, a graduate certificate in human resource management from Nova Scotia Community College and a master’s degree in leadership from Guelph University.

Vice-President, Finance & Administration

Hollis Zhang is Seneca’s Vice-President, Finance and Administration, having joined Seneca in 2024. With a robust background in finance and administration, he has a wealth of experience within the public and academic sectors.

Mr. Zhang previously served as the secretary-treasurer and chief financial officer of the Winnipeg School Division. He has demonstrated exceptional leadership in managing finance, capital projects and facilities. His prior roles include chief financial officer of the Ottawa Police Service, where he honed his skills in corporate finance and support services.

His career also includes significant contributions to CARE Canada, the Canadian Red Cross and the Manitoba government, showcasing his versatility and commitment to public service. Earlier in his career, he also gained valuable experience working for the electronics company Amphenol.

Mr. Zhang holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Dalian University of Technology in China. He furthered his education with an MBA from Queen’s University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant, underscoring his strong foundation in financial management and strategic planning.