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Candidate Details

SMUS Board Service: 3 years as a SMUS Board Member. Currently serves as an Officer of the Board as Board Secretary and also Chair of the Governance Committee. Currently also serves on the Risk Management and Executive Committees and has previously served on the Nominations Committee.

Relationship to SMUS:Parent to Benedikt ’22, Annabel ’24 and Madeleine ’28

Primary Occupation: Retired partner in a global law firm./p>

Place of Residence: Victoria, B.C.

Key Contributions, Attributes and Qualities:

• Matt has taken on several leadership roles on the Board, in particular strengthening the School’s Governance on multiple dimensions, both as Board Secretary an Chair of the Governance Committee. In his first term, Matt led a very significant update to the Board Governance Manual where the Board’s key operating policies and procedures are documented.
• As a former partner in one of the world’s leading global law firms, Matt brings impressive legal, analytic and management skills to the Board. He headed one of the leading teams in Europe in commercial real estate securitization, advising clients on groundbreaking multi-billion euro transactions and receiving several major awards. He was also involved in higher education as a lecturer at the Frankfurt University (Germany) Law and Finance Masters program.
• Having spent most of his career based in Europe, in a diverse cross-border environment, Matt brings an international outlook and a high degree of proficiency in managing intercultural perspectives. Since joining the SMUS community in 2017, the Howard family has been constant supporters of the school, both financially and with their time and efforts.

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Nomination Q&A

1. Please provide a general candidate overview, that summarizes your background experience including your professional and educational background.

I have been an elected member of the SMUS Board since 2023. I also serve as Chair of the Governance Committee, as Board Secretary and as a member of the Risk Management Committee. Previously, I was a member of the Nominations Committee.  I am also currently a director of a small European property company.

From 1997 to 2017, I was an associate and then a partner in the international law firm A&O Shearman (then Allen & Overy), based in London, UK and Frankfurt, Germany. My practice focused on asset securitization and other debt capital markets transactions, which involved leading diverse teams of up to 50 lawyers from across Europe, North America and Asia. I advised on a broad range of legal disciplines, such as capital markets, secured lending, corporate, tax, derivatives, property, corporate trustee and regulatory law. I won several major legal awards and published in a number of industry journals.

At Allen & Overy, I was a member of the Information Technology (IT) board and of a partnership selection committee. As a member of the IT board, I assisted in the strategic governance of the firm’s approach to IT.  As a member of one of the partnership selection committees, I was responsible for reviewing partnership proposals and conducting interviews of partnership candidates as part of an extremely selective process. I also acted as a mentor for two successful candidates.

I designed and taught a course from 2003-2017 for Masters students at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Institute of Law and Finance, in Frankfurt, Germany. I read and speak German fluently.

From 1992 to 1997, I was an articled student and associate at two law firms in Vancouver. I have an LLB from the University of British Columbia (UBC) (1992) and a BA in History from McGill University (1989).

2. If a new Governor candidate, please describe how you meet the desired experience and skills areas as set forth in the January 23, 2026, Call for Nominations. If a returning Governor candidate, please describe what unique skills and experience you bring to the Board, together with how you have contributed to the Board and the work of its Committees during your time on the Board.

In my first term as Governor, I focussed initially on Board governance, leveraging my existing legal skills to carry out a comprehensive analysis of our governance needs. However, after a period of listening, I became an important contributor to the strategic dialogue on the Board. My goal has been to streamline our governance procedures so that the Board is freed up to focus on the School’s medium and long-term strategy and we have a model for benchmarking progress.

I commenced my governance efforts by updating and re-writing the Board Manual so that it reflects the latest thinking on Board theory and practice.  Among many others, the new Board Manual implements the following concepts:

• an annual calendar system for the Board and for Committees, so that Chairs can implement a consistent annual set of activities with measurable results
• new codes of conduct for Board and Committee members and new conflict of interest and social media policies
• a more clearly designed relationship between the Board and Head of School and between Board policies and School policies
• more clearly delineated roles for Board Officers and Committee Chairs
• a comprehensive set of core values that must inform all Board decision-making.

As a member of the Nominations Committee, I played a key role in recruiting one of the new elected Governors and participated actively in recruiting all of the new members of the Board. In addition, I contributed significant input in re-designing certain of our electoral processes, such as the annual call for nominations, with a view to increasing inclusion and reducing conflict.

As a member of the Risk Management Committee, I have been instrumental in increasing the profile of risk management at the Board level and in improving our process for increasing awareness of risk at the Board level.

3. What is your connection to SMUS?

SMUS has been an absolutely central part of our family life since we moved to Victoria in 2017. I am originally from Vancouver, where I have a large extended family, but at that time we had been living in Germany, where my wife, Gabriele, and our three children were born. For Gabriele and I, it was important to move back to BC when the children were still young enough to easily adapt to school and social life in Canada and feel at home. We picked Victoria as our destination, in large part, because I was familiar with SMUS and knew it to be an excellent school.

Two of our children, Benedikt and Annabel, started in September, 2017 at the SMUS Middle School, in grades 8 and 6, respectively, and our youngest, Madeleine, started at Willows School, in grade 2. Madeleine joined SMUS in grade 6 and remains at SMUS, in grade 10, where she is fully engaged in academic, artistic, sporting and social life.  Benedikt moved to Shawnigan Lake School for grade 9 to join the hockey program, graduating in 2022 before moving on to UBC Engineering. Annabel graduated from SMUS in 2024 before moving on to university at École Supériere de Commerce de Paris (ESCP) in Paris.

During this time, Gabriele and I have been active participants in the life of both SMUS and Shawnigan, attending parent, social and sporting events and volunteering extensively.  I have served on the Board since 2023 and Gabriele is on the executive of the SMUS Parents’ Auxiliary.  It has been incredible how generously and openly we have been welcomed by the SMUS community and to experience how passionately SMUS parents feel about the School. My time on the Board and Gabriele’s time on the PA have only strengthened our bond with the School.

4. Why do you want to be on the Board of Governors of SMUS?

As a returning member of the SMUS Board, I have been fortunate to serve alongside a highly talented, engaged and cohesive group that believes passionately in the School and its importance to the students and the community.  The Board is highly focused on navigating the strategic risks and opportunities to the School. I believe strongly that I have made a positive and important contribution to the Board and that I have much more to contribute going forward.

As a former lawyer, I was appointed to chair the Governance Committee. As such, Board governance was the focus of my efforts in my first term. I spent hundreds of hours re-writing and updating our Board governance manual, researching governance theory and best practice and organizing input from members of the Board and the SLT. I also had primary responsibility for the organizing the transition to a new Board Chair and for two overseeing contested Board elections. I have an excellent working relationship with the Board Chair and make sure that she can always rely on my judgement.

If I am re-elected, I expect to continue to develop the Society’s governance structures. We still have major projects lined up, such as the strategic view of the School’s policies, the potential upgrade of our recording systems and the continuing modernization of the Society’s bylaws. However, over my second term, I would expect to broaden my focus toward general strategic risk management, which encompasses governance but includes analysis of the complete suit of risks to which the School is potentially exposed and the many strategic opportunities available to the School.

I know what an incredibly positive influence the School has on its students and the community and I look forward to playing my part in ensuring that continues.

5. What personal and professional experience would you bring to the Board if selected?

Most immediately, I bring the experience of my first term as Governor. When I joined the Board, it was as an experienced former lawyer, with extensive legal and analytic skills. I had worked in a diverse, cross-cultural, international environment, served on boards and committees and taught students. Since joining, I have been Chair of the Governance Committee and have made it my primary focus to read the best and most relevant research on governance theory and practice and to implement best practice in the Society’s governance.

During my legal career, I demonstrated the ability to handle highly complex tasks. Like many Canadians at that time, I was hired in 1997 by Allen & Overy into an extremely technical, high pressure practice group in London. Allen & Overy was the leading law firm globally in that area. Shortly thereafter, I was sent to Frankfurt to help open and eventually lead the practice group in Germany. This involved constantly handling the integration of foreign legal concepts, business development and difficult cross-cultural issues.  I received cross-cultural training from the firm and learned to speak German fluently.  I dealt daily with lawyers and clients from around the world, usually to determine how our proposed transaction structures would have to be adapted to local legal and business requirements and customs.  Accordingly, I am able to bring to the Board strong entrepreneurial and strategic thinking, an international perspective and a sensitivity to cultural differences.

At Allen & Overy, I was a member of the Information Technology (IT) board and a partnership selection committee, which together provided me with experience in acting in fiduciary and strategic governance roles and in mentoring younger colleagues. Finally, having designed and taught a course at Goethe Universität in Frankfurt, I am familiar with the dynamics of education.

6.  Do you understand and agree to the principles of Good Governance as outlined on the SMUS Society webpage?

Yes. These principles are straightforward and necessary to the proper functioning of the Board.  As I say below, I am committed to supporting the implementation of FLOREAT.  As a retired lawyer I am used to acting with a duty of confidentiality and, based on my board experience, I understand the strategic role of the Board and the need to follow governance procedures.  Because I am retired I have significant capacity to devote to the Board and to various committees.

As Chair of the Governance Committee of the Board, my focus has been to continually upgrade the governance procedures fo the Board to ensure that the principles of good practice are embedded in all that we do. This has included drafting a new Board Manual, preparation of new Codes of Conduct for both Board members and Committee members and initiating a thorough policy review at the School level.

I take a proactive approach to governance. By implementing the necessary systems and anticipating governance issues before they arise, we are more effective in managing risk to the School.

7. Do you understand and support SMUS' FLOREAT Strategic Plan?

Yes. As a member of the Board, I see FLOREAT as an integral part of all of our strategic decision-making. FLOREAT is very much rooted in the traditions of the School and all its accomplishments to date and also reflecting a fundamental satisfaction with School’s current direction.  At the same time, the Board is constantly looking forward in a further quest for institutional excellence, so the core vision and values inform the forward looking statements in the plan. The emphasis on areas such as sustainability, student care and Indigenous connections allow us to address evolving issues in our society and explore new directions.

The plan is effective in reflecting some of the challenges facing students today, which I see as rooted, in large part, in the tension between the constant competitive pressures they face and the vast social changes and challenges affecting their lives both in and out of school.  It is no secret that these forces are causing tremendous stress on today’s youth and if anything these pressure have become more intense since the plan was implemented. The references in the plan to well rounded education, student care, arts and culture and community demonstrate an understanding of these forces and the positive role that the School can play.

As a member of the Board, I am excited to participate in the mid-point update of FLOREAT. There are a number of issues, most notably related to artificial intelligence and broader societal challenges, that were not previously as urgent as they are today; accordingly, it makes sense for the School to be re-connecting with FLOREAT. It is gratifying that even in this light FLOREAT remains highly relevant.

8. Do you understand and support the need for a culture of philanthropy at SMUS, both among the Society Members and the Board itself? And if elected to the Board, please confirm that you plan to contribute to both the Annual Fund and the Journey for Life Campaign for each year that you are on the Board.

Yes. I have been incredibly fortunate in my career and as such I feel it is our duty as a family to give back to the community. Since arriving in Victoria we have made significant donations not only to SMUS and Shawnigan, but also to a number of other causes we consider important. In my view, a culture of philanthropy goes hand in hand with a culture of engagement and connection to the School and can strengthen the bond between the donor and the School.  For example, we are always extremely pleased to hear from a member of School leadership about the success of the Howard Café, which reflects our contribution to the building of the Sun Centre and has built another permanent connection between our family and the School. Of course, the amount each family can contribute will vary according to their personal circumstances, but I believe that even modest donations can help built a stronger connection with the School and in the aggregate make a difference.

We also need to recognize that, for better or worse, large scale philanthropy is necessary for the School to retain its position as a first tier independent school. Having seen close up how major philanthropy has transformed other independent schools on the Island, it seems clear to me that we are operating in an environment where independent schools will have increasingly sophisticated facilities.  I think there are strong arguments against engaging in a never ending facilities competition with other schools; however, we are going to have to chart an appropriate course through this issue.  The Campus Master Plan is highly effective in this regard.

I confirm that I plan to contribute to the Annual Fund and the Journey for Life Campaign for each year that I am on the Board.

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