The Argylls Leadership Teams

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Lieutenant-Colonel Adam MacInnis joined the Canadian Army on 2 April 2003 as an Officer Cadet with The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s) and completed his Platoon Commander’s course in 2004. He has held many Regimental positions, including Platoon Comd, Coy 2IC, Adjutant, Training Officer, Plans Officer, Ops Officer, Rifle Company Commander, Training Company Commander, and Deputy Commanding Officer. His Extra Regimental Employment includes Territorial Battle Group (TBG) S3, TBG S5, TBG OC, TBG DCO. LCol MacInnis has taught various courses, including Basic Military Qualification, Infantry Course, and Weapons Detachment Member courses. He was a member of the Company Sergeant Major Course Writing Board in Gagetown as well as a member of the Conduct Advisory Committee in 32 Brigade.

Notable ceremonial duties have included S5 for Cpl Cirillo’s Funeral, Guard Commander for Cpl Cirillo’s Memorial Parade the following year in Ottawa, Parade Commander at the dedication of the Afghanistan Monument, Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Canadian Contingent Commander at the parade commemorating the 100^th Anniversary of the First World War Armistice in Mons Belgium. He was privileged to command a guard on the 2015 Trooping of the Regimental Colour on the Argylls being awarded its 35th Battle Honour, Afghanistan, and to be Commanding Officer of The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment) when it was presented with new Colours in 2023.

He deployed with the All Source Intelligence Centre to Afghanistan on Task Force 03-09 and TF 1-10 Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011, receiving a CEFCOM Commendation in 2012 for his TF 1-10 deployment. He commanded the 31 Domestic Response Company on Op LENTUS in Ottawa area in 2019 and was awarded a Joint Task Force (Central) Commander’s Commendation in 2021 for his work on this deployment. On transfer to The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment), LCol MacInnis served as Deputy Commanding Officer 2021-2023 and Commanding Officer 2023-2026.

LCol MacInnis has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McMaster University. He has worked in logistics and transportation management for The Ippolito Group, American Iron & Metal, Del Industrial Metals, and Ford Motor Company. He joined Bay Area Research Logistics (now Oximio BARL Canada) as the Logistics and Facilities Manager in 2017 and was promoted to Director of Operations in November of 2022. From 2020 through 2022, he was also a member of the City of Hamilton COVID-19 Vaccine Management Team and a Public Health Unit Site Lead supporting the COVID-19 Vaccination Program for the City of Hamilton.

LCol MacInnis lives in Burlington with his wife Brittany, daughter Jamie, and son Jack. In his spare time, he coaches youth baseball.

Chief Warrant Officer Davide Calconi was born and raised in Stoney Creek, Ontario. After early involvement in the Air Cadet Program, he enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserve in 1999 as an Infantry Soldier with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (RHLI).

Following completion of the QL3 Infantryman course, he was badged into the RHLI and pursued additional qualifications including Machine Gunner, Military Driver, Basic Communications, and Rappel Master. In 2004, then-Corporal Calconi completed the Army Primary Leadership Qualification and Infantry-specific training, leading to his promotion and appointment to Master Corporal.

As a Master Corporal, he served as Section Second-in-Command and Section Commander, while also instructing with the RHLI, 31 CBG Battle School, and LFCA TC Meaford. In 2007, he began full-time service with the Canadian Armed Forces Recruiting Group. A year later, he was selected by Canadian Special Operations Forces Command as a supporter and later deployed to Afghanistan with a Special Operations Task Force—one of the defining experiences of his career.

Promoted to Sergeant in 2010 after completing training at CFB Gagetown, he was employed as a Standards NCO with the 4^th Canadian Division, overseeing Army Reserve training across the formation.

In 2016, Sergeant Calconi returned to traditional Reserve service with the RHLI for further Regimental duties. During this time, he led soldiers on an exchange exercise with the British Army in the Brecon Beacons. In 2018, he completed the Infantry Warrant Officer Course at CFB Gagetown and was promoted to Warrant Officer, serving as a Platoon Second-in-Command and Company Quartermaster supporting unit training and Brigade exercises.

In 2021, he completed the Infantry Sergeant-Major course and was promoted to his current rank, serving as Company Sergeant-Major of Bravo Company, RHLI. In 2025, he was appointed Drill Sergeant-Major, and in 2026 was selected for promotion to Chief Warrant Officer and appointment as the 35^th Regimental Sergeant-Major of the RHLI and the RSM of the newly formed Tactical Grouping of the RHLI and The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Lousie’s).

CWO Calconi resides in London, Ontario with his wife and twin sons. Beyond his military and civilian professional responsibilities, he stays active in fitness and sports, provides leadership consulting, and is an avid amateur drummer, with a strong interest in combative sports and firearms coaching.

A lifelong Hamiltonian, Shendal Yalchin is the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of the Hamilton Club, one of Canada’s most historic private clubs. In this role, she leads with a commitment to excellence, tradition, and meaningful community engagement.

Shendal serves as the Honorary Colonel of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s), the first woman to hold this distinguished position. She is Chair of the Argyll Regimental Foundation and Chair of the Senate. In these volunteer roles, she is deeply dedicated to strengthening the Regiment’s connection with the community and preserving its proud legacy of service and sacrifice.

A strong advocate of community leadership, Shendal has contributed her time and expertise to numerous other local organizations: the boards of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation, Theatre Aquarius, the Hamilton Community Foundation, Hamilton Food Share, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton, among others. She also served as president of the Club Managers Association of Canada (Ontario Branch).

Shendal’s work reflects a lifelong commitment to leadership, service, and the city she proudly calls home. For her community engagement, she was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025.

Tom Compton has served in uniform for over 40 years, from Private to Lieutenant Colonel. He enrolled in 1975 and finally retired in 2017. While he’s served in numerous units and headquarters, he considers the Argylls his home. Experiences include: overseeing domestic operations during wildfires in the B.C. interior; commanding the Argylls (2003 to 2006); and serving as a staff officer in Canadian Army Headquarters and as part of the Vice Chief of Defence Staff in Force Development. Tom also served on Roto 3-08 to Afghanistan (2008–2009). There, he was the mentor to the Senior Staff Officer for Operations of the Afghan National Army Brigade in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

Tom is privileged to work with the dedicated and talented Museum and Archives team as the Director and with the quartermaster team for ceremonial kit. Tom has been working closely with members of the Regiment to re-tool the Regimental website, and on the Museum and Archives’ digital outreach to the public, sponsored by the Argyll Regimental Foundation.

Glenn De Caire completed a career in law enforcement that spanned over 35 years in the communities of Toronto and Hamilton. He served as Chief of Police for the Hamilton Police Service, retiring in January 2016. Afterwards, he completed eight years with McMaster University Security & Parking Services.

A proud graduate of York University and the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, Glenn now serves the community through volunteer efforts for local charities, and has actively supported Liberty for Youth, CityKidz, Eva Rothwell Centre, Catholic Youth Organization Camp Marydale, Camp Brébeuf, and Good Shepherd.

Glenn is the proud recipient of the Queen’s Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals as well as the Police Exemplary Long Service Medal, and is an Officer in the Order of Merit of Police Forces. Glenn served as Honorary Colonel from May 2023 to May 2026. He is a member of the Senate, the Argyll Regimental Foundation Board of Directors, and the Regimental Association.

Geordie Elms joined the 48th Highlanders of Canada as a piper in 1967. Commissioned in 1973 under the Reserve Officers University Training Plan, he transferred to the Regular Force in 1975. He served for 36 years with The Royal Canadian Regiment in Petawawa, Germany, Winnipeg, and Gagetown, and during operational tours in Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bosnia.

LCol Elms commanded The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada from 2000 to 2003. He had the privilege of commanding when Her Majesty, the late Queen Elizabeth II, presented new Colours to the Regiment in 2002. He later served as Canadian Defence Attaché in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Israel before retiring in 2010. He has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for service in Southwest Asia (2008) and Chief of Defence Staff Commendations for meritorious service in Beirut (1985) and during the Pakistan earthquake (2005).

In retirement, Colonel Elms actively supports the three regiments in which he has served and volunteers in activities that support modern veterans. He served as Honorary Colonel of the 48th Highlanders (2011–2017), Senior Advisor to the Mayor of Hamilton, and Chair of the Hamilton Police Service Board (retired 2025). He is Chair of Hamilton Division Canadian Corps of Commissionaires. He and his wife, Shirley, live in Ancaster and enjoy time at their family cottage in Haliburton as well as travelling.

Ron Foxcroft is a former Honorary Colonel of the Regiment. He is a member of its Senate and of the Argyll Regimental Foundation. It is no fluke that Colonel Fox, as he is called within the Regiment, is a well-known figure locally. A local boy (always a good start in this life), he now resides in Burlington with his wife, Marie. They have three sons: Steve, Dave, and Ronnie. A successful businessman, he is the CEO of Fluke Transport and the founder and CEO of Fox 40 International Inc.

Always hesitant to blow his own whistle (except as a referee), Ron is a retired professional basketball referee who officiated NCAA basketball and the 1976 Olympic Gold Medal game, and has served 24 seasons with the NBA. He is listed as one of the 52 most influential persons in North American officiating history. Ron was named one of Canada’s top 10 entrepreneurs by Profit magazine and inducted into Burlington’s Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. A man of considerable charm, boundless energy, and ceaseless good cheer, he is devoted to the local region and is a significant civic leader. A past president of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and a long-time chair (21 years) of Hamilton’s John C. Munro Airport, Ron has been inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction and the Burlington Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. He has been honoured as Hamilton’s and Burlington’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year, and has received an honorary Doctor of Laws from McMaster University. One of the highlights of his life was an audience with Her Majesty, the late Queen Elizabeth II, at Buckingham Palace when he was an Honorary Colonel. In 2019, he was named a Member of the Order of Canada.

Robert Fraser’s ancestors emigrated from the Highlands of Scotland in 1855, at the end of a long period of social, economic, cultural, and political transformation known as the Highland Clearances. Someone once noted, wryly one presumes, that it says something of a family that after 800 years in a Highland glen, it left and came to Hamilton, where it spent the next 160 years! Educated locally, Robert attended McMaster University for his BA (there was no other choice), Ottawa’s Carleton University for his MA, and the University of Toronto for his PhD. Trained as a historian – he acquired his love of the past from the stories of his Fraser grandparents – in 1976, he joined the Dictionary of Canadian Biography (www.biographi.ca) at the University of Toronto, where he has worked ever since. He has been the Manager of this long-running historical research project since 1994. He taught Canadian history at U of T’s Woodsworth College as well as at McMaster.

Robert has been associated with the Argylls since 1980 and has served in numerous capacities: chairman of the Regimental Historical Committee, Regimental Historian, President of the Officers’ Mess, a member of the Senate, a director of the Regimental Foundation, and a member of the Senate’s Executive Committee. He is the author of Black Yesterdays: the Argylls’ War. He has also served on other boards and with other organizations over the years.

Glenn Gibson began his journey of continuous learning as a corporal with The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada in 1969 – a path that ultimately led him to become a global chief executive officer in the claims and risk management sector. His executive career expanded to include leadership within the Hamilton Tiger-Cats organization, where he served as President, Vice-Chairman, and now as Chair of its foundation.

Throughout his professional journey, Glenn earned seven designations, authored numerous articles, and delivered more than 500 lectures. His commitment to service extended well beyond business into community leadership; he has volunteered on several boards, including the Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, Bay Area Health Trust, Hamilton Sports Group Foundation, and the Property and Casualty Compensation Corporation. He is a director of the Argyll Regimental Foundation and a member of the Senate of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada.

These diverse and meaningful experiences culminated in his impactful tenure as Honorary Colonel of the Argylls, where his lifelong dedication to leadership and service continues to inspire others.

The Argylls were a family way of life for Rick Kennedy, who joined the Argyll cadet corps at age 14. Educated at McMaster University, he possesses a degree in geography; he is, for example, able to explain the difference, should one wonder, between an esker and a drumlin, and for most of his life, he has navigated his way from home to work successfully. A planner by instinct and temperament, Rick was a wealth management adviser for most of his adult life, retiring in 2025 after 44 years.

Soldiering, the profession of arms, is his other calling and one that he has fully enjoyed. The life of an officer in the Army Reserve is demanding – a full-time professional commitment done on a part-time basis. Col Kennedy is one of the few officers in the history of the Argylls to have commanded the Regiment twice. He later served as Honorary Colonel. He is a director of the Argyll Regimental Foundation and a member of Senate.

Since handing over command, Rick has been one of a handful of primary movers in every Regimental initiative from the 1980s to the present; he carries out each appointed task as fast as his little feet will carry him. His commitment to a task is unparalleled; his loyalty to the Regiment, the Army, and his community is beyond reproach.

After a brief five years with Revenue Canada after graduating from university, Gary Sexton became an independent financial adviser with FundEX Investments (now Investia Financial Services Inc.) in 1996. He holds the Certified Financial Planner designation and operates his practice in Grimsby under the name Financial Focus, advising families on how to make better holistic financial decisions for themselves.

Gary joined The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada in 1983 as a private soldier and was later promoted to master corporal. He was commissioned in 1988 and subsequently held appointments from platoon commander to operations officer, with most of his service as the unit’s rifle company commander. He was Commanding Officer from 2009 to 2012 and spent a year at 31 CBG HQ as Assistant Chief of Staff before going to the Canadian Army Command and Staff College in Kingston. He worked two years as Directing Staff Member on the Primary Reserve Army Operations Course before retiring from the Reserves in 2016.

He is a director of the Argyll Regimental Foundation and a member of the Senate of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada.

Murray Souter has led several large organizations over his career, including Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits, Black’s Photography, Sprint Canada, Bell-Aliant Telecommunications, Bauer Hockey, and Reebok. A respected executive, Murray is known for his ability to refocus companies on their customers to achieve success. He is also sought after for his work with corporate boards, particularly in the areas of board governance and board recruitment.

In addition, Murray has worked extensively with various charitable, not-for-profit, and industry-related organizations. These include the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Wine Growers Canada, Photo Marketing Association, Junior Achievement, Symphony Nova Scotia, AUAA, and The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, where he is a member of the Regiment’s Senate and a director of the Argyll Regimental Foundation.

Murray is the son of an Argyll officer and spent his youth exploring the labyrinth within the walls of the Regiment’s John Foote Armouries with the children of other Argyll officers. His family has been associated with the Regiment for five generations.

Paul is a former army cadet and reservist who served over 38 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, he undertook a number of senior roles including Commander of Canadian Forces Intelligence Command, Commander of the Canadian Army, and Vice Chief of the Defence Staff.

After retiring from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2019, Paul joined the Alberta Public Service, serving successively as the Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs, Health, and Intergovernmental Relations. He retired, for a second time, in 2025 as the Acting Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Public Service. He is currently the Registrar and CEO of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA), and was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Canadian Military Engineers in April of 2025.

Paul is passionate about the importance of the Reserves and proud of his association with the Argylls.

A lifelong Hamiltonian, Shendal Yalchin is the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of the Hamilton Club, one of Canada’s most historic private clubs. In this role, she leads with a commitment to excellence, tradition, and meaningful community engagement.

Shendal serves as the Honorary Colonel of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s), the first woman to hold this distinguished position. She is Chair of the Argyll Regimental Foundation and Chair of the Senate. In these volunteer roles, she is deeply dedicated to strengthening the Regiment’s connection with the community and preserving its proud legacy of service and sacrifice.

A strong advocate of community leadership, Shendal has contributed her time and expertise to numerous other local organizations: the boards of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation, Theatre Aquarius, the Hamilton Community Foundation, Hamilton Food Share, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton, among others. She also served as president of the Club Managers Association of Canada (Ontario Branch).

Shendal’s work reflects a lifelong commitment to leadership, service, and the city she proudly calls home. For her community engagement, she was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025.

Tom Compton has served in uniform for over 40 years, from Private to Lieutenant Colonel. He enrolled in 1975 and finally retired in 2017. While he’s served in numerous units and headquarters, he considers the Argylls his home. Experiences include: overseeing domestic operations during wildfires in the B.C. interior; commanding the Argylls (2003 to 2006); and serving as a staff officer in Canadian Army Headquarters and as part of the Vice Chief of Defence Staff in Force Development. Tom also served on Roto 3-08 to Afghanistan (2008–2009). There, he was the mentor to the Senior Staff Officer for Operations of the Afghan National Army Brigade in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

Tom is privileged to work with the dedicated and talented Museum and Archives team as the Director and with the quartermaster team for ceremonial kit. Tom has been working closely with members of the Regiment to re-tool the Regimental website, and on the Museum and Archives’ digital outreach to the public, sponsored by the Argyll Regimental Foundation.

Glenn De Caire completed a career in law enforcement that spanned over 35 years in the communities of Toronto and Hamilton. He served as Chief of Police for the Hamilton Police Service, retiring in January 2016. Afterwards, he completed eight years with McMaster University Security & Parking Services.

A proud graduate of York University and the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, Glenn now serves the community through volunteer efforts for local charities, and has actively supported Liberty for Youth, CityKidz, Eva Rothwell Centre, Catholic Youth Organization Camp Marydale, Camp Brébeuf, and Good Shepherd.

Glenn is the proud recipient of the Queen’s Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals as well as the Police Exemplary Long Service Medal, and is an Officer in the Order of Merit of Police Forces. Glenn served as Honorary Colonel from May 2023 to May 2026. He is a member of the Senate, the Argyll Regimental Foundation Board of Directors, and the Regimental Association.

Geordie Elms joined the 48th Highlanders of Canada as a piper in 1967. Commissioned in 1973 under the Reserve Officers University Training Plan, he transferred to the Regular Force in 1975. He served for 36 years with The Royal Canadian Regiment in Petawawa, Germany, Winnipeg, and Gagetown, and during operational tours in Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bosnia.

LCol Elms commanded The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada from 2000 to 2003. He had the privilege of commanding when Her Majesty, the late Queen Elizabeth II, presented new Colours to the Regiment in 2002. He later served as Canadian Defence Attaché in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Israel before retiring in 2010. He has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for service in Southwest Asia (2008) and Chief of Defence Staff Commendations for meritorious service in Beirut (1985) and during the Pakistan earthquake (2005).

In retirement, Colonel Elms actively supports the three regiments in which he has served and volunteers in activities that support modern veterans. He served as Honorary Colonel of the 48th Highlanders (2011–2017), Senior Advisor to the Mayor of Hamilton, and Chair of the Hamilton Police Service Board (retired 2025). He is Chair of Hamilton Division Canadian Corps of Commissionaires. He and his wife, Shirley, live in Ancaster and enjoy time at their family cottage in Haliburton as well as travelling.

Ron Foxcroft is a former Honorary Colonel of the Regiment. He is a member of its Senate and of the Argyll Regimental Foundation. It is no fluke that Colonel Fox, as he is called within the Regiment, is a well-known figure locally. A local boy (always a good start in this life), he now resides in Burlington with his wife, Marie. They have three sons: Steve, Dave, and Ronnie. A successful businessman, he is the CEO of Fluke Transport and the founder and CEO of Fox 40 International Inc.

Always hesitant to blow his own whistle (except as a referee), Ron is a retired professional basketball referee who officiated NCAA basketball and the 1976 Olympic Gold Medal game, and has served 24 seasons with the NBA. He is listed as one of the 52 most influential persons in North American officiating history. Ron was named one of Canada’s top 10 entrepreneurs by Profit magazine and inducted into Burlington’s Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. A man of considerable charm, boundless energy, and ceaseless good cheer, he is devoted to the local region and is a significant civic leader. A past president of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and a long-time chair (21 years) of Hamilton’s John C. Munro Airport, Ron has been inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction and the Burlington Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. He has been honoured as Hamilton’s and Burlington’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year, and has received an honorary Doctor of Laws from McMaster University. One of the highlights of his life was an audience with Her Majesty, the late Queen Elizabeth II, at Buckingham Palace when he was an Honorary Colonel. In 2019, he was named a Member of the Order of Canada.

Robert Fraser’s ancestors emigrated from the Highlands of Scotland in 1855, at the end of a long period of social, economic, cultural, and political transformation known as the Highland Clearances. Someone once noted, wryly one presumes, that it says something of a family that after 800 years in a Highland glen, it left and came to Hamilton, where it spent the next 160 years! Educated locally, Robert attended McMaster University for his BA (there was no other choice), Ottawa’s Carleton University for his MA, and the University of Toronto for his PhD. Trained as a historian – he acquired his love of the past from the stories of his Fraser grandparents – in 1976, he joined the Dictionary of Canadian Biography (www.biographi.ca) at the University of Toronto, where he has worked ever since. He has been the Manager of this long-running historical research project since 1994. He taught Canadian history at U of T’s Woodsworth College as well as at McMaster.

Robert has been associated with the Argylls since 1980 and has served in numerous capacities: chairman of the Regimental Historical Committee, Regimental Historian, President of the Officers’ Mess, a member of the Senate, a director of the Regimental Foundation, and a member of the Senate’s Executive Committee. He is the author of Black Yesterdays: the Argylls’ War. He has also served on other boards and with other organizations over the years.

Glenn Gibson began his journey of continuous learning as a corporal with The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada in 1969 – a path that ultimately led him to become a global chief executive officer in the claims and risk management sector. His executive career expanded to include leadership within the Hamilton Tiger-Cats organization, where he served as President, Vice-Chairman, and now as Chair of its foundation.

Throughout his professional journey, Glenn earned seven designations, authored numerous articles, and delivered more than 500 lectures. His commitment to service extended well beyond business into community leadership; he has volunteered on several boards, including the Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, Bay Area Health Trust, Hamilton Sports Group Foundation, and the Property and Casualty Compensation Corporation. He is a director of the Argyll Regimental Foundation and a member of the Senate of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada.

These diverse and meaningful experiences culminated in his impactful tenure as Honorary Colonel of the Argylls, where his lifelong dedication to leadership and service continues to inspire others.

Mark Hamelin was born in Penetanguishene, Ont., one of the ten children of Mark (Mick) and Joyce Hamelin. He attended Fanshawe College in London, Ont., where he obtained his Motive Power Technician diploma. Mark has had a successful career as an entrepreneur, with over 40 years of experience in the food, beverage, and lumber-processing industries. He currently owns and operates RF Kiln Tech Limited, which builds radio frequency vacuum kilns for the lumber industry. He is also COO for New Protein International, a start-up in the alternative protein space.

Mark joined the Argyll Regimental Foundation in 2018, having been nominated by fellow Argyll Senator Doug Hunter. Accepting the nomination was, in part, a nod to his late father, Acting Cpl Mick Hamelin, who fought with the Argylls during the Second World War and was wounded twice.

In 2010, Mark began to trace his ancestry, discovering that he had Indigenous roots on his mother’s side dating back to the 1600s. His great-great-grandfather was a member of Garden River First Nation located near Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Mark became a member of Garden River in 2011, which has allowed him to work alongside Indigenous groups in the development of several key projects. In 2019, RF Kiln Tech Limited received the Business Merit Award from Waubetek Business Development Corporation, an organization that delivers economic development services to First Nations.

Mark is a 45-year member of the Royal Canadian Legion. He lives in Wasaga Beach with his wife, Donna.

The Argylls were a family way of life for Rick Kennedy, who joined the Argyll cadet corps at age 14. Educated at McMaster University, he possesses a degree in geography; he is, for example, able to explain the difference, should one wonder, between an esker and a drumlin, and for most of his life, he has navigated his way from home to work successfully. A planner by instinct and temperament, Rick was a wealth management adviser for most of his adult life, retiring in 2025 after 44 years.

Soldiering, the profession of arms, is his other calling and one that he has fully enjoyed. The life of an officer in the Army Reserve is demanding – a full-time professional commitment done on a part-time basis. Col Kennedy is one of the few officers in the history of the Argylls to have commanded the Regiment twice. He later served as Honorary Colonel. He is a director of the Argyll Regimental Foundation and a member of Senate.

Since handing over command, Rick has been one of a handful of primary movers in every Regimental initiative from the 1980s to the present; he carries out each appointed task as fast as his little feet will carry him. His commitment to a task is unparalleled; his loyalty to the Regiment, the Army, and his community is beyond reproach.

After a brief five years with Revenue Canada after graduating from university, Gary Sexton became an independent financial adviser with FundEX Investments (now Investia Financial Services Inc.) in 1996. He holds the Certified Financial Planner designation and operates his practice in Grimsby under the name Financial Focus, advising families on how to make better holistic financial decisions for themselves.

Gary joined The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada in 1983 as a private soldier and was later promoted to master corporal. He was commissioned in 1988 and subsequently held appointments from platoon commander to operations officer, with most of his service as the unit’s rifle company commander. He was Commanding Officer from 2009 to 2012 and spent a year at 31 CBG HQ as Assistant Chief of Staff before going to the Canadian Army Command and Staff College in Kingston. He worked two years as Directing Staff Member on the Primary Reserve Army Operations Course before retiring from the Reserves in 2016.

He is a director of the Argyll Regimental Foundation and a member of the Senate of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada.

Murray Souter has led several large organizations over his career, including Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits, Black’s Photography, Sprint Canada, Bell-Aliant Telecommunications, Bauer Hockey, and Reebok. A respected executive, Murray is known for his ability to refocus companies on their customers to achieve success. He is also sought after for his work with corporate boards, particularly in the areas of board governance and board recruitment.

In addition, Murray has worked extensively with various charitable, not-for-profit, and industry-related organizations. These include the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Wine Growers Canada, Photo Marketing Association, Junior Achievement, Symphony Nova Scotia, AUAA, and The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, where he is a member of the Regiment’s Senate and a director of the Argyll Regimental Foundation.

Murray is the son of an Argyll officer and spent his youth exploring the labyrinth within the walls of the Regiment’s John Foote Armouries with the children of other Argyll officers. His family has been associated with the Regiment for five generations.

Paul is a former army cadet and reservist who served over 38 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, he undertook a number of senior roles including Commander of Canadian Forces Intelligence Command, Commander of the Canadian Army, and Vice Chief of the Defence Staff.

After retiring from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2019, Paul joined the Alberta Public Service, serving successively as the Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs, Health, and Intergovernmental Relations. He retired, for a second time, in 2025 as the Acting Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Public Service. He is currently the Registrar and CEO of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA), and was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Canadian Military Engineers in April of 2025.

Paul is passionate about the importance of the Reserves and proud of his association with the Argylls.