Helen Furtado

Matt Giffen | 

Director

Financial Management and Planning

Helen is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) with 35 years of financial leadership experience. She spent over 20 years in municipal government at both the regional and local levels, where she developed a reputation for financial stewardship, strategic planning, and organizational sustainability.

As Director of Financial Management and Strategy/Deputy Treasurer, she strengthened financial accountability, modernized enterprise operations, and built a high-performing, collaborative team. Throughout her career, Helen led and contributed to transformative initiatives in infrastructure planning, affordable housing, development incentives, municipal transit consolidation and more. This provided her with broad expertise in governance, risk management, and public-sector strategy.

A Niagara resident for more than 30 years, Helen is deeply committed to the region's long-term prosperity. She brings thoughtful financial oversight, strategic insight, and collaborative leadership style to board service with a focus on supporting organizations that create lasting value for the communities they serve.