Bill Thornton sitting and holding a golden retriever puppy.

William (Bill) Thornton (Chair)

Chief Executive Officer
BC & Alberta Guide Dogs, Canada

Bill Thornton is a devoted Guide and Service Dog provider and proven advocate for those with disabilities. His interest in dog training began when he first trained dogs as an Officer with the National Police Force of Rhodesia. An encounter with Guide Dogs for the Blind, UK on a trip in 1977 inspired his apprenticeship and training as a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor.

Following a move to Ottawa, Canada in 1984, Bill founded Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind and served as President / CEO until 1996. A need for Guide Dogs in British Columbia inspired Bill to co-found BC Guide Dogs, the province’s first Guide Dog School for the Blind.

A passion to help more of Western Canada led to the expansion of the organization to Alberta in 2002. Seeing also a great need of Service Dogs for children with profound autism and their families, Bill founded Autism Support Dogs in 2008 and served as Chair of that organization until it amalgamated with BC Guide Dogs in 2014.

Bill has utilized his leadership qualities to contribute on a global scale. From 1986 to 1989, Bill participated in the development of the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF). Since then, he has taken on many responsibilities with the Federation and has served on accreditation, finance and communications committees; as well as undertaken the role of International Assessor, completing 28 accreditations in 13 different countries. Bill has been appointed to the IGDF Board of Directors from 1990-1996, 1998-2006, and again in 2019 (serving currently). In partnership with Paul Keymer, Bill and Paul co-founded the IGDF “Derek Freeman Scholarship”, which has awarded 23 scholarships since 2006.

He has been a mentor and advisor for many Guide & Assistance Dog schools. In particular, Bill worked alongside Vancouver Island Compassion Dogs (VICD) as it formed in 2013 to ensure that PTSD Service Dogs were provided to Canadian Veterans living with Post Traumatic Stress. VICD has since amalgamated with BC Guide Dogs and together they have expanded their mandate to include assistance for First Responders living with Operational Stress Injuries.

Bill’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to providing life-changing dogs to those in need. His achievements were recognized with the IGDF’s “Ken Lord Award” in 2006. His dedication continues as he guides his organization through expansion and growth, and as he contributes his knowledge and experience to other training schools and like-minded organizations around the world.

Christine Benninger

Christine Benninger

President & CEO
Guide Dogs for the Blind, USA

Christine (Chris) joined Guide Dogs for the Blind in April of 2014. Chris brings a wealth of non-profit and for-profit experience to her role. Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) is the largest guide school in the United States and the second largest in the world. Chris manages a yearly budget of $54M, 300 employees and two campuses … one in San Rafael, California and a second campus in Boring, Oregon.

Under Chris’ leadership, Guide Dogs for the Blind has expanded its program offerings to include Orientation and Mobility training for individuals with insufficient skills to qualify for guide dog training, a companion dog program for visually-impaired children and advocacy in support of GDB’s visually-impaired communities. In addition, annual fundraising has tripled since 2014 and a new state-of-the-art Puppy Center has been built. Current organization-wide initiatives include Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as well as full accessibility throughout GDB and its communication channels.

Prior to joining GDB, she spent 17 years leading the Humane Society Silicon Valley. During her tenure there, she and her team’s progressive approach helped save the lives of tens of thousands of animals and greatly reduced pet overpopulation problems in Santa Clara County. Under her leadership, the organization was also able to raise $25.5 million to build The Animal Community Center — the first facility of its kind in the country. 

Chris honed her business skills as an auditor with Arthur Andersen & Co. as well as in her 15 years with Hewlett Packard Corporation. At HP, Chris held managerial positions in the U.S. as well as in Europe. She holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University. 

Chris was elected to the IGDF board at the 2021 IGDF AGM.

Roland Wu

Chair & pro bono CEO
Hong Kong Guide Dog Association, Hong Kong

Roland Wu is the Chairman and Pro Bono CEO of the Hong Kong Guide Dogs Association. He began his career at KPMG Hong Kong as an auditor before becoming CEO of DeNeuville Chocolat for the China and Hong Kong markets.

He also serves as a council member of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind and as a council member and Honorary Treasurer of the Hong Kong Society for the Deaf. He is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a member of CPA Australia. On the more active side, Roland is also a qualified ski instructor with the New Zealand Snowsports Instructor Association (NZSIA).

A smiling Seishi kneels next to a golden labrador in harness

Seishi Tanoue

Vice President
Japan Guide Dog Association, Japan

Japan Guide Dog Association (JGDA) is the largest guide dog organization in Japan, providing not only guide dogs but also comprehensive rehabilitation-related services to visually impaired people throughout Japan. Seishi has served on the JGDA board since 2014 and was appointed Vice President in June 2024. He is passionate about learning about the needs of the visually impaired in Japanese society and the key points of raising, breeding, and training high-quality guide dogs that meet the requirements of Japanese guide dog users.

He is also an external auditor for Japan’s largest trading companies. Before this, he held management and auditing positions at a major printing company and was a textbook publisher for 30 years. He is a qualified, certified internal auditor.

Passionate about track and field since his college days, he currently serves as Vice President of the Japan Masters Track and Field Federation, which has over 10,000 members ranging in age from 35 to over 100. He enjoys interacting with members while exercising. He has completed about 60 full marathons, including two each of the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon.

Founded in Tokyo in 1967, the Japan Guide Dog Association operates four training centres throughout Japan, employs more than 100 staff, and certifies 30-50 pairs of guide dogs annually. It is Japan’s leading guide dog training organization, working closely with seven other Japanese guide dog schools through the National Federation of Guide Dog Institutions for the Blind.

JGDA has been a member of the IGDF school since 1997. We had the honor of hosting the 2014 IGDF seminar in Tokyo, where 289 delegates attended to learn from each other, have fun, and experience Japanese hospitality. This was not only for JGDA officials but also for our colleagues in the Japanese guide dog movement. It was a rare opportunity for the IGDF members to see firsthand the different styles, structures, and cultures of the IGDF members.

Seishi is pleased to serve on the IGDF board and is committed to providing equal benefits to its member organizations regardless of language, location, or size. He looks forward to working with everyone to achieve the IGDF’s goals.

Seishi was elected to the IGDF Board of Directors at the 2021 IGDF AGM and currently serves as Treasurer.

man standing by the coast

Antoine Bouissou

Director
Association des Chiens Guides Grand Sud Ouest, France

Antoine has made a successful career working with the Airbus Group from 1995 to 2016.

At the end of his professional life, he joined, as a volunteer, the Association des Chiens Guides Grand Sud Ouest in 2016. 

He started as a host family for guide dogs and was elected as a Director of the Association in 2019, representing all host families at the Board. 

Antoine was elected to the IGDF Board at the 2022 IGDF AGM.

Haley Andrews

Head of Career Change and Rehoming
Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, United Kingdom

Haley Andrews is an experienced national operations leader with more than 19 years dedicated to the development, welfare and delivery of guide dog services. Her career with Guide Dogs UK has spanned frontline mobility instruction, operational leadership and national programme management, providing her with extensive expertise across the full guide dog pathway — from puppy development and dog flow management to partnership training, placement and retirement support.

A strong advocate for collaboration and professional development across the sector, Haley has contributed extensively to international knowledge sharing and standards development within the guide dog community. She currently co-chairs the International Guide Dog Federation Puppy Raising Group alongside Sarah Blevins from Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (GDB), supporting collaboration and shared learning among member organisations worldwide.

Haley supports sector-wide collaboration through her involvement with the Assistance Dogs UK Volunteer Working Group, helping strengthen volunteer engagement and experience across assistance dog organisations.

Haley is recognised for her balanced, thoughtful and collaborative leadership style, and for her commitment to ethical canine management, operational excellence and high welfare standards. She remains passionate about supporting the continued development of guide dog services internationally, helping organisations work together to maximise independence, mobility and opportunity for people living with visual impairments.

Nikki Long

CEO
Guide Dogs Victoria, Australia

To be updated.

David Maynard headshot smiling.

David Maynard

IGDF Executive Director

David has over 12 years of experience in governance and board support roles in the private and not-for-profit sectors, including the British Medical Association, Heritage Lottery Fund, and Link Asset Services. He is an Associate of ICSA – the Chartered Governance Institute of the UK and Ireland.

David manages the IGDF Office in the UK. He works closely with the IGDF Board and Committees to deliver IGDF’s Vision and strategic priorities. David joined IGDF in March 2020.