About Us

Kevin Bosch is a managing partner and co-founder of Sandstone Group. Kevin was named one of the Top 100 lobbyists in Canada in multiple annual rankings compiled by the Hill Times. After over four years as Vice President of Public Affairs at Hill and Knowlton, he co-founded Sandstone Group to continue delivering outstanding government relations support to clients.

Kevin is a seasoned government relations and communications professional who has helped clients achieve success across a wide range of industries, including technology, health, finance, environment, infrastructure, manufacturing, energy, defence, transportation, agriculture, telecommunications and the charitable sector.

Prior to his work as a consultant, over a period of nineteen years, Kevin held senior roles in successive Liberal governments and opposition leaders’ offices, including for Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin, Bill Graham, Stéphane Dion, Michael Ignatieff, Bob Rae and Justin Trudeau. From 2015 to 2017, Kevin was deputy director of the Liberal Research Bureau.

He has worked on countless political campaigns and was part of the rapid response and research teams in the national Liberal Party of Canada campaign headquarters for six consecutive elections from 2000-2015. Kevin previously worked in the offices of the federal Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Human Resources Development.

Originally from Calgary, Kevin worked as a research and legislative affairs assistant for the Alberta Liberal Caucus at the Alberta Legislature from 1993-1998.

In 2019, Kevin was elected by his peers to serve a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Government Relations Institute of Canada and served as Chair of its Legislative Affairs Committee. He is bilingual in both official languages.

Email: Kevin@sandstonegroup.ca

Naresh Raghubeer is a managing partner and co-founder of Sandstone Group. Naresh was ranked by the Hill Times as one of the top 100 lobbyists in Canada. He is passionate, driven and results-oriented. He has proven that effective public affairs and government relations depend on clear communications, building trust and working collaboratively with all stakeholders across government.

After four successful years at Davie Shipbuilding (Quebec) and its sister company, Federal Fleet Services (Ottawa), holding executive roles as Vice President – Communications and Regulatory Affairs and then Vice President – Federal Government Relations, Naresh decided to establish Sandstone Group to continue to deliver exceptional government relations support to clients across the spectrum. During his time at Davie Shipbuilding, he was able to help the senior executive management team reset the company’s public image and relationship with the Government of Canada during extremely difficult times and then supported the efforts to win contracts and significantly increase its order book.

Naresh is also an advocate for a strong national security and defence posture for Canada. This has been demonstrated during his work in the Senate of Canada, where he supported Senators on the National Security and Defence Committee, including its Chair, between 2012-2017. Prior to working in the Senate, Naresh was a consultant supporting clients in the public policy and energy sector. He has also worked at the provincial government level in Ontario between 1996-2003.

In April 2021, he was appointed a Director to the Board of the Conference of Defence Association Institute, Canada’s premier national security and defence association.

Email: Naresh@sandstonegroup.ca

Marc Roy is an expert in developing and executing communications strategies for government and private sector clients.

He recently served as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Transport of Canada. That role allowed him to provide significant leadership and guidance across the department on key policy and regulatory files, which had significant impacts on the industry, its stakeholders, and passengers, as well as national and international relations in the air, marine, rail and land transportation sectors.

Marc has an in-depth understanding of the machinery of government and how policy is developed, approved, funded and ultimately rolled out.

Previously, Marc served in various capacities within Parliament and government, including in the Office of the Prime Minister, and as Director of Communications to the Government House Leader, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Minister of Public Works and Procurement, and the Minister of Transport. He has worked inside government as well as in opposition, in the House of Commons and in the Senate.

Marc is one of Ottawa’s most experienced communicators and well-connected media advisors He has significant experience as a spokesperson on and off the air and has a proven track record of devising and executing complex communication strategies in the unique parliamentary and government environments.

Originally from Laval, Quebec, Marc is fluently bilingual.

Email: Marc@sandstonegroup.ca

Hugues Théorêt is a Senior Government Relations Advisor at Sandstone Group.

He has over 30 years of experience in government relations, media relations, politics and journalism.

Hugues worked as a journalist in Quebec before holding various political positions beginning in 1993, including serving as press attaché and parliamentary affairs advisor. He has also worked as a consultant, responsible for history content as part of the Canada 150 at Heritage Canada. In 2005, he joined the Government of Quebec’s Ottawa Office as a Senior Government Relations Advisor to support the provincial government’s engagement with the federal government of Canada.

Having worked for both the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada, supporting multiple stakeholders at the senior levels of government, Hugues understands the machinery of government and can engage to advance files effectively.

He is also an author and lecturer and serves as a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa. Native of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Hugues holds a Ph.D. in Canadian history and is perfectly bilingual.

Email: Hugues@SandstoneGroup.ca

The Honourable Don Boudria, P.C. is a Senior Advisor at Sandstone Group. Don brings over 40 years of unprecedented knowledge and political experience as a parliamentarian and a procedural expert, as well as 17 years as a senior associate at an international government relations firms in Ottawa.

Don is an outside-the-box thinker and one of the hardest-working executive advisors to CEOs and senior executives in Canada.

He served as a municipal councillor from 1976-1981, as a Member of Provincial Parliament at the Ontario Legislative Assembly from 1981-1984 and as a Member of Parliament for twenty-two years until 2006. During his time in the federal government, Don was appointed Chief Government Whip, Minister for International Cooperation, Minister responsible for La Francophonie, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Public Works and Government Services.

Over the years, Don has cultivated a well-earned reputation throughout his political and business career as a champion for his clients and a strong supporter of Parliament. He is a strong advocate for francophone culture and earned an award from the International Assembly of French-speaking Parliamentarians, where he served as the founding president of the Ontario section.

Don has documented his adventures in his autobiography: Busboy: From Kitchen to Cabinet.

He is fluent in French and English, and intermediate in Spanish.

Email: Don@Sandstonegroup.ca

The Honourable Hélène Chalifour Scherrer is an accomplished executive, leader and mentor with a wealth of corporate and professional experience.

Hélène understands Quebec’s urban, regional and rural realities and has a deep and proud appreciation of the various cultural and ethnic communities that comprise it.

Elected as a Member of Parliament for the riding of Louis-Hébert in the heart of Quebec City in 2000, she earned a reputation as a hard worker and a consummate professional. She served as Minister of Canadian Heritage and later as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Paul Martin. In these roles, she accumulated in-depth knowledge of the inner workings of departments, ministerial offices, caucus, and various agencies of the federal government. Her responsibilities also allowed her to engage with cultural and economic organizations across the country and the world.

Hélène has specialized in philanthropic management for more than ten years at the helm of her company, Gestion Chalifour, after making her debut in the field with BNP Performance.

Over the years, Hélène has supported many public and private organizations as they developed and implemented their fundraising strategies and governance reviews. This work has enabled her to create strong relationships with private and public sector leaders within health, education and community organizations.

Email: Helene@sandstonegroup.ca

Former House of Commons Speaker , the Honourable Geoff Regan, recently retired from his 24-year career as Member of Parliament for Halifax West, and is a Senior Advisor with Sandstone Group.

Geoff accomplished a great deal during his nearly 40 years in the private and public sectors, but is most proud of his contributions to the development of Atlantic Canada.

From 2015 to 2019, as Speaker of the House of Commons, Geoff managed a $600-million budget. He introduced simultaneous interpretation for MPs speaking Indigenous languages and, chaired the 2018 G7 Speakers Meeting, and hosted numerous dignitaries, including U.S. President Barack Obama, for his address to Parliament.

Geoff served as Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard from 2003 to 2006, and as Minister responsible for Nova Scotia. During that time, he convened a 48-country conference on the Governance of High Seas Fisheries and the UN Fish Agreement.

He was appointed to the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, the Lebanese Community Recognition Award, and the Big Brother/Big Sisters Inspire Award.

Prior to serving as an MP, Geoff practiced real estate and commercial law in Bedford and Halifax.

Geoff has previously worked with two local food banks. He is happily married to the Hon. Kelly Regan, MLA for Bedford Basin, and together, they have three adult children. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from St. Francis Xavier University and a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University. He speaks French and English fluently.

Neil Macdonald, a seasoned former CBC reporter, is a Senior Associate with Sandstone Group.

Before joining Sandstone Group, Neil spent 43 years reporting on politics, wars, elections, revolutions, booms, crashes, coups, and the struggles of ordinary human beings.

He was a reporter at three daily newspapers before moving to CBC TV News, where he was a parliamentary and foreign correspondent for decades. He later worked as CBC’s national opinion columnist, regularly attracting some of Canada’s biggest online audiences.

He began as a copyboy in 1976, fetching coffee and pestering editors for assignments. In the following decades, Neil was based in Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, Jerusalem and Washington.

When he was not working in war zones, he specialized in fiscal and monetary policy.

He now resides in Ottawa, where he enjoys assisting clients who need coherent writing and sensible communication advice.

Email: neil@sandstonegroup.ca

Joan Bryden, astute political analyst and award-winning journalist, is a Senior Associate with Sandstone Group.

She began her career at the Calgary Herald in 1982, covering education, city hall and federal politics for six years. In 1988, Joan made the leap to national political coverage with the venerable Southam News wire service, which eventually morphed into the CanWest wire service, before moving on to her final journalism post at the Ottawa bureau of The Canadian Press for 16 years.

Among other things, Joan has covered numerous federal elections, countless leadership contests, the Meech Lake and Charlottetown constitutional crises, the 1995 Quebec independence referendum, federal-provincial relations, scandals large and small and transformative public policy changes, such as the legalization of medical assistance in dying. She is widely recognized for breaking numerous stories, having established a robust network and her ability to critically analyze political issues.

Joan retired from political reporting in 2022, leaving The Canadian Press’ Ottawa bureau.

Email: joan@sandstonegroup.ca

Anthony Furey, a strategic thinker and media executive with significant digital communications experience, is a Senior Associate with Sandstone Group.

Over the years, Anthony has worked as a journalist and host of TV and radio programs. He knows how the news works – traditional and digital – and why journalists and editors make their decisions.

He was a columnist and senior editor with Postmedia for over ten years. His writing has appeared in many major publications in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

After spending 15 years in the news media, Anthony sought political office, running for Mayor of Toronto in a special election in one of the most hotly contested races in recent Canadian politics. Anthony’s strong communication skills saw him set much of the policy agenda for the media and other candidates.

Anthony is based in Toronto and will support Sandstone Group’s clients nationwide, especially on Bay Street.

Email: anthony@sandstonegroup.ca

Wendy Cumming, a respected senior executive and veteran communications strategist, is a Senior Associate with Sandstone Group.

She brings with her 25 years’ experience in strategic positioning, crisis and issues management, media outreach, project management, facilitation and presentations to leadership teams, as well as instructional sessions with staff to guide program implementation.

Wendy has held senior positions with Weber Shandwick and Hill+Knowlton Canada. She has devised successful strategies and led the creative development and program execution that have managed crisis/situations, and garnered profile, increased awareness, engaged stakeholders and advanced success in a wide variety of sectors, including health care, financial services, and transportation.

Wendy is the recipient of multiple awards for client performance and client service excellence. A media veteran from CBC, she brings direct experience and a solid understanding of media practices to her client strategies and program development.

Wendy has also served on the National Arts Centre Gala Committee and has provided long-time volunteer support to the Board and various planning committees for the Canadian Association of Journalists.

Montreal-born, she is fluent in French and English.

Email: wendy@sandstonegroup.ca

Doug Thomas joined Sandstone Group as a Senior Associate following a distinguished 28-year career as the National Director for the Navy League of Canada.

Doug recently accepted an appointment as the Managing Director for St. John Ambulance’s Federal District Council, which aligns perfectly with Sandstone Group’s Social Community Responsibility mission. Doug continues to work alongside the team at Sandstone Group.

During his Navy League career, Doug served as the Secretary of the International Cadet Exchange Association, which afforded him a great deal of international mandates and related experiences. Additionally, within the Navy League, Doug was responsible for leveraging governmental efforts and programs to help the Navy League achieve its objectives.

Prior to joining the Navy League, Doug spent eight years as a reservist, including time as a Staff Officer within National Defence Head Quarters.

Doug brings a wealth of knowledge and diverse relationships to Sandstone Group. His industry experience includes serving as the official agent in Canada for UK firms James Fisher Defence and DIVEX.

He was recognized with a Chief of Defence Staff Commendation following his intervention during a medical incident on a commercial flight. His official decorations include both the Queen’s Silver and Diamond Jubilee Medals.

Doug maintains a private pilot permit, a SCUBA certification and a passion for sports, including ice hockey, which led to his role as a coordinator of the military attaché ice hockey program in Ottawa.

Email: Doug@sandstonegroup.ca

Michael Barton is a Senior Associate with Sandstone Group.

Michael has nearly 30 years of experience as a strategic executive and advisor in public affairs, media relations, issues management, and marketing communications.

Before joining Sandstone Group, Michael worked as vice president and group leader of the federal procurement division in a national consulting firm.

Michael’s experience includes fifteen years at Lockheed Martin Canada as the public affairs and communications leader, reporting to executive leadership in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

He has worked with small and medium-sized businesses to better market themselves for work under Canada’s Industrial & Technical Benefits program and has helped companies across Canada successfully secure opportunities associated with the HALIFAX Class Modernization program, the National Shipbuilding Program, Future Fighter Capability Project, and other major Crown procurements.

Michael has worked on Parliament Hill for Parliamentary Secretaries to the Ministers of Finance and Industry. He coordinated parliamentary debates and committee hearings, working directly with the Office of the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons to ensure the passage of more than 20 finance-related pieces of legislation, including three federal budgets and major legislative reviews that included Canada’s Pharmaceutical Patent Act.

As an executive advisor, Michael has worked with pharmaceutical, agriculture, defence, national sports organizations, and several other industrial sectors.

Michael is a graduate of Carleton University’s Faculty of Law.

He is the Communications Director and National Board Member for the Navy League of Canada.

Email: Michael@sandstonegroup.ca

Tony Battista joined Sandstone Group as a Senior Associate after a distinguished career in the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian defence industry.

Tony joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as a Private in 1974 and retired in 2014 with the rank of Colonel. During this time, he served in the Military Police and held several command and staff positions, including Personal Assistant to the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Force Provost Marshal, Commandant of the Military Intelligence School and Military Police School, Deputy Commandant of the CAF Experimentation Centre, and Chief of Staff and Deputy Commandant of the Canadian Defence Academy.

Tony’s international appointments and deployments have included Senior Officer Protection Officer in NATO (Germany), Liaison/Exchange Officer to the US Joint Forces Command – responsible for CAF participation in US transformation at the joint and combined levels, and Canadian Defence Attaché to Germany, Austria and Switzerland (two tours), Afghanistan, Italy, Greece, Albania, Croatia, Slovenia and Malta.

Academically, he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Royal Military College in Saint-Jean (Quebec), entered the Command and Staff College (Toronto) and completed several other courses up to the executive level. He also completed a master’s degree in War Studies at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. As an Associate Professor at Royal Roads Military College (Victoria), Tony taught military and strategic studies, as well as Canadian foreign policy and defence.

Tony is a life member of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Royal Military College Club of Canada (2013-2015).

In 2014, Tony became the Executive Director of the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) – comprising 45 associations with over 350,000 members, and simultaneously the Executive Director of the CDA Institute and its research program. Tony is also the founder and annual sponsor of the CDA Institute Captain Nichola Goddard Leadership Award.

In 2019, Tony was hired by IBM Canada as the Business Manager for the Federal Government. In this role, he supported government officials working in the public safety, defence, police and intelligence sectors on the deployment of technology solutions beneficial to the defence of Canadian interests.

Tony is fluent in English, French and Italian and has a good command of German.

Email: Tony@sandstonegroup.ca

George Young is a Senior Associate with Sandstone Group.

George brings 30-plus years of extensive public sector experience as a trusted, reliable and confidential advisor to three prime ministers, numerous cabinet ministers and leaders of political parties at the provincial and federal levels of government.

George’s ability to consistently manage complex communications issues and political and public policy challenges has delivered essential results and made him a go-to advisor for many inside and outside government.

Over the past eight years, George served in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), as chief of staff to ministers at National Defence and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and as deputy chief of staff at Infrastructure and Communities. Earlier experience included his leadership of ministers’ offices at Revenue Canada and Social Development Canada, in addition to work in the office of the Leader of the Opposition.

George has also served as a vice president of a national company providing strategic public opinion interpretation and counsel to various interests; was the first Director of Communications for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute for Public Policy; and advised a varied client base with government relations firms. His career began in the dairy sector, where he was a cheesemaker and managed dairy operations for national and multinational companies.

Email: George@SandstoneGroup.ca

Matthew Don Trapp is the Director of Public Affairs for Sandstone Group.

Matthew has extensive knowledge of government at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. Before joining Sandstone Group, Matthew worked as the Manager of Operations and Special Projects for a minister in the Ontario government. Between 2012 and 2016, Matthew worked on Parliament Hill in Ottawa as a parliamentary assistant for two Members of Parliament.

He has also had the opportunity to use his government relations skills for two public affairs firms in many sectors including health and wellness, cannabis, natural resources and energy.

Matthew’s experience has allowed him to develop expertise in communication strategies, policy development and advocacy. He enjoys organizing and leading public affairs campaigns to help drive awareness and shape decision-making.

With a passion for politics, Matthew has worked on dozens of political campaigns, including most recently serving as the campaign manager for a successful Ottawa City Council candidate in the 2022 municipal election. Matthew also currently serves as the Logistics and Events Chair for the Conservative Party’s riding association in Carleton.

One of Matthew’s proudest accomplishments is creating an internship program at the University of Ottawa that matched students to municipal, provincial and federal political offices. Under his guidance, the program placed 70 student interns in professional political offices. In the years since, hundreds of university students have obtained valuable internship experience en route to graduation and full-time professional employment.

Matthew currently serves as a reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces as an infantry soldier.

Email: Matthew@sandstonegroup.ca

Skye Scruton is a Government Relations Consultant with Sandstone Group.

Skye attended McGill University, where she majored in Strategic Management and learned the skills to help clients capitalize on their competitive advantages.

She has had the opportunity to work in both the public and private sectors, gaining a strategic understanding of what defines a successful relationship between government and business.

Skye has worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. providing strategic solutions for U.S. firms to enter and compete in the Canadian market. She also facilitated important commercial and trade discussions between U.S. and Canadian stakeholders.

Skye has a thorough research background, having worked in academia, and participating in projects focused on industrial organization, development and strategic management. These initiatives allowed businesses in the agricultural and retail industry to navigate their competitive landscape and improve on their core competencies.

Skye also sat on the board of directors of a non-profit organization, IRSAM (International Relations Student Association of McGill), which aimed to improve education initiatives on international relations, the Canadian government system, and the interaction between civil society and the private sector in the policy development process.

Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Skye is bilingual.

Email: Skye@sandstonegroup.ca

Elia Lopez is a Public Affairs Consultant with Sandstone Group.

Elia brings a strong background in industry and government to Sandstone Group. Most recently, she worked for the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, where she acquired a deep understanding of the parliamentary process and cultivated strong relationships on Parliament Hill as a member of the Leader’s Tour Team. In her role as a Policy Advisor, Elia developed an extensive knowledge of files related to the environment, climate change, natural resources and Indigenous affairs.

Prior to working on Parliament Hill, Elia worked for Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, based in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and for Nolinor Aviation, based in Montreal.

Elia has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Carleton University, a diploma in Police Foundations from Algonquin College, and a certificate in Mining Law and Sustainability from the University of British Columbia.

Over the years, she has volunteered on federal political campaigns in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa, She is intrinsically driven and passionate about enacting positive change through public policy.

Elia is fluent in French, English and Spanish.

Email: Elia@sandstonegroup.ca

Tamara Condie is a Public Affairs Consultant with Sandstone Group.

Tamara brings multifaceted experience in strategic communication, public affairs and journalism to Sandstone Group.

Most recently, she worked as a special projects advisor at the Department of Justice Canada, delivering innovative human-centred services to clients on strategies and visions.

During her time in government, Tamara worked on high-level strategic plans and engagement exercises, where she was able to design, package and present complex legal information into understandable and compelling formats. Notably, Tamara worked on the creation and promotion of a series of hybrid training courses. She received an Innovation Award from the Federal Public Service in recognition of her contributions to legal practitioners at Justice Canada.

Tamara has experience working as a journalist on sustainability, health care, civil liberties and justice issues.

During her undergraduate years, she worked on a research project with a local social enterprise to measure progress on meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Tamara is bilingual (English and French) and has a degree in Digital Journalism from the University of Ottawa and a diploma in Journalism from Algonquin College.

Email: Tamara@SandstoneGroup.ca

Shawn Driscoll is a Government Relations Consultant with Sandstone Group. Before joining Sandstone Group, Shawn spent over twelve years at the federal and provincial levels of government. Most recently, Shawn served as the Stakeholder Relations Advisor in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition for Erin O’Toole, Candice Bergen and Pierre Poilievre.

Shawn managed stakeholder relations across multiple departments in this role, including supporting the special advisor on Nuclear Energy, Northern Affairs and Arctic Sovereignty, Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, Environment and Climate Change, and Natural Resources and Indigenous Services.

Shawn has cultivated positive working relationships with numerous internal departments and federal government officials while disseminating public relations materials that increased visibility and awareness among stakeholders and partners.

In addition to his work in Ottawa, Shawn has worked at the provincial level of government in Nova Scotia as a Caucus Policy Advisor and Researcher, supporting efforts related to health care, fisheries, aquaculture and natural resources.

During the Stephen Harper’s term as Prime Minister, Shawn served as Atlantic Policy Advisor in the office of the Minister of National Revenue, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and Regional Minister for Prince Edward Island.

A relentless pursuit of excellence in stakeholder relations, campaign management, and government affairs marks Shawn Driscoll’s career. His extensive experience, dedication to fostering productive relationships, and innovative problem-solving make him a valuable asset in any endeavour.

Email: Shawn@SandstoneGroup.ca