The Gil Bennett Gold Standard Award

The Gold Standard Award was named in honour of former Canadian Tire Chair, Gil Bennett. The award has been presented annually since 2006 to a Directors College graduate who demonstrates dedication to raising the bar for professional standards in corporate governance through his or her progress in the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) program. Winners include Reena Sagoo, Jim Adamson, John Ryan, Andy Poprawa, Adam Cooper, Michael MacBean, and Don McCreesh.

DR. RICHARD FLORIZONE NAMED THE 2013 WINNER OF THE GIL BENNETT GOVERNANCE AWARD

Read the exclusive interview with Dr. Richard Florizone

Left to Right: Dr. Chris Bart (Principal & Lead Professor, The Directors College), Dr. Richard Florizone (2013 Gil Bennett Award Recipient), Ron Stokes (Partner, Ernst & Young LLP)

Toronto, March 5, 2013 – Dr. Richard Florizone, currently the Vice-President, Finance and Resources at the University of Saskatchewan and incoming President of Dalhousie University, is the 2013 recipient of the Gil Bennett Gold Standard Award.

Presented annually by The Directors College, the award recognizes a graduate of the Chartered Director (C. Dir.) program who demonstrates dedication to raising the bar for professional standards in corporate governance. The award was presented Monday at the graduation ceremony for newly-certified Chartered Directors. Daniel Johnson of McCarthy Tétrault, a former Premier of the Province of Québec, was the featured speaker at the ceremony.

“Effective governance of both public and private institutions is critical to society,” says Dr. Florizone, recipient of this year’s Gil Bennett Gold Standard Award. “It is a great honour to receive this award on the 10th anniversary of the Directors College and to share it with so many talented past graduates that are making a positive difference to governance standards in Canada.”

The Directors College is marking its 10th anniversary this year. Founded in 2003, The Directors College is a joint venture of McMaster University and The Conference Board of Canada, and is Canada’s first university-accredited corporate director development program.

Dr. Florizone will become the 11th President of Dalhousie University in Halifax on July 1, 2013. Since 2005, he has served as the Vice-President of Finance and Resources at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Florizone served as Director, Strategic Initiatives at Bombardier Aerospace in Montreal, and as Consultant and Project Leader with the Boston Consulting Group in Toronto. Dr. Florizone obtained his PhD in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Named in honour of former Canadian Tire chairman Gil Bennett, the Gold Standard Award has been presented annually since 2006 to a graduate of The Directors College. Previous winners include Don McCreesh, Michael MacBean, Andy Poprawa, John Ryan, Jim Adamson and Reena Sagoo.

“To win the Gil Bennett Award, a Chartered Director has to accomplish two objectives. First he or she must excel in the qualifying final examination of the Chartered Director Program and second the winner must demonstrate to the faculty through their behavioural skills that they possess more than just the technical and legal knowledge to be a director in the 21st century,” said Chris Bart, Principal & Lead Professor, The Directors College.

The criteria for the award include placing in the top 10 per cent on the final exam for Chartered Directors; providing leadership during class discussions; and making a unique contribution to the Board Simulation exercise of the Chartered Director program.

For more information on The Directors College and its Chartered Director Program, visit: www.thedirectorscollege.com.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Brent Dowdall, Media Relations, Tel.: 613- 526-3090 ext. 448
E-mail: corpcomm@conferenceboard.ca

Past Award Recipients

Reena Sagoo: Chief Financial Officer, Borealis Infrastructure, Winner 2012

Jim Adamson: Director, Com Dev International, Winner 2011

John Ryan: CEO, Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, Winner 2010

Andy Poprawa: President and Chief Executive Officer of the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario (DICO), Winner 2009

Adam Cooper: Former Chair of the Board of Directors of Educators Financial Group, Inc., Winner 2008

Michael MacBean: Managing Director, TriWest Capital Partners, Winner 2007

Don McCreesh: Corporate Director and President, The Garnet Group Inc., Winner 2006

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“I found the Chartered Director Program to be an excellent forum to understand how strong governance complements effective management. The ability to create and execute an effective strategy is significantly enhanced by a robust process inclusive of board engagement where the right questions are asked and expected outcomes are identified. I truly enjoyed the setting which fostered a strong level of interaction that was supported by quality presentations and material. As CEO of a Shared Service Organization set to deliver benefits to its members, I see the advantage of having a number of our board members participating in this program.”

Tony Di Emanuele, MBA, C.Dir., President and CEO, Mohawk Shared Services

“I found the Directors College to be an excellent survey of the important matters of which a director must be aware in today’s corporate environment. The quality of the presentation and materials was first-rate and the perspectives gained were invaluable. I would highly recommend the Directors College.”

The Honourable John Manley, P.C., O.C., C.Dir., Former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister

“The changes that impact corporate governance are establishing a pattern of increased accountability for the delivery of long-term value to customers, shareholders, employees and society. Proper corporate governance is now being defined to include knowledge of critical elements such as risk management and the measurement of strategic performance. At the end of the day, each board will be judged on its ability to effectively deliver value, rather than on its structure. The Directors College innovative program fills a unique and important gap in providing knowledge and insight as to how this expectation can be met. CMA Canada is pleased to be a sponsor of this timely initiative.”

Steve Vieweg, C.Dir., Director, Executive Development, I.H. Asper School of Business – University of Manitoba

“As an organization focused on educating corporate secretaries, the ICSA believes in furthering the potential of board members to better contribute to building effective governance structures. Given the key role of directors and corporate secretaries in applying proper boardroom practices, corporations need to ensure that these individuals meet a professional standard. The Directors College curriculum covers all the formal regulatory issues for directors and also addresses the informal skills of building effective and appropriate relationships with senior management. We see significant benefits to this program and ICSA is pleased to endorse it.”

Lynn Beauregard, Executive Director, Chartered Secretaries Canada

“The Directors College has developed a director education program which goes well beyond the fundamentals to address the structures and the behavioural components of principle-based governance. I am proud to be associated with the Directors College and I am honoured to lend my name to the College’s graduate award. ”

Gilbert Bennett, Director and Recently-Retired Chairman of the Board, Canadian Tire Corporation Limited

“Our strategy is to raise the horizons and potential of directors by deepening and enriching their knowledge and application of advanced skills. Increasing the effectiveness of existing directors and broadening the pool of potential directors will contribute to the professionalism of boards across Canada.”

David Beatty, Managing Director, Canadian Coalition for Good Governance