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 program. Winners include Jim Adamson, John Ryan, Andy Poprawa, Adam Cooper, Michael MacBean, and Don McCreesh.

Jim Adamson: Director, Com Dev International, Winner 2011

News Release: Jim Adamson Wins 2011 Award for Corporate Governance From The Directors College

Toronto, April 6, 2011 – Jim Adamson – chief executive, NASA Astronaut, US Army Colonel, Professional Engineer, and Chartered Director – has been named the 2011 winner of the Gil Bennett Gold Standard Governance Award, presented by The Directors College.

The award was presented Tuesday evening at the graduation ceremony for newly certified Chartered Directors (C. Dir) of The Directors College, a joint venture of McMaster University and The Conference Board of Canada. Founded in 2003, The Directors College is Canada’s first university accredited corporate director development program.

“The growing relevance and importance of the Directors College program is underscored by the turmoil that led the world into the 2008-09 recession. Much of the financial trouble that precipitated the recession can be traced to failures of governance,” said Anne Golden, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Conference Board of Canada.

Named in honour of former Canadian Tire Chair, Gil Bennett, this 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 program.

The criteria for the award include scoring in the top 10 per cent on the final exam for Chartered Directors; providing a positive contribution to the class discussion; and displaying constructive behavior as a director during the unique Board Simulation exercise of the Chartered Director program.

“We are privileged to have an individual of Jim Adamson’s calibre receive the Gil Bennett award this year,” said Dr. Chris Bart, Principal & Lead Professor, The Directors College.

Jim Adamson is a senior consultant to the Aerospace & Defense Industry through his own company, Monarch Precision. He is currently Director and Governance Committee Chairman for Com Dev International (TSX: CDV), a global designer and manufacturer of space hardware.

Adamson also serves on NASA’s Advisory Committee for the International Space Station, and was the Operations Panel Chairman of the Return to Flight Task Group for the Space Shuttle following the Columbia accident.

Over four decades, Adamson has had a long and distinguished career in public service and in the private sector providing strategic direction to leading aerospace companies.

During his 23-year Army career, he held unit commands in Europe, Vietnam, and the United States, including the Army Space Flight Detachment at the Johnson Space Center.

During his career at NASA, Adamson was an Astronaut and held leadership positions in management, operations and R&D. He served on the space shuttle Columbia in 1989, and he returned to space in 1991 aboard Atlantis. That mission set a new world record for payload weight lifted to orbit. In total, the veteran astronaut logged over 334 hours in space.

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

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