Audit Committee Certified Graduates

Congratulations to the graduates of The Directors College* Audit Committee Program. These graduates have successfully completed the Audit Committee Program and rigorous individual exam, to be granted the privilege to use the official mark Audit Committee Certified (A.C.C.)

The Audit Committee Program was developed in partnership with, and delivered by faculty from, Deloitte Touche, McCarthy Tetrault, and Financial Executives International Canada along with experienced Audit Committee Chairs and behavioral experts.

A.C.C. Graduates

Ms. Pamela Nowina, A.C.C.
Director, Electrical Safety Authority

Pamela Nowina is a senior executive with extensive corporate and public sector experience in Ontario’s energy industry. Ms. Nowina currently sits on the board and the Audit Committee of the Electrical Safety Authority. The ESA is responsible for public electrical safety in Ontario. Ms. Nowina also sits on the board of St. Elizabeth Healthcare Foundation where she is Treasurer.

Ms. Nowina currently provides strategic consulting services to executives and boards through Elenchus Research Associates.

Ms. Nowina retired from the Ontario Energy Board in 2010. Pamela Nowina was Vice-Chair of the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) from 2005 until 2010. She was a key member of the board’s Management Committee which is responsible for governance and oversight of the management and operations of the board. Ms. Nowina was appointed as a board member in 2004. In addition to her governance responsibilities, Ms. Nowina has presided on many of the OEB’s most significant cases. She also had a key role in developing many of the board’s policies.

Prior to joining the OEB, Ms. Nowina was a partner with IBM Business Consulting Services. IBM acquired PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting where Ms. Nowina was partner in PwC’s Energy Practice. As a leader in the Canadian Energy practice, Ms. Nowina had a strong background in natural gas and electricity markets. She was responsible for the Energy Strategy practice for Canada. At PwC Consulting and IBM Consulting, Ms. Nowina worked with some of the country’s largest utility companies and related government agencies.

Before joining PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ms. Nowina held executive and management roles in Compugen, a high-tech company and management roles in Union Gas Limited.

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What our graduates say?

“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