Canada’s Chartered Directors

The Directors College is pleased to present Canada’s Chartered Directors. The graduates listed below have completed The Chartered Director Program, an intensive individual examination, and have met the other requirements to become a Chartered Director (C.Dir.)

The Directors College and the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés (CAS) of Université Laval have a reciprocal agreement, whereby their respective designations – Chartered Director (C.Dir.) and Administrateur de sociétés certifié (ASC) are recognized as equivalent.

To see the ASC Graduates who also hold the Chartered Director designation please click here.

C.Dir. Graduates

Ms. Heather J. Laing, C.Dir., H.R.C.C.C.
President, Sanlaing Limited.


Heather Laing is the President of Sanlaing Limited, which specializes in business problem solving and conflict management. Sanlaing provides corporate ombuds, fact finding, investigation, facilitation, mediation, and arbitration services.



She earned her law degree from Queen's University and was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1982 and the Law Society of B.C. in 1991.



Her professional experience includes: CEO of the College of Dental Surgeons of B.C., the self regulating body for dentists and certified dental assistants in British Columbia; dispute resolution professional acting as a corporate ombudsman, a mediator of numerous commercial, partnership, labour relations, wrongful dismissal, harassment, and personal injury disputes, and a labour arbitrator with extensive experience in British Columbia and Ontario; partner of a national law firm Fraser & Beatty; founding partner of Sanderson, Laing, a law firm specializing in employment and labour law acting on behalf of employers; litigation counsel with the Ontario Department of the Attorney General of Ontario; and Director of Labour Relations and Human Resources at an organization with 2,500 employees and four bargaining units.



Heather is Past President of the Arbitrators Association of B.C. and a member of the B.C. Mediator Roster (civil); the B.C. Arbitration and Mediation Institute, with designation as a Chartered Arbitrator and as a Chartered Mediator; the B.C. Register of Arbitrators for standard and expedited arbitration; and the BCICAC Mediation Panel and Arbitration Panel. She is both a Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) and a Chartered Director (C. Dir.) and has earned the Human Resourses and Compensation Certification (HRCC).

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What our graduates say?

“I thought the entire program was very well developed and comprehensive. You never know what to expect when you sign-up for these programs and this exceeded my expectations and was a great learning opportunity.”

James Scongack, Head of Corporate Affairs, Bruce Power LP

“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