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. Gemma Zecchini, C.Dir.
Chief Executive Officer, Stewardship Ontario


Gemma Zecchini is Senior Vice President, Public Policy for the Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC), the largest industry association representing Canadian and multi-national companies that make and market retailer and national brand food and consumer products sold through retail and foodservice outlets. Gemma is responsible for implementing public affairs strategies and providing leadership to the association's public policy group.

For four years prior to joining FCPC, Gemma was President and CEO of Refreshments Canada, an industry association representing companies that make and distribute non-alcoholic liquid refreshment beverages. In her role, she advocated and negotiated on behalf of member companies in the areas of non-competitive trade, taxation, environmental stewardship and food/drug regulations with all levels of government across Canada.

Prior to Refreshments Canada, Gemma practised as a public sector management consultant with KPMG (now BearingPoint), specializing in the area of organizational change and project management. She also worked as a public relations and government relations practitioner in the public and regulatory sectors for 10 years. Early in her career, she left her position as a research analyst with a large investment firm to pursue a global assignment in the petroleum industry in the Middle East.

Gemma is accredited through the International Association of Business Communicators, certified as a chartered director through the Director's College and has a Master's Degree in Journalism from the University of Western Ontario.

Gemma has been on the board of a number of environmental stewardship organizations including Encorp Pacific Canada (Inc), and Waste Diversion Ontario, which she has chaired since its start-up following its creation by the Ontario legislature in 1992.

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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