CROWN DIRECTORS IN SASKATCHEWAN OFFERED DIRECTOR EDUCATION PROGRAM

May 13, 2009 – The Directors College—Canada’s university-accredited director education program—today announced that it will deliver its Chartered Director program to directors of the Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan (CIC) and its subsidiary Crowns.

CIC has offered training to members of its subsidiary Crown corporation boards for more than 10 years, but has been unable to formally recognize their efforts and participation. The Directors College program, which begins May 13, 2009, will give board members who complete all the requirements a university-accredited designation, The Chartered Director, C.Dir., from McMaster University

“Our Board members dedicate a tremendous amount of time providing strategic direction and oversight for our Crown corporations,” Crown Corporations Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said. “Thanks to this new partnership with The Directors College, we can continue to provide them with training to help them govern in an increasingly complex business environment, and they will receive a university-accredited designation for that training.”

“This unique educational program is a tremendous opportunity for Saskatchewan’s board members to gain a common understanding of effective governance process and behavior requirements of today’s best practices in corporate governance,” said Prem Benimadhu, Vice-President, Governance and Human Resources Management, The Conference Board of Canada, a partner in The Directors College with McMaster University.

The Chartered Director program of the Directors College is a joint venture between The Conference Board of Canada and The DeGroote School of Business at McMaster.

The Directors College faculty is made up of a diverse group of seasoned directors, experienced executives and governance scholars. Experienced directors and academics from Saskatchewan will be among the faculty delivering the program to the Crown directors and executives.

The Directors College is now in its sixth year of operation.

-30-

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

Debbie Clark, CIC,
Tel: 306-787-5451
E-mail: dclark@cicorp.sk.ca

Follow Us

LinkedFollow TDC on LinkedIn

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