HALIFAX/TORONTO, May 6, 2014 /CNW/ - Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), the national association for Canadian directors and boards, today announced that its flagship program, the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program (DEP), is launching in Atlantic Canada.
The inaugural offering of the DEP, Canada's leading education program for directors, will begin in October, 2014 with the Sobey School of Business, Saint Mary's University in Halifax. Topics in the 12-day program include overseeing strategic direction, monitoring financial performance, guiding human capital and compensation and assessing enterprise risk. The curriculum will also cover issues unique to Atlantic Canada such as family enterprises.
"The ICD has been serving the director community in Atlantic Canada for over a decade through our chapters in Halifax and St. John's," said Stan Magidson, president and CEO, Institute of Corporate Directors. "Based on feedback from our members, we felt that this was the opportune time to launch the DEP in Halifax to help directors in Atlantic Canada be better informed and better equipped to handle evolving challenges in directorship."
The DEP, first offered in 2004, was jointly developed by the ICD and Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto to help directors strengthen their skills, expand their knowledge and be more effective in creating and protecting value for the organizations and corporations they serve. The DEP supports participants in overcoming the evolving governance challenges in Canadian boardrooms.
"The role of the board director has increasingly become more complex, time intensive and publicly scrutinized than ever before," said Richard Powers, national academic director of the DEP at the Rotman School of Management. "The course curriculum will address broad governance issues as well as focus on the unique legal and regulatory complexities of the local and regional business landscape."
"Here in Nova Scotia, the ICD has a dynamic community of directors and business leaders who believe stronger boards make stronger businesses," said Cheryl Hodder, partner at McInnes Cooper, Chair of Film & Creative Industries Nova Scotia and a graduate of the DEP. "The Directors Education Program addresses the challenges faced by directors in a relevant and engaging way, and is a must-attend for any director interested in enhancing their boardroom skills."
Since the launch of the DEP, over 3,000 directors have completed the program. Notable graduates of the DEP include Jo Mark Zurel, Chair of Atlantic Provinces Economic Council and Newfoundland Power, Steve Parker, Chairman & CEO of CCL Group, and Rob Sobey, Director of Empire Company Limited.
The DEP is taught by leading business faculty, experienced directors and governance experts at six leading business schools: the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, the Haskayne School of Business at University of Calgary, the University of Alberta School of Business, the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, and now the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary's University.
"The Sobey School of Business is committed to creating prosperity and sharing knowledge, and the DEP offers us a tremendous opportunity to support Atlantic Canadian business through building strong governance and leadership," said Patricia Bradshaw, Dean of the Sobey School of Business.
About the ICD
The Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) is a not-for-profit, member-based association representing Canadian directors and boards across the for-profit, not-for-profit, and Crown sectors. The ICD has more than 8,300 members and 11 local chapters across Canada. The ICD fosters the sharing of knowledge and wisdom through education, professional development programs and services, and thought leadership and advocacy to achieve the highest standard of directorship. For more information, please visit: www.icd.ca.
SOURCE: Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD)
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Maliha Aqeel
Director, Communications
Institute of Corporate Directors
Tel: 1-877-593-7741, ext. 229
Email: [email protected]
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