A summer of governance

Now, as we are winding down our last days of summer, the Canadian Society of Corporate Secretaries (CSCS) has been hosting its 14th Annual Corporate Governance conference in Vancouver.

The event, which began on Sunday and ends today, is designed to educate corporate secretaries about the critical governance issues Canadian companies face. The CSCS is the primary advocate for the governance community in Canada, and its annual event provides resources for the evolving corporate secretary profession. 

With #CSCS12 trending online, attendees are engaging in meaningful dialogue before and after the sessions. Most of the sessions run up to an hour and governance officers have the chance to network and get acquainted with leaders in the field.

So in case you missed it – here are some highlights (and lowlights) from the event:   

Day 1:

Announcement of the Canada Coalition of Good Governance (CCGG) Gavel Award winners, which showcase companies that have raised the bar in governance.  To name a few: MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates took home the award for small-cap disclosure of executive compensation practices and governance approach; and Suncor Energy won the best disclosure of board governance practices and director qualifications award.

Day 2:

Governance for sustainability: This panel discussed how the boardroom should move away from the traditional one-size-fits all approach and start thinking about other emerging environmental and social issues. Creating and sustaining trust remains a critical part of the overall governance process and corporate secretaries should prepare the board and educate directors about their role as socially responsible citizens.

Practical considerations for the CD&A and executive compensation: Even though output maybe difficult to measure at times, this session, which featured Kaylynn Schroeder, vice president, human resources at Cameco Corporation and Gordon Orlikow, senior client partner, Korn/Ferry International, outlined best practices in compensation and how to implement a successful pay-for-performance system.

Day 3:

Crisis management for the corporate secretary: Scotia Investments top risk management expert and general counsel Robert Patzelt QC examined the different phases of a corporate crisis and how to prepare a crisis management plan that is free of loopholes and guided by the company’s code of ethics. Corporate secretaries often forget that a crisis can happen at anytime and having a plan of action ready to go remains a critical component of its governance structure.

The intense three-day event managed to hit on major governance hot spots that keep corporate secretaries up to speed. There was certainly something for everyone – even refresher workshops that kept attendees engaged and enthused for the duration of the event.