Leader in Corporate Governance Leaves Lasting Impact

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of our good friend and colleague, Patrick O'Callaghan. Patrick was a pioneer in corporate governance in Canada, starting a stand-alone corporate governance practice in the early 1990s long before governance malfeasance was making headlines.

Patrick was a personal mentor to me in the early 2000s when I got my start in governance. We spent many hours talking about the principles of sound governance and the importance of getting the optimal board composition as a strong foundation. He gave me my first books on corporate governance and introduced me to like-minded people whom I came to know and work with along the way.

Patrick made a significant contribution to governance in Canada, and he will be sorely missed by his many friends, colleagues, clients, and me.

Thank you, Patrick, for all you did.

CEOs must lead publicly: Today, CEOs can’t stay out of the big social questions of the day. It is an expectation that they have a meaningful point of view to share, particularly when the company's stakeholders are impacted. This is an extension of the CEO living the organization’s values.
Inclusive boardrooms mean better corporate performance: A boardroom environment where boards and leaders can have candid, direct and challenging conversations helps boards and leaders learn, question, and truly advance DEI. It also improves the overall quality of decision-making. Board chairs are responsible for ensuring an ethos of psychological safety, and inclusive boardrooms contribute to better corporate performance and greater DEI throughout the organization.
You need data + action: Data helps you understand your board, workforce, customers, and communities, and guides your DEI efforts. But measuring doesn’t move the needle. There’s no reason not to take action while you gather your data.
DEI and ethics are close cousins: There is a foundation of self-awareness and human decency behind both DEI and ethics (individual and cultural). Stronger DEI means stronger ethics and stronger ethics means stronger DEI. This leads to earlier surfacing of both ethical issues and DEI gaps.

So, you're the board chair. From your seat at the head of the table, you influence a positive board culture and draw out the strengths of directors. Meanwhile, you inspire management to lead their teams to greatness, and nurture relationships that enable your organization to thrive.

That's a lot on your shoulders.

WATSON's Chair with Intention™ is our 1.5-day course where you will learn the skills, practices and approaches effective chairs use to lead their organizations to success, while connecting with and learning from your peers facing similar issues and pressures.

Our next workshop is June 2-3, 2022 in Vancouver. Cohorts are kept intentionally small, so secure your spot early.

Register at the link below to bring some fresh skills and new perspectives back to your boardroom.

The Centre for Digital Media (CDM) is a groundbreaking education consortium of four leading academic institutions: University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia Institute of Technology and Emily Carr University of Art + Design. GNCW’s Master of Digital Media Program is an internationally recognized program that welcomes talented students from all over the world to work with faculty and world-class industry professionals, and 2022 marks the beginning of a new phase of strategic growth and community transformation.

So, we were thrilled to partner with Great Northern Way Campus Ltd (GNWC). in the search of their next Managing Director, Academics and Business Operations.

Ted Gervan will guide the strategic growth at CDM and lead all operations of the multi-use campus, which is home to graduate programs, industry studios, student housing and more. “CDM is a world-class educational institution with a unique governance structure. Ted brings an entrepreneurial mindset to liaise with industry and build new programs, and will also expertly navigate the post secondary landscape," said Barb Schimnowsky, WATSON Practice Lead - Executive Search.

Congratulations to Ted and GNWC.

We've helped hundreds of organizations find their leaders and now it's our turn.

WATSON is looking for a Managing Director to join the senior team and play a key role guiding our growing firm. They will be responsible for all aspects of the company's operational business management: finance and accounting, people and culture, and technology, systems and processes. We need a highly collaborative team player to help develop, operationalize, and monitor the success of our strategy, while elevating our operations to a new level of efficiency and effectiveness that supports WATSON's continued growth.

If you are a continuous learner with a passion for helping organizations perform better, you might be the perfect fit.

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